He watched Chen Yanyan's long legs, wrapped in black stockings, disappear through the bedroom doorway...
Lin Feng thought for a moment. 'It's best to avoid unnecessary complications.'
The priority right now was to take advantage of the lone Red-Armored Beetles to farm Upgrade Points, raise his Combat Power, and prepare for the journey to Hai City University.
'Chen Yanyan isn't particularly useful, but at least she's obedient. She's not the kind of idiot who just screams and shouts when danger appears. The fact that she knows to run already puts her ahead of most women.'
'When we make a run for it later, I can bring her along to attract the attention of the Red-Armored Beetles and buy the other two of us time to escape.'
This had been Lin Feng's plan from the start.
After they left, Lin Feng looked at the gun in his hand. A warm current quickly flowed from the weapon into his arm.
The sensation was more intense than the last time. Spurred by the warm current, his metabolism quickened, his face flushed red, and his breathing grew heavier.
A minute later, the warm current gradually dissipated, having been fully absorbed by his body.
The Attribute data in his field of vision updated accordingly:
[Lin Feng, Level 2/9]
[Life Value: 15, Physique: 10, Spirit: 9]
Seeing the increases in his Attributes, Lin Feng smiled. Every extra bit of strength meant a greater chance of survival.
This time, his Life Value and Physique had both increased by 3 points, and his Spirit by one. It was a much bigger boost than the one from binding his last item. 'Sure enough, using actual Upgrade Points gives the best results.'
While the two women were still changing, Lin Feng went into his sister-in-law's kitchen. It was well-stocked with tableware, and a set of knives hung neatly on a rack.
There were six of them, from vegetable knives to a Bone-Chopping Saber.
Lin Feng inspected them one by one. The one with the highest Attack Power was a 30-centimeter-long, wide-spined Bone-Chopping Saber. It was of common White Quality and could inflict 2 points of Damage.
Unfortunately, the Identification showed it couldn't be bound as personal equipment. It could only gain Upgrade Points by striking targets, meaning any upgrades would enhance the item itself and had nothing to do with Lin Feng's own stats.
He'd have to reach the next tier to bind another piece of equipment.
Lin Feng guessed he would have to break past the Level 9 cap before he could bind another item.
For now, the pistol was his best weapon, but the knives could be given to the two women. At least they'd have a way to fight back against the Red-Armored Beetles.
He took two of the knives and returned to the living room, just as Zhang Yurou and Chen Yanyan were coming out.
Chen Yanyan had changed out of her previous work attire and was now wearing casual sweatpants and a form-fitting jacket.
She was five centimeters taller than Sister-in-law Yurou, standing at 1.73 meters without shoes. Most of her height was in her legs; although Lin Feng was 1.82 meters tall, his thighs seemed to be about the same length as hers.
As a result, Zhang Yurou's sweatpants were a bit short on her, revealing the black stockings around her calves and ankles. Fortunately, her feet weren't large, so she could just barely squeeze into her sister-in-law's sneakers.
Trying to go outside in high heels would have been a death sentence.
Chen Yanyan had tied her hair up, copying Yurou's style. She used a hair tie to secure it in a high ponytail, giving her an air of youthful energy and making her look quite competent.
Lin Feng glanced at her and couldn't resist a snarky comment.
"Black stockings under your pants? Aren't you afraid your feet will slip inside your shoes? If you trip while a beetle is chasing you, nobody's coming to save you."
Chen Yanyan's face flushed red as she explained in a quiet voice,
"The shoes are a little small. With regular socks, I couldn't... couldn't get my feet in. It's fine, they're very snug now."
As she spoke, she jumped up and down on the spot to prove her point.
Lin Feng nodded, then pointed to the knives on the dining table and asked Zhang Yurou,
"Sister-in-law, are there any other decent weapons in the house? Preferably something long, to keep some distance from the beetles."
The knives' attack range was too short. Fighting the Red-Armored Beetles in close quarters was far too dangerous.
You only live once, and in their current situation, getting injured meant death.
Lin Youzhi had made his fortune working construction sites; Lin Feng refused to believe he wouldn't have a few handy tools—or weapons—stashed away at home.
At Lin Feng's "reminder," Zhang Yurou's brow furrowed. She quickly seemed to remember something, then turned and ran into the bedroom, with Lin Feng and Chen Yanyan following close behind.
The wardrobe and bed were messy, strewn with the clothes the two women had taken off. There was even some private, lacy lingerie. Lin Feng only glanced for a few moments before shifting his gaze to Yurou.
Zhang Yurou went to the side of the bed and pushed the nightstand aside. In the wooden bedframe, there was a long, hidden compartment.
When she pulled it open, it revealed two welded Long Sabers. The blades were a full meter long, and with their 20-centimeter handles, they could injure an enemy up to 1.5 meters away.
The two sabers seemed to be forged from rebar. The blades, four centimeters wide, were already sharpened and bore the blue marks of tempering. Aside from being too heavy, they had no other flaws.
He scanned them, and their data appeared:
[Ordinary Long Saber, Level 1/9, White Quality]
[Upgrade Points: 3/10, Damage: 4, State: Good]
[Evaluation: A high-quality Close Combat Weapon that can inflict massive trauma. Its power stems from its sheer weight. Strike targets to gain Upgrade Points.]
'It actually has 4 points of Damage, same as the Level 2 pistol!'
Lin Feng stepped forward and picked one up, hefting it. It weighed at least three kilograms. An ordinary person would have a hard time controlling it and would need to wield it with two hands.
Even with his 10 points in Physique, Lin Feng found it a bit strenuous and clumsy to swing with one hand.
'It can only serve as a secondary weapon for emergencies.'
It was a shame there were no welded Long Spears in there; the rest were just 30-to-40-centimeter short blades. However, the iron drawer-like box that held the sabers caught Lin Feng's attention.
To ensure it was well-hidden, Lin Youzhi had custom-made the drawer: fifty centimeters wide, 1.3 meters long, but only four centimeters thick.
After pulling it out completely, Lin Feng realized it wasn't a drawer at all, but a door to a sheet metal cabinet, complete with a handle.
It was the perfect size to use as a shield.
This had been Lin Feng's true objective. He now had plenty of options for offense, but he lacked any defensive gear.
The sheet metal door was only two millimeters thick, so it wouldn't hold up on its own, but he could reinforce it by embedding a wooden board from the wardrobe inside it.
It would be crude, but it would be a lifesaver.
Lin Feng had initially planned on using a bedroom door as a shield, but they were large, clumsy, and hollow on the inside—all show and no substance.
With a plan in mind, Lin Feng began dismantling the wardrobe to fashion his shield. At the same time, he told the two women to gather any useful supplies and to get a feel for the knives...
After her Upgrade, Zhang Yurou's Physique was at 9 points, second only to Lin Feng. However, her strength was in endurance, so she definitely wasn't as powerful as him.
So she chose a 50-centimeter short blade, which felt just right when she tested it. Then, she turned to Lin Feng and said,
"We haven't had breakfast yet, have we? I'll go make us something to eat."
With that, she put down the short blade and walked into the kitchen.
Chen Yanyan wanted to try the 1.2-meter Long Saber, but she struggled just to lift it. Although the weapon was only four kilograms, holding it at length created difficult leverage for her arm. There was no way she could handle it.
Giving up on the Long Saber, she finally chose a 20-centimeter dagger. Then, Chen Yanyan turned her gaze to Lin Feng, who was busy cutting materials for his shield, a faint smile playing on her lips.
Quietly closing the bedroom door, Chen Yanyan walked over to the man, squatted down beside him, and watched him work.
Lin Feng frowned and put down his tools.
"What is it? If you've got nothing better to do, go find a few backpacks and pack them with food and medicine."
She must have gotten hot from trying out the knife and wearing so many layers, because she unzipped her jacket, revealing the fair skin beneath. 'Too bad,' Lin Feng thought. 'She's tall and slender, but her chest isn't very full. Otherwise, she'd be perfect.'
Seeing Lin Feng looking her way, Chen Yanyan quickly pushed her chest out and said in a soft, sweet voice,
"Brother Feng, do you know how to use a knife? Could you teach me?"
Lin Feng rolled his eyes at her.
"I don't. Didn't you learn dagger drills in college?"
Rebuffed, Chen Yanyan couldn't believe how clueless Lin Feng was. He looked so young, a few years younger than her even. 'He must be a fresh college graduate,' she thought, 'and the kind of dense, straight guy who's never even dated...'
'Have I, a former campus queen, really lost all my charm?!'
Chen Yanyan started to have an existential crisis. She looked at her reflection in the wardrobe mirror—her face was slightly flushed, she was clearly gentle, enchanting, and alluringly beautiful...
Seeing that Lin Feng had little interest in her, Chen Yanyan grew anxious. She knew perfectly well that without his protection, she would end up just like those other people on the street—torn to shreds by the mandibles of a Red-Armored Beetle.
In order to survive, to earn Lin Feng's protection, she had to do something. She had to use her advantages as a woman.
Having made up her mind, Chen Yanyan slowly stood up, leaned close to Lin Feng's ear, and whispered,
"Get me out of here safely..."
"And I'm willing... to do... anything for you..."
As she spoke, she lightly licked his earlobe.
Lin Feng flinched. He caught a faint floral scent as he turned his head to meet her gaze. He saw her expectant expression, the open collar of her jacket...
A smile touched his lips as he began to speak.
"In that case, are you willing to... with me..."