Leaning casually against the guardrail, Lin Feng watched the nervous crowd and the tense Jiang Yuner with interest. The surreal mix of beauty, adrenaline, and death created an absurd, almost artistic scene.
Nearby, a soldier held his gun at the ready, prepared to shoot any Red Beetles that came too close.
Jiang Yuner took a deep breath. Her previous bug kills had been staged, with the insects' limbs severed and bodies restrained, posing no real threat.
After killing nearly thirty bugs and achieving seven enhancements, Jiang Yuner's resources and connections could no longer support her progress.
However, she had awakened a rare mental ability that complemented her career as an actress.
She kept this ability a secret, aware of its rarity and the suspicion it could arouse. A naturally awakened mental ability in an actress was unheard of.
Unable to fully control her power, she needed to complete her awakening quickly or risk exposure and potentially being sent to a lab for testing.
Her unusual ability made her a threat even to her powerful connections.
To complete her awakening and master her mental control, Jiang Yuner volunteered for the promotional mission.
Originally, she could have chosen a city near the federal capital, her base of operations, avoiding her current predicament.
But to conceal her ability post-awakening, she risked coming to Jiangnan Province, the Thirteenth Army's base.
She had thought that as the only officially publicized victory against the insects, safety would be assured.
But things hadn't gone as planned.
Now, clutching the large-caliber rifle, Jiang Yuner aimed and fired in one smooth motion, despite her weaker physical stats compared to others with seven enhancements.
The silencer-muted gunshots rang out, striking down ten Red Beetles.
The onlookers were stunned, Lin Feng included.
He hadn't expected such resolve from the seemingly delicate Jiang Yuner.
But she was driven by more than just the threat of bugs.
If she failed to awaken fully and control her power, she faced imprisonment and experimentation.
Failure wasn't an option.
Having climbed from obscurity to international stardom, Jiang Yuner was decisive, if not ruthless.
With the bug hole empty of further Red Beetles, she turned to the camera, her expression calm and collected, delivering her line:
"Killing bugs easily leads to enhancements. Let's move to the next nest."
A soldier nodded, leading the group across the barrier to the next site.
Jiang Yuner stepped over the meter-high guardrail, feeling the warm flow spreading through her body, enhancing her physique and mind.
Her powers were growing stronger.
She glanced at Lin Feng, her eyes filled with newfound confidence and a hint of challenge.
Lin Feng smiled softly, speaking lightly:
"Hope your acting holds up when we meet the Black Spinal Bugs."
Jiang Yuner's confident smile faltered, but at the soldier's urging, she composed herself and headed to the next nest.
Lin Feng watched her swaying figure move away, shaking his head.
Just then, two jeeps pulled up beside him.
Cheng Zhan rolled down the window:
"Looks like our star might not need your extra protection; she thinks she can handle it."
Lin Feng shrugged, eyeing Jiang Yuner:
"Red Beetles aren't even first-tier bugs. If someone with seven enhancements and a big gun can't handle them, they shouldn't be filming a promo."
Turning back to the jeep, Lin Feng asked:
"Ready to move?"
Cheng Zhan nodded, lighting a cigarette:
"Yes, it's about time."
"We'll head out with you. You draw the Black Spinal Bugs' attention, and we'll slip into their territory."
"Our intel shows the Empress has moved under Haicheng's outskirts, with Tiger Spinal Bugs active there."
Lin Feng leaned against the car:
"Good luck."
"I can take out up to thirty Black Spinal Bugs, ensuring your movements stay hidden."
Facing potential death, Cheng Zhan skipped the sentimental talk. For strength, they were ready to risk it all.
He clapped Lin Feng on the shoulder:
"Thank you."
"This mission is for humanity's future, by the research institute's order. Any discoveries or progress will be partly thanks to you."
Lin Feng nodded, watching the jeep depart.
He noted the two soldiers left behind, both early first-tier, Lv11 and Lv12—not much help against a swarm of Black Spinal Bugs.
They were likely there to ensure Jiang Yuner's safety and to oversee the mission's execution, preventing desertion.
Lin Feng shook his head and returned to the camper.
Chen Yanyan had prepared ten blocks of TNT, each fitted with a detonator, interconnected with wires.
This setup allowed for synchronized detonation.
Placed strategically, their combined force could obliterate everything within a hundred-meter radius, larger than a standard football field.
Capable of killing or severely injuring four to five hundred Black Spinal Bugs.
This was Lin Feng's ace for the mission.
He planned not only to injure many bugs but to stay and finish them off, gathering enough evolution points for his Lv17 grenade launcher and camper.
Chen Yanyan, wiping sweat from her brow, sighed in relief, handling the setup with care.
Lin Feng kissed her, admiring the coils of wire and the remote detonator.
Once armed, he could trigger the blast from a safe distance, turning the bugs into chaos.
Outside, Jiang Yuner completed her ninth enhancement.
Her powers, slightly boosted, could now subtly affect nearby early first-tier soldiers.
As long as someone desired her, her mental control ability enhanced her allure, adding a beauty filter to her presence and strengthening her influence.
Feeling her growth, Jiang Yuner eagerly anticipated her final awakening.
With it, she could hide her powers, manipulate minds, and pursue her ambitions.
Under her insistence...
The convoy moved deeper into insect territory.
Soon, three kilometers past the Red Beetle zone, they encountered a patrol of twenty-two Black Spinal Bugs blocking the highway.
Drawn by the Red Beetles' distress signals, they came to investigate.
The front jeeps pulled back their tarps, revealing big autocannon barrels, unleashing a barrage that tore through the bug ranks.
Chen Yanyan activated the camper's machine guns, joining the assault, disrupting the bugs' formation.
The heavy fire quickly downed seven or eight Black Spinal Bugs, allowing the jeeps to break through.
They sped east, heading for the highway toll station, beyond which lay Haicheng's outskirts, the Empress's lair.
Lin Feng climbed to the camper's second level, standing beneath the lookout, raising his Lv17 grenade launcher to mow down the remaining bugs.
Each shot could take out one, with its 150 damage and ten-meter blast radius sometimes claiming two wounded bugs.
As Lin Feng gleefully harvested, Jiang Yuner and her crew hurried from their van:
"Wait, save one for me..."
Lin Feng frowned, scolding sharply:
"Are you crazy?! Do you have a death wish?!"
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