As the door to Room 201 slowly opened, a messy living room came into view.
But there was no sign of any Red-Armored Beetles inside.
Lin Feng held up a Back Armor Shield made from a Level 4 Red-Armored Beetle. This Red Armor Shield was rated as Level 3, standing a full 1.8 meters tall and 1.2 meters wide, and its Defense Power was a high 15 points.
It was large enough to completely block the apartment's main door.
With him holding the large shield, he took the lead and entered the foyer, followed by Zhang Yurou carrying a smaller shield.
After entering the living room, the first thing Lin Feng did was check every room, including the ceiling, for any hidden Red-Armored Beetles.
Once he confirmed it was safe, he led the two women to the balcony. They positioned themselves at the sliding glass door between the living room and the balcony, blocking the entrance. Then, he banged on his shield to make noise and attract the giant insects.
Soon enough, down below the apartment complex, Red-Armored Beetles that had finished eating their prey followed the sound and began to climb up.
The second floor was only five or six meters high, which was nothing for the Red-Armored Beetles. Furthermore, the scent of blood wafting from the window was a fatal temptation for them.
The first Red-Armored Beetle scrambled over the balcony and lunged directly at Lin Feng's group, but it was blocked by the Red Armor Shield. A hail of bullets was what greeted it next.
Lin Feng shot the poor Level 3 beetle three times, severing its limbs and stripping away eighteen points of its Life Value. It collapsed to the ground, unable to move.
Then, Sister-in-law Yurou stepped forward and swung her Long Saber to perform the final reaping. This would not only add Upgrade Points to her Long Saber but also allow her to achieve an Upgrade.
But unexpectedly, after successfully killing the first Red-Armored Beetle, Zhang Yurou felt nothing. Lin Feng used Identification and confirmed that she hadn't had an Upgrade.
"Don't worry," Lin Feng said, voicing his guess after a moment of thought. "The next Upgrade might require more Red-Armored Beetles."
Zhang Yurou nodded and stepped back to continue her defensive post.
The gunshots from the balcony, unmuffled by walls, echoed loudly throughout the complex. Soon, several giant insects heard the noise and came rushing over, climbing up the building's exterior to the balcony.
This time, they had to face two Red-Armored Beetles at once. The moment they scrambled over the balcony railing, Lin Feng decisively opened fire, giving them no chance to crawl closer.
The remaining nine bullets in his magazine were quickly spent. Both giant insects had some of their limbs severed, and they collapsed to the ground.
While Zhang Yurou took his place at the front, Lin Feng quickly swapped magazines and had Chen Yanyan reload the empty one.
After his sister-in-law finished off one of them, she successfully reached Level 2. The Upgrade process was quick, and this time, her Attributes received a major boost.
Lin Feng looked at his sister-in-law as she delivered the finishing blow to the remaining giant insect, and her Attribute data appeared before his eyes:
[Human, Level 2/9]
[Life Value 15, Physique 12, Spirit 10]
Her Attributes had increased by 50%, a boost that should have been quite noticeable. It was clear from the irrepressible smile on Zhang Yurou's face and the eager way she continued to deliver the finishing blows.
"Alright, come back quickly! Be careful!"
Lin Feng called out a warning, telling his sister-in-law to retreat into the living room. He didn't want her to face a Red-Armored Beetle at full strength, which would take three or four slashes to kill.
Besides, if she stood in front, it would obstruct his aim.
Soon, more two-meter-large giant insects climbed up to the window one after another and scrambled over the balcony.
Lin Feng expertly aimed at the Red-Armored Beetles' heads and lower abdomens, pulling the trigger and firing.
This wave of Red-Armored Beetles came relatively fast, giving Zhang Yurou no chance to strike. Lin Feng changed another magazine and, after firing twenty-four bullets, finally dealt with five giant insects.
Seven insect corpses were piled up on the balcony. Fortunately, although the Red-Armored Beetles were large, they were low to the ground. Even at their thickest point, the chest armor, they were only forty centimeters high, not taking up much space, much like cockroaches in a sewer.
If the piled-up corpses had filled the entire balcony, it would have been trouble for them, forcing them to retreat into the living room.
He reloaded his magazine and waited for a long time, but no more Red-Armored Beetles came.
Lin Feng raised the large shield and slowly advanced.
He walked to the edge of the window and peeked out, keeping his body against the wall.
The Red-Armored Beetles that had gathered downstairs were mostly gone. Only three or four remained in the distance, still gnawing on corpses.
But as the continuous gunshots carried outside, Lin Feng saw people in other buildings opening their windows and shouting for help:
"Help! Somebody help me!"
"Hey, hey, hey! Are you a peace officer?!"
"Help! There are giant insects in our stairwell too!"
"The power and water are out! My phone has no signal! You have a gun, please come save us!"
After the first shout, cries for help rose and fell one after another, echoing throughout the complex.
Seeing this scene, Lin Feng was speechless. He figured people must have started shouting for help the moment he started shooting. No wonder no Red-Armored Beetles had climbed up for a while.
'These people are real idiots,' Lin Feng thought. 'They don't have any weapons or gear, yet they dare to stand by their windows and shout for help. Do they have a death wish?'
'Good thing this place is near the suburbs, with the countryside right behind it. There aren't any other housing complexes, so the number of Red-Armored Beetles is relatively low...'
But even so, there were still some unlucky souls courting death, especially those on the first and second floors, less than five meters off the ground. They were quickly targeted by nearby Red-Armored Beetles.
The giant insects climbed onto their balconies, giving them a big surprise!
As sharp screams rang out across the complex, the agitated survivors realized the danger was right beside them. They immediately shut their mouths and closed their windows.
Lin Feng shook his head. 'People from an era of peace have grown accustomed to a stable life. They have no sense of crisis whatsoever.'
'This Swarm attack has spread along the coastlines of every continent on the planet, not just in the Federation. It's a clear indication of how severe this crisis is...'
'The urban centers have probably already fallen and can't even fend for themselves, yet these people are still fantasizing that a peace officer will come to save them. It's truly laughable.'
'Forget the police department; Lin Feng figured even the Federation Army was likely tied down by the Swarm, unable to conduct rescues.'
Still, there were a few smart ones. Lin Feng saw a few cars successfully escape the complex amidst the chaos. 'Well, I wish them good luck...'
Seeing that the insects near Building Six had been cleared out by the three of them, Lin Feng stepped aside and instructed the two women to go forward and deliver the finishing blows.
Chen Yanyan raised her Long Saber, unable to wait.
Zhang Yurou slowly walked over to Lin Feng's side, holding out her Long Saber, and asked with concern:
"Don't you need this?"
Lin Feng smiled, showed her his pistol, and shook his head.
"No need. I'll just use my gun. It's the same."
His sister-in-law nodded, seeming to half-understand. She looked at the five remaining Red-Armored Beetles and hesitated.
Seeing this, Lin Feng said:
"You had an Upgrade when you killed the second one, and then you finished off another one after that. Try killing two first."
"I'm guessing it's an arithmetic progression. The number of insects you need to kill to trigger an Upgrade is related to your Upgrade count."
"You've already completed your second Upgrade."
"So for the third one, you should need to kill three."
Zhang Yurou nodded. Lin Feng's few words had cleared up her confusion. His sister-in-law followed his instructions and finished off two of them with her Long Saber.
Sure enough, after accumulating a total of three kills, she successfully triggered her third Upgrade.
This Upgrade made her break out in a sweat. Not only did her face flush, but her entire body also became engorged with blood, turning red and hot.
Fortunately, it was brief. After a few dozen seconds, the strange, searing heat mostly dissipated.
Zhang Yurou successfully reached Level 3:
[Human, Level 3/9]
[Life Value 20, Physique 14, Spirit 13]
Her Attributes were now just a little bit lower than Lin Feng's, but she was still very strong. Now, his sister-in-law should be able to easily handle a single Red-Armored Beetle with a Red Armor Shield and a Long Saber.
Meanwhile, Chen Yanyan also raised her Long Saber, ready to complete her own second Upgrade.
Then, Lin Feng looked at the fine-quality pistol in his hand. After killing seven Red-Armored Beetles, its Upgrade Points had accumulated to 25, enough to initiate an Upgrade.
After the Upgrade, it would be Level 4!
'I wonder what special changes will appear this time,' he thought.
Lin Feng took a deep breath and issued the Upgrade command!