"So, are you willing to kill insects with me?"
As he spoke, Lin Feng placed the nearby dagger in the woman's hand. He dropped his smile, his expression growing grim.
He needed a reliable companion, not a burden.
Chen Yanyan swallowed hard. Under the man's scrutinizing gaze, she instinctively shrank back, a little afraid.
Lin Feng shrugged and stood up abruptly, startling the woman so much that she fell backward onto the ground.
Seeing that she had dropped her seductive act and was now showing her fear, Lin Feng held the dagger and pointed it at Chen Yanyan's chest.
"One more thing. How long were you with Lin Youzhi?"
Chen Yanyan understood the hidden meaning behind his words. She bit her lower lip and began to explain:
"I was hired last year, and I've only been with General Manager Lin for the last few months. But we never did... *that*. General Manager Lin just hired me for business dinners, really... I think he has some... issues in that department..."
Lin Feng shook his head, cutting her off.
"Don't try to convince me. You have to make *her* believe you."
He pointed toward the door, then tossed the dagger onto Chen Yanyan's chest and left the bedroom.
Zhang Yurou had been living like a widow for years; she must have seen through Lin Youzhi's character long ago. Lin Feng believed his sister-in-law was no fool. If he could see it, there was no reason Zhang Yurou wouldn't have guessed it.
Perhaps she was just holding back because Lin Youzhi had just died, and with survival being the top priority, she didn't want to have a falling-out with Chen Yanyan.
One should respect the dead, but the dead are also the most worthless.
But Lin Feng had a deeper concern.
After entering the living room, he walked to the kitchen and saw his sister-in-law wearing an apron, frying eggs.
Zhang Yurou turned her head. Her eyes were a little red. Seeing Lin Feng come in, she forced a smile.
"It'll be ready in a minute. I'm just reheating last night's leftovers."
Lin Feng took a deep breath, walked up to his sister-in-law, and decided to bring the issue into the open.
"I know this might sound insensitive, but about Lin Youzhi... I hope you aren't too heartbroken, Sister-in-law. Given the current situation, we have to stay in peak condition..."
"And about Chen Yanyan... Sister-in-law, you don't need to hold anything back. It's better to get things out in the open than to bury them and suffer alone."
"Once we're out there, facing those terrible insects, any mistake could have severe consequences. I don't want any rifts within the team..."
"Sister-in-law, if you don't want to bring her along... we can just leave her here. We'll have done all we can for her."
When Lin Feng finished speaking, Zhang Yurou could no longer hold back. Tears welling in her eyes, she threw herself into his arms and began to sob.
Lin Feng held the woman in his arms tightly. At a time like this, a hug was more helpful than any words.
After a long moment, by the time the omelet in the pan had started to burn, Zhang Yurou had vented her emotions. She suddenly looked up from his embrace and deeply kissed the bewildered Lin Feng.
Lin Feng's eyes went wide. This was completely unexpected. He never imagined that the normally gentle, virtuous, and proper Sister-in-law Yurou had such a side to her.
He then gently reached out and turned off the stove, allowing the wonderful moment to last a little longer.
A minute later, the two finally separated.
"S-S-Sister-in-law..."
A trace of affection flickered in Zhang Yurou's eyes. Seeing Lin Feng's flustered, tongue-tied expression, she raised a finger and pressed it against his moist lips.
"I haven't had a chance to thank you for risking your life to save me."
"As for a man like Lin Youzhi, I saw through him long ago. These are tears of regret for my foolish past. How could I possibly grieve for a scumbag like that...?"
"I know you're looking out for me, and I appreciate your concern, but Chen Yanyan is a pitiful woman, too. Don't make things hard for her. As long as she listens, let's take her with us."
Lin Feng nodded lightly. It was for the best that his sister-in-law could let it go; it saved him the trouble of worrying about it.
After saying this, Zhang Yurou returned to the stove to reheat last night's leftovers. Her face slightly flushed, she looked at the man beside her.
"Xiaofeng, if you don't mind, just think of me as an older sister from now on. Don't call me Sister-in-law. I don't like it."
Lin Feng made a sound of surprise. He understood the deeper meaning behind her words, and a flicker of excitement and joy went through him.
"Okay. Y-Sister Yurou..."
A smile she hadn't worn in a long time appeared on Zhang Yurou's face. She held up the spatula.
"Go get packed. Don't worry about me."
Lin Feng nodded. As he turned to leave, he heard the soft click of a door closing outside the kitchen. A smile slowly crept onto his face.
He went to the storage cabinet by the balcony, found some thin steel wire, and prepared to stitch up and reinforce his shield.
When he entered the bedroom, Chen Yanyan shot him a suggestive look, though inwardly she was filled with vexation and regret.
'I guess I'm still too reserved. I can't believe Zhang Yurou moved so fast and beat me to it!'
Seeing Lin Feng ignore her, Chen Yanyan stepped forward to grab his hand.
"Brother Feng, can I be your girlfriend?"
Lin Feng pulled his hand away.
"No."
Chen Yanyan lifted her pant leg, revealing a slender, well-toned calf. Her eyes were filled with resentment.
"Why? Is it because I'm not pretty? Or is my figure not as good as your sister-in-law's?"
Lin Feng shrugged and answered honestly.
"I don't date dead people. First, you need to guarantee you can make it out of Hai City alive. Those terrifying insects aren't going to show you mercy just because you're beautiful."
"In fact, your perfume might just attract them even more."
With that, he looked down and continued reinforcing the shield, leaving Chen Yanyan beside him angry, shocked, and utterly helpless.
When he was done, Zhang Yurou's call came from outside. It was time to eat.
Lin Feng sat in the middle and ate the most.
After devouring breakfast, Lin Feng sat by the balcony window, resting while observing the situation outside.
The residential complex was covered in bloodstains. A dozen or so Red-Armored Beetles were devouring corpses. It seemed the Swarm wasn't that large here; there were some advantages to living in the suburbs.
However, cell service was completely gone, and the entire city was without power. Fortunately, the solar eclipse was also gradually ending...
The sky, at last, brightened.
Three hours had passed since the eclipse began and the giant Swarm attacked. It was now eleven in the morning.
An eclipse that should have lasted only a dozen minutes had been prolonged for three hours. This bizarre phenomenon was surely connected to the Swarm's appearance, but that wasn't the main concern now. The priority was figuring out how to escape and avoid being eaten alive.
During their break, screams would occasionally ring out from nearby as more people fell victim to the giant insects. While tragic, it also left the remaining survivors terrified and too afraid to make a sound.
After getting ready, Lin Feng drew the pistol from his waist. The bullets in the magazine had been fully restored. He now had two full magazines, for a total of 24 rounds.
More than enough to deal with one or two Red-Armored Beetles.
He walked to the door and peered through the peephole into the hallway. After confirming there were no insects, he raised his shield and looked back at the two women. They were gripping their knives tightly, their expressions tense.
Lin Feng offered a word of reassurance.
"It's okay. Based on my observations, there are only a dozen or so giant insects in the whole complex. In our building, there are two at most, probably fewer."
He then flicked off the pistol's safety and reminded them again.
"Remember what I told you. If I shoot and don't kill it, wait for the insect to lunge, then you two move in to finish it off. I'll be relying on you to hold it back while I'm reloading."
"Remember! If you run off alone, you'll die. Our only way out is to stay alive and work together."
With that said, he turned back to the door, pressed the handle, and opened it a crack. He checked the upper walls of the hallway to ensure no Red-Armored Beetles were lying in ambush, then pushed the door open and stepped into the corridor.
He propped the apartment door open with a block of wood, then used his shield to strike the staircase railing. A dull thud echoed up and down the stairwell.
Lin Feng wanted to lure a Red-Armored Beetle to its death.
Unfortunately, after a long moment, there was no response. Not a sound came from above or below.
Lin Feng looked down the stairs. Judging by the trail of reddish-yellow blood the Red-Armored Beetle had left when it fled, he deduced it was still somewhere below.
So he led the two women slowly down the stairs, heading for the landing on the second floor.
Soon, he caught the scent of blood and, at the same time, heard a faint chewing sound from the floor below.
When Lin Feng reached the landing, he peered down.
The door to apartment 201 was wide open. A Red-Armored Beetle was crouched over a woman's body, its ferocious, fang-filled mandibles chewing on her abdomen as it devoured her fresh organs.
Lin Feng even recognized the woman. She was a kindergarten teacher who had just gotten married last year...
She was still partially conscious. Her head lolled to the side, blood spilling from her mouth. When she saw Lin Feng and the others, her lips trembled as if she was trying to cry for help.
The Red-Armored Beetle sensed the disturbance and slowly turned its head.
Lin Feng saw its half-shattered head and confirmed that it was the same one he had injured earlier.
The Attributes revealed by Identification confirmed it:
[Red-Armored Beetle, LV 3/9]
[Life Value: 12, Physique: 6, Spirit: 1]
[State: Severely injured, extremely poor condition. Currently recovering by consuming flesh.]
Lin Feng remembered it only had eight life points left when it fled. He hadn't expected that in just three hours, the creature had already recovered four Life Value by eating flesh and blood...
'What an astonishing recovery speed!'
Seeing Lin Feng and the two women, the Red-Armored Beetle immediately sank its mandibles into its prey's thigh, trying to drag her into the apartment.
Reacting instantly, Lin Feng raised his gun and took aim.
From only five or six meters away, he aimed at the Red-Armored Beetle's shattered head and fired several shots in rapid succession!
BANG! BANG! BANG!