Chapter 44: Setting Out to Hunt Bugs

With a thunderous roar, the armored beast reversed out of the repair shop, crashing into the shutter mechanism at the doorframe due to its height of 3.8 meters.

The ordinary metal, unable to withstand the camper's armor, crumpled without leaving a scratch on the vehicle.

The loud noise drew the attention of those still at the service area. Curious onlookers emerged from the building and inn to observe the large, modified vehicle.

The camper, having undergone significant upgrades, looked vastly different, making it hard to recognize.

A few lingering staff members, emboldened by curiosity, approached the imposing armored camper.

Lin Feng rolled down the tinted window. Through the protective mesh, the staff recognized him as the newly joined awakener, Lin Feng.

"Mr. Lin, are you heading out to hunt bugs?"

Lin Feng's prowess had spread within the Bureau. Surviving the Black Spinal Bug swarm and returning with a truckload of mandibles was no ordinary feat.

Prompted by Hu Fei's reminder, the Bureau had assigned two staff members to coordinate with Lin Feng.

Wearing sunglasses, Lin Feng nodded:

"That's right, just going for a drive and checking the current activity range of the insect race."

The staff relaxed, then reminded him:

"By the way, the rewards for last night's support mission will be announced and distributed around noon. Mr. Lin, remember to return for them. Major Qin will also be here to congratulate you."

Lin Feng was slightly taken aback:

"Major Qin? Qin Hu?"

The staff nodded:

"Yes. Following the Thirteenth Army's successful retreat, he's been promoted to major and is currently being honored in Wu City."

Lin Feng nodded, waving for Chen Yanyan to drive.

The steel beast cruised down the highway. Now completely overrun, Haicheng saw few survivors escaping to safety.

The empty highway bore no signs of life.

With time to spare, Lin Feng initiated the Lv14 upgrade for the Explosive Gun and his own Lv13 upgrade.

A warm flow surged through him, invigorating his previously drowsy body.

As they neared the toll station, Lin Feng's Lv13 upgrade completed:

"Lin Feng, Lv13/19"

"Health 90, Constitution 85, Spirit 90"

With the base stats now larger, upgrades brought gradual enhancements, lacking the rapid boost of earlier levels. Meanwhile, Chen Yanyan, at Lv7, had significantly improved since the previous day's mission:

"Human, Lv7/9"

"Health 38, Constitution 35, Spirit 36"

Chen Yanyan was now among the strong, though still far from Lin Feng's level. Besides testing the armored camper's performance, their outing aimed to help her achieve superpower awakening.

Lin Feng's team lacked offensive capabilities, making auxiliary superpowers crucial.

An elite team must overcome logistics constraints to become versatile.

While Lin Feng could upgrade and duplicate weapons, he couldn't handle fire control, medical aid, and logistics support simultaneously.

This was his greatest limitation.

Though he could influence small-scale battles, once on the frontlines, a few guns and cannons weren't as decisive.

Handling small bug swarms was one thing; winning a large war required much more.

Fortunately, the Federation seemed to hold on for now.

With strategic depth spanning thousands of miles, retreat remained an option.

The intimidating armored camper stopped at the toll station. To their surprise, the insect race, previously active only at the outskirts, now saw Red Armored Beetles roaming the provincial road outside.

In groups, they transported the remains of Black Spinal Bugs killed at the entrance, burying them in a small mound by the roadside.

This was a tunnel dug by Red Armored Beetles.

Many beetles licked up the spilled blood and limbs, while weaker ones gnawed on tree branches and leaves.

They consumed any nutrient-rich biomass they could find.

Lin Feng was surprised by the rapid expansion of the insect race. It seemed the Empress advanced about two kilometers per day. The forty-mile stretch of farmland between Haicheng and Wu City would only delay them for about ten days.

With such a short buffer, it was uncertain how prepared Wu City was.

If they couldn't withstand the insect race's next assault, Jin City in Jiangnan's heartland would be at risk.

Should Jin City fall, it would mean the entire Jiangnan Province would be overtaken by the insect race in under a month...

This would be a severe blow to human morale, making future resistance less effective, leading to retreat after retreat until extinction loomed.

Feeling the weight of this pressure, Lin Feng instructed Chen Yanyan to exit the highway and onto the suburban road.

The Red Armored Beetles, seeing an anomaly, crawled over to investigate.

These low-level insects couldn't perceive enemy danger, relying on numbers. Only when many of their kind suddenly died would they panic.

Chen Yanyan released the brake, intending to shoot, but Lin Feng stopped her:

"This is for defense and dealing with swarms. To quickly enhance and upgrade, use this."

Lin Feng handed her the remaining long knife.

A Lv2 knife, perfect for chopping small fry.

Chen Yanyan nodded. At Lv7, with a Lv4 Red Armored Shield, she wasn't afraid of close combat with Red Armored Beetles.

She took the knife and got out.

Targeting a charging Lv7 giant Red Armored Beetle, she fired several shots, bringing it to its knees, then finished it with a final slash.

To reach Lv9, she needed to kill 16 Red Armored Beetles, a significant challenge.

During this, Lin Feng stayed in the rooftop turret, not intervening.

Necessary training was essential.

Chen Yanyan's gear was superior to elite special forces, capable of handling a group of Red Armored Beetles.

Lin Feng's task was to handle the Black Spinal Bug scouts.

However, after a while, no Black Spinal Bugs appeared. Instead, several off-road pickups and modified vehicles arrived behind the camper.

Seventeen or eighteen in total, each carrying three or four people, including enhanced humans, awakeners, and some ordinary humans.

The roar of engines sent Red Armored Beetles scurrying, as they were now outnumbered.

Three awakeners approached, two of whom had participated in last night's distraction mission.

Chen Yanyan frowned, walking over with a hostile expression, raising her divine handgun for security.

"Congratulations, Mr. Lin, on not only returning safely but also reaping great rewards against the Black Spinal Bugs."

One of them lowered his rifle, greeting him.

Lin Feng looked down at the trio, setting aside his canned drink, brow furrowing:

"You scared off the Red Armored Beetles. They burrowed into tunnels. Beware of drawing the Black Spinal Bug swarm."

The speaker coughed:

"To my knowledge, the Black Spinal Bug swarm won't appear for now. Last night's battle dealt them heavy casualties."

"I'm Zhao Lu, like Mr. Lin, a refugee from Haicheng, recently retired."

"These are self-organized civilian bug-hunting teams. I hope we won't intrude on your leisure."

Lin Feng adjusted his sunglasses, smiling slightly:

"I'm not some bandit king. No need to worry. There are plenty of bugs; they're endless to kill. Just don't take our targets."

"The northern area has good yields; we visited there yesterday."

Zhao Lu relaxed internally, maintaining respectful appearances:

"Thank you, Mr. Lin. We won't disturb you further."

The trio left, gathering their companions and driving away.

Chen Yanyan was puzzled. To her, these people were competitors. Last night, they had added insult to injury, and now they were here to compete for business. Lin Feng's leniency surprised her...

"Why give them the bugs? Even live Red Armored Beetles are valuable."

Lin Feng snorted, watching them leave with rifles raised, smiling faintly:

"No sign of Black Spinal Bugs."

"We lack bait."

"Fishing requires chumming the waters."