The Lv7 Red Armor Shield, with the twenty-eight pieces of Back Armor stored from the last diversion mission, could be upgraded all the way to Full Level.

Lin Feng began the upgrade without hesitation.

He would have to face sudden attacks from the Cyan-winged Zergs in the future, and the Red Armor Shield’s current Defense Power was no longer enough.

After consuming seventeen pieces of Back Armor, it successfully upgraded to the Lv9 Red Armor Shield:

[Red Armor Shield Lv9/9, White Quality]

[Durability: 10/10, Defense Power: 45, Mutant Forms: Back Armor (unconditional), Shield Armor (24h/1 Back Armor), Absolute Defense (1/1 Back Armor)]

[Advanced Upgrade Condition: Red Quality Material]

After the upgrade, aside from a 10-point increase in Defense Power and the Shield Armor’s duration increasing from 12 hours to a full day, there were no other changes.

This was all within Lin Feng’s expectations, however.

Unless it was soulbound equipment, the Attribute changes from upgrading an ordinary item weren’t that significant—especially for a plain, unremarkable gadget like the Red Armor Shield.

But upgrading it to Red Quality should unlock new forms and Attributes.

Lin Feng took out a pair of Giant Mandibles he had hidden in the RV. They were from the Black Spine Zerg that Chen Yanyan had killed the day before to complete her Awakening, and Lin Feng had intended to use them to upgrade the Red Armor Shield all along. The time was now ripe to put them to good use.

He carried the pair of Giant Mandibles to the repair shop and placed them with the Red Armor Shield. With a flash of red light, the two items were enveloped and completed their fusion upgrade.

A few minutes later, a new, shimmering shield appeared before Lin Feng.

It was smaller than its previous Back Armor form, only twenty centimeters long and a dozen-or-so centimeters wide. Its body was a mix of red and black, its surface covered in raised, triangular scales, closely resembling the barbed pincers of the Black Spine Zergs.

Lin Feng crouched down and looked at the data that appeared before him:

[Red Profound Armor Lv10/19, Red Quality]

[Durability: 10/10, Defense Power: 60, Mutant Forms: Arm Guard (unconditional), Full Body Armor (unconditional), Absolute Defense (1/1 Back Armor)(10/1 Giant Mandible)]

[New Mutant Form: Blast Scale Armor (Reflects 50% of Damage taken, Defense Power reduced by 50%)]

[Upgrade Method: Fuse Red Quality Materials]

Lin Feng saw that aside from the Back Armor form becoming an Arm Guard, the other two abilities had been inherited from the previous Red Armor Shield.

The Full Body Armor, similar to the previous Shield Armor, was now unrestricted and could be used unconditionally. Absolute Defense, meanwhile, hadn’t changed much—a pair of Black Spine Zerg Giant Mandibles was equivalent to ten Red-Armored Beetle Back Armors.

As for the new form, Blast Scale Armor, it was similar to a game’s Reflective Armor. It could reflect Damage, but its own Defense Power would be lowered as a consequence.

It seemed a bit underwhelming for now; after all, it only reflected 50% of Damage taken while lowering the Red Profound Armor’s own Defense Power by 50%.

But with further upgrades, the damage reflection rate would surely increase while the Defense Power reduction would decrease.

To test this theory, Lin Feng fused two more pairs of Giant Mandibles into it, directly initiating the upgrade to Lv11.

[Red Profound Armor Lv11/19, Red Quality]

[Durability: 10/10, Defense Power: 70, Mutant Forms: Arm Guard (unconditional), Full Body Armor (unconditional), Absolute Defense (1/1 Back Armor)(10/1 Giant Mandible), Blast Scale Armor (Reflects 60% of Damage taken, Defense Power reduced by 40%)]

The results of the upgrade were just as Lin Feng had predicted.

Having confirmed his theory, Lin Feng stopped wasting materials. A Defense Power of 70, coupled with Absolute Defense, was more than enough to handle any surprise attacks from the Cyan-winged Zergs.

Lin Feng planned to use the remaining eight pairs of Giant Mandibles on a fusion upgrade for the Armored RV. He wanted to perfect his own soulbound equipment first before moving on to raising other item Levels.

Lin Feng slipped the Red Profound Armor’s Arm Guard onto his arm, then activated the Full Body Armor form. A mass of triangular, diamond-shaped scales instantly multiplied out from the Arm Guard, spreading to cover his entire body.

Compared to the White Quality Red Armor Shield, the Red Profound Armor, now fused with the Giant Mandible, was a mix of red and black, with the hard, black scales being the predominant feature.

It was not only a perfect fit but also exceptionally flexible, in no way hindering Lin Feng’s fluid combat movements. The scales were as thin as paper, adding no burden, yet possessed incredible defensive power.

As expected, Red Quality items were a quantum leap above ordinary white ones.

Once he was familiar with it, Lin Feng retracted the Red Profound Armor. He returned to the Armored RV, took Chen Yanyan’s Red Armor Shield, and upgraded it in one go from Lv5 to its Lv9 limit.

It took thirty pieces in total. He fused the last ten remaining pieces into it as well, for future upgrade storage.

There was no need to upgrade it to the Red Quality Red Profound Armor for now. After her Awakening, Chen Yanyan’s Superpower was most effective when she stayed in the driver’s seat, and Lin Feng had no intention of letting her go out and risk her life.

A Lv9 Red Armor Shield, with its Absolute Defense form, was sufficient to handle most dangers and emergencies.

After taking care of all that, Lin Feng moved the remaining eight pairs of Giant Mandibles into the RV. He also stuffed three Machine Cannons and six thousand rounds of ammunition from the crates into a storage compartment.

These were all Fusion Materials for the next upgrade.

Now all he had to do was farm the nine remaining Upgrade Points he needed.

Lin Feng went back inside the RV, reheated the seafood and other leftovers from the previous night, and cooked a pot of hearty seafood congee.

After getting everything ready, he glanced at his phone. It was already past one in the afternoon; time to wake Chen Yanyan.

But when Lin Feng opened the bedroom door, the beautiful woman was no longer in bed. Instead, a fully dressed Chen Yanyan emerged from the adjacent bathroom.

Not only that, but the previously messy sheets and bedding had also been neatly tidied up.

"You’re up early. Did you get enough rest?"

Chen Yanyan blushed, stepped forward, and gave his chest a light punch. "You could have been a little more gentle," she said plaintively.

"Honestly. Luckily, my Physique isn’t bad after my Awakening, so I’ve mostly recovered."

Lin Feng chuckled.

"Good to hear. Come on out and eat. We still have some time today, so this afternoon we’ll head to the front line again to scout the extent of the Zerg Race’s advance."

Chen Yanyan nodded. She had thought Lin Feng might cook up some delicious lunch, but it turned out to be just a hodgepodge stew.

Luckily, the ingredients were all high-quality, so even just tossed into a congee, it still tasted delicious and fresh.

But Lin Feng had something else up his sleeve to win the lady’s heart.

When he presented the fully upgraded Lv9 Red Armor Shield to Chen Yanyan, she was so overjoyed by its power that she immediately ducked under the table.

After they had eaten their fill, the two of them packed their gear, filled up at a gas station, and got back on the road.

Just then, a convoy of various vehicles emerged from a small road behind the service area—the one connecting to the Wu City District.

A military jeep, with Qin Hu inside, led the way. Following it were several large vans and one luxurious RV.

Lin Feng’s brow furrowed. Qin Hu was waving in their direction, signaling for him to wait.

As the vehicles pulled into the parking lot one by one, the people who emerged were not the expected engineers coming to build fortifications. Instead, it was a group of cameramen carrying sound equipment, microphones, and light reflectors.

It was a professional film crew.

Lin Feng sighed under his breath. Even before Qin Hu got out and walked over, he had already guessed why these people were here.

Qin Hu approached, spreading his hands in a helpless gesture.

"What can I do? The big star didn’t want to be disturbed, so she wouldn’t stay inside Wu City."

"I wracked my brain, and your service area seemed like the only place that was both safe and deserted. So, I made arrangements for them to come here."

"Don’t worry, they’re just here to shoot a few video clips. We’ll have our men on-site; they won’t cause any trouble."

Lin Feng just grunted, not wanting to say anything more.

"Tell them to stay away from the repair shop and to keep their distance from my RV."

"The front line is crawling with danger. Curiosity kills the cat. I’m only responsible for security on tomorrow’s mission, not a full-time bodyguard."

"Goodbye. I’m leaving for my mission."

With that, he gave the woman beside him a meaningful look.

Chen Yanyan understood immediately. The Armored RV’s engine roared to life, and she sped off.

Watching the RV disappear into the distance, Qin Hu shook his head helplessly.

Just then, a window on the luxurious RV in the parking lot slid down, revealing half of an unbelievably beautiful face, as gorgeous as a goddess.

Jiang Yun’er slowly took off her sunglasses.

"So he’s the powerful Awakener the Thirteenth Division arranged?"

"He’s got quite the personality."