Capítulo 131: Chapter 131: Setting Off to Rescue, The Might of New Tier 2 Insects
Hearing Lin Feng's words, Li Ran's face paled instantly. He quickly turned and sprinted back into the rest building to find the communication officer responsible for the mobile radio to relay Lin Feng's warning.
However, by this time, it had already been several dozen minutes since Qin Hu and his team set off. They likely had already ventured deep into insect territory, facing stronger electromagnetic interference, making contact with the Thirteenth Division temporarily impossible.
Lin Feng frowned slightly. He didn't have particular affection for the Thirteenth Division, but Qin Hu had helped him multiple times. Although their interactions were usually mutually beneficial private deals, Qin Hu did take risks to help Lin Feng recruit and organize.
It was only right to offer assistance out of loyalty and principle.
Moreover, with gene warriors being the Federation's trump card, if the insect queens figured out their secrets and countermeasures, it would hasten humanity's defeat.
Faced with slim chances of victory, the human leadership might even consider deploying nuclear weapons, dragging the entire world into doom.
The radiation and wasteland aftermath from nuclear blasts would threaten Lin Feng's survival as well.
Thus, Qin Hu couldn't die here; he needed to continue contributing in the defense of the Federation's capital.
Realizing this, Lin Feng dispensed with any pre-battle speech and ordered an immediate departure, calling for Li Ran and others from the rest building to join.
He urged them to move the communication equipment into the vehicles.
Three and a half minutes later, led by the Land Cruiser Battleship, eight lv19 Winged Combat Vehicles raced towards the Wu City battlefield at speeds of 200 kilometers per hour.
After two or three days of consolidation, the Haicheng queen's insects now occupied half of Wu City beyond the first defensive line, having consumed the city's lands and over ten thousand enhanced humans and awakeners.
During the queen's mid-Tier 3 evolution, the biological factory deep underground continued producing Tier 1 Black Spinal Bug and Cyan Wing Bug eggs.
These low-tier beings, under the queen's command, were born continuously, almost one per second. With sufficient biomass and energy, over 80,000 could be birthed in a day...
Hatching from eggs to lv10 Tier 1 Black Spinal Bugs took about three days.
This meant a new batch of Black Spinal Bugs was about to hit the Wu City second defensive line.
Along with the existing mid-to-late Tier 1 Black Spinal Bugs, the Haicheng queen's forces reached a peak.
Not to mention the newly hatched specialized Tier 2 insects, capable of easily dismantling Thirteenth Division's fortifications and countering long-range bombardments with super bullets.
Recalling the latest intel from Ding Chenghai, Lin Feng estimated the impending insect swarm's strength as the Land Cruiser Battleship entered the front lines.
Two kilometers ahead, the group saw the once steadfast sentry bunkers.
The concrete base, once impregnable, was now undermined by insects, and with ground-penetrating cloud bombs, had collapsed from the surface.
Only a few meters of the firing windows remained exposed.
Now an unmanned fortification.
Those who endured that night with Company 201 knew that against insects, even the sturdiest forts would eventually fall.
As long as the insects persistently dug...
No defense was impregnable.
The only way to defeat insects was through superior mobility, wearing down their living forces.
Only Lin Feng's synthetic superpower, replicating vast weaponry to harvest insect biomass, could achieve this.
Passing through the barren wasteland of southern Wu City, seeing no insect activity, Chen Yanyan, under Lin Feng's command, drove the fleet northward.
Now moving between the second and shattered first defensive lines, soldiers hidden in fortress bunkers and insects in underground tunnels saw the unbridled passage of the mighty Land Cruiser Battleship.
In hovercraft mode, it navigated any terrain effortlessly, even pushing through collapsed buildings.
Meanwhile, the eight vehicles followed in ground effect flight mode, closely trailing the battleship.
Their defenses weren't as robust, unable to act independently, but they navigated the rubble-strewn plains after the battleship cleared the way.
Yet, even so, the fleet maintained speeds of over 100 kilometers per hour through the ruined cityscape, faster than heavy tanks.
Truly embodying the phrase "traveling on land like on water."
No terrain hindered their advance.
En route, Lin Feng used his enhanced telepathy skill to detect insect concentrations in building ruins.
He relayed these signals to Chen Yanyan, displaying them on the battleship's screen.
Chen Yanyan activated the fire control system, targeting with the three lv19 autocannons and coordinating with the eight lv19 Winged Combat Vehicles, guiding each commander to targeted coordinates.
Each Winged Combat Vehicle, as an escort ship, carried five shotguns and twelve unlimited-ammo heavy machine guns.
This firepower exceeded even the lead flagship lv20 Land Cruiser Battleship. With individual operators for each weapon, aiming and firing resulted in more even coverage and killed more escaping insects.
As the Land Cruiser Battleship fired the first shot, the forty shotguns and over a hundred heavy machine guns on the vehicles unleashed a torrent of fire.
The tracers from shells and bullets created a golden metal stream through the ruins, with explosions echoing constantly.
The shockwaves and dust enveloped much of the city.
In the targeted explosion centers, insects hiding within perished in flames and blasts. Just one round of several seconds of volley killed thousands of Red Beetles and six or seven hundred Tier 1 Black Spinal Bugs.
This was with buildings obstructing; in open plains, the results would multiply.
After the successful volley, Lin Feng didn't linger, instead grabbing the convoy's radio to issue orders:
"Keep moving, head to the north, where the insects breached the fortress."
"That's the biggest gap in the line, likely where insects mass."
Chen Yanyan nodded, continuing to lead the way.
Five minutes later, the fleet had traveled nearly ten kilometers from south to north through the city center.
Part of the route was on expressways, increasing speed.
At the northern section of the second defensive line, two of five main fortresses near the northernmost kilometer were thoroughly destroyed...
The outer walls had collapsed, and the wall connecting the two main fortresses was melted by corrosive fire, leaving a ten-meter-wide hole.
Melting reinforced concrete requires temperatures of at least 1800 degrees.
This meant a Tank Flame Armor's attack was akin to simultaneous assaults by multiple flamethrowers.
Nearby collapsed insect tunnels showed tracks left by Tier 2 insect swarms, with the Tank Flame Armor's flame range being about 100 meters.
Considering the destructive power of flame and molten rock, staying at least 200 meters from a Tier 2 Tank Flame Armor was necessary for safety.
As its level increased, this safe distance would expand.
Realizing this, Lin Feng's expression darkened.
The high temperatures capable of melting concrete posed a significant threat to the Land Cruiser Battleship and vehicles. Even approaching the molten rock would spike internal temperatures, potentially reaching 70-80 degrees or higher.
It could cook the occupants alive.
Any awakener in contact with molten rock would have no chance of survival.
Amputation would be fortunate; head or torso contact would mean instant severe injury or death.
Yet dealing with a Tank Flame Armor's toughest challenge was its impenetrable shell, even resistant to shotguns.
Only targeting its vulnerable underbelly or mouth could work.
As for the fortress's blown-out firing windows, they likely resulted from long-range insect units, specifically the new Tier 2 insect, the Pulse Scorpion.
It could launch scorpion-shaped magnetic burst-like attacks.
Its tail had long-range capabilities, with magnetic burst ranges over 500 meters, increasing with level.
Surpassing a kilometer in range posed a severe threat to human lines.
This surpassed a Tier 1 awakener's maximum vision, allowing a Pulse Scorpion to crouch in tunnels, hidden, firing magnetic bursts to destroy fortress windows and kill defenders.
The Pulse Scorpion also had massive pincers, like Blue Star scorpions and crayfish, capable of severing foes in close combat, like sharp scissors, making it extremely dangerous.
Fortunately, the Pulse Scorpion's defense wasn't strong, not matching a Tiger Bug of the same tier. After all, the Tiger Bug's orange-quality mandibles were harder than a Tank Flame Armor's shell.
Lin Feng tested the lv25 Armor-Piercing Railgun, finding its 500-point damage barely dented the mandibles, only leaving a basin-sized crater.
Thus, for Lin Feng and the fleet, the Pulse Scorpion was less threatening than the Tank Flame Armor.
Sharing intelligence from battlefield signs with Chen Yanyan and ten captains...
Lin Feng received Li Ran's report:
"Report! Contact from the Thirteenth Division states that Colonel Qin Hu's team infiltrated the front line ruins, tracking new insect movements..."
"The research institute requests Thirteenth Division obtain samples of new Tier 2 insects, alive or dead."
"Success will lead to shared technological results with Thirteenth Division and researchers joining the division in retreating to Huizhou."
Lin Feng nodded; no wonder Qin Hu acted, following the research institute's orders with enticing rewards, even tempting Lin Feng.
But witnessing the new Tier 2 insects' destructive power on the fortress, Lin Feng decided on a more urgent plan.
He aimed to integrate a Pulse Scorpion's tail into the Land Cruiser Battleship as a new weapon system, akin to a weaker lv29 railgun.
The Tank Flame Armor's shell and flame structure were equally appealing, enhancing the Land Cruiser Battleship or his lv24 Flying Tiger Armor.
Lin Feng needed upgrade materials; he wouldn't let them go.
He ordered Chen Yanyan to continue leading the fleet through the ruined city, drawing the Haicheng queen's attention.
Meanwhile, he and Shen Jie took action.
Before departing, Lin Feng kissed Chen Yanyan:
"Remember to use the life radar. Don't worry about energy costs; we have enough Tier 2 eggs."
Chen Yanyan nodded:
"Be careful, signal me for remote support!"
Lin Feng acknowledged, moving to the battleship deck.
With fifty Tier 2 eggs, after using thirty-three for railgun upgrades and one for Chen Yanyan's awakening, sixteen remained.
Enough for the Land Cruiser Battleship to activate life radar, detecting nearby insects, especially hidden Tier 2 ones.
Plus, Lin Feng expected to acquire two hundred more Tier 2 eggs, so having the Land Cruiser Battleship expend some to hinder the Haicheng insects was manageable.
Exiting the battleship, his lv24 Flying Tiger Armor covered him fully, with membranous wings unfurling on his back.
Activating flight mode, the wings vibrated rapidly, lifting him into the air.
So did Shen Jie, in Winged Angel form.
His Red Xuan Armor, like Zhang Liying's, allowed membrane wings to extend normally after detaching shoulder blades' covers.
Faced with the shocked and puzzled crew, Acting Captain Zhang Liying explained as instructed by Shen Jie:
"The captain excelled, once solo killing a Tier 2 Tiger Bug, so the sergeant awarded him a Tier 2 egg. Drinking the nutrient fluid unexpectedly granted flight..."
Watching Captain Shen Jie fly low alongside the sergeant, the crew's shock turned to deep envy.
A Tier 2 awakening was a rare opportunity, and flight greatly enhanced survival odds in the apocalypse.
Following the sergeant in battle, though risky, promised high rewards.
In time, Captain Shen Jie, fighting alongside the sergeant, would grow stronger, outpacing the crew in power.
...
After a flight, Lin Feng and Shen Jie reached the fallen first line.
Ten kilometers from the second line, beyond most light weapon range, only large-caliber artillery could cover it.
Surprisingly, most of the wall and fortresses showed little damage.
Some stood intact, untouched by insects.
Lin Feng frowned, landing, and used telepathy to scan for nearby signals.
Inside the line, many stationary Tier 1 insects appeared, and underground, the insects had tunneled into a network...
There, Tier 2 insects glowed brightly.
Lin Feng led Shen Jie into the passage under the wall.
Shen Jie retracted his wings.
With the Flying Tiger Armor's aura and Shen Jie's Tier 2 presence, nearby Red Beetles scattered.
They walked, conversing.
Shen Jie adeptly used Black Warrior and Winged Angel forms.
Thanks to his Tier 2 awakening's body assimilation, using first-stage forms bore no burden, sustaining them for extended periods.
"Can maintain Winged Tiger Berserk form for five minutes. Beyond that, my will can't suppress the chaotic insect calls..."
Lin Feng nodded; good news.
Black Warrior form boosted physique by 50%, not weak.
Given Shen Jie's base power, he could easily suppress early-Tier 2 insects.
Amidst their talk, distant explosions echoed...
Lin Feng and Shen Jie's expressions tensed.
Their pace quickened...
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