Chapter 10: Rapidly Gaining Upgrade Points and Advancing Levels

As the door to apartment 201 slowly opened, a disordered living room came into view. However, there was no sign of any red armored beetles.

Lin Feng held the shield crafted from the carapace of a lv4 red armored beetle. This Red Armored Shield was rated at lv3, measuring a solid 1.8 meters in height and 1.2 meters in width, boasting a formidable defense of 15 points, effectively covering the entire doorway.

With the large shield in hand, Lin Feng led the way into the entryway, followed by Zhang Yuruo carrying a smaller shield.

Once in the living room, Lin Feng's first action was to check each room, including the ceiling, for any hidden beetles.

After ensuring safety, he led the women to the balcony, positioned at the sliding door between the living room and the balcony, blocking the entrance. He then banged on the shield to draw in the giant insects.

Soon enough, a red armored beetle, having finished its prey, crawled up from the neighborhood below, drawn by the noise.

For the beetles, the five or six meters to the second-floor height was trivial, especially with the alluring scent of blood wafting from the window.

The first beetle that climbed over the balcony lunged directly at Lin Feng and his companions but was blocked by the Red Armored Shield. It was met with a barrage of bullets.

The unfortunate lv3 beetle had its limbs shot off by Lin Feng's three bullets, suffering eighteen points of damage and collapsing, unable to move.

Zhang Yuruo then stepped forward with her long knife to finish it off, accruing upgrade points for the knife and moving towards her upgrade.

Unexpectedly, after killing the first beetle, Zhang Yuruo didn't feel any different, and Lin Feng confirmed through appraisal that she hadn't upgraded.

"Don't worry, maybe the next upgrade requires more beetles," Lin Feng speculated after a brief thought.

Zhang Yuruo nodded and retreated to continue defending.

Without the barrier of walls, the gunshots from the balcony echoed loudly throughout the neighborhood, soon attracting several beetles that crawled up to the balcony.

This time, they faced two beetles simultaneously. Lin Feng fired decisively as soon as they crossed the balcony, not giving them a chance to get close.

The remaining nine bullets in the magazine were quickly expended, with the two beetles having some of their limbs shot off, leaving them immobilized.

While Zhang Yuruo covered him, Lin Feng swiftly reloaded, allowing Chen Yanyan to refill the magazine.

After Zhang Yuruo dispatched one of the beetles, she successfully reached lv2, with a quick upgrade process that significantly enhanced her attributes.

Watching Zhang Yuruo finishing off the remaining beetle, Lin Feng saw her attribute data flash before him:

"Human, lv2/9"

"Health: 15, Constitution: 12, Spirit: 10"

Her attributes had increased by 50%, and the effect was noticeable from Zhang Yuruo's uncontrollable smile and eagerness to continue fighting.

"Alright, come back, be careful!" Lin Feng called out, prompting her to retreat to the living room, preventing her from encountering a fully healthy beetle that would require multiple strikes to kill.

Also, standing in front would hinder his aim.

Soon, beetles about two meters long began to climb up the window and over the balcony in succession.

Lin Feng skillfully aimed at their heads and abdomens, pulling the trigger to fire bullets.

This wave of beetles arrived quickly, leaving no opportunity for Zhang Yuruo to strike. Lin Feng reloaded another magazine and, after firing twenty-four bullets, managed to take down five beetles.

Seven beetle corpses piled up on the balcony. Fortunately, although their bodies were large, they were relatively low in height, with the thickest part of the thorax only about forty centimeters tall, much like cockroaches in sewers, taking up little space.

Had the pile of corpses filled the balcony, it would have been troublesome, forcing them to retreat to the living room.

After reloading, Lin Feng waited a while, but no more beetles came.

He cautiously moved forward with the large shield.

At the window, he leaned against the wall to look outside.

The beetles that had gathered below the building had mostly disappeared, with only three or four in the distance still feeding on corpses.

However, the sound of gunfire had reached the outside, and Lin Feng saw people in other buildings open their windows, calling for help:

"Help! Save us!"

"Hey, hey, hey! Is it the sheriff?!"

"Help! We have giant bugs in our stairwell!"

"The power and water are out! No phone signal, and you have a gun, come save us!"

As the first cry for help went out, others followed, echoing throughout the neighborhood.

Seeing this, Lin Feng was speechless, realizing that people had likely been calling for help since the shooting began, explaining the temporary absence of beetles climbing up.

These people were truly careless. Without weapons, they dared to stand by the windows and call for help, seemingly unaware of the danger.

Fortunately, they were near the suburbs, with countryside beyond and no other neighborhoods, resulting in fewer beetles...

Still, some unlucky individuals, particularly on the first and second floors, less than five meters from the ground, quickly attracted nearby beetles.

The beetles scaled their balconies, giving them an unpleasant surprise!

Amidst the ensuing screams, the survivors realized the danger was near and quickly fell silent, closing their windows.

Lin Feng shook his head, lamenting how people in peaceful times lacked crisis awareness.

This insect swarm attack spanned all continents along the coastlines, not just affecting the Federation, highlighting the severity of the crisis.

The city was likely overrun, unable to fend for itself, yet these people still hoped for rescue by sheriffs, which was laughable.

Forget about the sheriff's office; Lin Feng suspected even the Federation's military was overwhelmed by the swarm, unable to provide aid.

However, a few smart individuals took advantage of the chaos to escape the neighborhood in cars—luck to them...

Seeing that the beetles near Building 6 had been cleared by the trio, Lin Feng stepped aside, instructing the women to step forward and finish off the bugs.

Chen Yanyan eagerly raised her long knife.

Zhang Yuruo approached Lin Feng, offering her long knife with concern:

"Don't you need it?"

Lin Feng smiled, showing his handgun, and shook his head:

"No, I can manage with the gun; it's the same."

Nodding, Zhang Yuruo hesitated, looking at the remaining five beetles.

Lin Feng said:

"When you killed the second one, you upgraded. You've finished one more since then. Try taking down two more."

"I suspect this forms an arithmetic sequence, with the number of bugs needed for the next upgrade linked to the upgrade level."

"You've completed your second upgrade."

"For the third, it should be three bugs."

Understanding, Zhang Yuruo followed Lin Feng's suggestion, using the long knife to take down two more beetles.

Indeed, after accumulating three kills, she smoothly initiated her third upgrade.

This upgrade caused her to sweat profusely, her face flushing, and her body turning red with heat.

Fortunately, it was brief, dissipating in seconds.

Zhang Yuruo successfully reached lv3:

"Human, lv3/9"

"Health: 20, Constitution: 14, Spirit: 13"

Her attributes were slightly below Lin Feng's but still robust. With the Red Armored Shield and long knife, she could easily handle a beetle.

Chen Yanyan, too, raised her long knife, preparing for her second upgrade.

Lin Feng then glanced at his premium handgun. After killing seven beetles, it had accumulated 25 upgrade points, ready for the next upgrade.

Once upgraded, it would be lv4!

He wondered what new features would emerge.

Taking a deep breath, Lin Feng initiated the upgrade command!