Three shots in a row!
Each one created an explosion!
One of the Black Spine Zergs, having just recovered, dodged the first shot. But the following two rounds struck it right in the eye, blasting the brain hidden behind its Giant Mandibles to smithereens.
A one-shot killâa direct Critical Strike!
It dealt 120 points of double Damage!
The lv14 Black Spine Zerg died instantly!
Lin Feng breathed a momentary sigh of relief. While reaching over to shake Chen Yanyan awake in the driverâs seat, he continued firing, killing the remaining four Black Spine Zergs that were below level fourteen.
âDamn it, what kind of idiot removes the airbags during a modification?â
After killing another Black Spine Zerg, Lin Feng suddenly realized the airbags hadnât deployed despite such a violent collision. He wasnât sure if it was because of the modifications or just poor quality.
If the two women hadnât been enhanced multiple times, their bodies far stronger than an ordinary personâs, an impact of this intensity would have certainly caused internal injuries, broken bones, or a concussion.
As Lin Feng called her name and shook her, Chen Yanyanâs brows furrowed and she slowly regained consciousness.
After a few deep breaths, she gradually became clear-headed.
Seeing that the RV was now besieged by the Swarm, Chen Yanyan quickly restarted the engine, threw it into reverse, and slammed on the accelerator to break out of the encirclement.
"Is Liu Yueqi awake?"
Chen Yanyan asked, glancing back as she reversed.
Lin Feng shook his head.
"Weâll see in a bit. She should have been wearing her seatbelt. After seven enhancements, she should be fine."
As he spoke, Lin Feng shot and killed another Black Spine Zerg.
But with over a hundred Red-Armored Beetles nearby, the last two Black Spine Zergs were still able to press their attack, shielded by the lesser bugs. They charged the RV, tearing at the vehicleâs outer Armor with their Giant Mandibles.
"Thatâs close enough. Stop the car and cover me!"
With only two lv12 Black Spine Zergs left, Lin Feng was confident he could take them out directly.
Chen Yanyan slammed on the brakes and drew her Divine-level Pistol. She unleashed a furious barrage at the Red-Armored Beetles swarming her window, blasting their armor apart and tearing into their flesh.
With the Swarm drawn to the driverâs side, Lin Feng decisively pushed open his door, leaped out, and used the backs of the Red-Armored Beetles as stepping stones to get to the rear of the RV.
The last two Black Spine Zergs were using the RV to block his line of sight, hiding at the rear left corner. To get a clear shot, he had to get out of the vehicle.
These two were clever, their Spiritual Value higher than others of the same level.
Seeing a humanoid figure appear before them, the two Black Spine Zergs immediately abandoned the RV, which they had already managed to breach, and lunged straight for Lin Feng.
They even coordinated their attack: one gathered its strength and leaped onto the roof of the RV, while the other launched a frontal assault.
Two pairs of Giant Mandibles appeared at once, one in front and one from above, threatening to clamp down and sever his body in a pincer attack...
In the nick of time, Lin Feng, calm and collected, activated the other Mutant Form of his lv7 Red Armor Shield: Absolute Defense!
A flash of red light glinted in the eyes of Lin Fengâs Face Armor. Immediately after, a pale red, rippling energy dome materialized in a five-meter radius around him.
The two Black Spine Zergsâ ferocious attacks were stopped dead against the energy barrier. Their swift assault was slowed to a crawl, more than ten times slower than before.
Their bodies were locked in place by the energy shield, frozen in mid-air, unable to move.
Calmly, Lin Feng raised his gun. He fired four explosive rounds at the limbs of the Black Spine Zerg above him, then repeated the process on the one in front.
The explosive rounds also froze upon contact with the translucent red shield. Lin Feng, however, backed into a corner. The instant the energy shield disappeared, he executed a sideways roll, putting distance between himself and the two Black Spine Zergs.
The ten-second window was all he needed to pull this off.
As the shield vanished, both Black Spine Zergs were struck by the rounds. Their four limbs were blown off, and their own Giant Mandibles slammed into each other, creating a shower of sparks.
Seeing that they were heavily wounded and down, Lin Feng switched his Divine-level Pistolâs mode and activated its Active Attribute, Metal Storm, on the nearby tide of Red-Armored Beetles.
With a Fire Rate of one hundred and fifty rounds per second, he made short work of the low-level bugs.
By now, Chen Yanyan had cleared the Red-Armored Beetles on her side. She got out of the driverâs seat and went into the cabin to wake Liu Yueqi, who was lying on the floor.
The girl hadnât been wearing her seatbelt. She had hit her head, and a large, bleeding lump had formed on her forehead.
Chen Yanyan found a clean towel and pressed it against the wound to wipe away the blood.
Fortunately, after seven enhancements, her body had undergone two rounds of deep strengthening. Her Physique was already three to four times that of an ordinary person, and her Full Body Shield Armor had absorbed much of the impact...
A little jolt like that wasnât a big deal.
Still, Liu Yueqi hissed, sucking in several sharp breaths from the pain.
âI never thought the closest Iâd come to death would be at the hands of Chen Yanyanâs driving skills.â
Leaning on her Thousand Slash Saber as she stepped out of the RV, Liu Yueqi looked at the field of dead and wounded Zergs and instantly realized she had missed a prime opportunity to get stronger!
She was instantly filled with frustration and regret.
"Stop staring. Come help me cut these up. Letâs finish quickly so we can move on to the next spot."
Lin Feng urged. He had already tied the two heavily wounded and incapacitated Black Spine Zergs to the back of the RV with a woven rope.
On one of them, a gray, fleshy membrane was already forming over its severed limbs as the wounds began to heal.
Their Life Force was incredible, far surpassing that of any Blue Star Creature.
Lin Feng was certain that if they were given enough food, their severed limbs would grow back within hours.
Too bad they wouldnât get the chance.
Only death awaited them.
After securing Hu Feiâs cargo, Lin Feng and Liu Yueqi processed the other three dead Black Spine Zergs, tossing the three pairs of Giant Mandibles onto the roof and tying them down with cloth straps.
Unfortunately, the RVâs front bumper was now twisted and mangled. If they ran into another group of Black Spine Zergs, it wouldnât be so easy to resolve.
Theyâd have to rely on Chen Yanyanâs driving skills to kite them.
Meanwhile, Chen Yanyan had finished collecting the Red-Armored Beetlesâ Back Armor, gathering over thirty intact pieces. Following Lin Fengâs earlier instructions, she also searched the bugsâ abdomens and cut out several undamaged white sacs.
Looking at the now-cramped RV, Lin Feng directly absorbed the Back Armor. Then he tied the mouths of the Hydrogen Storage Bags shut and secured them on the roof alongside the Giant Mandibles.
"Letâs go. That wasted another twenty minutes."
"Poor planning this time. We need to attach a trailer to the back next time, or weâll run out of space."
Lin Feng waved his hand, declaring their annihilation mission a perfect success.
As they set off again, Chen Yanyan nervously turned the key. Thankfully, the engine started up normally.
After a sigh of relief, she shifted gears and hit the gas.
Lin Feng checked the stats of the lv11 Highly Modified RV. It was currently in a damaged State.
Its upgraded Extra Attributesâthe Biological Armor and the Armor-Piercing Car Headâwere severely damaged and on the verge of being completely destroyed.
This was mainly from ramming the lv14 Black Spine Zerg. The creatureâs durability far exceeded that of the lv11 Highly Modified RV.
Fortunately, it wasnât all bad news. The RVâs stats showed it had gained 9 Upgrade Points. Setting aside the sixty kilometers Chen Yanyan had driven while scouting, Lin Feng recalled that the RV had also earned one point for ramming a Black Spine Zerg to death during their last encounter.
âIt seems this method of killing bugs to farm points is effective after all,â he thought.
âItâs just that the system doesnât seem to recommend it for support-type equipment like the Red Armor Shield or the RV.â
âAfter all, they get wrecked after just a few uses. The cost far outweighs the benefit.â
The other two points were absorbed by the RV during its two battles with the Black Spine Zergs.
Lin Feng figured that this "mileage" was calculated based on the intensity of the battlefieldâthe more death and carnage nearby, the faster the points would accumulate.
But if he drove it straight into the main front, it would be torn to shreds in less than thirty seconds.
âWe have to stick to guerilla tactics on the fringes to build up our strength first.â
Lin Feng estimated that they would earn the final point needed for the next Upgrade after just a few more minutes of driving around.
Then, he could integrate the Giant Mandible from a lv14 Black Spine Zerg, taking the RVâs Defense Power and Damage to the next level.
But unfortunately, after driving around for a long time, they didnât see a single Black Spine Zerg. Even the ubiquitous Red-Armored Beetles were becoming scarce.
As time passed, their lone vehicle drove through the vast, empty suburbs.
With the screeches of the three live bugs tied to the back of the RV echoing around them, the sense of dread in Chen Yanyanâs heart grew stronger.
She stared intently ahead and said hesitantly,
"Lin Feng, itâs already the middle of the night..."
"If the other squads have completed their missions, and you add the two groups we eliminated, we should have met the conditions Lieutenant Qin mentioned..."
Liu Yueqiâs eyes widened in realization.
"Youâre right! If thatâs the case, does that mean a large Black Spine Zerg Swarm will be sent to investigate the situation? We..."
But before she could finish, a heaving black shadow rose up on the horizon to their right, where the starry sky met the earth.
A tense Chen Yanyan swerved the RV, and in the glare of the high beams, they saw them. Seven or eight hundred meters away, a dense swarm of gray Black Spine Zergs was rushing toward them at terrifying speed!
They formed a long, dense line, layer upon layer, numbering well over several hundred!
With the Reconnaissance Squads repeatedly being wiped out, the Mother Empress had finally dispatched her main Black Spine Zerg army, the one usually reserved for the front lines!
"Turn around!"
Lin Feng roared. At the same time, he rolled down the window and fired explosive rounds at the dozen or so Black Spine Zergs leading the charge.
He fired off more than twenty rounds in quick succession, finally slowing the Swarmâs charge, but the Black Spine Zerg Swarm kept surging forward wave after relentless wave.
Thankfully, Chen Yanyan spun the RV around and floored it. The engine roared violently as their speed shot up to seventy, then eighty miles per hour. Just as the Swarm was about to close in on their rear, they pulled away!
The desperate chase was on again. But this time, the Black Spine Zerg Swarm was right on their tail, a vast, overwhelming tide like a storm cloud rolling over the land, devouring every living thing in its path.
"What do we do? Theyâre not giving up! Are we going to lead the Swarm onto the highway?!"
Chen Yanyan was breathing heavily. To maintain control, she kept their speed steady at eighty to ninety miles per hour, but the Black Spine Zergs behind them were relentless, as if theyâd been shot up with stimulants.
âIf we lead them all the way to the highway and into the traffic-jammed refugee column, those defenseless civilians will be slaughtered... â
âEspecially now, with the State Armed Guard fighting to hold back the Swarmâs encirclement on the front lines. The service areas and the nearby city districts have no defenses whatsoever.â
âLeading the Swarm there would be like inviting the wolf into the fold!â
âThe entire rear area will be devastated!â
However, Lin Feng only gave her a simple instruction: "Go back the way we came. Donât worry about anything else." Then he unbuckled his seatbelt and moved to the rear of the RV.
A panicked Liu Yueqi stared intently at him.
Lin Feng climbed onto the RVâs dining table, opened the sunroof above, and pulled himself halfway out. He was surrounded by the tied-down Black Spine Zerg Giant Mandibles.
The fierce wind tore at his body. Against the backdrop of the bleak, sprawling suburbs late at night, he looked like an Unyielding warrior defying his fate.
Looking at the Black Spine Swarm surging toward them from behind, Lin Feng shouted,
"Hand me the gas cans! All four of them!"
Below, Liu Yueqi swallowed hard. She quickly found the four cans of gasoline in the corner and tied them together with a rope.
This was their reward for joining the Administration Bureau.
It was also the only supply Lin Feng had chosen to take!
Amidst the howling wind, Lin Feng hauled up the gas cans with one hand and tied them to the bugsâ Hydrogen Storage Pouches. Then, he looked back at the roiling Swarm...
An ecstatic expression on his face, he burst into wild laughter.
"Come on! Letâs see how you like the power of a hundred liters of gasoline!"