The Federation’s Officer system is divided into three tiers: Sergeant Major, Officer, and Private. Each tier has four grades, with Special Soldier being the highest grade of Private.

Lin Feng directly skipped over the three lower grades of Private, Private Second Class, and Private First Class to become a Special Soldier.

He was now just one step away from becoming a Quasi-Military Officer, the entry-level Officer rank.

This clearly showed how much the Administration Bureau valued him; a three-grade promotion was a sign of their utmost sincerity.

Since Lin Feng had joined the Public Security Administration Bureau, he was registered with the State Armed Guard, which was separate from the Federation Army.

The official story credited all the achievements to Qin Hu. By rights, however, the State Guard deserved most of the credit. They had successfully blocked the new Mother Empress’s encirclement head-on, buying an entire night for the 13th Infantry Division to retreat.

In exchange, the 13th Infantry Division took on the defense of Wu City, while the less-equipped State Guard retreated to Jin City to cover the civilian evacuation.

This was actually a behind-the-scenes power struggle between the Federation and local authorities, but it left Lin Feng in an awkward position. The Administration Bureau he belonged to had already evacuated, and the expressway service area was now reclassified as a frontline combat zone under the jurisdiction of the 13th Infantry Division.

That’s why, as Hu Fei was leaving, he had reminded Lin Feng that things would go smoother if he talked to Qin Hu.

Otherwise, the Thirteenth Division might turn a blind eye out of respect for the Administration Bureau. But if they didn’t take a liking to him, they’d just kick him out.

If Major Qin, currently in the spotlight, was willing to give Lin Feng a hand, it would only take a single word from him.

Furthermore, for future promotions, with Qin Hu looking out for him, Lin Feng would just need to meet the merit requirements, and his path would be clear.

As Lin Feng quietly considered this, a staff member beside him continued,

"The rewards for your rating have also been issued. Food, gasoline, two standard-issue rifles, and five hundred rounds of ammunition."

"The brass wants you to stay at the service area if you’re willing, Mr. Lin. You’ll fall in with the 13th Infantry Division, participate in their preparations, and be responsible for covering the rear flank."

"You will also be expected to relay frontline battle intelligence back to the Bureau."

Lin Feng nodded. ’This must be Hu Fei’s doing,’ he thought. ’A way for me to legitimately stay on the front lines and keep capturing live Zergs. But it all still depends on what the Thirteenth Division decides.’

"I don’t need the guns and ammunition. Just exchange them for gasoline." 𝑓𝑟ℯ𝘦𝓌𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝑐ℴ𝓂

The staff member nodded. Firearms were the most valuable commodity right now, with gasoline a close second. By making the swap, he could skim a little off the top for himself. His attitude toward Lin Feng immediately became more deferential.

Before leaving, he added:

"Oh, right, Mr. Lin. Before 2 PM, the service area will be handed over to the Thirteenth Division. Major Qin might come by to inspect and assign offensive and defensive tasks then."

Lin Feng grunted in acknowledgment and returned to the Armored RV. He asked Chen Yanyan to make some lunch, then went into the bedroom to begin his Upgrade to Lv. 14.

He lay on the bed, took off his shoes and pants, and changed into a pair of boxer shorts and slippers. Finally, he could relax a little.

After initiating the Upgrade, a hot current flowed from his waist, spreading throughout his body.

Lin Feng tightly closed his eyes, feeling the changes in his body. Although it wasn’t as intense as his Awakening, it was still very powerful.

More than half an hour later, when Chen Yanyan knocked on the door to call him for the meal, Lin Feng climbed out of bed, having completed the Upgrade:

Lin Feng, Lv. 14/19

Life Value 100, Physique 99, Spirit 98

This Upgrade brought his Life Value to 100. His Physique saw a huge boost, jumping by fourteen points, while his Spiritual Value lagged a bit, only increasing by eight.

He walked out of the bedroom and into the open-plan kitchen and living area. Three dishes were laid out on the long table: stir-fried tomato and egg, braised pork with potatoes, and pan-fried cod fillets, with a main course of black pepper beef noodles.

’This was better than what I ate before the apocalypse. Even now, I’m living more comfortably than ninety-nine percent of the other survivors.’

’It really is good to have a woman around. Otherwise, I’d be stuck gnawing on military rations—pre-made steak with compressed bread and jam. It would fill my stomach, sure, but the experience would be a thousand times worse.’

Twirling a forkful of noodles and spearing a piece of beef, Lin Feng stuffed it into his mouth and began explaining as he ate,

"Superpower Awakening takes a while, two to three hours. You’ll sweat a lot during that time, so lie down and drink some water beforehand. The most intense phase is the first half-hour. After you adapt, there’s not much pain, and you can get up to wash off the impurities and filth secreted from your body."

"The Superpower you awaken is related to your daily habits and behaviors, or your professional skills. For example, soldiers get Physical Enhancement because they do a lot of physical training. There are also shooting-related ones, related to firearms."

"My Superpower is more versatile, as you know. It can change the State of various items."

"You’ve always done secretarial and assistant work, so I have no idea what your Superpower might be. If there’s no obvious match, people usually just get the basic Physical Enhancement."

After Lin Feng’s rough explanation, Chen Yanyan nodded.

"Then I’ll start the Superpower Awakening whenever you’re free."

Lin Feng finished the large meal on his plate, rubbed his stomach, and let out a burp.

"This afternoon will be fine. I doubt we’ll be sent on a mission for now. We need some rest to build up our strength anyway."

"Let’s start after you finish the dishes and clean up."

"Don’t worry, I’ll stay here and keep watch."

Chen Yanyan hummed in agreement and quickened her eating pace.

After he finished eating, Lin Feng grabbed a cold coke from the fridge, stepped out of the RV, unfolded a chair, put on his sunglasses, and settled down in the service station’s repair bay for a nap.

Not long after, a man in military uniform appeared in front of Lin Feng. The visitor was none other than Qin Hu.

The guards flanking Major Qin saw the man in the chair merely glance at them before lying back down. ’Just like those undisciplined civilian Awakeners,’ one thought, raising the butt of his rifle to step forward and issue a reprimand.

A commissioned officer was inherently a rank above a non-commissioned Officer. Moreover, Qin Hu was now a Major. Lin Feng’s blatant disrespect was a serious breach of regulations.

But Qin Hu waved his hand to stop the guards, had them step aside, then moved a chair for himself, sat down next to him, and spoke in a low voice:

"I’m really just riding your coattails on this one."

Lin Feng slowly opened his eyes and pushed up his sunglasses.

"It had nothing to do with me. Without the State Guard holding the line, I wouldn’t have dared to make such a big move."

Qin Hu shook his head.

"No. They were able to attribute the credit to me because, at that moment, the State Guard was already at its breaking point. They weren’t just poorly equipped; they lacked effective heavy weapons. Even their last large-yield Aerial Bomb had to be pre-positioned and detonated manually."

"But that couldn’t change the course of the battle. A massive army of over ten thousand Black Spine Zergs, under the command of the Mother Empress, was just about to break through the Guard’s final line of defense..."

"But right at that moment, the Black Spine Zerg army unexpectedly retreated, pulling back to the South Suburb of Hai City."

"Our post-battle analysis shows it was the explosion you created. It instantly wounded hundreds of Black Spine Zergs, forcing the Mother Empress to pull her forces back from the front line. She needed them to fall back and regroup."

"That’s the only reason the Thirteenth Division was able to shake the Swarm off our heels and get everyone out safely."

"So when they credited it all to me, I couldn’t accept it."

Lin Feng smiled and waved his hands.

"But neither of us has a choice in the matter."

"Still, I got an exceptional promotion out of it. I’m a Special Soldier now, just a step below Officer. Who knows, maybe I’ll even get to form my own squad someday."

Qin Hu’s eyes lit up. He steepled his fingers and said in a low, serious voice:

"Of course you can. I will personally appoint you, if you’re willing to stay."

"The coming battle for Wu City will be crucial. If we succeed in repelling the Zerg Race, both of us will see our fortunes rise. We’ll no longer be just pawns in their game."

Lin Feng’s gaze flickered, and he took off his sunglasses.

"I went to the edge of the Zerg Race’s occupied territory this morning. They’re already on the expressway."

"The Mother Empress will reach Wu City within ten days, and the Red-Armored Beetles will get there even faster by digging."

"Can you prepare in time?"

Qin Hu nodded confidently.

"We’ve conscripted a large number of civilians. Working around the clock, we can pour over a hundred concrete bunkers inside Wu City in three days, forming an ironclad defensive line."

"Give them another three to four days to cure, and they’ll be impregnable."

"The Zerg Race’s attack style is a lot like tunnel warfare. They dig in and fight wars of attrition, so a WWI-style approach is most suitable."

Lin Feng furrowed his brow, spotting a flaw in the plan.

"That approach might prevent you from losing too quickly, but it’ll be hard to win. Purely defensive is far too passive."

"There’s no such thing as an unbreakable line of defense."

"And the Zerg Race isn’t as stupid as we think."

"If the Mother Empress encroaches to the edge of Wu City, she could use underground Wormholes to circle around and launch a counterattack, or even bypass Wu City entirely and go straight for Jin City via the rivers. Don’t forget, they came from the sea."

"At that point, the 13th Infantry Division, holed up in Wu City, will truly be fighting a hopeless battle all alone."

Qin Hu’s expression gradually became solemn.

"We’ll handle it. As long as we can hold off the Zerg Race for half a month and allow the heavy industry in Jin City to be relocated to the rear, our strategic objective will be met."

"Everything up until now has just been for show."

"This service area is in the Suburban Area of Wu City. It’s a flank position, so we need to guard against the Zerg Race trying to circle around from here."

"I’ll have men assigned to upgrade this service area into a forward outpost. We’ll also build a Fortress here to leverage our advantage in long-range firepower."

"And your mission is to monitor the Zerg Race’s expansion progress daily and report back."

Saying this, Qin Hu glanced at the Armored RV to the side.

"I will turn a blind eye to your business of capturing live Zergs. Also, the entire Jianghai Expressway will be sealed off; you’ll be the only one with clearance to drive on it."

Lin Feng nodded. This was the best deal Qin Hu could offer, and it met his expectations.

But Qin Hu wasn’t finished.

"Ahem, there’s one last thing."

"In two days, a VIP will be coming over. We’ll need you to cooperate in shooting a recruitment propaganda video and help her kill a Black Spine Zerg."

Lin Feng frowned. ’Here comes the trouble,’ he thought.

"A publicity stunt? Who?"

Qin Hu shrugged somewhat helplessly and said in a voice only the two of them could hear:

"The popular actress, Jiang Yun’er."