The next morning, Lin Feng awoke between Chen Yanyan's long legs, feeling refreshed after the previous day's frustrations were soothed by her gentle touch.
He lifted the leg resting on his chest, got up, put on his shorts, and kissed Chen Yanyan's face before heading to the bathroom.
After washing up, Lin Feng went to the kitchen to make two fried eggs.
Chen Yanyan, wearing a man's long-sleeved shirt, hugged him from behind:
"One egg isn't enough to fill me up..."
"I need two!"
With that, she turned Lin Feng to face her:
"Let me eat first."
Lin Feng took a deep breath.
Half an hour later, sitting at the dining table, he watched Chen Yanyan cook, her data appearing before his eyes:
"Chen Yanyan, lv19/19"
"Health 150, Physique 150, Spirit 185↑"
"Evaluation: A lucky woman with a knack for finding unique upgrade paths. Remember, mental connection is more important than physical interaction."
Lin Feng cleared his throat. As their relationship deepened, Chen Yanyan's spirit attribute steadily increased, nearing the Tier 1 limit.
Her driving skills improved in tandem, whether piloting the battleship or handling Lin Feng personally.
The evaluation's latter part made Lin Feng chuckle. He had dreamt of her again, in that desolate mental world.
As their mental connection grew, her dream form became clearer, contrasting the game-like blurry backgrounds. She was the only real object in his dreams, aside from his bound equipment.
Lin Feng was unsure if this was a good sign.
He felt uneasy recalling the black sun event and hearing his mother, He Yiwen's voice.
Involving Chen Yanyan might complicate things.
Perhaps he should tell her...
Lin Feng felt a bit conflicted.
But when she brought a hearty brunch, he swallowed his words.
"Eat up; it's getting late."
"We need to leave for Jia City by eleven."
"Oh, the Land Cruiser Battleship has successfully bound the other eight vehicle replicas. I can control their movement and fire systems simultaneously."
Lin Feng nodded, unsurprised, and picked up his bowl. Everything was expected; Chen Yanyan's mechanical pioneer ability was made for this.
Ten minutes later, fully equipped, he left the battleship.
It was half-past nine in the morning.
The team had returned from test driving late last night. Lin Feng instructed Li Ran to let the exhausted team sleep in.
Today's task was heavier.
No need to rise early; a tired body led to mistakes.
Thus, the usual 5:30 AM camp wake-up was pushed to nine, a few extra hours of sleep the most comfortable they'd had recently.
Even rotating patrols ensured six hours of sleep.
When Lin Feng exited the battleship, the team was cleaned up and eating breakfast.
Heated and steamed, the rations were more palatable than in the field.
Han Yuxin and Hu Fei had delivered 20 days' rations for 100 people, enough for the 150-person team for ten days.
By the time they finished and cleaned up, it was ten AM. With the battleship's horn blasting, it was time to depart.
Lin Feng saw Shen Jie in his Red Xuan Armor, concealing his true appearance, with Zhang Liying exiting the hotel.
The armor was convenient.
Once everyone boarded the Winged Combat Vehicle replicas, Chen Yanyan gave the order to leave the service area, heading to Jia City's outskirts.
Minutes later, they were on the highway, reaching the northern outskirts fifteen kilometers from Jia City.
Lin Feng ordered a stop, positioning the eight vehicles in line with the battleship, facing the city three kilometers away.
Then they fired several rounds, bombarding the bloody battlefield from yesterday's swarm battle.
Fifty shotguns, over a hundred machine guns, covered Jia City's northern area, driving Red Beetle swarms into hiding.
After firing over a thousand shells, Lin Feng signaled a halt.
He brought the vehicles to demonstrate firepower and intimidation.
Showcasing his force's might.
Though yesterday's hundred shotguns had decimated thousands of Black Spinal Bugs, impressing the Jia City queen.
Then, the team had poor mobility, only defending a static line, catching the insects off guard.
Given two or three days, the queen could have ordered a subterranean attack.
The Jia City queen valued Lin Feng's personal strength.
Quickly eliminating a top-tier swarm led by a late-Tier 2 Tiger Bug.
Such power warranted the queen's sincerity in negotiating.
But today's bombardment aimed to prove his mobility.
A mobile defense was more threatening than a static one.
Such deterrence would encourage the Jia City queen to trade genuinely, abandoning thoughts of encirclement.
After the bombardment, Lin Feng ventured alone to the city's edge.
His lv24 Flying Tiger Armor exuded mid-Tier 2 aura amidst the smoky battlefield.
Soon, a five-meter-wide hole formed in the city road, prompting Lin Feng to retreat tens of meters.
Shortly, from the depths of the tunnel, emerged lv9 Red Beetles, carrying similarly sized milky white eggs.
The eggs, like fatty pork, were alive and wriggling, incubating new insects.
Seeing this, Lin Feng frowned, feeling uneasy.
The identification confirmed his suspicions:
"Tier 2 Tiger Bug Egg, lv20"
"Health 210, Physique ?? Spirit ??"
"Evaluation: This is the developmental stage of a late-stage Tier 1 Black Spinal Bug evolving into a Tier 2 Tiger Bug. The egg contains Tier 2 energy but lacks developed organs and hardened mandibles."
"In the wild, this is a rare upgrade and nourishment material, containing organic broth safe for consumption."
Reading the evaluation, Lin Feng frowned deeper.
Over a hundred lv9 Red Beetles, under his gaze, carried fifty Tier 2 eggs, crawling from the hole...
A young woman, parasitized, sat atop a Red Beetle, speaking amidst the eggs:
"Your strength is impressive. I'm increasingly confident in our cooperation."
The Jia City queen's voice emanated from the woman's pale throat.
Lin Feng raised his lv25 Armor-Piercing Railgun, voice cold:
"We agreed on Tier 2 Tiger Bugs!"
The young woman smiled stiffly:
"Indeed, these are Tier 2 Tiger Bugs, just not fully developed—eggs."
"These are hard currency among queens, more valued than hatched insects."
"Uncontracted eggs can be incubated by any queen. Your human mental attributes are strong; with psychic abilities, you can control them at birth."
"Living insects are more useful than dead ones."
Lin Feng ignored her reasoning. According to the system, Tier 2 Tiger Bug's birth involved more than eggs.
Besides the body, the crucial component was the super-hard mandibles.
These rare orange-quality materials were as valuable as upgrade points to Lin Feng.
His lifesaving Flying Tiger Armor and mobile safe-house Land Cruiser Battleship required Tiger Bug mandibles for defensive upgrades.
Upgrade points increased combat power, but not defense.
Lin Feng aimed his gun at the queen's avatar:
"No, I need those mandibles too..."
Controlled by the queen, the woman shook her head:
"I truly don't have those. My remaining Tiger Bugs are under two hundred. This is my last reserve; I can't give them all to you..."
"Mandible synthesis requires absorbing metal. I've had few human battles, lacking metal resources. Ning City and Jia City have few metal factories."
"If you provide a large amount of metal, I can supply the mandibles in three days."
"Otherwise, I'm afraid not."
Lin Feng scrutinized the queen's avatar.
He knew mandibles comprised bio-metal alloy, exceptionally hard, resilient, and self-repairing.
The researcher's Ding Chenghai used Tier 2 Tiger Bug mandibles for new weapon development for gene warriors.
This highlighted insect biotechnology's advanced potential.
The Jia City queen's refusal left Lin Feng without rebuttal.
Her strength couldn't gather so many Tiger Bugs; otherwise, she'd have no reason to trade with a nominal enemy.
Unfortunately, Lin Feng also lacked steel.
Replicas were gold-eaters, bottomless pits.
He couldn't use the Jia City queen for bio-metal synthesis.
Sighing, Lin Feng saw no gain in killing the low-tier parasite, the queen's avatar.
The Jia City queen had grown wise, leaving no room for exploitation.
He decided to increase the trade quantity to offset material loss:
"Then add fifty more!"
"Two hundred fifty eggs, I'll hold the Haicheng queen for ten days."
Hearing Lin Feng's demand, the queen's avatar relaxed, hesitated, then nodded:
"Very well, two hundred fifty eggs will let you reach late Tier 2, plus several allies. Get the mandibles from the Haicheng queen!"
Lin Feng snorted, saying no more.
If mid-Tier 3 queens were so easily dealt with, he wouldn't need defensive enhancements; he'd have stormed their lairs already.
Watching the Red Beetles deposit the eggs, with the queen's avatar retreating, Lin Feng added:
"If I can't hold them, you'll need to join the fight..."
"Fifteen kilometers from Wu City, the Haicheng queen will be within your range after taking Wu City."
The controlled young woman turned:
"Agreed."
"What's your name?"
Lin Feng paused:
"Lin Feng. And you? Queens must have names or numbers?"
The queen smiled, adapting to human form:
"Correct, I'm currently ranked 108, the Haicheng queen is 76..."
"But now I have a new name, Ling Yi."
Lin Feng's eyes narrowed:
"You have internal rankings?"
Ling Yi, newly named, nodded:
"Yes, all high-tier queens' mental worlds are interconnected..."
"Oh, I know you, Lin Feng."
"The legendary awakener of Jiangnan Province."
"A legend who creates miracles."
"May you live to see my ascension, becoming my retinue, conquering the galaxy!"
Lin Feng shrugged, smiling:
"Get into the top hundred first."
Ling Yi smiled, disappearing into the hole.
Lin Feng snapped his fingers.
Two minutes later, the Land Cruiser Battleship led eight vehicles to him, seeing fifty five-meter-long, two-meter-wide eggs, puzzled.
Lin Feng wouldn't disclose his private deal with Ling Yi. Public knowledge would harm both.
Facing their curious gazes, he said:
"Compensation from the Jia City queen."
"Offering these eggs to halt our attack."
"Like Western robbers, they only understand cannons, conceding to invincible foes."
Nodding to Chen Yanyan in the cockpit, he instructed her to store the eggs in the battleship's hold.
From the bow, he continued:
"These undeveloped eggs contain Tier 2 Tiger Bugs..."
"Yes, killing them grants Tier 2 awakening energy!"
"A heavy cost for the queen, but to minimize losses, she offered them, promising no further city invasions!"
"Our main enemy is the Haicheng queen, aiming for Wu City and Jin City!"
Hearing Lin Feng's announcement, the team rejoiced; winning without losses was ideal.
Though yesterday's battle spared lives, it left about ten severely injured.
Seeing their pain, others wished for minimal risk.
The queen's concession proved their strength.
This marked humanity's first victory over a queen!
Cheers erupted.
As they celebrated, a notification appeared before Lin Feng:
"After in-depth analysis..."
"Tier 2 Egg Extra Attribute: Consuming increases satiety by 100%, quickly restores Tier 2 awakeners' physique, each adds 10 physique points"
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