However, the special forces soldier's words couldn't stop the crowd's desperate desire to survive.
After Ding Chenghai emerged from the crowd, grabbed the automatically descending rope, and slowly ascended to the helicopter...
Among the survivors who had been staring with desperate anticipation, Zhang Xuan was the first to realize that their group of teachers and professors from other departments had been deceived and used by the few from the engineering department!
Instantly, he hid behind others and began to stir up trouble.
"Why are you calling out names? We're all survivors, all professors! What gives them the right to get on the helicopter? Why are you playing favorites?!"
"Are they somehow special?!"
Zhang Xuan shouted, and the people around him joined in. In an instant, the dozen or so people in the crowd grew furious, shoving each other as they tried to break through the special forces soldiers' blockade and get to the rope.
But this was a wartime situation. Any act obstructing a military operation would absolutely not be tolerated or forgiven.
The veteran special forces soldier simply raised his rifle and pulled the trigger, firing over the crowd's heads.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
Three consecutive shots whizzed past the head of a tall man.
Zhang Xuan touched his slicked-back hair and caught a whiff of something burning. The scare made him collapse to the ground, but fortunately, Liu Ruojiao was behind him to help him up.
Liu Yueqi watched his pathetic state, shook her head in disgust, and stared at Lin Feng's group on the other side, a look of expectation in her eyes.
Unfortunately for them, after this stern warning, no one dared to take another step. The special forces soldier's icy gaze was filled with killing intent.
He really would dare to shoot to kill.
As the names were called out one by one and confirmed, the several professors from the college of engineering ascended to the helicopter via the rope.
At that moment, one of the soldiers took out his spare weapon magazines and grenades, handed them to his teammate on the ground, and clapped him on the shoulder.
"Take care! See you at the camp!"
With that, he grabbed the rope and returned to the helicopter.
The special forces soldier who stayed behind took a photo out of his pocket, looked at the woman he had noticed earlier, and pointed at her.
"You, get up there!"
The person he pointed at was none other than the woman beside Lin Feng.
Zhang Yurou gave Lin Feng a final kiss goodbye, then walked over to the helicopter.
The special forces soldier handed the photo to the woman, then helped her fasten the rope's safety harness around her waist.
As the winch turned, the woman slowly rose toward the cabin.
The remaining special forces soldier gave a thumbs-up to the cockpit at the front. The pilot saw it and immediately began to ascend, flying higher.
Inside the attack helicopter, the rescued professors watched in disbelief as the last woman came aboard.
No one had expected that this unassuming woman was also one of the military's search and rescue targets. They had even exchanged a special forces soldier for her escape.
No wonder she had rushed to Hai University at the last minute.
Zhang Yurou fastened her seatbelt and let out a long sigh of relief. She looked back down at Lin Feng waving below and couldn't help but cry.
Sitting across from her was Ding Chenghai, who was acquainted with Lin Feng. At this moment, Ding Fatty's brow was furrowed, his eyes fixed on the woman before him.
Zhang Yurou composed herself and returned his gaze with a polite smile.
The man before her suddenly spoke in a low voice.
"I remember now. You're the neighbor across from Lin Feng's place. And his sister-in-law, right?"
At this, Ding Chenghai recalled the sight of her actively kissing Lin Feng earlier—and it seemed to have happened more than once.
He clasped his hands together, his gaze and tone turning scrutinizing as he continued.
"Whatever your reasons for getting close to Lin Feng, now that you've used him, don't bother him again."
The corners of Zhang Yurou's lips slowly curled up, her eyes narrowing slightly.
"It was mutual. How do you know Xiaofeng and I aren't truly in love?"
Ding Chenghai's expression turned uncharacteristically cold. He said no more, instead looking at the figures on the rooftop shrinking in the distance.
As the helicopter flew further and further away and the noise of its propellers faded, the people on the roof stared in disbelief at what had just happened.
"They only took seven people? Is that a joke?"
"On what grounds?! Why did that woman get to go, but we can't!"
Now that the helicopter was gone, with their hope gone with it, the crowd threw caution to the wind and stepped forward to demand answers.
The special forces soldier who remained gathered his equipment, then looked at the crowd and began to explain.
"A Wuzhi-10 helicopter only has space for ten people. Take away two pilots and two gunners, and that leaves six spots."
"Sorry, we were just following orders."
"But rest assured, the Federation hasn't abandoned you."
"The troops outside the city won't pull out before this afternoon. That's our deadline to escape."
He then introduced himself.
"My name is Qin Hu. You can call me Captain Qin. From now on, I will lead you out of Hai City."
"So, tell me, how many Worker Zergs have you all killed? And how many times have you upgraded?"
As soon as he finished speaking, the crowd looked at each other in dismay. None of them had the guts or courage to face the ferocious giant bugs. If not for Liu Yueqi blocking the door with her saber and the sacrifice of many colleagues, these people wouldn't have survived.
Looking at them, Qin Hu shook his head and sighed softly.
'This is a suicide mission. I never would have taken it,' he thought, 'but my superiors promised to get my wife, daughter, and parents into one of the safe zones being prepared, protecting them from future Swarm attacks.'
For his family's safety, Qin Hu had chosen to take the risk.
Fortunately, his mission was considered complete as long as he got the people on the helicopter away safely. As for this group of gentle, bookish professors, their survival rate wasn't part of the specific requirements.
'I'll lead them if I can,' he resolved, 'but if they become a burden, I'll turn and run without a second thought.'
He had seen the front lines and knew full well that once you were surrounded by a Swarm, not even a tank—the king of ground warfare—could escape.
'Of these eleven survivors, probably not even half will make it out of the city with me.'
Just as Qin Hu was feeling a sense of helplessness, a young woman stepped forward.
Liu Yueqi, gripping her scabbard, walked up to Qin Hu.
"I've killed fifteen Worker Zergs and upgraded five times."
She then turned her gaze to a man and woman at the far edge of the rooftop. They were standing at the ledge, looking out into the distance.
After seeing Zhang Yurou off and confirming his sister-in-law's safe departure, Lin Feng breathed a sigh of relief. He took the communicator Ding Chenghai had left behind and started looking through the messages he'd received.
Before long, a mysterious message came in.
Lin Feng opened it and saw that it was from the Federation Research Institute, outlining the names and descriptions for the different types of Zergs identified so far.
After a quick scan, Lin Feng froze on the spot...
Because the official name for the ubiquitous Worker Zergs was also Red-Armored Beetle!
But his own system had identified them with that name from the very beginning of the apocalypse.
'So the people at the Research Institute must have already learned some deeper secrets. Their understanding of the Swarm is more detailed than I thought.'
Reading the subsequent descriptions confirmed Lin Feng's thoughts. Just as he was getting lost in this ocean of knowledge, Chen Yanyan poked him in the lower back. Lin Feng looked up and saw that the group of teachers who hadn't boarded the helicopter, along with the special forces soldier who had replaced Zhang Yurou, were all staring in his direction.
Chen Yanyan explained in a low voice,
"They're introducing themselves. That soldier is going to lead us out of Hai City to catch up with the main forces outside the city."
Having heard their discussion, Lin Feng now had a rough understanding of the situation. He walked forward and spoke up.
"Hello, my name is Lin Feng. I've upgraded eight times! And I've awakened a Superpower."
As he spoke, he pointed to the Red Silver Shield Armor on his body.
But Captain Qin's eyes were drawn to the holster strapped to Lin Feng's waist. He asked in return,
"Are you a peace officer from Hai City?"
Lin Feng shook his head. He didn't want to be morally blackmailed, and he had no interest in saving people.
Qin Hu nodded and didn't press the matter.
No one was regulating firearms now. Many Military Equipment Storehouses in police stations had been completely emptied, and all sorts of guns were now in circulation.
It was just a small handgun, which also happened to explain his rapid upgrade progress. After all, using a gun to kill bugs was much faster and more efficient.
"Alright, before the Soldier Zergs are drawn to us, we need to get out of here as soon as possible."
"Do you have cars and keys in the parking garage downstairs?"
A few teachers slowly raised their hands. Qin Hu nodded, swapped the magazine in his gun, and took the lead by walking to the window.
The others looked at each other, but ultimately fell in line and followed the soldier's lead.
Chen Yanyan gripped the Long Saber in her hand, frowning slightly as she watched the teachers and professors leave one after another.
"Bringing these people along... this probably won't end well."
Lin Feng nodded, walking at the very back.
"No rush. Following them can also distract the Swarm. First, we need to find the main forces, restock our supplies, and recruit some useful companions."
"By the way, did Sister Yurou give you her car keys?"
Chen Yanyan hummed in affirmation and added,
"She did. Perfect. From now on, I'll drive, and you can keep watch with the gun."
'With his sister-in-law gone,' Chen Yanyan thought, 'I need to prove my own irreplaceable value as quickly as possible so I can continue to receive Lin Feng's protection.'
That was why she had several sets of his sister-in-law's intimate apparel, as well as black and white stockings, in her backpack.
Once they escaped Hai City, she and Lin Feng would both need a good night's rest to release their pent-up stress.
Just as the two of them were about to leave, a figure stopped in front of Lin Feng. It was Liu Yueqi, who asked,
"You've upgraded way more than eight times, haven't you?"
Lin Feng shrugged, pulling out his pistol and giving it a little shake.
"It's eight times."
[Divine-level Pistol Lv. 8/9, White Quality]
[Upgrade Points: 65/10, Damage: 30, Effective Range: 2000m, Remaining Bullets: 2000/3000]
[Extra Attributes: Bullet Recovery: 1/s, Spatial Magazine: 3000 reserve ammo, New Active Attribute: Metal Storm, Fire Rate: 6000/min]
The upgrade didn't bring any major changes, but the increased range and ammo reserves would allow Lin Feng to face large Swarms with more composure.
Since further upgrades wouldn't have any strange side effects, Lin Feng directly initiated his own upgrade, as well as the pistol's final level-up from Lv. 8 to its maximum, Lv. 9.
Just as he was about to head down, Liu Yueqi, who was standing nearby, spoke softly.
"Hey, you just said you were looking for partners. Take us with you. I can be your bodyguard, and my aunt can heal you."
"It's a buy one, get one free deal. You definitely won't lose out."
"The side effects of your ability are too strong. If you're not feeling well in the future, just find my aunt."
"Her skills are pretty good, right?"
The young woman tilted her head and smiled.
She had sold out her own aunt without a moment's hesitation.