Chapter 109: Chapter 104: Upgrade! Level 20 Armor-Piercing Cannon

As Lin Feng activated the Flight Mode of his Lv20 Flying Tiger Armor, he used the inertia of his backward leap to soar into the air.

The mound of earth that had been concealing the Wormhole entrance suddenly collapsed, revealing a loose pit.

Just as the dirt and sand began to flow like liquid from high-frequency vibrations, a ten-meter-long Giant Mandible burst from the ground like a Thrust attack, right where Lin Feng had been standing a moment before!

SNAP! It clamped shut, scissoring through the air.

The sharp barbs at the tip of the Giant Mandible missed the toes of Lin Feng’s soaring feet by a dangerous few centimeters.

He was lucky to have reacted so quickly. If he had been a few microseconds slower, he would have surely lost both his feet and suffered severe fractures.

Earlier, when he activated the Eye of the Death God, Lin Feng had entered a state of complete, concentrated focus. He had been so intent on pulling the trigger that he had failed to notice the changes beneath his feet.

A massive Red-Armored Beetle Swarm had inserted their chelicerae into the walls of the tunnel and begun vibrating in a steady rhythm.

It was exactly the same situation Lin Feng had encountered in the Hai City dormitory building.

Back then, the Red-Armored Beetle Swarm had struck the ground and walls in unison to summon their kin...

Now, their coordinated action was using rapid, synchronized vibrations to destabilize the soil structure, turning the tunnel walls into something like quicksand, allowing a nearby Tiger Spine Zerg to tunnel through with speed.

By the time the vibrations reached Lin Feng, it was the last possible moment. He spotted the strange movement underfoot and, with no time to upgrade the Level 19 Grenade Cannon that had just secured a kill,

Lin Feng had leaped back several steps and launched himself into the air.

The Tiger Spine Zerg, having thrust out its Giant Mandibles and missed its target, immediately slammed them backward, trying to wound Lin Feng on the follow-through.

It had to be said, as a Tier Jumping Upgrade of the Black Spine Zergs, the Tiger Spine Zerg’s Physique Attribute wasn’t the only thing that had taken a qualitative leap. Its increased intelligence was well worth the dozens of points in its Spiritual Value.

If Lin Feng hadn’t acquired a Flying Ability, he wouldn’t have escaped this crisis so easily.

As he hung in the air, the Level 19 Grenade Cannon in his hands was already aimed at the quicksand pit below!

Shells streamed out in a torrent as he fired madly!

Amidst a series of explosions, the Tiger Spine Zerg quickly retreated deep into its tunnel, but the Red-Armored Beetles that had helped it create the river of sand were not so lucky.

The shockwaves from the Grenade Cannon’s 190-point Damage explosions killed them instantly.

The vibrations ceased, and the fluid-like soil gradually stabilized.

Even though the Tiger Spine Zerg had lost its opening, Lin Feng kept pulling the trigger, not stopping his bombardment until he had blasted the caved-in pit into a crater over ten meters deep.

Thankfully for the Tiger Spine Zerg, it had retreated quickly. Protected by the soil and with its toughest Giant Mandibles facing upward, Lin Feng’s dozens of shells had only dealt it about a hundred points of Damage.

For a Tiger Spine Zerg, that wasn’t even a serious injury.

’A pity I let it get away.’

Lin Feng coughed and spat a wad of yellow phlegm onto the ground.

It was full of dirt and sand—dust he had inhaled while leaping back and firing.

Using Mind Sensing to confirm there were no more Tiger Spine Zergs nearby, Lin Feng decided not to linger. He also dismissed the idea of going to the distant tunnel to check the corpse of the Tiger Spine Zerg he had killed.

Qin Hu’s ordeal was still fresh in his mind.

Even with the protection of his Flying Tiger Armor, Lin Feng didn’t want to risk fighting the Zerg Race over a corpse inside their tunnels.

If he were besieged by several Tiger Spine Zergs, his Level 19 Grenade Cannon alone wouldn’t be enough to handle them.

In a flash of flowing light, Lin Feng maintained an altitude of fifty to sixty meters and flew back to the outpost fortress within fifteen seconds.

At that moment, many of the watching recruits, as well as Li Ran and the others, were staring, dumbfounded.

At Shen Jie’s prompting, they had already realized that the humanoid figure in the Black and Yellow Flying Armor who had charged into the Zerg Race’s heartland was their Sergeant Major, Lin Feng.

When the familiar sound of explosions erupted, Li Ran and the others, watching through binoculars, cheered for the death of the Tiger Spine Zerg while also clenching their sweaty fists as Lin Feng narrowly dodged the Zerg Race’s counterattack in the nick of time.

Now, their Sergeant Major returned in victory, beating his Membrane Wings and landing steadily beside the Tank in the center of the outpost.

Li Ran, Shen Jie, and a few others walked over. After the dust settled, they saw the Black and Yellow Flying Armor’s faceplate retract to reveal a familiar face, and their hearts filled with joy.

Ninety percent of the outpost’s combat effectiveness came from Lin Feng himself. The stronger he was, the greater their chances of successfully holding their ground.

Whether it was the unique Flying Ability he displayed or his methods for fighting and even killing a Tiger Spine Zerg... both could greatly alleviate the intimidating pressure the Tier Two Zerg Race put on the defenders.

Morale was a crucial factor.

Especially in a protracted battle, losing morale meant the team’s combat effectiveness would plummet.

This psychological factor could sometimes even decide the outcome of a major battle.

And Lin Feng’s feat of venturing deep into Zerg Race territory, killing a Tiger Spine Zerg, and returning unscathed would undoubtedly be a huge inspiration to the outpost’s soldiers, making them no longer fear the even harder battle to come that night.

Because they had their Sergeant Major to lead them.

Even if the Tiger Spine Zergs attacked, they would be fearless.

Facing the stares of Shen Jie and the others, as well as the expectant gazes from many soldiers on the firing platform on the wall, Lin Feng spoke calmly.

"I have successfully killed a Tiger Spine Zerg and am about to enter my Tier Two Awakening. Disperse. I need to rest and complete this Awakening before nightfall."

Hearing their Sergeant Major’s personal confirmation, the crowd erupted in cheers!

A Tier Two Awakener was a powerful existence, one in a million...

Not only would their Superpower take a qualitative leap, but their combat power would also increase dramatically.

For example, the unexpectedly returned Major Cheng had been promoted three ranks directly to become the only Awakener with the rank of Major General, all because he had successfully advanced to a Tier Two Awakening.

But he was just a Physical Enhancement Awakener.

The Sergeant Lin in their outpost, however, was the famous Superpower Bullet Awakener!

Once his Superpower was enhanced again, he could probably kill Tiger Spine Zergs from a distance and directly bombard the Zerg Swarm.

As Lin Feng waved and walked into the Tank under everyone’s admiring and expectant gazes, a mood of excitement filled the outpost and lingered for a long time.

Chen Yanyan stood up from the driver’s seat. Seeing Lin Feng deactivate the Full Body Armor form to reveal his true self, she breathed a sigh of relief and stepped forward with a smile to help him take off his short-sleeved shirt and pants, which were soaked with sweat.

Continuous flight would cause the Flying Tiger Armor to overheat, and that, combined with the sudden spike in heart rate and adrenaline from the life-or-death crisis, had left Lin Feng drenched in sweat.

The effortless invincibility was just for show.

Only Lin Feng himself knew how truly dangerous it had been.

"Did you detect any traces of flying Zergs?"

Lin Feng took the dry towel Chen Yanyan handed him, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and asked.

Chen Yanyan shook her head.

"I didn’t detect any Wind-winged Zergs, but there were a few Cyan-winged Zergs. One was watching from a distance, it never came closer."

"They’ll probably go back and report. The Zerg Race Mother Empress will definitely be on guard now. The next time we fight outside the city, it won’t be so easy..."

Lin Feng nodded. The Flying Tiger Armor’s Flight Mode couldn’t have been kept a secret for long. From the beginning, he had planned to use it to earn an equipment Upgrade.

Now that this goal had been perfectly achieved, once he upgraded to Lv20, Lin Feng would have ways to deal with harassment from Wind-winged Zergs.

Besides, Flight Mode was just one of the Flying Tiger Armor’s Mutant Forms—and an auxiliary one at that. The remaining two, whether it was Absolute Defense or Blast Scale Armor, could both effectively defend against Wind-winged Zergs.

"Then you keep watch. I need some time for my Awakening and can’t be disturbed."

As he spoke, Lin Feng’s brow furrowed and his eyes grew deep.

"If the Zerg Race launches an all-out assault during this period, with several Tiger Spine Zergs preparing to storm the walls, you are to press the Detonator for the explosives on the road and then drive away from here."

"As for the others... bring them if you can."

Chen Yanyan took a deep breath, then nodded gravely.

As the Awakening began, Lin Feng would inevitably lose his combat ability for a period of time. This would be the outpost’s most vulnerable and dangerous moment.

As the person Lin Feng trusted most, she had to make a decisive choice when necessary, even if it meant abandoning some of the defenders to protect Lin Feng and help him escape the outpost.

Seeing the Detonator Lin Feng placed on the table, Chen Yanyan watched him walk into the bedroom, then returned to her post.

She had to confirm that no Tiger Spine Zergs were coming for revenge.

In the bedroom, Lin Feng initiated the Upgrade for the Level 19 Grenade Cannon, then went into the bathroom to wash the sweat off his body and rinse the dust and mud from his Arm Guard.

After his shower, he came out and ate some compressed biscuits, chocolate, and other high-calorie foods. Once he felt completely full, Lin Feng lay down on the bed, quietly waiting for the Grenade Cannon’s Tier Jumping Upgrade to complete.

It was only 1:30 PM. With about five hours until dark, he had plenty of time.

’The instructions I gave Chen Yanyan were just for a worst-case scenario with a very low probability.’

’If the Mother Empress has any brains at all, she won’t launch an attack during the day when she knows the outpost has the ability to kill Tier Two Zergs.’

’The best decision would be to retreat and reassess.’

And soon enough, after an hour of a Tier Jumping Upgrade, the Level 19 Grenade Cannon successfully reached Orange Quality.

[Armor-Piercing Cannon Lv20/29 | Orange Quality]

[Damage: 250, Effective Range: 10 km, Remaining Bullets: 6000/6000]

[Extra Attributes: Bullet Recovery (1/s), Spatial Magazine (6000 rounds), Eye of the Death God (0/50), Firepower Coverage Damage (50+50/s), Covering Area (10,000 sq meters)]

[Newly Added Extra Attribute: Bullet Time]

[Evaluation: This is an armor-piercing cannon capable of penetrating 100mm of defense. Its immense piercing power makes it difficult to maintain a small frame, but its transforming shape allows it to better exert its long-range combat potential. Enhanced shells, through multiple Energy infusions, can penetrate ten meters of soil. A direct hit can cause internal explosive damage, posing a severe threat to targets with extremely high Armor Value.]

Watching the Lv20 Armor-Piercing Cannon flash with an Orange Light in his hand and transform from a pistol into a rifle, Lin Feng could feel its weight multiply.

Despite its appearance, which looked like it weighed only ten-odd pounds, its actual weight was over a hundred kilograms. But in the hands of a Tier One Perfect Awakener who could swing his arm with several tons of Power, a hundred-kilogram gun was no different from a wooden stick.

Lin Feng could still easily aim it with one hand. After the Upgrade, it was also fitted with a matching scope that could freely switch between 4x and 8x magnification.

More importantly, this scope’s magnification stacked with the Hawkeye Vision he possessed as an Awakener.

This meant his actual observation and aiming distance was within eight kilometers.

Just like small rockets and anti-tank missiles, it multiplied Lin Feng’s effective combat range several times over.

’Looks like it doesn’t have a night vision mode, though...’

’It’ll be much less effective at night.’

But this Upgrade had directly increased its Basic Damage by 60, which Lin Feng found incredibly satisfying.

With 250 Basic Damage, combined with the Eye of the Death God’s headshot multiplier, even a Lv25 Tiger Spine Zerg would be killed on the spot.

The ammo reserve only increased by a thousand, and there weren’t many other significant changes.

Lin Feng continued reading down and saw the Newly Added Extra Attribute he had overlooked:

Bullet Time...