Lin Feng feigned a moment of deep thought. After a few seconds, under the two women's curious gazes, he slowly began to explain.
"It's actually a kind of Superpower that's bound to the pistol. I can increase its power and replenish its bullets by killing the giant bugs."
The pistol would have to be upgraded again in the future. It might get bigger or gain other Attributes. Lin Feng couldn't keep it a secret forever, and telling them now would also boost his companions' confidence.
The moment he finished speaking, Chen Yanyan grew visibly excited and immediately pressed him with questions:
"A Superpower? You had an Awakening? Is this a Spiritual Energy Recovery? Is it related to the giant bugs? Did you get it from killing them?"
Lin Feng waved his pistol, gesturing for her to quiet down.
"Shh, calm down."
"I'm not exactly sure where it came from myself. That's why I need to experiment on the bugs..."
As he spoke, Lin Feng nudged the Red-Armored Beetle beside him with his foot, then looked over at a bewildered Yurou.
Zhang Yurou was older, and her mind couldn't quite keep up with the other two. Her worldview was from a slightly different generation.
So, Lin Feng explained it to her again.
"It's just a type of Superpower, like the psychic phenomena and qigong craze from the early 2000s. It's just a different name for the same kind of thing."
"Sister Yurou, remember how you had a fever this morning?"
Zhang Yurou nodded, a look of realization dawning on her face.
"But I think my fever started last night. I was covered in sweat after my evening run and didn't dry off properly, so I caught a chill."
Lin Feng shrugged. He couldn't explain it clearly either. 'Once we get to Hai City University, I'll have to ask someone more knowledgeable,' he thought.
"It's probably related to each person's Physique. Sister Yurou, you exercise regularly, so you upgraded after your fever. Don't you feel even a little bit stronger?"
At this, Zhang Yurou frowned slightly. She clenched her fists, then picked up her Long Saber and gave it a few swings before finally nodding.
"I'm pretty in tune with my body's condition, and I can definitely feel a change. But I don't have a special ability like you do. Is it because my Awakening wasn't strong enough?"
Lin Feng hummed in agreement and pointed to the Red-Armored Beetle at his feet.
"It's probably because you haven't killed a bug yet, so the effect of the Upgrade isn't as noticeable."
The two women considered this and thought it made sense. Among them, only Lin Feng had killed one of the giant bugs, so that might have something to do with it.
But all in all, it was good news. Otherwise, in their current situation, ordinary people would stand no chance against the Swarm.
Seeing the two women shift their attention from him to the Red-Armored Beetle at their side, Lin Feng breathed a secret sigh of relief.
He actually had the same suspicion—that an ordinary person's Upgrade was linked to killing a giant bug. 'I'll have Chen Yanyan try it in a bit to test the theory.'
While the Red-Armored Beetle was being used to farm Upgrade Points, Lin Feng gripped his LVL 3 Fine Pistol and initiated his own Upgrade.
A familiar warmth flowed from the gun into his arm, circulating once throughout his entire body.
A moment later, the Upgrade was complete.
Lin Feng, LVL 3/9
Life Value: 20, Physique: 15, Spirit: 14
His three Attributes had each increased by 5 points. Lin Feng's stats were now double what they were when he started, and his power had increased dramatically.
Before all this, he was just an ordinary office worker—underweight and perpetually in a state of suboptimal health. He might not have even been as fit as Yurou, who ran and did yoga every day.
But now, after three Upgrades, muscle definition was visible on his body. He was much more robust, with none of his previous scrawny appearance.
The increase in his Physique and Spirit also allowed Lin Feng to control the pistol better. He could ignore the recoil and fire with precision, increasing his Fire Rate while his accuracy rose significantly.
With bound equipment, the Upgrades were mutually beneficial.
Lin Feng wanted nothing more than to kiss the gun in his hand.
Every boy dreams of guns, of picking up a weapon and letting loose. Today, Lin Feng had achieved that dream, and in the most perfect way imaginable.
Suppressing his excitement, Lin Feng skillfully ejected the magazine. He removed the freshly replenished bullets one by one and stuffed them into his pocket.
Just then, the Red-Armored Beetle finished devouring the corpse. It hadn't even spared the bones, crushing them completely and swallowing them whole.
Throughout the process, whenever its Life Value surpassed 20, Lin Feng would remind Chen Yanyan to take the Long Saber and hack off its newly regenerated limbs.
By the time it had finished its meal, the Red-Armored Beetle had less than ten Life Value remaining and was still on the brink of death.
The Long Saber in Chen Yanyan's hands had also accumulated enough Upgrade Points. Lin Feng took it, performed the Upgrade, and then handed it back to her.
"Your turn. Aim for its head and finish it in one blow."
Chen Yanyan nodded. She nervously struggled to lift the Long Saber; it was so heavy that she had to use every ounce of her strength to bring it down in a vicious chop.
Nearby, Lin Feng and Zhang Yurou watched her intently.
The LVL 2 Long Saber was incredibly sharp. It dealt ten points of Damage and severed the Red-Armored Beetle's head, causing its Life Value to drop to zero instantly.
After being tormented for over an hour, the Red-Armored Beetle was finally put out of its misery.
As for the nervous and excited Chen Yanyan, she suddenly felt her entire body grow hot. Sweat began to pour from her, drenching the clothes underneath, and her breathing grew rapid and deep.
After a few deep breaths, she gradually calmed down.
Lin Feng watched with his own eyes as she completed her Upgrade in just a few short minutes.
Human, LVL 1/9
Life Value: 12, Physique: 8, Spirit: 8
'So killing a bug really does let you Upgrade directly. This must be the path for normal people.' The effect was far better than the natural Awakening Yurou had experienced.
'Not only are the Attribute gains incredibly high, but more importantly, there's no dizziness or fever. You don't lose your ability to fight, and the process is fast.'
In an apocalypse swarming with giant bugs, that was crucial.
Thinking of this, Lin Feng looked at the LVL 3 Fine Pistol in his hand and was struck by a bold idea.
If he was going to get both women to Hai City University safely, he couldn't be the only one upgrading. They both needed to at least have some ability to defend themselves against the giant bugs.
So, Lin Feng walked over and patted Chen Yanyan on the shoulder.
"How do you feel? You feel that boost, right?"
Snapping out of her shock, Chen Yanyan nodded, her face alight with excitement.
"Yes! It was this wave of heat that moved through my whole body. Afterward, the Long Saber in my hands felt so much lighter..."
"And I just feel better all around."
As she spoke, Chen Yanyan swung the Long Saber with surprising ease, her delight written all over her face.
Lin Feng recalled that before her Upgrade, she was just a weakling with a Physique of 4. Now that it had doubled, she would certainly feel the dramatic change in her body.
The next moment, Lin Feng caught a whiff of a faint, pleasant scent as the woman before him leaned in and planted a quick kiss on his cheek. She then shrank back like a startled rabbit, a delicate blush coloring her face.
"Thank you..."
Lin Feng rolled his eyes. 'Still trying to play innocent with me,' he thought. He flicked a glance at Yurou, who didn't seem to be paying any mind, then shook his head and said:
"Don't thank me. I was just using you for an experiment to test my theory."
Finished speaking, he ignored Chen Yanyan, who was stomping her foot in a pout. He picked up the Long Saber, handed it to Yurou, then looked at both women. His expression grew grave as he spoke in a low voice.
"Since we can Upgrade and get stronger just by killing these bugs, we need to change our strategy..."
"This might be our best chance. There aren't that many giant bugs in the apartment complex—only a dozen or so. If we can wipe them all out, we can build up enough strength to make it to Hai City University."
"The University City is closer to the main Hai City District, so there will be even more giant bugs there. We need to get as strong as we possibly can."
As he spoke, Lin Feng pulled out the dagger strapped to his thigh and bent down to carve the Back Armor off the dead Red-Armored Beetle.
The two women watched him, their expressions thoughtful. They both voiced their agreement and followed him back upstairs.
Lin Feng planned to fashion the Back Armor into a Red Armor Shield. He also needed to explain their plan and assign roles to the two women.
His strongest weapon was the pistol. Ammunition wasn't a concern, but reloading was. He had two magazines, for a total of 24 rounds, and each shot dealt 6 Basic Damage.
Factoring in misses and ineffective hits, Lin Feng estimated one magazine could take down three Red-Armored Beetles at most.
But he could accumulate up to sixty rounds, enough for five full magazines. That meant he needed someone to help him reload, and they had to be fast—a twelve-round magazine needed to be loaded in twenty seconds or less.
After he explained the issue, Chen Yanyan immediately volunteered.
"Let me do it. My stamina and coordination aren't as good as Yurou's, so I can't hold a shield and use a saber at the same time. I'm good at repetitive work like loading bullets. I did piece-rate jobs in a factory during my summer breaks in college..."
Lin Feng nodded. He took out a pile of bullets and a magazine and let her try. Just as she'd claimed, once she got the hang of it, her reloading speed was even faster than he'd anticipated.
She could fill an empty magazine in just fifteen or sixteen seconds.
With their roles assigned, the three of them emerged from the room half an hour later, fully armed.
They had one LVL 3 pistol, two solid Red Armor Shields, and two LVL 2 Long Sabers.
While this setup wasn't enough to take on a large Swarm, it was more than enough to handle two or three Red-Armored Beetles at a time by using the building's terrain to their advantage.
Walking slowly to the door of Apartment 201, Lin Feng glanced back at the two women.
They had their helmets on. Zhang Yurou, having the better Physique, held a shield and a Long Saber. Chen Yanyan was behind Lin Feng, ready to add supplemental Damage with her own Long Saber and to reload for him.
Taking a deep breath, Lin Feng inserted the key into the lock, ready to turn it.
"Are you both ready?"
The two women nodded in unison.
Their expressions were grim as they tightly gripped their Long Sabers.
This would be their first time fighting together as a team.