The young woman gripped a Standard Long Saber, her expression slightly nervous. It was likely her first time seeing a humanoid monster clad in what looked like the shell of a giant insect.
Lin Feng looked up and, through the eye slits of his Face Armor, caught an unexpected glimpse of the scenery beneath her pleated short skirt.
[Human, Lv 4/9]
[Life Value 25, Physique 18, Spirit 17]
The Identification Skill activated at the most inopportune moment, its data display blocking Lin Feng's view.
But he quickly snapped out of it, reaching out with a backhand grip to grab the Standard Long Saber aimed at his forehead.
A Long Saber wasn't suited for thrusting or cutting; it was only lethal when swung and slashed at a target.
Holding it like this—blade down, pressed low toward someone—actually left no room to build up power for a swing...
Aside from intimidating a target, it posed no real threat.
So, by the time Lin Feng reached out to grab the Long Saber, the young woman had just realized what was happening. But raising a blade is always slower than swinging one, and in the end, Lin Feng caught it firmly.
The Defense Power of his Lv 4 Red Armor Shield was as high as 20, even in its Shield Armor Form. Lin Feng's palm was covered in a thin layer of armor plating, so he wasn't worried about the pressure from the blade's edge at all.
Besides, with his current Lv 5 Physique and Power, he could easily snap this kind of long, flimsy blade.
Lin Feng could tell at a glance that this blade was the kind of industrial junk you'd find online, only usable as a stage prop.
In terms of quality and combat effectiveness, it was worse than the wide-backed long sabers the two women carried, which were forged and welded from rebar.
Moreover, a long saber's greatest weakness was being bent from the side, which could easily deform or break it.
Now, Lin Feng's hand, gripping the blade, yanked down hard. At the same time, he twisted his wrist, bending it out of shape.
A flimsy blade wouldn't easily break, but it would bend.
As the young woman reeled back, raising her blade, Lin Feng lunged forward, slipped through the gap in the door, and entered the tenth-floor corridor.
He immediately raised his gun, aimed, and spoke coolly:
"Kiddo, didn't your mother ever teach you not to point blades at people?"
The young woman, who had retreated several steps, looked utterly shocked. She raised the bent Long Saber and aimed it at the humanoid monster before her.
"You... you're human?"
Lin Feng shrugged, removing the red-and-white Face Armor to reveal his own handsome face, the corners of his mouth slowly turning up.
"If not human, then a bug?"
Just then, Zhang Yurou and the other woman squeezed in right behind Lin Feng. Because her chest was rather large, Sister-in-law Yurou had some trouble getting through, getting squished in the process.
While keeping his gun aimed, Lin Feng crouched down and used his other hand to help his sister-in-law through the thirty-centimeter-wide gap.
Meanwhile, the high school girl in front of them took advantage of the man's distraction. She rolled, snatched up a Crimson Back Armor that was lying nearby, and held it up to block any bullets.
All of this happened right under Lin Feng's nose. He had no intention of killing her anyway; he was hoping to learn about the other survivors from her.
Finding the young woman guarding the door with a blade also explained why there were so many Red-Armored Beetle corpses on the staircase outside.
She must have killed all of them, and quite a few at that.
Her Level 4 status meant she had killed at least ten of them.
Her courage and bravery made Lin Feng all the more interested in her.
When the young woman saw the two other women squeeze in, she let out a long sigh of relief, raised her shield, and apologized:
"Sorry, I thought you were some kind of monster. After all, that getup of yours... doesn't look very human."
Lin Feng slowly lowered his gun and surveyed his surroundings.
"It's made from the back armor of those bugs."
"I'm Lin Feng. You're a high school student. What are you doing in a Hai City University faculty dorm?"
"Are you the only survivor here?"
Seeing the man lower his handgun, the young woman took a deep breath but didn't let her guard down, keeping the Crimson Back Armor raised.
"My name is Liu Yueqi. I go to the affiliated high school next door, but my aunt is a teacher at Hai City University, so I usually live here with her. It's more convenient for school."
"Are you a student at Hai City University?"
Lin Feng shook his head and pointed to the tall, young woman behind him.
"I'm not. She used to be."
"What about the professors who live here? They didn't all die downstairs, did they?"
"Also, do you know how to get to the rooftop? The stairs seem to end here on the tenth floor."
The man's strange answer and barrage of questions made Liu Yueqi frown. After a moment's hesitation, she chose to respond with silence and slowly backed away.
Just then, a row of apartment doors up ahead opened, and a group of people holding Crimson Back Armors rushed out.
In the dim corridor, it was impossible to make out their faces.
One of them spoke up:
"Your gunshots attracted the giant insects. For them to climb to the tenth floor this quickly... you must have also destroyed the locked security door on the ground floor, didn't you?"
"No matter who you are or why you're here, we have about ten-odd minutes before those damned bugs storm the building. Right now, we all need to work together."
Lin Feng put away his handgun and raised both hands with a smile.
"You're absolutely right."
"We mean no harm. We were just escaping by car when a swarm of bugs chased us here, and we happened to take refuge inside."
At this, the group slowly lowered their Back Armors, and a young man with slicked-back hair stepped out from among them.
"My name is Zhang Xuan, an associate professor at Hai City University. Welcome, Mr. Lin."
Lin Feng didn't recognize him, but behind him, Chen Yanyan quietly explained:
"He's a former vice president of the student council, two years ahead of me. He has some connections at the university."
Chen Yanyan had just graduated not long ago; she was only twenty-five this year. A twenty-seven-year-old associate professor...
A slight smile touched Lin Feng's lips. 'How interesting.'
Someone in the back took out a phone and turned on the flashlight, finally allowing everyone to see each other clearly.
When Zhang Xuan saw the two women behind Lin Feng, his eyes lit up. A hint of delight crossed his face as he said with a warm smile:
"Chen Yanyan? Weren't you working at Hai Jiangong? What are you doing here...?"
As he spoke, he waved to the people beside him.
"This is a schoolmate of mine; she graduated a couple of years back. We're all from Hai University, it's all good."
Then he stepped forward enthusiastically.
"Mr. Lin and this lady, are they your colleagues?"
Faced with Zhang Xuan's over-familiarity, Chen Yanyan's brow furrowed slightly, and she took a small step back to hide behind Lin Feng.
Lin Feng nodded, playing along:
"That's right. At our construction site in the city, tons of bugs suddenly burst out of the ground. We found a car and headed for the outskirts, making it all the way here."
Then, his tone shifted as he added with a smile:
"The door to the building is about to be breached by the giant insects. We can't hold this place for long. Everyone can escape to the roof."
Zhang Xuan's face gradually grew cold.
"When you get down to it, isn't this all your fault?"
"The Swarm had already lost interest in this building. The moment you arrived, you led them all right here..."
Before he could finish, a loud BANG came from outside. Everyone's heart seized, and their breathing stopped.
About ten seconds later, a panicked male voice cried out from the back of the crowd:
"Teacher Chen! Teacher Chen, the main door is down! The Swarm broke through! They're all pouring in! There are too many! We can't stop them..."
Zhang Xuan's expression changed. He began backing away as he spoke:
"Mr. Lin, the passage to the rooftop is quite narrow, and there's no ladder. Someone needs to stay below and give a boost."
Once he had retreated behind the wall of Crimson Back Armors, his tone immediately jumped a few notches:
"This whole situation has gotten worse, and it's all your fault."
"You have to take responsibility! Stay here and buy us time! This is the price you have to pay!"
After speaking, he shot a meaningful look at the panicked crowd around him. A few people understood the signal and immediately started jeering, raising their Crimson Back Armors as they retreated step by step.
Lin Feng watched their ridiculous display, shrugged, and looked at the two women behind him.
"Go with them. Leave this to me."
The two women looked worried. Zhang Yurou stepped forward.
"Can you handle it? There are so many giant insects. This door won't hold for long..."
Lin Feng looked at the fully upgraded Legendary Pistol in his hand and smiled confidently.
[Legendary Pistol Lv 6/9]
[Upgrade Points: 12/10, Damage 20, Effective Range 500m, Remaining Bullets 653/1500]
[Extra Attributes: Bullet Recovery, 1/min, Spatial Magazine, 1500 reserve rounds]
The Damage had increased by another five points. With an average of twenty Damage, he could take one down with a single headshot at close range. He could fight his way from the doorway to the end of the corridor, retreating as he fired.
'No pressure at all.'
Seeing the two women's reluctance to leave, Lin Feng stepped forward, hugged Sister-in-law Yurou, and gave her a kiss before comforting her:
"Don't worry. If things go south, I can run faster than they can. But you need to get up there quickly. Hold on to your Red Armor Shield and remember how I taught you to use it."
Then he looked at Chen Yanyan.
"Protect your sister-in-law."
Chen Yanyan nodded and pulled Zhang Yurou away.
Before they parted, Zhang Yurou handed her Lv 2 Long Saber to Lin Feng. Her tone was stern, leaving no room for refusal.
"Take it! As a backup!"
Only after Lin Feng took the Long Saber did she follow Chen Yanyan and leave the corridor entrance.
Seeing the two women catch up to the retreating group and climb through a skylight at the end of the hall, Lin Feng finally turned around to face the cacophonous vibrations coming from the gap in the door.
The vibrations grew louder and closer...
Lin Feng's breathing slowed. He initiated the synchronous Lv 6 upgrade for his own Attributes, feeling a warm current surge through his body. Then, he upgraded his Lv 6 Legendary Pistol to the next tier!
Gun in one hand, saber in the other,
he was poised for battle.
Just then, an elegant figure suddenly appeared beside him.
It was the high school student, Liu Yueqi, holding her bent and deformed Long Saber as she walked up to Lin Feng.
"Hey, you broke my saber, so you have to take responsibility for that too."
Saying this, she held out her hand.
"Compensate me with a new one."