After reaching Lv. 4, his Life Value and Physique both increased by five points, but his Spirit had unexpectedly risen by seven.
The extra two points, Lin Feng figured, were related to his new Over-level Ability, Hawkeye.
The Lv. 10 next to the Skill name was particularly striking.
Obtaining this next-tier ability ahead of schedule greatly increased Lin Feng's strength at his current Lv. 4.
Although it wasn't an enhancement to his Physique that would directly boost his Attack Power, Lin Feng, who was bound to the Legendary Pistol, had no lack of offensive options. On the contrary, what he lacked were precisely this kind of support ability, like Hawkeye.
With the boost from Hawkeye, Lin Feng was essentially equipped with a natural 4x scope. Paired with his Legendary Pistol, he could kill any enemy that appeared within two hundred meters.
It wouldn't be an exaggeration to call him a sharpshooter.
Lin Feng was glad for his flash of inspiration that had let him upgrade his eyes into Hawkeye, allowing him to maximize the combat potential of his Legendary Pistol.
Nearby, Chen Yanyan found a pack of wet wipes. Recalling the sight of Lin Feng's bleeding eyes just moments ago, she approached him with a hint of terror and said anxiously:
"Are your eyes hurt? Are you okay? Is it serious? Do you need eyedrops?"
Lin Feng took the wet wipes and scrubbed his face hard, cleaning the bloodstains from the corners of his eyes. When he opened them again, his pupils constricted and focused, giving Chen Yanyan the illusion of being watched by a ferocious beast. Her heart skipped a beat.
After wiping himself clean, Lin Feng shook his head and retracted his gaze.
"I'm fine. Even if something did happen, it'd be a good thing. My vision got better after the Upgrade. That stuff that came out was just bad blood, impurities that had accumulated in my eyeballs."
With that, Lin Feng turned around and continued upgrading the Crimson Back Armor.
Through his efforts, another small Lv. 2 Red Armor Shield was created, which was perfect for Chen Yanyan.
Six pieces of Back Armor remained, two large and four small.
Lin Feng didn't plan to continue. For one, the three Red Armor Shields he now had were enough. For another, the electric drill was almost out of power, and the drill bits were all worn out.
It was a pity that an auxiliary tool like the electric drill couldn't be upgraded further. Otherwise, Lin Feng would have liked to use his toolbox to connect and bind multiple pieces of Back Armor, weld them together, and create a temporary safe room.
It would be much safer than spending the night in the apartment.
For now, Lin Feng planned to use the six extra pieces of Back Armor on upgrading his Red Armor Shield.
He took out his own Lv. 3 Red Armor Shield and fused it with a small piece of Back Armor, but there was no reaction.
Lin Feng thought for a moment, then added two more pieces.
As expected, upgrading a Lv. 3 shield also required three pieces of Back Armor to reach Lv. 4, just like a person leveling up.
When the conditions were met, a white light flashed.
The Red Armor Shield in Lin Feng's hands developed a silvery-white coating as it rapidly shrank, ending up only forty centimeters long and thirty centimeters wide, about the size of a breastplate.
[Red Armor Shield Lv. 4/9, White Quality]
[Durability: 10/10, Defense Power 20, Activate Mutant Form: Back Armor (Unconditional), Shield Armor (1h/1 Back Armor)]
[Evaluation: This is no ordinary shield. It possesses two forms and can switch between them at will. Collect similar materials to upgrade it.]
Lin Feng looked at its current Back Armor form. It could automatically conform to his back, protecting it just like a Red-Armored Beetle's shell.
This form was mainly for convenience, freeing up his hands. It didn't have much practical use. What Lin Feng was mainly focused on was the second option, the Shield Armor Form.
Maintaining it for one hour required consuming one piece of Back Armor.
'Such a steep cost... Does it transform from a shield into a suit of armor that covers my whole body?'
Lin Feng thought it was very likely. He fused the remaining three pieces of back armor into it, and its attribute data quickly gained a 3/4 Upgrade Reserve.
It only needed one more piece to be upgraded again.
To avoid being wasteful, Lin Feng planned to wait until their next outing before trying out the Shield Armor Form.
When the time came, he wouldn't have to fear giant insects getting close, and with his Divine Gun in hand, he could fully commit to grinding monsters and leveling up.
Lin Feng squeezed the Red Armor Shield gently. The forty-centimeter Back Armor Form instantly expanded back to its original 1.8-meter size. In his hand, it weighed only four or five pounds and was exceptionally light.
As the equipment on hand grew more and more powerful, not only did Lin Feng lose the initial panic and fear he felt when facing the Swarm, but he actually began to look forward to hunting giant insects.
'A dull, dead-end office job was nothing compared to the danger and excitement of this giant insect apocalypse.'
As a veteran gamer, Lin Feng was gradually starting to enjoy the pleasure of upgrading and growing stronger.
At his side, Chen Yanyan watched the man's miraculous work, completely dumbfounded. After one shock after another, she had become somewhat numb…
'Even if Lin Feng pulled a bomb out of his pocket in the next second, she would find it perfectly reasonable.'
Seeing that Lin Feng wasn't keen on explaining, she decided not to ask any more questions to avoid upsetting him.
Knowing one's place was an important way to build goodwill, and Chen Yanyan had developed the good habit of doing more and asking less.
Just then, Zhang Yurou, who was in the kitchen, announced that dinner was ready and called for them to eat.
Because the portable gas stove wasn't very powerful and they lacked good, sealed cookware, his sister-in-law hadn't cooked rice. Instead, she had boiled two bags of frozen dumplings from the freezer, served with two stir-fried meat dishes and a side dish. This made the long-famished Lin Feng's mouth water.
Although they were just simple home-cooked dishes like stir-fried peppers with meat and minced meat with potatoes, under his sister-in-law's exquisite cooking skills, they looked, smelled, and tasted delicious.
Lin Feng single-handedly ate thirty dumplings and finished off most of the stir-fried dishes. He sat back in his chair and let out a contented burp.
Zhang Yurou put down her chopsticks, looked out the window at the afterglow of the sunset, and asked:
"Are we leaving today?"
Lin Feng shook his head. Even with Hawkeye, his vision would be greatly reduced at night, allowing him to barely see things within thirty or forty meters. In that situation, if a Swarm surrounded them, they would be in grave danger.
'To be safe, it's better to wait until early tomorrow morning to leave. After all, the rescue team will arrive after eight o'clock, and it only takes us ten minutes to drive to Hai City University.'
'We have more than enough time.'
'For now, we should stay in the complex, get a good night's rest, and recover our energy. That's the only way we'll be in the best condition to face the perilous outside world tomorrow.'
Hearing Lin Feng's opinion, the two women nodded. They were also exhausted and needed to sleep to recover their strength.
After they had eaten and drunk their fill, the water shortage meant not only that the dishes couldn't be washed, but also that how the three of them would wash up became a major problem.
All three had been through a day of fighting. Especially during an Upgrade, their bodies would heat up, causing their skin to secrete a large amount of sweat.
A sour, sweaty smell was already starting to stew in their clothes.
Lin Feng could still tolerate it, but Zhang Yurou and Chen Yanyan couldn't stand the sticky feeling. With their long hair smelling of sweat and oil, they wouldn't be able to sleep peacefully.
Fortunately, Lin Feng was usually too lazy to boil water, so he had two 18-liter jugs of drinking water delivered to his home. One and a half jugs were left. He had also seen a large white bucket full of water in the bathroom of Room 201 downstairs.
They gathered all the water in Room 302. The drinking water had to be saved for the road, and the tap water from the bucket was clearly not enough for all three of them to take a proper bath one by one.
Lin Feng had wanted to let the two women use it. For a grown man like him, it didn't make much difference whether he washed or not; a simple wipe-down would be enough.
But according to his sister-in-law, he was the one who needed a good bath the most. As the absolute core of the team, he had to maintain his peak condition.
Lin Feng sat on a small stool in the bathroom. The bucket and towel in front of him reminded him of his childhood when his father would bathe him.
In his memory, it had always been his father, Lin Yu, who had been by his side.
His mother, He Yiwen, a university professor, left early and came home late every day, spending precious little time with her son.
Just as Lin Feng was lost in his thoughts, the bathroom door was suddenly unlocked from the outside with a key.
He saw Sister-in-law Yurou holding a new towel. She had changed into a thin yoga tank top and a pair of extremely short hot pants, revealing her snow-white skin and voluptuous figure.
She walked in from outside the bathroom, getting closer and closer to him.
Lin Feng froze, looking back with a look of astonishment and a hint of panic in his voice.
"Sis— Sister Yurou… I haven't finished washing yet…"
Zhang Yurou brushed a lock of hair from her ear. With a faint blush on her cheeks, she flashed a mature, enchanting smile.
"I brought you a new towel."
"You're not really used to washing with a bucket of water, are you? Can't reach your back, can you? Need your big sister to help?"
Without waiting for Lin Feng's response, she reached behind her with her other hand, pulled the bathroom door shut, and locked it.