However, the special forces soldierâs words couldnât stop the crowdâs desperate desire to survive.
After Ding Chenghai emerged from the crowd, grabbed the automatically descending rope, and slowly ascended to the helicopter...
Among the survivors who had been staring with desperate anticipation, Zhang Xuan was the first to realize that their group of teachers and professors from other departments had been deceived and used by the few from the engineering department!
Instantly, he hid behind others and began to stir up trouble.
"Why are you calling out names? Weâre all survivors, all professors! What gives them the right to get on the helicopter? Why are you playing favorites?!"
"Are they somehow special?!"
Zhang Xuan shouted, and the people around him joined in. In an instant, the dozen or so people in the crowd grew furious, shoving each other as they tried to break through the special forces soldiersâ blockade and get to the rope.
But this was a wartime situation. Any act obstructing a military operation would absolutely not be tolerated or forgiven.
The veteran special forces soldier simply raised his rifle and pulled the trigger, firing over the crowdâs heads.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
Three consecutive shots whizzed past the head of a tall man.
Zhang Xuan touched his slicked-back hair and caught a whiff of something burning. The scare made him collapse to the ground, but fortunately, Liu Ruojiao was behind him to help him up.
Liu Yueqi watched his pathetic state, shook her head in disgust, and stared at Lin Fengâs group on the other side, a look of expectation in her eyes.
Unfortunately for them, after this stern warning, no one dared to take another step. The special forces soldierâs icy gaze was filled with killing intent.
He really would dare to shoot to kill.
As the names were called out one by one and confirmed, the several professors from the college of engineering ascended to the helicopter via the rope.
At that moment, one of the soldiers took out his spare weapon magazines and grenades, handed them to his teammate on the ground, and clapped him on the shoulder.
"Take care! See you at the camp!"
With that, he grabbed the rope and returned to the helicopter.
The special forces soldier who stayed behind took a photo out of his pocket, looked at the woman he had noticed earlier, and pointed at her.
"You, get up there!"
The person he pointed at was none other than the woman beside Lin Feng.
Zhang Yurou gave Lin Feng a final kiss goodbye, then walked over to the helicopter.
The special forces soldier handed the photo to the woman, then helped her fasten the ropeâs safety harness around her waist.
As the winch turned, the woman slowly rose toward the cabin.
The remaining special forces soldier gave a thumbs-up to the cockpit at the front. The pilot saw it and immediately began to ascend, flying higher.
Inside the attack helicopter, the rescued professors watched in disbelief as the last woman came aboard.
No one had expected that this unassuming woman was also one of the militaryâs search and rescue targets. They had even exchanged a special forces soldier for her escape.
No wonder she had rushed to Hai University at the last minute.
Zhang Yurou fastened her seatbelt and let out a long sigh of relief. She looked back down at Lin Feng waving below and couldnât help but cry.
Sitting across from her was Ding Chenghai, who was acquainted with Lin Feng. At this moment, Ding Fattyâs brow was furrowed, his eyes fixed on the woman before him.
Zhang Yurou composed herself and returned his gaze with a polite smile.
The man before her suddenly spoke in a low voice.
"I remember now. Youâre the neighbor across from Lin Fengâs place. And his sister-in-law, right?"
At this, Ding Chenghai recalled the sight of her actively kissing Lin Feng earlierâand it seemed to have happened more than once.
He clasped his hands together, his gaze and tone turning scrutinizing as he continued.
"Whatever your reasons for getting close to Lin Feng, now that youâve used him, donât bother him again."
The corners of Zhang Yurouâs lips slowly curled up, her eyes narrowing slightly.
"It was mutual. How do you know Xiaofeng and I arenât truly in love?"
Ding Chenghaiâs expression turned uncharacteristically cold. He said no more, instead looking at the figures on the rooftop shrinking in the distance.
As the helicopter flew further and further away and the noise of its propellers faded, the people on the roof stared in disbelief at what had just happened.
"They only took seven people? Is that a joke?"
"On what grounds?! Why did that woman get to go, but we canât!"
Now that the helicopter was gone, with their hope gone with it, the crowd threw caution to the wind and stepped forward to demand answers.
The special forces soldier who remained gathered his equipment, then looked at the crowd and began to explain.
"A Wuzhi-10 helicopter only has space for ten people. Take away two pilots and two gunners, and that leaves six spots."
"Sorry, we were just following orders."
"But rest assured, the Federation hasnât abandoned you."
"The troops outside the city wonât pull out before this afternoon. Thatâs our deadline to escape."
He then introduced himself.
"My name is Qin Hu. You can call me Captain Qin. From now on, I will lead you out of Hai City."
"So, tell me, how many Worker Zergs have you all killed? And how many times have you upgraded?"
As soon as he finished speaking, the crowd looked at each other in dismay. None of them had the guts or courage to face the ferocious giant bugs. If not for Liu Yueqi blocking the door with her saber and the sacrifice of many colleagues, these people wouldnât have survived.
Looking at them, Qin Hu shook his head and sighed softly.
âThis is a suicide mission. I never would have taken it,â he thought, âbut my superiors promised to get my wife, daughter, and parents into one of the safe zones being prepared, protecting them from future Swarm attacks.â
For his familyâs safety, Qin Hu had chosen to take the risk.
Fortunately, his mission was considered complete as long as he got the people on the helicopter away safely. As for this group of gentle, bookish professors, their survival rate wasnât part of the specific requirements.
âIâll lead them if I can,â he resolved, âbut if they become a burden, Iâll turn and run without a second thought.â
He had seen the front lines and knew full well that once you were surrounded by a Swarm, not even a tankâthe king of ground warfareâcould escape.
âOf these eleven survivors, probably not even half will make it out of the city with me.â
Just as Qin Hu was feeling a sense of helplessness, a young woman stepped forward.
Liu Yueqi, gripping her scabbard, walked up to Qin Hu.
"Iâve killed fifteen Worker Zergs and upgraded five times."
She then turned her gaze to a man and woman at the far edge of the rooftop. They were standing at the ledge, looking out into the distance.
After seeing Zhang Yurou off and confirming his sister-in-lawâs safe departure, Lin Feng breathed a sigh of relief. He took the communicator Ding Chenghai had left behind and started looking through the messages heâd received.
Before long, a mysterious message came in.
Lin Feng opened it and saw that it was from the Federation Research Institute, outlining the names and descriptions for the different types of Zergs identified so far.
After a quick scan, Lin Feng froze on the spot...
Because the official name for the ubiquitous Worker Zergs was also Red-Armored Beetle!
But his own system had identified them with that name from the very beginning of the apocalypse.
âSo the people at the Research Institute must have already learned some deeper secrets. Their understanding of the Swarm is more detailed than I thought.â
Reading the subsequent descriptions confirmed Lin Fengâs thoughts. Just as he was getting lost in this ocean of knowledge, Chen Yanyan poked him in the lower back. Lin Feng looked up and saw that the group of teachers who hadnât boarded the helicopter, along with the special forces soldier who had replaced Zhang Yurou, were all staring in his direction.
Chen Yanyan explained in a low voice,
"Theyâre introducing themselves. That soldier is going to lead us out of Hai City to catch up with the main forces outside the city."
Having heard their discussion, Lin Feng now had a rough understanding of the situation. He walked forward and spoke up.
"Hello, my name is Lin Feng. Iâve upgraded eight times! And Iâve awakened a Superpower."
As he spoke, he pointed to the Red Silver Shield Armor on his body.
But Captain Qinâs eyes were drawn to the holster strapped to Lin Fengâs waist. He asked in return,
"Are you a peace officer from Hai City?"
Lin Feng shook his head. He didnât want to be morally blackmailed, and he had no interest in saving people.
Qin Hu nodded and didnât press the matter.
No one was regulating firearms now. Many Military Equipment Storehouses in police stations had been completely emptied, and all sorts of guns were now in circulation.
It was just a small handgun, which also happened to explain his rapid upgrade progress. After all, using a gun to kill bugs was much faster and more efficient.
"Alright, before the Soldier Zergs are drawn to us, we need to get out of here as soon as possible."
"Do you have cars and keys in the parking garage downstairs?"
A few teachers slowly raised their hands. Qin Hu nodded, swapped the magazine in his gun, and took the lead by walking to the window.
The others looked at each other, but ultimately fell in line and followed the soldierâs lead.
Chen Yanyan gripped the Long Saber in her hand, frowning slightly as she watched the teachers and professors leave one after another.
"Bringing these people along... this probably wonât end well."
Lin Feng nodded, walking at the very back.
"No rush. Following them can also distract the Swarm. First, we need to find the main forces, restock our supplies, and recruit some useful companions."
"By the way, did Sister Yurou give you her car keys?"
Chen Yanyan hummed in affirmation and added,
"She did. Perfect. From now on, Iâll drive, and you can keep watch with the gun."
âWith his sister-in-law gone,â Chen Yanyan thought, âI need to prove my own irreplaceable value as quickly as possible so I can continue to receive Lin Fengâs protection.â
That was why she had several sets of his sister-in-lawâs intimate apparel, as well as black and white stockings, in her backpack.
Once they escaped Hai City, she and Lin Feng would both need a good nightâs rest to release their pent-up stress.
Just as the two of them were about to leave, a figure stopped in front of Lin Feng. It was Liu Yueqi, who asked,
"Youâve upgraded way more than eight times, havenât you?"
Lin Feng shrugged, pulling out his pistol and giving it a little shake.
"Itâs eight times."
[Divine-level Pistol Lv. 8/9, White Quality]
[Upgrade Points: 65/10, Damage: 30, Effective Range: 2000m, Remaining Bullets: 2000/3000]
[Extra Attributes: Bullet Recovery: 1/s, Spatial Magazine: 3000 reserve ammo, New Active Attribute: Metal Storm, Fire Rate: 6000/min]
The upgrade didnât bring any major changes, but the increased range and ammo reserves would allow Lin Feng to face large Swarms with more composure.
Since further upgrades wouldnât have any strange side effects, Lin Feng directly initiated his own upgrade, as well as the pistolâs final level-up from Lv. 8 to its maximum, Lv. 9.
Just as he was about to head down, Liu Yueqi, who was standing nearby, spoke softly.
"Hey, you just said you were looking for partners. Take us with you. I can be your bodyguard, and my aunt can heal you."
"Itâs a buy one, get one free deal. You definitely wonât lose out."
"The side effects of your ability are too strong. If youâre not feeling well in the future, just find my aunt."
"Her skills are pretty good, right?"
The young woman tilted her head and smiled.
She had sold out her own aunt without a momentâs hesitation.