Capítulo 124: Chapter 124: Winged Tiger Berserker, New Tier 2 Insects!
"What's wrong?"
Under the dim solar camp lights, Shen Jie noticed Lin Feng's expression darken after hanging up the phone and asked.
Lin Feng shifted his gaze from the distance, shaking his head:
"Nothing much. The Haicheng queen at the front line, after taking the first line, is about to reach mid-Tier 3, likely able to hatch stronger Tier 2 insects."
"Oh, and insects can also absorb human superpowers and Blue Star's genetic traits..."
"Similar to your devour and assimilate ability, they will become more targeted against human awakeners."
"Currently, on other fronts, newly emerged Tier 2 insects can disrupt electronic communications with pulse attacks, posing a significant threat to human high-tech weapons."
"Probably a reaction from the previous decapitation strike, making the queen feel threatened."
Lin Feng shrugged:
"Let's go. That's for the Thirteenth Division to worry about. Let's test the superpowers."
Shen Jie and Zhang Liying exchanged glances and nodded.
Lin Feng checked Shen Jie's current attributes:
"Shen Jie, lv20/29"
"Health 200, Physique 210, Spirit 205"
Shen Jie's upgraded attributes were balanced, with an impressive 210 physique.
Benefiting from his devour and assimilate ability, his Black Warrior form with Black Spinal Bug genes helped him overcome human genetic limitations.
This likely contributed to his appearance changes.
In this state, his assimilated form should be stronger.
Realizing the camp wasn't suitable for testing, Lin Feng led them to an open space outside the camp, with the East Taihu wetland park behind them.
The summer midnight, with wind and waves, was ideal for testing abilities.
Once sure of solitude, Shen Jie began channeling his inner power, entering his assimilation state, explaining:
"I've devoured Tiger Bug flesh, and the assimilation was smooth, possibly due to the foundation from Black Spinal Bugs..."
Suddenly, his muscles bulged, and Shen Jie, covered in black armor and spikes, transformed into a new form, interrupting himself.
The two-meter-long blades on his arms morphed into two 30 cm wide, 2.5-meter-long heavy swords, with tips resembling the Tiger Bug's hooked mandibles. His arms combined like a miniature version of insect jaws.
Flame-like patterns spread across his surface, akin to the Land Cruiser Battleship and Flying Tiger Armor, derived from Tier 2 Tiger Bug traits.
Other changes were more robust.
His bulging thigh muscles were barely contained by the black-yellow armor, veins visible beneath, undulating with exertion.
Two bulging lumps emerged from his shoulder blades, while his spine grew spikes under the armor, appearing monstrous.
Lin Feng squinted, noticing that even Shen Jie's abdomen had two extra limbs growing from the sides.
These changes went beyond the original structure, increasingly resembling insect forms.
But extra arms meant wielding more weapons, increasing combat odds.
The limbs, not fully formed, ended in blades like Cyan Wing Bugs.
Experiencing this new assimilation form, Shen Jie endured pain comparable to awakening...
Finally, he roared, leaping into the air!
His powerful leg muscles launched him like a grasshopper, covering a hundred meters.
He resembled a giant humanoid insect, with body strength exceeding Lin Feng's higher level, enduring immense pressure.
As Shen Jie reached a hundred meters, gravity slowed his ascent, and he began to fall...
Realizing a direct fall would injure him like a Cyan Wing Bug's crash.
Strength didn't equal defense; like Tiger Bug jaws resisting cannon fire, but not as hard throughout its body. Such weight couldn't be supported by a ten-meter frame, reducing speed, making it a sitting target like a queen.
One must choose between agility and defense.
Zhang Liying hadn't reacted, but Lin Feng sensed danger.
He quickly activated the Flying Tiger Armor's flight mode, soaring to catch the falling Shen Jie.
However, Shen Jie's armor was covered in spikes, making capture difficult, and Lin Feng hadn't trained for aerial rescues...
In desperation, he kicked Shen Jie, altering his trajectory.
From a straight fall to a parabola, towards Taihu's waters.
The water cushion should prevent severe injury.
But the kick triggered a strong survival instinct in Shen Jie...
Like a prisoner facing execution, struggling desperately.
With a roar, the lumps on his back burst, revealing two pairs of folded transparent wings.
In mortal peril, they flapped furiously.
Moments before hitting the water, Shen Jie stabilized in mid-air.
His first flight, driven by Lin Feng's inadvertent aura, completed in crisis.
Lin Feng hovered a hundred meters away, watching the bewildered Shen Jie, as data appeared, revealing his final form:
"Shen Jie, lv20/29"
"Health 200, Physique 420, Spirit 195"
"Superpower Awakening: Devour Assimilate – Winged Tiger Berserker"
"Note: Target in Tiger Bug assimilation state, energy consumption +100%, physique enhancement +100%, declining mental state"
This assimilation form was incredibly powerful.
Attributes doubled, with Cyan Wing Bug flight ability.
At just Tier 2 entry, not even early-stage, Shen Jie had mid-Tier 2 lv24 power.
His baseline outburst surpassed Lin Feng's.
But Lin Feng's limit-breaking stats and equipment still overwhelmed Winged Tiger Berserker Shen Jie.
Like the kick's aura, startling Shen Jie.
Instinctive reflex, as a Tier 2 Tiger Bug facing a stronger mid-stage peer.
Fear was natural.
Even barehanded, Lin Feng could easily suppress him.
In Winged Tiger Berserker form, Shen Jie was a weaker version of Lin Feng's Flying Tiger Armor.
Lin Feng's cold gaze kept him grounded, avoiding loss.
"Don't linger in the air, avoid detection by Wing Bugs."
Recording the data, Lin Feng spoke coolly.
Shen Jie circled the lake, returning to the forest.
Panting, he leaned against a camphor tree, shedding the Winged Tiger Berserker form.
At lv20, maintaining high-energy assimilation, especially flight, was challenging.
Stamina failed first, energy burning like fire, skin reddened, whether black armor or human flesh.
His empty stomach intensified hunger, a burning pain.
Lin Feng, with Zhang Liying in Winged Angel form, landed before him, carrying a few carp and silver carp caught on the way.
These filter-feeding fish, abundant in Taihu, maintained water health, preventing nutrient-rich water from causing algal blooms.
Recent fishing bans left Taihu teeming with fish, a buffet for insects.
Fuel for queen ascension and expansion.
Holding four twenty-pound fish, Lin Feng had an idea.
Upon retreat from Wu City, he could take the water route, firing at the fish to drive them west.
Landing on the other side, he could ambush insects, using nearby fish to slow their biomass collection.
Delaying their landing and boosting his level, training around the lake.
Tossing the fish to Shen Jie, Lin Feng left them to barbecue in the woods, giving space and contemplating his bait plan.
Currently, Lin Feng lacked naval combat ability.
An lv20 Land Cruiser Battleship was like a coastal patrol boat, no match for insects.
Navies globally lost contact, effectively annihilated.
Reports from Ding Chenghai indicated that on the morning of the solar eclipse, insects emerged from the sea, attacking navies.
Numerous fish-sized aquatic insects, evading radar, silently assaulted naval fleets.
Their heads bore drills, damaging propellers and hull armor, immobilizing ships as sitting ducks.
Water combat was disadvantageous for Lin Feng.
But on land, speed reigned, long legs couldn't outpace wheels.
A pity for river fisheries.
If he gained water combat superiority, insects would face a severe blow.
That day, humanity would drive insects from Blue Star.
Reflecting silently, Lin Feng returned to camp.
Shortly, Shen Jie and Zhang Liying returned before the test drivers, arriving first.
Seeing them enter the hotel chatting happily, Lin Feng felt content.
For them, maintaining mental health was crucial, and mutual affection was key.
Especially shared experiences.
Having resolved key issues, Lin Feng raised his phone skyward, still lacking signal.
No internet, even calls struggled.
Radio broadcasts, though static-filled, relayed information on insect invasions and Federation efforts, boosting morale...
But intermittent signals indicated strong electromagnetic interference, suggesting the Haicheng queen had gained an anti-tech weapon:
Wide-range EMP pulse.
Like his lv25 Armor-Piercing Railgun, capable of paralyzing nearby foes and creating electromagnetic pulses to destroy electronics.
If this ability transferred to Tier 2 insects, it threatened human defenses, even Lin Feng would retreat.
But the attack range likely wasn't far, similar to the Railgun, with a tenth-range magnetic burst, about a kilometer, akin to sniper or precision rifles.
With Winged Combat Vehicle mobility, they could distance from new Tier 2 insects, suppressing with shotguns and machine guns.
As he pondered, a lit convoy appeared, led by Chen Yanyan's Land Cruiser Battleship, breaching the camp fence.
Eight fully loaded Winged Combat Vehicles followed.
Smoke curled from guns, indicating weapon tests.
Lin Feng leapt to the bow, calming the team's excitement before returning to the battleship's lounge.
Chen Yanyan rushed in with a small signal receiver:
"It's active again. Your friend, Professor Ding, sent new data."
Lin Feng took the receiver, opening the file.
It detailed an impending attack on the Federation capital by over eight queens, one a mid-Tier 3 terror, twice the size of normal queens, commanding new Tier 2 insects alongside Tiger and Wind Bugs...
Forming elite teams akin to human special forces.
Hunting awakeners and leading insects to breach bunkers, dismantling outposts.
Among them, the Pulse Scorpion, resembling giant Blue Star scorpions, with a tail capable of pulsing energy blasts.
Firing pulse cannons hundreds of meters, disabling power and communications at bases.
Highly lethal to humans.
Another, resembling Blue Star's black beetles, scaled up thousands of times, twenty meters long, five meters wide, armored to withstand 200mm shells, a super tank among insects.
A siege weapon.
Approaching within a hundred meters, it spewed molten lava.
Melting concrete, breaching fortresses for Black Spinal Bugs to infiltrate and destroy.
Slow but powerfully functional, it tore through fortified defenses.
Dubbed the Tank Flame Armor, joining the Pulse Scorpion in assaulting the Federation capital.
Further details were lost to signal issues at the service area.
Full intelligence was unavailable.
Frowning, Lin Feng returned it to Chen Yanyan:
"Keep it quiet. After collecting Tiger Bugs tomorrow, inform them at the Wu City front."
Chen Yanyan nodded after reading.
Like Lin Feng, her excitement turned to concern.
The mid-Tier 3 Haicheng queen...
Was coming in full force.
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