Chapter 27: Frenzied Escape, Upgrade Complete

"Don't look back, focus ahead!"

"Grip the wheel tight! No shaking! Don't crash!"

"Stay calm, trust me, we can get out!"

Lin Feng's constant reminders weren't because he didn't want to drive, but because of the swarm of Red Armored Beetles, now surging with frenzied energy after the Empress appeared, racing towards the camper.

This forced him to lean out, handgun raised, firing at the countless beetles to slow their advance and widen the gap.

Thankfully, the beetles were slower than the Black Spinal Bugs, moving at only 20-30 mph, allowing the camper, once it hit 80 mph, to quickly outpace them.

But Lin Feng remained vigilant; who knew when a Black Spinal Bug might appear and flip the camper?

He had to stay cautious, constantly scanning the surroundings, as safety wasn't assured within 30 kilometers of the Empress, as Qin Hu warned.

Fortunately, the camper's high configuration, being a Mercedes luxury model, ensured a well-designed control system.

Even at 100 mph, the heavily modified vehicle remained stable with minimal vibration.

The engine's roar now felt like a comforting melody.

Under Lin Feng's encouragement, Chen Yanyan wiped away the tears and snot from sheer terror, gradually calming her nerves.

The sting from the slaps on her cheeks also jolted her numb limbs back to life. The adrenaline, combined with the warmth of her enhancements, flooded her body with strength.

Overcoming her fear, she drove like a woman possessed.

Once they safely distanced themselves from the insect horde, both dared to breathe deeply.

Lin Feng retreated inside, watching the rearview mirror:

"Slow down a bit, keep it around 70-80 mph. We're not being chased now; just avoid crashing."

"At the next junction, there's a highway entrance; we'll take that."

Chen Yanyan nodded, easing off the accelerator, reducing speed.

Meanwhile, Lin Feng's Lv9 upgrade completed, with minor attribute changes:

"Lin Feng, Lv9/9"

"Health: 50, Constitution: 45, Spirit: 50"

"Over-Level Abilities: Eagle Eye Lv11, Divine Arm Lv11"

"Equipment: Divine Handgun Lv9/9 (Upgrading)"

Besides gaining five points in health and constitution, Lin Feng's spirit attribute surged by nine points to 50.

The psychological shadow from seeing the Insect Empress faded, lightening his mental burden.

The appraisal results popped up:

"Empress, Lv32/39"

"Health: 12k, Constitution: 2.1k, Spirit: 2.5k"

"A high-level insect unit, progenitor and commander of low-level insects, with extremely high health and spirit. It's a frontline base for insects, with formidable defense but very slow movement."

Seeing these stats left Lin Feng stunned.

With 12,000 health and immense defense, even a large-yield missile might not kill it!

Only humanity's strongest weapon, a nuclear bomb, could possibly kill such a colossal being.

However, Federation records showed the Empress was tough to kill because it only surfaced to attack, releasing hordes of low-level insects to command.

Otherwise, it hid underground or had numerous flying units for surveillance, warning of human airstrikes or missile targeting.

That's why the Empress was so hard to kill.

Thick-skinned with many eyes in the sky, it could control the battlefield, using underlings as shields.

Human long-range attacks couldn't penetrate, and ground forces couldn't withstand the insect tide, leading to constant retreats and loss of coastal land.

Lin Feng took a deep breath; he and Chen Yanyan had one thought: run!

Run as far as possible!

After driving 10+ kilometers, they reached the previous parking spot.

Qin Hu and Zhang Xuan's group had exited the residential area, while the school bus survivors, still gathering supplies, waited for others to return, calling them to regroup and depart.

This spot was less than 20 kilometers from the Empress in the south, well within the Black Spinal Bugs' attack range, far from safe.

Without delay, Lin Feng urged Chen Yanyan to keep driving, lowering speed briefly. As they passed, he shouted out the window:

"Run! Get on the highway!"

With that, they sped west.

Seeing Lin Feng's hurried escape, Qin Hu's face darkened, recalling the shriek he vaguely heard while scavenging inside...

The sound was distant and muffled by buildings, so initially, Qin Hu didn't grasp its significance.

But instinctively cautious, he decided not to linger, urging everyone to leave early.

They coincidentally met Lin Feng's camper swap, and hearing his "run" command, Qin Hu remembered the shriek, similar to one he'd heard on the front lines.

Qin Hu's demeanor shifted from heavy to worried, then fearful:

"Go! Get in the car, we can't wait!"

He jumped into the passenger seat, urging Zhang Xuan to start the engine and drive.

Though confused, Zhang Xuan obeyed, flooring the gas while asking:

"What happened..."

Qin Hu took a deep breath, not directly answering, but asking:

"Did you see many worker bugs gathering in Haicheng's south? The ones with red shells, clustered together?"

Zhang Xuan glanced back at the two women, and all three nodded:

"Yes, at the main Haicheng University plaza."

Qin Hu's suspicions eased, relieved:

"Just as I thought! Lucky we left quickly; a moment's delay and we'd be lost to the insect sea!"

Zhang Xuan grew more confused, as did the two women.

"Focus on driving, no accidents! Follow this road to the end; the main force likely retreated to the suburbs, we need to catch up!"

Qin Hu watched the rearview mirror, recalling yesterday:

"Wherever worker bugs cluster, they're digging tunnels."

"Did you hear a shriek earlier?"

"That's from a super-large insect, a 'Land Empress,' akin to an aircraft carrier, releasing soldier bugs."

"When the Land Empress shrieked, countless Black Spinal Bugs charged us."

"The line collapsed, casualties over half, turning our bold offensive to retake Haicheng into a desperate defense, blocking the alien swarm's advance..."

After speaking, Qin Hu fell silent, the car filled with quiet.

Until Liu Yueqi, looking outside, softly asked:

"Officer Qin, how many times have you enhanced?"

Seeing only a school bus behind, no insect swarm, Qin Hu exhaled:

"I've killed several soldier bugs; according to accompanying researchers, I've surpassed nine enhancements, reaching early-stage awakening."

"My awakened power is significant physique enhancement, called 'Berserker.'"

"It greatly boosts physique for a short time. I used it to stabilize while aiming, injuring the soldier bugs."

Perhaps relieved at surviving, the usually reticent Qin Hu opened up, venting fear through conversation.

He alone had witnessed the endless Black Spinal Bugs' fearless charge, and the human front line's brutal decimation.

The others swallowed hard, realizing how close they'd come to death, mere hundreds of meters, hours away...

"Let's go, lucky that guy turned back, seeing the city. Otherwise, we'd have noticed too late."

Qin Hu watched the camper ahead, its speed not fast, with Zhang Xuan's car soon catching up, following onto the highway, heading west.

Trailing in the school bus, originally with over twenty survivors, now down by a third, including just over ten people and the driver.

The rest, greedy for supplies, stayed behind, meeting their end in the residential area.

The harrowing escape lasted over half an hour.

Seeing the highway ahead, clogged with vehicles, armed soldiers maintaining order amid chaos...

Lin Feng breathed a long sigh of relief.

After a 40-kilometer sprint, nearly 100 from Haicheng, they'd finally caught up with the fleeing main force.

Temporarily safe!

This was Lin Feng's thought as he looked at the dark handgun in his hand:

"Over-level upgrade complete!"

"Explosive Gun Lv10/19, Red Quality"