Chapter 6: Slaying the Red Armored Beetle

Three consecutive bullets hit the red armored beetle.

The level 2 handgun dealt four points of damage per shot. One bullet struck the beetle's head, inflicting eight points of critical damage, effectively blowing apart the remaining half of its brain.

The other two bullets hit its forelimb and the mandibles clutching its prey, dealing a total of eight points of damage.

This effectively depleted the beetle's health.

Fortunately, Lin Feng acted decisively; one of the shots hit the beetle's head. If he had fired only once, the beetle might have escaped.

A quick appraisal confirmed the beetle was dead.

Lin Feng raised his shield and cautiously approached.

With the neighborhood now silent, lacking the initial chaos of darkness descending, the three gunshots resounded loudly, echoing continuously...

At the doorway of apartment 201, Lin Feng peeked inside. As expected, the windows were open, and another red beetle was already approaching, drawn by the noise!

Lin Feng quickly raised his shield to block the beetle's bite. Its hooked mandibles, like spring-loaded arms, struck the shield, instantly tearing the thin metal surface and denting the compressed wood beneath.

The beetle recoiled from the impact, and Lin Feng prepared to seize the opportunity to shoot, but he noticed more red beetles emerging through the open window, drawn by the sound.

Outnumbered, he had to retreat!

Without hesitation, Lin Feng bent down, dragging the dead beetle's body into the hallway, and slammed the door shut just as another beetle lunged.

Panting heavily, Lin Feng realized his hands were shaking. Thankfully, he had reacted quickly; a moment's delay could have resulted in a swarm of beetles rushing in.

The consequences were unimaginable.

After catching his breath, Lin Feng raised his battered shield and led the two women to the first floor. The gunshots had drawn several beetles to the main entrance.

Exiting now would be suicidal; they needed to wait for the beetles to disperse.

Lin Feng sighed, noting the shield's damage and the need for further preparation. He decided to inspect the entire building to ensure safety.

Returning upstairs, Lin Feng went door-to-door, advising residents to keep windows and curtains closed, assuring them that he had dealt with the beetle in the hallway.

The old building had six floors, excluding the third floor, with ten apartments. Only four responded to Lin Feng; the others were either at work or unoccupied. Apartment 201 was where the tragedy occurred.

It was a Tuesday, a workday, so the responding residents were mostly women and the elderly. They couldn't be expected to help much, as long as they didn't make things worse like in apartment 201.

With Lin Feng's warning, they realized the hallway was safer than inside their homes.

The beetles could climb walls and shatter windows, and wooden doors were inadequate defenses. The iron entrance doors in the hallways provided better protection, and the corridor windows were reinforced with iron bars, offering some peace of mind.

Once Lin Feng ensured safety, the surviving residents from building six gathered in the hallway: two middle-aged women, a young woman, and three elderly individuals.

They brought food and supplies from their homes, setting up makeshift beds on the fourth and fifth-floor landings.

A middle-aged woman, following Lin Feng's group, screamed at the sight of the gruesome scene outside apartment 201.

Chen Yanyan, holding a dagger, quietly scolded her:

"Stop screaming! Do you want to attract more beetles?"

"So many people have died outside. Haven't you seen enough?"

Earlier, at the corner, she too had been frightened by the scene, nearly dropping her knife. Fortunately, Lin Feng acted swiftly to resolve the situation.

Seeing others react worse than she did, and with the frustration of not being able to leave the building, the woman's scream only added to their irritation.

Faced with a woman brandishing a knife, the middle-aged woman quickly fell silent. Though the hallway quieted, it drew the attention of others from upstairs, who began descending one by one.

The woman attacked by the beetle succumbed to her injuries, her body and the smell of blood filling the stairwell.

The middle-aged woman and the young woman, upon seeing the scene up close, covered their mouths in horror, gagging and unable to look.

Fortunately, those who had seen the outside carnage through the windows were somewhat prepared mentally, unlike the first woman, who had screamed incessantly.

However, leaving a mutilated body in the hallway was unseemly.

Warned by Chen Yanyan, the middle-aged woman, now emboldened by the presence of the others, spoke up:

"What should we do now? Maybe you should take care of it?"

"Throw her outside!"

Chen Yanyan frowned and retorted:

"Why don't you do it? The beetles are everywhere outside. Opening a window is suicide. Why not take her to your place for a little protection?"

The woman's face twisted in embarrassment, exchanging glances with the others. Standing at the second-floor landing, looking down at Lin Feng's group, she crossed her arms:

"Don't you have a gun? You just used it to kill the beetle. Why can't you go?"

"Young man, are you a sheriff? We can't reach anyone by phone. We're all citizens of the Federation, taxpayers; you have to protect us!"

"Yeah, that's right!"

"We're all citizens of the Federation!"

The woman's words resonated with the others.

The Federation had strict control over firearms, usually allowing only law enforcement to carry them.

But Lin Feng was growing impatient, unwilling to argue with these women. He turned his gun on them:

"Stop bothering me. First, I'm not a sheriff, and second, I have no obligation to look after you. Telling you to keep your windows closed was already a favor. Don't push it."

"As for now, get back upstairs!"

With that, he moved forward and grabbed the beetle's rear limb.

The previously broken limb had regrown.

Lin Feng estimated the two-meter-long beetle weighed only about 150 pounds, similar to an adult human.

With his enhanced strength, he could lift it easily.

He instructed the two women to lift the beetle's mangled body and return upstairs.

Zhang Yuruo hesitated, as the beetles resembled giant cockroaches, their mouths stained with the woman's innards, a gruesome sight.

Naturally fearful of multi-legged arthropods, she hesitated.

In contrast, Chen Yanyan, unconcerned, stepped forward to lift the beetle's head, leaving the relatively clean tail for Zhang Yuruo.

Seeing this, Zhang Yuruo steeled herself, grabbing the beetle's rear limbs, and followed Lin Feng.

Lin Feng led the way with his shield and gun.

It wasn't that he didn't want to help; as the main combatant, he shouldn't be distracted by such tasks. The women handling logistics was reasonable and allowed them to overcome their fear of the beetles.

The elderly and women's eyes never left Lin Feng's gun. He wanted no surprises.

Caution was always wise.

With Lin Feng leading, the others stepped aside, allowing the trio to carry the beetle back to apartment 302.

Once inside, the women dropped the heavy carcass, exhaling in relief.

Zhang Yuruo rushed to the bathroom to clean her hands of the foul-smelling slime with towels and wipes.

Unfazed, Chen Yanyan casually wiped her hands before joining Lin Feng as he began dissecting the beetle with a cleaver.

Noticing her curiosity, Lin Feng asked:

"Not scared anymore?"

Chen Yanyan brandished her dagger, eager:

"I'm just afraid of dying. The beetle's dead, so what's there to fear? Knowing their weakness might help us kill them more easily."

Lin Feng nodded, cutting as he spoke:

"Are you from the countryside? Not many girls aren't afraid of bugs. Did you catch them as a kid?"

Recalling her past, Chen Yanyan's eyes moistened:

"I came from the northwest for college. In the countryside, besides working the fields, there was little else to do. We were poor, so I'd go with my dad to catch centipedes and scorpions, dig for earthworms, dry them, and sell them for some extra money..."

Lin Feng nodded, offering comfort:

"Don't worry. The giant insects are currently only attacking coastal cities, two to three thousand miles from the northwest."

"Once we escape Haicheng, we'll be safe."

Chen Yanyan nodded, wiping her eyes:

"Feng, are you from Haicheng? What about your family..."

Lin Feng used the cleaver to sever the beetle's connective tissue, removing the entire carapace.

"My parents are gone, disappeared a few years ago..."

With that, he lifted the carapace, about 1.5 meters long and over a meter wide at its broadest.

Lin Feng silently hoped for a response as he appraised it...