With a loud RUMBLE, the armored behemoth, shifted into reverse, pulled out of the repair shop. But at 3.8 meters high, it smashed the rolling shutter mechanism on the doorframe.

But the ordinary sheet metal didn’t even leave a scratch on the RV’s Armor before being crushed to pieces.

The huge noise attracted the attention of those who had yet to evacuate the service area. They came out of the main service building and the motel, curiously watching the large, modified vehicle.

The RV had been modified and upgraded so much that it was a far cry from its original appearance and difficult to recognize.

A few staff members who were finishing up their work mustered their courage and, with a hint of curiosity, approached the menacing Armored RV.

Lin Feng rolled down the tinted window. The workers below could finally see the person inside through the holes in the protective mesh—it was the newly joined Awakener, Lin Feng.

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

Word of Lin Feng’s power had already spread through the Administration Bureau. A man who could cheat death in the jaws of a Black Spine Zerg army and return with a vehicle full of Giant Mandible trophies was clearly no ordinary person.

On Hu Fei’s suggestion, the Administration Bureau had even left two employees behind specifically to liaise with Lin Feng.

Wearing a pair of sunglasses, Lin Feng nodded.

"That’s right. Going for a drive, and confirming the Zergs’ current range of activity while I’m at it."

The staff member breathed a sigh of relief and reminded him,

"Um, the rewards for last night’s diversionary support mission will be announced and distributed around noon. Please remember to come back and collect them, Mr. Lin. Major Qin will also be coming to offer his congratulations."

Lin Feng was slightly taken aback.

"Major Qin? Qin Hu?"

The staff member nodded.

"That’s right. Thanks to the successful retreat of the 13th Infantry Division, he has been given an exceptional promotion to Major. He’s currently in Wu City receiving commendations."

Lin Feng grunted in acknowledgment and waved for Chen Yanyan to get the vehicle moving.

The Steel Giant Beast traveled down the highway. With Hai City now completely fallen, very few survivors were lucky enough to escape to safety.

There was no sign of life on the empty highway.

Taking advantage of the free time, Lin Feng initiated the LV 14 Upgrade for his Blast Gun and his own LV 13 Upgrade.

A warm current flowed through him. His body, which had been slightly drowsy after a full meal, instantly felt invigorated.

By the time they were about to reach the toll station, Lin Feng’s LV 13 Upgrade was complete:

Lin Feng, LV 13/19

Life Value: 90, Physique: 85, Spirit: 90

Because his base stats were already high, his current upgrades were gradual enhancements, incomparable to the rapid boosts he got at the very beginning. On the other hand, Chen Yanyan, who was at LV 7, had changed dramatically compared to before yesterday’s mission:

Human, LV 7/9

Life Value: 38, Physique: 35, Spirit: 36

Chen Yanyan could now be considered one of the strong, but she still had a long way to go to catch up to Lin Feng. Besides testing out the performance of the Armored RV, another important reason for this trip was to help her complete her Superpower Awakening.

’I wonder what kind of Superpower Chen Yanyan will awaken. Hopefully, it’ll be something useful.’

Lin Feng’s team didn’t lack offensive capabilities. On the contrary, they were lacking in almost every kind of support-type Superpower.

For an elite squad to operate without being constrained by logistics and other factors, it had to be versatile in every aspect.

When it came to weapons and equipment, Lin Feng had his Upgrade and Copy abilities. But for things like fire control, medical treatment, and logistical support, Lin Feng couldn’t possibly wear all those hats himself.

This was his greatest weakness.

Relying on himself alone, he could change the course of a battle on a small scale, but once he was on a major battlefield, the impact of a few guns would no longer be so crucial.

It was fine for dealing with a small Swarm, but to win a large-scale war, Lin Feng still had a long way to go.

Fortunately, the Federation seemed to be holding on for now.

With thousands of miles of strategic depth, they could just retreat if they couldn’t win.

The menacing Armored RV stopped at the toll booth. To their surprise, the Zerg Race, which had only been active on the outskirts of the suburbs last night, now had Red-Armored Beetles roaming the provincial highway beyond the toll station.

In twos and threes, they were carrying the remains of the Black Spine Zergs that had been killed at the entrance, moving them to the green belt on the side of the road, where a small mound of dirt had been pushed up.

That was an underground tunnel dug by the Red-Armored Beetles.

Many Red-Armored Beetles were licking the blood and severed limbs scattered on the ground. Some of the weaker ones, unable to fight for the food, could only resort to chewing on tree branches and leaves.

They wouldn’t let go of any biomass that had nutritional value and was edible.

Lin Feng hadn’t expected the Zerg Race to expand so quickly. It seemed the Mother Empress could advance about two kilometers a day. The twenty-kilometer stretch of rural farmland between Hai City and Wu City would only be enough to delay them for about ten days.

’With such a short buffer, I wonder how well Wu City is preparing.’

If they couldn’t withstand the Zergs’ next wave of attacks, Jin City, the heartland of Jiangnan, would be in danger.

And if Jin City fell, it would mean the entire Jiangnan Province would be overrun by the Zerg Race in less than a month...

This would undoubtedly be a heavy blow to humanity’s morale. Future battles of resistance would go from bad to worse, a steady retreat until they reached the point of no return, facing extinction.

At this thought, Lin Feng felt a heavy pressure in his heart. He then had Chen Yanyan drive off the highway and onto the suburban provincial road.

Seeing the foreign object appear, the Red-Armored Beetles crawled over to investigate.

These low-level Zergs couldn’t even sense the danger level of their enemies. They relied on numerical superiority; only the sudden mass death of their own kind would trigger panic.

Chen Yanyan pulled the handbrake and was about to raise her gun to shoot when Lin Feng stopped her with a raised hand.

"That thing is only for self-defense and dealing with a Swarm. If you want to quickly level up with enhancements, you need to use this to finish them."

Lin Feng handed over the last Long Saber he had.

The LV 2 Long Saber was perfect for hacking away at minions.

Chen Yanyan nodded. At LV 7 and equipped with a LV 4 Red Armor Shield, she had no fear of engaging Red-Armored Beetles in close combat.

So she took the Long Saber and got out of the vehicle.

She aimed at a charging LV 7 Giant Red-Armored Beetle and fired several shots, knocking it to the ground near death. Then, with a swing of her Long Saber, she dealt the final blow.

To upgrade to LV 9, she still needed to kill 16 Red-Armored Beetles, which was no small challenge for Chen Yanyan.

During this time, Lin Feng sat on the vehicle’s rooftop lift platform and had no intention of directly helping her.

The necessary training was still a must.

What’s more, Chen Yanyan’s gear was even finer than that of an Elite Special Forces Team; she was fully capable of handling a group of Red-Armored Beetles.

Meanwhile, Lin Feng’s job was to hunt down any Black Spine Zerg Reconnaissance Squads that came to investigate.

However, after waiting for a long while, there was no sign of any Black Spine Zergs in the area. Instead, a fleet of off-road pickup trucks and welded, modified cars came up behind the Armored RV.

There were seventeen or eighteen vehicles in total, with three or four people in each, a mix of Enhanced People, Awakeners, and some ordinary humans.

The roar of engines filled the air, and the Red-Armored Beetles scurried away, as they were now outnumbered.

Three Awakeners walked forward. Two of them were civilian Awakeners who had participated in the diversionary mission last night.

Seeing this, Chen Yanyan frowned and walked over, her expression hostile as she raised the Divine-level Pistol in her hand, standing guard.

"Congratulations, Mr. Lin. Not only did you return safely, but you also reaped a great harvest from your battle with the Black Spine Zergs."

One of the men lowered his rifle and raised a hand as he spoke.

Lin Feng looked down at the three of them, put down the canned drink in his hand, and frowned slightly.

"You’ve scared off the Red-Armored Beetles. They’ll retreat into the wormholes. Be careful not to attract the Black Spine Zerg army."

The man who spoke coughed twice.

"As far as I know, the Black Spine Zerg Swarm won’t be showing up for a while. The Zerg Race suffered heavy casualties in last night’s battle."

"My name is Zhao Lu. Like you, Mr. Lin, I’m a refugee who escaped from Hai City. I just retired from the military not long ago."

"These are civilian Zerg Hunting Teams that have formed spontaneously. We hope we’re not disturbing your peace, Mr. Lin."

Lin Feng pushed up his sunglasses and smiled slightly.

"I’m not some highway robber claiming this territory. Don’t worry, there are more than enough Zergs to kill. Just don’t go after our targets."

"We went to the North District yesterday. You can get a good haul over there."

Zhao Lu breathed an inward sigh of relief, his expression remaining respectful.

"Thank you, Mr. Lin. We won’t bother you any further then."

The three of them then left, gathered their companions, and drove away from the exit.

Chen Yanyan was a bit confused. In her eyes, these people were competitors. Moreover, they had tried to kick them when they were down more than once last night, and now they were here to steal their business. The fact that Lin Feng wasn’t playing dirty was a sign of his magnanimity...

"Why would you let them have the Zergs? Even live Red-Armored Beetles are worth a fortune."

Lin Feng snorted coldly. Watching their excited backs as they raised their rifles and departed, a faint smile appeared on his face.

"We haven’t seen a single Black Spine Zerg all day."

"We’re short on bait."

"To catch fish, you have to chum the water."