Capítulo 122: Chapter 122: The Uniqueness of Tier 4, Future and Present
Hearing the man's final question, the queen's avatar hesitated briefly before responding:
"Yes."
"Every cosmic life form is not only immensely powerful but also unique."
"For us, only one Tier 4 queen will emerge, ruling all Tier 3 counterparts, while those who fail will be trapped at Tier 3, unable to gather enough evolution genes."
"In this regard, there are no exceptions..."
"Until... that Tier 4 dies, or ascends to a higher realm, leaving a vacancy in the ecological niche for others."
Lin Feng took a deep breath. This meant that among humans, only one could reach Tier 4, becoming the undisputed king of humanity.
The strongest on Blue Star.
The queen seemed to sense Lin Feng's thoughts, responding with a smile:
"Don't think too far ahead..."
"Tier 4 is too distant for you humans. Even if you reach late Tier 3, it's still impossible."
Lin Feng frowned:
"Is it because there are no peers to gather the necessary energy and genes for ascension?"
The queen nodded, then shook her head:
"Over a thousand Tier 3 peers and 50% of the gene sequence, and that's just the basic requirement for ascension."
"For species that have never produced Tier 4 cosmic life, extensive research is needed to enhance genetic potential."
"Conducting numerous experiments until a body capable of wielding higher energy density evolves..."
"And the latter is often the key to Tier 4."
"Unfortunately, this isn't something an individual can achieve, especially since humans don't have the time."
"But rest assured, once I ascend to Tier 4, I'll allow you to bring a group of humans to serve under me, waging war across the stars, and leave you a sanctuary on Blue Star."
Lin Feng shrugged.
He wasn't concerned about the queen's final words.
Humans might not have the possibility, but with his upgrade system, he might.
He just needed to follow the listed upgrade conditions.
Having resolved his last query, Lin Feng prepared to leave:
"Thank you. Prepare two hundred Tiger Bugs by noon tomorrow in the outskirts. Once I kill them, I'll return to the Wu City front to help hold off that mid-Tier 3 queen's advance..."
The queen's avatar shook its head:
"Fifty first, then fifty more in three days. I only need you to hold for ten days."
"Staggered payment benefits everyone."
Lin Feng glanced at his lv25 Armor-Piercing Railgun, nodded, lowered his gun, and asked before leaving:
"Since you can travel between stars, there must be other Tier 4s in your race?"
The queen didn't answer, her face contorting into a grimace.
Lin Feng clicked his tongue, shrugged, and before the queen could react, turned and shot.
With a bang, the queen's avatar exploded.
Lin Feng approached the remaining head, looking down at the bleeding avatar, speaking calmly:
"Consider this interest on the installment plan."
"Remember, never threaten me."
The grotesque parasitic host, under the queen's control, nodded briefly before dying.
Lin Feng received a kill notification:
"Successfully killed a Mutated Parasitic Host, gained upgrade point +1, extra mental energy for next synchronized upgrade, converted to Spirit attribute +50"
Indeed, being directly infused with the queen's spirit, it was different.
Twenty more Spirit points than killing Cheng Zhan's host.
Perhaps killing it also harmed the queen's mental energy, granting extra benefits.
When the parasitic host appeared, Lin Feng's intention shifted from destroying the strange enclave to killing the host.
Killing one granted extra mental energy, raising his Spirit limit.
More enticing than destroying the enclave.
With both sides in cooperation, Lin Feng could kill a Tier 2 insect but couldn't destroy the queen's research.
They were distinct matters.
Tier 2 insects could be hatched, while rebuilding a human enclave wasn't easy.
Having achieved his goal, confirming the grotesque remains had no collectible value, Lin Feng left.
He wasn't worried about the Jia City queen reneging; as long as the human enclave remained, he could leverage it for compliance.
Moreover, for the next ten days, he held the initiative. The Haicheng queen wasn't easy to handle.
Quickly returning outside...
Minutes later, Lin Feng spotted the approaching Land Cruiser Battleship. Standing atop a seven-story building, he leaped, gliding with his Flying Tiger Armor wings, landing lightly on the battleship.
In the cockpit, Chen Yanyan, piloting the battleship home, approached Lin Feng as he shed his armor, asking:
"How did it go? Did you find any Tier 2 Tiger Bugs?"
Lin Feng shook his head:
"No Tiger Bugs, but I found a survivor enclave in Jia City's center."
Chen Yanyan, taking Lin Feng's clothes, confirmed in surprise:
"Humans in Jia City?! There are survivors?"
Lin Feng nodded:
"Indeed. But don't get your hopes up; they're being farmed by the insects. Specifically, the Jia City queen is experimenting on humans..."
"Like humans analyze insects, they're studying us, especially the human brain, a pinnacle of Blue Star evolution."
"Perhaps one day, human-like insects will infiltrate, making detection harder."
Chen Yanyan was shocked:
"Then we must rescue them all, right?"
Lin Feng shook his head:
"Jia City's outskirts are teeming with insect guards, as you saw this morning."
"There's only one solution: kill them all."
Chen Yanyan sighed, lamenting:
"Did you finish the job?"
Lin Feng shrugged:
"I planned to, but encountered a Tier 2 psychic insect, one of the parasitic hosts."
"Then guess what..."
Chen Yanyan raised an eyebrow:
"You killed it and escaped Jia City to avoid the queen's wrath?"
Lin Feng laughed:
"Don't dream. From the moment we entered Jia City, we were under the queen's watch."
"The parasitic host wasn't a coincidence; it was the Jia City queen seeking cooperation."
Chen Yanyan was puzzled:
"Cooperation? With the queen?!"
Lin Feng smirked, nodding:
"Yes, a deal."
"Queens aren't all in cahoots..."
...
After Lin Feng explained, Chen Yanyan exclaimed in realization, then eagerly said:
"Two hundred, we could have a batch of Tier 2 awakeners in just ten days?!"
Lin Feng nodded.
Two hundred Tier 2 Tiger Bugs were enough to max out his two equipped items, with the rest allowing Chen Yanyan and others to ascend to Tier 2.
As evening approached, the Land Cruiser Battleship returned to the Taihu service area, fifteen kilometers away.
Adjacent to Taihu, with 2,500 square kilometers of vast waters, it held Jiangnan's richest biological resources.
The invading queens, whoever seized Taihu first, would gain an edge in the global battle royale.
Standing on the bow, Lin Feng, in the sunset's glow, even considered poisoning the lake to eradicate aquatic life.
Sadly, the Yangtze's inflow made swift resource depletion unrealistic.
Moreover, such actions would unite the queens against humanity.
Instead of giving survivors a chance, it would hasten their extinction.
Considering this, Lin Feng abandoned the thought, returning to the service area's temporary camp with the battleship.
The team, rested, was preparing dinner when Zhang Liying approached the battleship.
Lin Feng disembarked, receiving one piece of good news and one bad.
The good: Shen Jie completed his Tier 2 awakening safely.
The bad: During awakening, Shen Jie's assimilation ability activated, covering him in black armor and extending sharp black blades from his forearms to elbows.
Though not as monstrous as his full insect form, it was still menacing.
The worst part...
Upon awakening, Shen Jie found the black armor and blades fixed in place...
Unable to retract, even if pried off, new black plates the size of fingernails regrew.
Shen Jie hadn't used his assimilation ability, indicating it was now his normal form, unable to revert by deactivating it.
Led by Zhang Liying, Lin Feng entered the second-floor hotel of the mall's rest area, finding Shen Jie staring at his reflection, worried.
Half his face, starting from the jaw, was covered in black armor, extending into his shirt, likely covering his body.
Ten years ago, as a teenager, Lin Feng might have found it cool. But in this apocalyptic era, survivors' hatred and fear of insects had peaked...
Even the government's gene warrior program was conducted secretly under pressure during front-line defeats.
Upon completion, it wasn't publicized. From Qin Hu, Lin Feng saw the Thirteenth Division's indifference.
If Shen Jie went outside, even if explained, teammates would harbor unease...
Living and fighting alongside a half-human, half-insect wasn't easy for everyone.
Daily combat was stressful, nerves taut, reacting to the slightest disturbance.
But solutions existed.
Lin Feng knew force wasn't the answer. Instead, find an opportunity for Shen Jie to showcase his power.
Like rescuing teammates from a swarm, Shen Jie could shine, earning admiration that would overshadow discomfort.
These were external factors, unlikely to affect true strength.
The issue lay with Shen Jie himself.
Lin Feng cleared his throat, interrupting Shen Jie's "intense focus" on his armor.
Seeing Lin Feng, Shen Jie looked uneasy.
"It's nothing, don't dwell on it."
"Remember, you're always human, not an insect."
Lin Feng approached, patting his shoulder.
Activating his full Flying Tiger Armor form, he looked more menacing than Shen Jie, like a beetle man.
"Those who care about you won't mind your appearance. Even if you turn into an insect, as long as you're Shen Jie, you'll always be you."
Hearing Lin Feng, Shen Jie glanced at Zhang Liying, nodding seriously.
"You haven't tried Tiger Bug yet, have some."
"Try using your assimilation form to bite Black Spinal Bug mandibles, don't wait too long; corpses spoil."
"Tonight, we'll test your new state and Zhang Liying's winged form."
With that, Lin Feng left.
He had much to handle. A brief pep talk sufficed; Zhang Liying was the one to truly help Shen Jie.
Leaving them space, Lin Feng returned to the battleship, calling Hu Fei and Han Yuxin.
Hu Fei, now in the rear safe zone, was liaising with the Federation's top channels. Lin Feng gave him contact info for his sister-in-law and arranged Black Spinal Bugs for her.
Partly for personal reasons, since Black Spinal Bugs weren't precious, partly for Zhang Yurou's father's position, potentially solving Lin Feng's pressing issue...
The vast steel needed for replicas.
Building relationships now would ease future negotiations.
Otherwise, someone else would gain the advantage, requiring more effort for the same result.
After contacting Hu Fei, Lin Feng called Han Yuxin.
She reported Jin City was in complete chaos.
As the last state guard withdrew to western Huizhou, the situation would persist until the insects arrived.
Fortunately, Han Yuxin rallied a former security team, occupying the security HQ, temporarily housing stranded survivors.
Elsewhere, Jin City was overrun by gangs and various factions.
Chaos and disorder loomed over Jin City.
Lin Feng instructed them to send people for Black Spinal Bugs, forming a security team for future preparations.
He couldn't recruit only soldiers, neglecting other survivors; such a group lacked stability unless he mass-produced flesh puppets like the insects.
After securing basic needs, other issues would arise, primarily physiological.
Lin Feng didn't mind soldiers finding women.
Everyone has desires.
Soldiers would suffer casualties; they weren't mass-produced, cheap products. Every force needed continuity.
Lin Feng was no exception.
Especially after learning about the existence of Tier 4...
Lin Feng prepared for future cosmic adventures.
First, would humanity survive his departure?
High-tier awakeners were crucial.
Thinking this, Lin Feng continued with Han Yuxin:
"Find more young women; they're vulnerable in the apocalypse, likely eager for caring men..."
"And one more thing..."
"Remember Liu Yueqi?"
"The knife-wielding schoolgirl."
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