After getting confirmation, Qin Hu put down his phone and looked at the temporary command room, which still had no power.

In the dimly lit room, several high-ranking generals and Qin Hu’s old superior stopped their heated argument.

One of them spoke up:

"You know full well we can’t give all the credit for this victory to some ordinary civilian Awakener."

Qin Hu frowned.

"But the truth is, I abandoned him. That explosion in the suburbs had nothing to do with me... I was basically a deser—"

BANG!

Qin Hu’s old superior, the commander of the Thirteenth Division, slammed his hand on the table. His sharp gaze looked as if it could pierce right through his subordinate.

"Major! You have your duties and your orders! Remember your rank and your place!"

Qin Hu fell silent.

The bigwigs’ discussion ended quickly. They didn’t care about the truth behind the victory, only how to squeeze more benefits from it and divvy them up among the various factions, creating a narrative that would satisfy their superiors and all interested parties.

After the visitors from the Federal Capital had left, his old superior walked to the door of the command room. He turned, patted Qin Hu’s shoulder, and said in a low, firm voice:

"Remember, the Federation needs a hero."

"We need a hero!"

"He can be any one of us, but he cannot be a civilian, and he certainly can’t be a civilian Awakener that we can’t answer for. The merit he’s earned this time is enough to get him to join us. Next time, it will be his turn."

Qin Hu let out a long sigh of resignation.

"This victory was just a fluke. How are we supposed to win next time?"

"These damned bugs won’t negotiate."

His old superior looked out the door, where soldiers just back from the front lines were bustling about. Most of the wounded lay on the ground or on stretchers, missing arms and legs—crippled for life.

The Swarm had their teeth in the division, and casualties were heavy.

"We still have a few days to prepare. The new recruits will arrive shortly."

"First, get that report of yours submitted. Then, take two days to rest up, Major Qin."

......

Lin Feng stared at his phone screen after the call ended, a slight smile playing on his lips. He could now confirm it: their one and only victory was a result of the gasoline explosion.

But Lin Feng knew full well the military wouldn’t give him the credit. The two efforts were intertwined; without the soldiers holding the line and sacrificing themselves on the front, he never would have dared to dance on the edge of a cliff and pull off such a risky play.

Besides, he didn’t need the empty fame right now. When you were weak, any renown gained through handouts would only turn you into a puppet, manipulated by others at every turn.

Figuring out how to convert this symbolic credit into tangible benefits was what Lin Feng urgently needed to do.

And Qin Hu’s call had set his mind at ease.

’That guy is probably going to be proclaimed the hero of this victory.’

’Which means my cut of the rewards is guaranteed.’

Lin Feng sent a message to Sister-in-law Yurou to let her know he was safe, then put down his phone and said:

"Take down the Red Armor Shield. We’re about to merge with the refugee traffic, so everyone should get some rest."

The two women nodded in unison, their faces breaking into smiles of post-calamity relief.

The battle-scarred RV, driving in the emergency lane, drew constant stares from the nearby refugees.

After passing through several checkpoints, they successfully reached a highway service area. The vehicles there were also falling in line with the main convoy on the highway, retreating in an orderly fashion.

Lin Feng had Chen Yanyan pull the Highly Modified RV directly into a vehicle repair shop to the side.

The place had originally been one of Hu Fei’s businesses, but now it was completely deserted. The shop’s tools and mechanics were nowhere in sight.

Chen Yanyan released the brake, pulled out the key, and let out a long sigh of relief. She had been pushing the vehicle to its limits all night; if it weren’t for the warmth brought on by her seventh strengthening, she would have collapsed long ago.

Lin Feng stepped out of the vehicle and told Chen Yanyan to stay and guard it, lest anyone get ideas about their loot. He then helped the unsteady Liu Yueqi outside.

Seeing that Zhang Xuan’s sedan was still in its parking spot, the two of them walked over.

It was the early hours of the morning, under a dim streetlight...

Liu Ruojiao was sitting in the back seat, hugging her knees and weeping, her face buried. A steady stream of tears soaked her dress, and her sobs were clearly audible even from outside the car.

Lin Feng realized that with Qin Hu and his men having retreated first, they would have passed along the false news of his group’s death.

’No wonder Liu Ruojiao was in such a state.’

Seeing her aunt’s heartbroken state, Liu Yueqi rushed forward and opened the car door.

"Auntie... we’re back..."

Hearing the familiar voice, Liu Ruojiao snapped her head up. Her face was streaked with tears, but her red, swollen eyes were filled with shock and disbelief.

When she saw the familiar young woman before her, that shock transformed into overwhelming excitement and joy.

Liu Ruojiao hurriedly scrambled out of the car and threw her arms around her niece.

Tears welled in Liu Yueqi’s eyes as well. The lingering terror from her narrow escape from death was finally released, and she hugged her aunt back just as tightly.

Seeing the reunion, Lin Feng stepped away to give them some space. On his way to the hotel’s administrative office, he ran into Zhang Xuan, who was just walking out.

It looked like someone had punched him; a red welt was visible on his face.

Zhang Xuan’s right eye was swollen, and he could barely make out the man in front of him. He was so startled he froze in place.

Lin Feng simply smiled, gave a brief nod of acknowledgment, and continued on his way.

Only after the man had disappeared into the office did Zhang Xuan squint and turn his head, confirming that Lin Feng was, in fact, not dead.

Earlier, he had rushed into the hotel to find staff from the Administration Bureau. He wanted to claim the sixty Cans of food Liu Yueqi had received for joining up...

But the staff told him that when Mr. Lin had processed the reward, he left specific instructions that only Miss Liu herself could collect the Cans, and she was limited to two per day.

Zhang Xuan, believing Lin Feng and the others were dead, became furious. He yelled that the man was dead, so his instructions were bullshit!

He then self-righteously demanded that they hand over Liu Yueqi’s entire share, arguing that as her family, they had the right to her reward as an inheritance.

As it turned out, they completely ignored him.

When Zhang Xuan started throwing a tantrum, a security guard inside simply knocked him to the ground with a rifle butt. These weren’t peaceful times; no one cared if you were some professor or expert.

Zhang Xuan lay on the ground for a long moment before finally picking himself up and shuffling wretchedly out of the office.

He never expected that the moment he stepped outside, he’d run into the supposedly dead Lin Feng. Aghast, Zhang Xuan whipped his head back toward his car. Sure enough, Liu Yueqi was back too!

’They weren’t dead! They were all safe and sound!’

Zhang Xuan took a deep breath, composed himself, and plastered on his amiable, hypocritical smile as he walked toward Liu Ruojiao.

...

When Lin Feng appeared in the office, the female employee on the night shift looked surprised for a moment, but she quickly demonstrated her excellent customer service skills and put on a friendly smile.

"Hello, Mr. Lin."

Lin Feng got straight to the point.

"I see your people are all pulling back. Are you abandoning this place?"

The female employee faltered for a moment, then nodded.

"I just received the news myself. Wu City is about to become a frontline staging area, so all logistics personnel have to transfer to Jin City, which is farther back."

"The full evacuation is expected to be complete by tomorrow afternoon."

Lin Feng nodded. He then asked if they were buying any materials from the giant insects, and also about the current fluctuation of the Federation currency’s exchange rate against gold.

Things like the Back Armor of a Red-Armored Beetle or the pair of Giant Mandibles from a Black Spine Zerg could be exchanged for food and gasoline.

As for the Federation currency, it had certainly devalued a great deal. Although the government was trying its best to stabilize the markets in the rear, it couldn’t stop the developed coastal cities from falling one after another.

The refugees who had escaped were desperate to exchange the paper money they had on hand for precious metals like gold. Even goods like food or weapons were more reassuring than a piece of worthless paper.

Once he had the information he needed, Lin Feng left and returned to the RV parked at the repair shop.

The three Black Spine Zergs under the tarp at the back of the vehicle were still hissing. Unfortunately, they were too far from Hai City; their calls were useless.

Lin Feng sat down in a lounge chair next to the vehicle and told Chen Yanyan to go clean up the messy cabin first, then take a shower and get to bed early.

He then took out the business card Hu Fei had left and dialed the private number on it.

"Hey. It’s time for you to clock in."