Chapter 86: Lv16 Crimson Flying Armor, Qin Hu Seriously Injured

During the Lv15 armored vehicle's fusion upgrade, Lin Feng went to the trunk and opened the sealed hatch.

The soundproofing of the folded space was excellent, so even the sole surviving Blue Wing Bug couldn't be heard from outside, no matter how much noise it made.

Now, the trunk only contained it and another pair of membranous wings from its kind.

Lin Feng planned to add these wings to his Crimson Armor.

Enhancing his Lv15 Crimson Armor with new attributes.

It was one of his escape options.

As for the live bug, Lin Feng had other plans.

Blue Wing Bugs were rare, about one-fifth the number of Black Spinal Bugs, and capturing them alive was difficult.

Lin Feng intended to cut off its wings and see if it could grow a new pair through feeding, allowing for repeated use.

This would avoid the risk of waiting in the insect heartland for Blue Wing Bugs.

He had narrowly escaped being surrounded by a swarm led by Tiger Bugs, thanks to Chen Yanyan's constant vigilance, which warned of danger in time for a safe retreat.

After taking the last pair of wings, Lin Feng called Han Yuxin, asking her to bring a truckload of fresh meat on her return.

Cheap and plentiful frozen chicken or duck meat would do.

He then closed the trunk and proceeded to the repair shop to upgrade the Crimson Armor.

This time, seven pairs of mandibles were needed, but Lin Feng added a pair of Blue Wing Bug wings. The upgrade completed quickly with a flash of red light.

Item upgrades were faster than large equipment, related to their size and fusion depth.

In a few minutes, the new Lv16 Crimson Armor appeared on Lin Feng's arm, its black-red surface now adorned with a ring of green scales.

Activating the full-body armor mode revealed folded membranous wings behind his shoulder blades, though much smaller than those of Blue Wing Bugs.

Lin Feng watched the data refresh, noting the new attributes from the wing integration:

"Crimson Flying Armor Lv16/19, Red Quality"

"Durability: 10/10, Defense 110, Transformations: Arm Guard (Unconditional), Full Armor (Unconditional), Absolute Defense (1/1 Back Guard) (10/1 Mandible), Explosive Scale Armor (90% backlash, 10% defense reduction)"

"New Transformation: Flight Mode, consumes 1 reserve upgrade, allowing five minutes of flapping flight at 300 km/h, with a ten-minute cooldown."

300 km/h for five minutes equates to 25 kilometers, suitable for escaping encirclement.

However, the cooldown required ten minutes, likely due to structural overheating from high-frequency flapping.

Though currently limited, future upgrades might enable sustained long-distance flight.

Paired with the Lv19 grenade launcher, even thousands of Black Spinal Bugs could be handled easily.

But while flight mode offered convenience, it also posed aerial threats.

Blue Wing Bugs were low-tier, akin to helicopters in human military terms. Their upgraded version, the Tier 2 Wind Wing Bug, could contend with fighter jets.

Until the Crimson Flying Armor reached a certain level, Lin Feng wouldn't dare misuse it at high altitudes, avoiding becoming a target for insect hunting.

Pondering this, Lin Feng activated the flight mode of the Crimson Flying Armor.

The wings unfolded from his shoulder blades, their transparent membranes shimmering in the sunlight with iridescent hues.

As they flapped, a powerful airflow emanated from the repair shop.

The lift generated gently lifted Lin Feng off the ground.

Imagining the Blue Wing Bug's horizontal ground-skimming flight, Lin Feng tilted his body mid-air, adjusting the wing flapping direction.

The propulsion gradually pushed Lin Feng forward, flying out of the repair shop.

As speed increased, the flapping stabilized towards the lower right, dragonfly-like, accelerating Lin Feng further.

With few people around the service area, except for some soldiers guarding the weaponry and Shen Jie's team resting in the hotel, Lin Feng cautiously explored flight mechanics.

The flapping structure was stable, excelling in turning and hovering, unlike human aircraft limited by material strength.

Acclimating to flight, Lin Feng noted the countdown, with two minutes remaining, before ascending to 500 meters.

Despite strong wind currents, Lin Feng maintained a stable hover.

Previously, Blue Wing Bugs used this method to hover above the armored vehicle, nearly abducting Jiang Yuner.

Now, Lin Feng's open view allowed him to see the entire Jiangnan plain, even sensing the curvature of the horizon, akin to a wide-angle lens capturing scenes several kilometers away.

He soon noticed the intense battle on the insect expansion edge between Thirteenth Army recruits and Black Spinal Bugs on the Wu City outskirts.

Though distant and unclear, the flashing lights, gunpowder scent, and explosions hinted at a conflict surpassing ordinary skirmishes.

This was the prelude to the Wu City battle.

Unfortunately, Qin Hu's recruits had encountered the insect special forces sent to capture Lin Feng. Without heavy weapon support, the three Tiger Bugs posed a disaster for the recruits.

Lin Feng hoped Qin Hu, forewarned by his message, was prepared.

As the flight timer neared its end, Lin Feng skillfully maneuvered the wings, descending from 500 meters smoothly.

Returning outside the repair shop, white mist from overheating trailed from the membrane wings, and even through the Crimson Armor, Lin Feng felt the 40-50°C heat radiating from the flapping structure.

He retracted the full-body armor, reverting to the arm guard mode, the blue scale ring glistening with a gem-like brilliance.

The armor's thick layers effectively insulated against the high heat, around 100°C.

After experiencing brief flight, Lin Feng eagerly anticipated the armored vehicle's upgrade.

As a bound piece of equipment, its fusion depth exceeded that of the Crimson Flying Armor, promising more powerful attributes.

Of course, two pairs of wings wouldn't grant tons of armor flight capability.

But reducing tire pressure and increasing speed was feasible.

Enhanced performance would vastly improve environmental adaptability, traversing mud and forests as easily as highways.

After lunch prepared by Chen Yanyan, Lin Feng checked the time. The recruits had been out for four to five hours, about time to finish.

He called Qin Hu to assess the situation.

Unexpectedly, it was Qin Hu's deputy, Lieutenant Li Ran, who answered.

"Brother Lin, Qin's hurt!"

"In trying to seize a Tiger Bug's body, his left leg was severed by a late-stage Black Spinal Bug. He's in critical care at the field hospital..." Li Ran's voice was anxious, even frantic.

Lin Feng frowned, surprised at the sudden turn of events. Just two hours after reaching Lv19, Qin Hu was seriously injured...

"Calm down. Is the front line secure?"

Lin Feng reassured, needing information to decide.

Li Ran took a deep breath:

"It's over. Thanks to your warning, we brought rocket launchers, saturating the three Tiger Bugs. They're too big to hide."

"After several rounds, two were severely wounded."

"Qin led an elite team into the swarm, aiming to kill the Tiger Bugs. One was killed by another, but Qin succeeded in killing the remaining one..."

"But the insects wanted the body back, costing Qin his left leg, with heavy elite team losses."

"Luckily, we retrieved the body..." 

Hearing the details, Lin Feng relaxed slightly, continuing to comfort:

"Don't worry. Since Qin killed the Tiger Bug, he'll likely evolve, healing rapidly, maybe even regenerating limbs."

"I'll visit the hospital after handling things here."

Li Ran acknowledged.

Lin Feng ended the call, contemplating, then opened Ding Chenghai's profile.

-Support me in Patreon for more chapters 35+ chapters in there 

patreon.com/LegendaryTL

Thanks!