Chapter 15: Driving and Upgrading to Lv5

Zhang Yuruo picked up the car keys by the door and followed Lin Feng.

As they stepped outside, the hallway was filled with the pungent smell of blood.

Everywhere they looked, the walls were peeling and the steps were stained black with blood.

Lin Feng decisively used the remaining upgrade reserves of his lv4 Red Armored Shield to switch its mode from normal to shield armor.

A white glow enveloped him, and the Red Armored Shield transformed into armor, covering Lin Feng from head to toe, including his fingers, in a snug fit.

The Red Armored Shield broke down into hundreds of modules, resembling a suit of golden chainmail, each module fitting seamlessly and smoothly, allowing Lin Feng to move without any hindrance.

Aside from the time limit, it was flawless.

Not wasting time explaining to the women behind him, Lin Feng, amidst their exclamations, grabbed his gun and headed upstairs.

The blood trail led from below to above.

After a series of gunshots, Lin Feng, clad in his red-silver armor, returned with two red carapaces, which quickly vanished, absorbed into the Red Armored Shield's reserves.

With his legendary handgun's powerful 10-point damage, he easily dispatched two red armored beetles upstairs, gaining enough resources to upgrade both his lv4 handgun and lv4 Red Armored Shield.

But Lin Feng didn't rush; there were still more bugs downstairs to deal with.

Leading the women downstairs, they arrived at the entrance of apartment 201. Besides a few corpses, five red armored beetles were feasting on the previous survivors from the hallway.

Lin Feng swiftly dealt with them with a few shots.

After stripping the carapaces, he had Zhang Yuruo bring her shield. The lv2 Red Armored Shield absorbed five carapaces and upgraded to lv4.

Lin Feng installed two buttons at the handle's back to switch between carapace and shield armor modes.

After explaining the Red Armored Shield's functions, the women were amazed. Zhang Yuruo's eyes were full of love, while Chen Yanyan looked on with envy and anticipation.

Holding a shield was cumbersome. If it transformed into armor like Lin Feng's, they could fearlessly face giant bugs, wielding long knives with ease.

After upgrading Yuruo's equipment, Lin Feng led the women downstairs to the main entrance.

Outside the door were two more red armored beetles, drawn by the hallway's bloody scent, but too dumb to climb the wall and enter.

Lin Feng opened the door and easily dealt with them, storing the carapaces in Yuruo's Red Armored Shield.

This operation was something only he could perform. Without the system, others couldn't activate the equipment's functions.

Lin Feng had tested this; many items only worked in his hands.

He needed to upgrade Yuruo's equipment as much as possible while there was still time.

The lv4 Red Armored Shield's armor mode lasted only an hour, but like the handgun's extra attribute changes, future upgrades would enhance it.

Outside the residential building, there were no more red armored beetles in sight. Lin Youzhi's Mercedes was parked nearby, and his corpse was reduced to a pool of blood from the beetles' feeding.

Lin Feng thought Yuruo might take one last look, but she walked straight to the Land Rover, switched her Red Armored Shield to carapace mode, opened the door, and started the engine without looking back.

Chen Yanyan placed her small shield and two bags of supplies in the trunk, then sat in the back.

Lin Feng glanced back at the home he had lived in for six or seven years, perhaps leaving for good this time.

After saying his silent farewell, he got into the passenger seat.

Zhang Yuruo released the brake, drove out of the parking space, and gently pressed the accelerator, leaving the neighborhood.

Lin Feng looked at his legendary handgun. After killing nine red armored beetles, although it took ten points of damage to accumulate one upgrade point, he had gained a total of twenty-seven points.

Adding the nine points left from the previous upgrade, he had thirty-six points, enough for two level-ups.

Initiating the upgrade, he rolled down the window, enjoying the breeze while searching for roadside prey.

Unfortunately, no bugs were in sight.

The neighborhood lay between suburb and countryside. Three kilometers ahead, four blocks away, was Haicheng's university district.

Haicheng University was one of four major universities, a key coastal institution. Lin Feng didn't inherit his mother's intellect and attended the affiliated college—a regular undergraduate school...

At the time, a word from his mother, He Yiwen, could have secured his admission to Haicheng University, but she never encouraged him to achieve much and never tutored him in his studies.

It seemed nothing mattered to He Yiwen besides her research projects.

Lin Feng had resented this, but after his parents' disappearance and fruitless search, he gradually let go.

At least now he had a new family member, his first woman.

Driving along the intercity highway, the wide three-lane road had many abandoned vehicles but wasn't completely blocked.

Yuruo, a skilled driver, glanced at the man beside her, concerned:

"Xiaofeng, did you get your license for an automatic?"

Lin Feng nodded. Few manual cars existed now; most young people opted for automatics for their simplicity, passing in a month.

Yuruo frowned:

"For long-range travel, a powerful truck is best. It carries more supplies and can break through bug swarms..."

"Cars are too small, with limited fuel. You'll constantly need gas stations."

"While only coastal cities have fallen, inland towns, tens of kilometers away, are evacuating. They had more time to prepare and took everything."

"Planes, trains, cars—this will be humanity's largest migration."

"If you want supplies, Haicheng is the best place. Inland, resources will dwindle, becoming scarce."

Lin Feng's expression grew serious, understanding Yuruo's words.

Haicheng, an international metropolis with over ten million residents, held vast resources. Even a fraction would support their escape from the swarm.

But Lin Feng aimed not just to flee, but to utilize the swarm to upgrade his equipment and level up.

Only then could he find a foothold in the future.

The alien swarm capable of waging global war was formidable. Their stealthy arrival on Earth indicated advanced technology beyond humanity's.

For now, their path seemed biological, focusing on genetic modification and evolution. Human firepower could temporarily halt their advance.

This respite was Lin Feng's opportunity.

To gather supplies and escape the swarm, Lin Feng needed a truck for a mobile base and safe haven, engaging the swarm in a strategic dance.

"Are all trucks manual?"

Yuruo nodded, steering around a crash site—a massive truck had crushed seven or eight cars.

Its dominance was undeniable.

Yet even with a manual license, driving a large truck required further training and a B license.

After some thought, Yuruo suggested:

"If you can't drive one, try upscale neighborhoods for automatic RVs. Though smaller, they have everything you need and are more comfortable."

"With shield modifications, their defense rivals trucks."

Lin Feng's eyes lit up at the idea.

By then, they reached the university district, lined with various shops, from dining to entertainment.

The vibrant university life continued.

Lin Feng reminisced about his all-night gaming sessions.

The monster-hunting games he once loved were now reality.

After a moment of nostalgia, his legendary handgun finished upgrading:

"Legendary Handgun lv5/9, White Quality"

"Upgrade Points: 17/10, Damage: 15, Effective Range: 300 meters, Remaining Bullets: 700/1000"

"Extra Attribute: Bullet Recovery, 1/1min, Space Magazine, 1000 Reserve Bullets"

As expected, besides the five-point damage boost and 400 extra rounds, there were no significant changes.

Lin Feng initiated his own synchronized upgrade and let the lv5 legendary handgun continue upgrading.

He sensed that entering the university district meant facing even more challenging battles...

Before that, he needed to grow stronger quickly!