Chapter 102: Chapter 97: Growth of the New Recruits, the Battle of Wu City Breaks Out

With a single move from Lin Feng, the fifty-plus Black Spine Zergs that had been threatening the new recruit company were all instantly, grievously wounded. Many were left on the brink of death.

These particular Zergs couldn’t be transported back and were usually treated as an extra reward for the subordinates who came to capture them.

This time, however, the new recruits were going to join in as well.

Of course, they wouldn’t be the ones landing the killing blows. Generally, only Late-stage Enhanced People at Lv7 or above could trigger an Awakening by killing a Black Spine Zerg, but the effects of such an early Awakening weren’t ideal.

Anyone with a lower Enhancement Level couldn’t trigger an Awakening. However, they could directly leapfrog a small stage—for instance, Upgrading from Early Lv1 to Middle Stage Lv4, skipping three whole Levels.

But Lin Feng was clearly not that extravagant.

Each Black Spine Zerg represented a chance at a Superpower Awakening, making them exceptionally precious. How could he waste them on someone still in their enhancement phase?

Unless there was a Lv9 recruit in Company 201 right now. In that case, seeing how hard they’d worked, Lin Feng would have rewarded them with a Black Spine Zerg to set an example and motivate the others to continue killing Zergs diligently.

For now, after just a few rounds of hunting, the fastest-enhancing recruit was only at Lv5, still a long way from Lv9.

Therefore, aside from seven or eight near-death specimens handed over to Shen Jie’s group, the rest of the Black Spine Zergs had their legs and pincers hacked off, were trussed up, and loaded into the trunk of the Flying Wing Tank.

Combined with the ten remaining from before, they now had a stockpile of fifty-six Black Spine Living Zergs.

This enormous fortune was enough for an ordinary Lv9 Enhanced Person to directly Upgrade and Awaken all the way to Tier One Perfection!

If these were transported to the rear, Lin Feng reckoned they could be traded for an entire large-scale granary holding tens of thousands of tons of food, or enough firepower to arm a whole battalion!

Unfortunately, with battle imminent and the situation urgent, he had to prioritize training his subordinates first.

As the men were securing the living Zergs and hacking off their Giant Mandibles, several cyan silhouettes flashed across the distant horizon.

Apparently, the loss of contact with the large Black Spine Zerg Swarm had attracted the Mother Empress’s attention, and she had dispatched Cyan-winged Zergs to investigate.

Lin Feng decisively ordered Shen Jie to have the recruits hit the ground and take cover, then moved out with Chen Yanyan.

She piloted the Flying Wing Tank, using Ground Effect Flight to skim over the cratered highway. Then, she took control of its ten Heavy Machine Guns and locked down the airspace.

Under Chen Yanyan’s assault, the Cyan-winged Zergs were quickly forced to lower their altitude and scatter in a panic.

Lin Feng seized the opportunity to use Metal Storm, firing preemptively along their escape routes.

Thankfully, the Cyan-winged Zergs’ flight speed was slow, only comparable to a helicopter. Under the barrage from the Heavy Machine Guns, their bodies were quickly damaged, and they plummeted to the ground with torn Membrane Wings.

In the Flying Wing Tank’s high-speed pursuit, all six Cyan-winged Zergs were soon captured.

Unfortunately, only three survived; the other three had died from the fall.

Without hesitation, Lin Feng had Chen Yanyan finish off the three living Cyan-winged Zergs, cut off their Membrane Wings, and toss them into the trunk before heading back to the highway.

Seeing the Flying Wing Tank return safely, all the new recruits secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

It wasn’t that they feared for the Sergeant Major’s safety. In their eyes, Lin Feng was an invincible existence. As long as he returned, they believed he could easily annihilate any army of Black Spine Zergs, no matter how large.

Lin Feng noted the change in their expressions and knew his objective had been achieved. He ordered Shen Jie to lead the recruit company back to the edge of the Zerg-controlled territory.

They were to rest and regroup on the front lines.

It was now past noon, and the recruits, having gone through their first battle, needed to eat and rest.

Setting up a temporary camp on the front lines was not only because their Upgrade progress was too slow and they needed to press on, but also to train their vigilance.

With Red-Armored Beetles occasionally appearing behind them, rotating guard duty and assigning lookouts were crucial.

This kind of field training was the best way to hone their combat prowess.

That was how Shen Jie had managed to get his original group of eight all to Lv9 in just two days—by camping out on the front lines.

And now, his task was to Copy that great feat all over again.

While the recruits rested, he called over those who had remained calm and composed during the Black Spine Zerg Swarm attack. They went with him deeper into the territory, near the Wormhole, to scatter some slightly rank chicken and duck meat from the truck.

The stench of the rotting meat was even more alluring to Red-Armored Beetles. Before long, it lured a new Red-Armored Beetle Swarm out from the depths of the Wormhole.

Having made preparations for the afternoon’s enhancement battle, Shen Jie led the men back the way they came.

Back at the camp, among the dozen or so vehicles, everyone had finished their combat rations and was resting with their eyes closed.

The new recruits’ resolve was clearly lacking, however. Many of the soldiers resting in the vehicles were fast asleep, snoring like thunder. Even those on guard duty were exhausted, their eyelids heavy.

A few, however, were cleaning their firearms and loading magazines. While others slept, they were preparing for the coming afternoon battle.

The brief one-hour rest came to an end.

When the recruits reassembled, some were groggy from sleeping too deeply. Others, though slightly fatigued, had lost none of their enthusiasm for battle and enhancement.

Especially after witnessing Lin Feng’s power...

Nearly everyone’s anticipation for a Superpower Awakening had been raised to an all-time high.

The afternoon’s battle continued.

As if aware of Lin Feng’s presence, the Mother Empress sent no Cyan-winged Zergs to investigate this time. Even the Black Spine Zerg Swarm only sent a single wave, and upon seeing the Flying Wing Tank, they immediately fled.

Lin Feng still had to give chase, finishing them off over a kilometer away. He returned with several dozen pairs of Giant Mandibles and twenty Black Spine Living Zergs.

This time, however, because he had ventured deep into the Zerg Race’s territory, Lin Feng didn’t have Shen Jie and his men risk joining him. Without a vehicle for transportation and protection, they would have faced near-certain death if surrounded by a Swarm.

’But the dying Black Spine Zergs can’t go to waste...’

Chen Yanyan raised her Long Saber and deftly finished off the dying Black Spine Zergs, completing her final Upgrade and becoming a Lv19 Spiritual Awakener.

「Chen Yanyan, Lv19/19」

「Life Value 150, Physique 149, Spirit 150」

「Mechanical Pioneers greatly enhanced」

After completing her Awakening, she piloted the Flying Wing Tank on the way back. She discovered that with the boost from her 150-point Spiritual Attribute Value, she was gradually mastering control of the Tank in Ground Effect Flight Mode, adapting to its incredible speed of 300 km/h!

This was undoubtedly excellent news for future battlefield retreats.

With Chen Yanyan now a veteran pilot with proficient driving skills, the afternoon’s battle drew to a close.

At three in the afternoon, the company took a second break.

By the time the third battle began, it was already four o’clock.

This time, no more Black Spine Zergs appeared, and even the number of Red-Armored Beetles was dwindling.

Using the Flying Wing Tank’s Life Radar, Lin Feng precisely detected a large number of Red-Armored Beetles digging Wormholes two to three hundred meters underground.

But they simply wouldn’t surface.

To prevent the Red-Armored Beetles from tunneling to flank them, and with nightfall approaching, Lin Feng gave the order at six o’clock as the sun set: the day’s live-fire training was officially over.

By this time, the Enhancement Levels of the recruits in Company 201 were generally Lv3 or higher, meaning they had all entered Mid-Stage Enhancement. There were also quite a few Late-stage Enhanced People at Lv7 and above.

But the chances of an early Superpower Awakening were too low, so no one had manifested any Superpowers yet.

However, there were three Lv9 recruits.

During the evening debriefing, Lin Feng personally retrieved three Black Spine Living Zergs from the Tank’s trunk.

Under the intensely envious gazes of the other recruits, he handed them over to the three Lv9 soldiers to make their Upgrade kills.

Afterward, they were taken to a hotel where, after a hearty meal, they began to enter the Awakening State.

「The next day.」 The three new Awakeners were appointed as deputy leaders to assist Shen Jie’s group in commanding the recruits during battle.

Meanwhile, the newcomers at the hotel were also pulled into the live-fire training.

They had been recruited by Han Yuxin to work in the living Zerg trade, so they also needed to be toughened up.

After the second grueling day of battle, more than half of the recruits—47 in total—had reached Lv9.

That evening, Lin Feng kept his promise, rewarding each of them with a Black Spine Zerg to help them complete their Awakening Upgrade.

That night, Han Yuxin returned safely after completing her second transaction. Unfortunately, the Superpower she had Awakened was merely a common Physical Enhancement.

After taking the newly enhanced recruits and ten of the twenty-plus remaining living Zergs from Lin Feng, Han Yuxin departed the front lines in a hurry, urged on by him.

By now, the dark silhouettes of active Zerg could be seen in the distance from outside the outpost’s pillbox.

The decisive battle was imminent.

After sending men to retrieve the remaining living Zergs, Hu Fei made a special call to persuade Lin Feng to withdraw.

After all, he who fights and runs away lives to fight another day.

But Lin Feng’s purpose was clear. Aside from leading Company 201 through its baptism by fire, his true target in this decisive battle was the Tier Two Zerg Race likely to appear on the front lines!

After politely declining and hanging up...

Lin Feng canceled the third day of training, instead letting the young soldiers, who had now gained some basic experience, rest for an entire day.

This was so they could be in peak condition to face the fourth day,

and the great battle to come!