Chapter 93: Chapter 88: Lv16 Flying Wing Tank, Biological Modification

Seeing the word "Armor" in the name replaced by "Flying Wing," Lin Feng realized the change he’d been hoping for was about to become a reality.

The brand-new Tank under the tarp not only thrilled him, but it also made Chen Yanyan, who was tidying up inside, let out a cry of surprise.

She was spiritually bonded to the Tank and intimately aware of its every change, so the current transformation could not escape her Spiritual Perception.

But unlike Chen Yanyan’s spiritual senses, Lin Feng could directly pull up the data panel to get a clear look at the specific changes to the Lv16 Tank’s Attributes after the Upgrade:

[Flying Wing Tank Lv16/19, Red Quality]

[Upgrade Points: 34/10, Damage: 100, Defense: 120, Average Speed: 150 km/h, Range: 800 km]

[Extra Attributes: Biological Armor (Defense Power +70), Armor-Piercing Car Head (Damage +60), Unlimited Firepower (Ten machine guns, average Damage 40), Self-Propelled Artillery (Three Lv16 Machine Cannons, Damage 120, 6000 reserve rounds, Bullet Recovery 1/s), Life Radar (For every 1 Upgrade Point consumed, can detect all beings with Life Value > 50 within a five-kilometer radius), Storage Space (For every 1 Upgrade Point consumed, internal capacity expands by 1 cubic meter. Current living/combat area: 60 m³, trunk: 50 m³)]

[New Extra Attribute: Ground Effect Flight Mode (Deploys flapping Membrane Wings from the underside, increasing airflow for upward thrust and reducing tire pressure. Increases speed by 100 km/h and adapts to complex water routes. Fuel consumption increases by 100%, and Range is reduced by 400 km.)]

After reading the last description about the Ground Effect Flight Mode, Lin Feng was reminded of the legendary ground-effect vehicle. It was once all the rage, but it had vanished more than a decade ago due to its restrictive operating conditions.

He never expected it to be revived and glorified on his Lv16 Flying Wing Tank.

Although this mode doubled fuel consumption and cut the Range in half, the ability to ignore varied terrain and travel unimpeded through muddy fields was definitely more than worth it!

And with a top speed of 250 km/h, Lin Feng could practically run rampant on the battlefield.

He could use positioning and kiting to deal with wave after wave of the Swarm.

This reminded Lin Feng of his early days of gaming, playing challenge modes where his crude weapons forced him to use the terrain to fight a war of attrition against the level’s monsters.

Now, with Chen Yanyan at the wheel, he just needed to control the weapons and Grenade Cannon to furiously mow down the pursuing Swarm.

The only problem was the short Range. 400 kilometers was only good for an hour and a half. With an auxiliary fuel tank, however, Lin Feng estimated he could take out over ten thousand Black Spine Zergs in one go.

His only fear was an ambush from the Tier Two Zerg Race. He needed a way to deal with them from long range, especially the Tier Two Wind-winged Zergs from the sky, which were definitely faster than the Flying Wing Tank.

For now, there was no good opportunity to kill a Tiger Spine Zerg alone and get a Tier Jumping Upgrade for his Level 19 Grenade Cannon. Therefore, Lin Feng could only hope that the materials from a Tiger Spine Zerg would be enough to upgrade either his Lv16 Flying Wing Tank or his Red Profound Flying Armor to the next stage.

This would be one of his trump cards for hunting the Tier Two Zerg Race.

Tier Two Zergs were rare, and they were always surrounded by swarms of Low-tier Black Spine Zergs that screened their movements, making them incredibly difficult to kill.

Even Qin Hu and his team had only succeeded by getting advance intel, preparing heavy weaponry, severely wounding the target from afar, and then moving in to finish it off.

His excitement over the new Attributes was short-lived. Noticing it was already evening, Lin Feng told Chen Yanyan to spend some time familiarizing herself with the Flying Wing Tank’s changes.

He needed to head to the field hospital behind Wu City to visit Qin Hu.

As arranged by Li Ran, an SUV pulled into the service area to pick up Lin Feng.

With the war having flared up ahead of schedule, the once calm Wu City defensive line had grown incredibly tense. The intersection checkpoints were all manned by guards with loaded weapons.

Thanks to the arrangements made by an insider, Lin Feng, an outsider, quickly passed through the layers of security and entered the rear area.

The field hospital was set up in the former Third Wu City Hospital in the West District. Though it had never been prestigious and its medical resources were second-rate, after equipment was transferred from several other hospitals, it boasted thirty to forty ICU rooms, which was more than sufficient.

Qin Hu was currently in the intensive care unit, where surgery had temporarily stopped the bleeding from his thigh.

However, he was too weak, and his second Tier Jump Awakening had yet to begin.

But with the help of technicians from the Research Institute, he was being given large doses of glucose and nutrients, and thanks to his powerful Physique, he was gradually beginning to heal.

Lin Feng didn’t recognize the technicians bustling around the ICU; their biotechnology department was a world apart from Ding Chenghai’s weapons research department.

After they used their latest research findings to stabilize Qin Hu’s condition, his Tier Two Awakening quietly began.

Not long after Lin Feng arrived at the waiting room, he saw Qin Hu being moved from the ICU to a regular ward, having been stabilized.

The attending physician and a technician walked out of the operating room, removed their masks, and let out a long breath, remarking with emotion:

"Thankfully, Major Qin had already reached Tier One Late Stage. He pulled through thanks to his powerful Physique."

The technician turned to the anxious-looking Li Ran and said,

"Lieutenant Li, Major Qin is stable now. He’s completed his Awakening, and the wound on his stump will heal on its own. Please give this to him when he wakes up."

Li Ran took the document the technician handed him. Lin Feng glanced over and saw four large words printed on top: "Latest Biotechnology Modification Program."

The technician then smiled.

"Now, can you take us to see the corpse of that Tier Two Tiger Spine Zerg?"

Li Ran nodded and ordered a nearby guard to lead them to the Awakened Camp.

Watching the group from the Research Institute rush out of the hospital, Lin Feng and Li Ran exchanged a glance before heading to Qin Hu’s room.

The Major’s stump was tightly wrapped in several layers of bandages, with no blood seeping through. His complexion, once pale and gaunt, had returned to a healthy, ruddy color.

After a brush with death and his Tier Two Awakening, Qin Hu had walked through the gates of hell and back. Unfortunately, his left leg was gone forever.

After being unconscious for more than an hour, Qin Hu groggily awoke. The anesthetic hadn’t worn off yet; he could only open his eyes, his lips trembling.

After a nurse fed him some of the Nutrient Liquid from the Research Institute technicians, his condition gradually improved, and he was able to lean against the raised head of the bed.

Staring at the empty space where his left leg should have been, Qin Hu fell silent for a long time.

He knew his situation all too well. Even though he had completed his Tier Two Awakening, he was no different from a cripple.

But when Li Ran handed him the proposal, a flicker of light returned to his eyes as he skimmed through it.

Lin Feng glimpsed the voluntary signature line on the final page.

’This is an experimental biotechnology. They clearly came to the hospital for more than just providing treatment.’

’Although Tier Two Zerg specimens are incredibly rare, a Tier Two Human Awakener is even more precious.’

’They’ve already set their sights on the newly Awakened Qin Hu.’

’Having lost a leg, he’s even more desperate than they are to have it restored.’

Lin Feng took a deep breath. He was about to speak up and dissuade him, but when he saw Qin Hu look up, the only glimmer of hope remaining on his desperate face, the words died in his throat.

’I can’t save him, so I have no right to stop him from making this decision.’

In the end, he could only pat Qin Hu on the shoulder.

"Once you’ve made up your mind, don’t look back. Your wife... she’s waiting for you to come home."

After a few more words of comfort, Qin Hu began to look tired. A nurse urged Lin Feng and Li Ran to leave so the patient could rest.

Lin Feng took one last look at Qin Hu, and his stats appeared before him:

[Qin Hu, Lv20/29]

[Life Value: 190, Physique: 180, Spirit: 145]

[Evaluation: The loss of a major body part has negatively impacted his Life Value and Physique. His despondent mood has also caused his spiritual State to plummet. This is a pseudo-Tier Two Awakener who has not fully Upgraded.]

’As expected, the impact of his lost leg is just too great. Qin Hu can’t even be considered a proper Tier Two Awakener.’

’In his current state, he can’t fight Tier Two Zergs anymore. If he leaves the front line, he’ll just fade away into obscurity...’

’If Qin Hu hadn’t gone through his Tier Two Awakening before this disaster, he might have been able to accept it, return to the rear, and live out his days peacefully with his wife and daughter.’

’But he has already touched the next Realm. He was just one final step away...’

Lin Feng thought to himself that if he were the one lying in that hospital bed, he couldn’t have accepted such an outcome either.

’That’s why I held my tongue.’

’Even with only a ten percent, or even a one percent chance of recovery, Qin Hu would take the gamble without a second thought!’

...

The ride back to the service area was silent. After saying goodbye to Li Ran, Lin Feng went to the inn to tell Shen Jie and the others, who were still idly chatting, to get some rest.

They were heading back to the front lines early the next morning.

In order to complete the additional capture mission, they would need to stay at the front for longer this time.

The next morning, Lin Feng was woken by Chen Yanyan’s call. He climbed out of bed just as the sky began to lighten, and by the time he had everything packed and ready to go...

...Shen Jie and his group were already waiting at the exit with their vehicle.

Sitting in the Lv16 Flying Wing Tank, Lin Feng gave the order:

"Move out! The lull in fighting is recent. We’ll catch the Zerg Race completely by surprise!"

...

「A few hours later.」

In Ground Effect Flight Mode, Lin Feng had not only eliminated over a dozen reinforcing Cyan-winged Zergs but had also successfully captured three of them alive.

Shen Jie’s group, meanwhile, had successfully rounded up two groups of Black Spine Zergs. Discounting the ones they killed outright, they were left with a full thirty Black Spine Living Zergs!

They stuffed them into the Tank’s trunk along with the other materials they had collected.

When their convoy returned to the service area, Han Yuxin, whom they hadn’t seen in days, was already waiting outside the inn. Two large cargo trucks had returned with her.

One truck was loaded with the fresh meat Lin Feng needed, the other with the Fine Steel Plate he urgently required.

As Lin Feng stepped out of the vehicle, Han Yuxin was about to report the results of her mission. But he just walked over to the trunk and cut straight to the point.

"Are you familiar with Jin City?"

"You’re coming with me."