Level 19 Awakeners had Physique and Spiritual Attributes of over 140, with some even reaching the maximum value of 150.

They were more than fifty percent stronger than Lin Feng, who was at Level 14.

To reach Level 19, one had to kill at least fifty-five Black Spine Zergs. Anyone who could accomplish such a feat in less than a day of combat had to be incredibly fierce and powerful.

But considering they had access to heavy weaponry and could slaughter the Black Spine Zergs on a massive scale, achieving such a high level was to be expected.

Lin Feng discovered that his Identification Skill could only identify a creature’s Level and Attribute Evaluation from a distance. He would need to get closer to see their specific Awakened Superpowers.

’I wonder what special abilities these powerful new officers have. If it’s just Physical Enhancement, their actual combat strength would have to be taken with a grain of salt.’

As Qin Hu entered with his wife and daughter, the small groups that had been scattered around all gathered and raised their glasses to welcome him.

The host walked onto the stage and gestured to the crowd.

"Let us welcome the great hero who saved the Thirteenth Division and won this victory for us, Qin Hu, Major Qin."

Pinned to Qin Hu’s military uniform was the newly awarded Federal Warrior Medal. Amidst the applause of the crowd, he walked to the center of the hall, ascended the stage, basking in glory.

He took the microphone and looked out at the audience.

His voice was powerful and resonant:

"This victory is not my achievement alone, but the result of everyone’s combined efforts. Without the State Guard holding the front line, without the tenacious fighting of my comrades, without the logistical support from all of you..."

"...we would not be here today."

As he spoke, Qin Hu’s eyes met Lin Feng’s from across the crowd. He then continued:

"And this time, the defensive battle in Wu City will mark our first victory against the Zerg Race on a main battlefield!"

"Everyone can look through the floor-to-ceiling windows and see the magnificent fortifications being built in the distance. That will become a great defensive line that the Zerg Race will never cross!"

"It will protect our soldiers as they fight tooth and nail, guard the Federation’s citizens in Wu City, and, more importantly, it will serve as the eastern guardian of the State Capital, Jin City!"

"The Federation will prevail! Humanity will prevail!"

The incredibly inspiring speech ended, and thunderous applause erupted, lasting for a long time.

Qin Hu stepped down from the stage and rejoined his wife and daughter. He was becoming more and more adept at handling such grand occasions.

After exchanging pleasantries with the various dignitaries, Qin Hu brought his wife and daughter over to Lin Feng.

After a brief greeting, Han Yuxin went off to the side with Qin Hu’s wife and daughter to chat about daily life, leaving space for the men to discuss business.

Lin Feng looked at Qin Hu’s daughter, who looked to be about thirteen or fourteen.

"The front line is dangerous. You should send your wife and daughter back to the rear soon."

Qin Hu grunted in agreement and nodded.

"Of course. They just came for the celebration and to catch up. They’re leaving tomorrow. I’m sending them to a safe base in the rear."

"By the way, do you have any family or a partner you need to send away? I can help arrange for them to go together, through the express channel."

"There aren’t many spots left in the safe zones now."

"If you get stuck behind this wave of refugees, there’s no telling how long the wait will be."

Lin Feng shook his head, declining the kind offer.

"My parents are already gone, and I don’t have any other relatives around. Now I can just focus on killing Zergs without any other worries."

Qin Hu nodded. Sending the families of soldiers and officers to the rear was also a way to ensure they could fight on the front lines with peace of mind. Even if they were unfortunately killed in action, a considerable pension would be delivered to their loved ones.

As for a "lone wolf" like Lin Feng, his willingness to stay was driven entirely by his desire to grow stronger by killing Zergs. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦

Such people were purer in their motives, but also more fanatical.

After all, there weren’t many Awakeners who dared to capture a bunch of live Zergs, especially Black Spine Zergs.

Killing and capturing alive were two completely different concepts.

Otherwise, Qin Hu wouldn’t have invited Lin Feng to provide security for the celebrity’s publicity stunt the day after tomorrow.

"Alright, this is a good chance to introduce you to the Awakener team in the Thirteenth Division."

"Following the Research Institute’s recommendation, we integrated and organized all the Awakeners, forming a reinforced battalion with formidable combat power."

"It has about five hundred members, including a special elite squad of Tier One Late Stage Awakeners. A few of them will be joining you on the Black Spine Zerg capture mission the day after tomorrow."

As he spoke, Qin Hu led Lin Feng to a corner of the hall where the officers who had entered earlier were gathered. Most of them were captains, while a few Level 19s were newly promoted majors, just like Qin Hu.

’It seems the Thirteenth Division treats its Awakeners quite well and holds them in high regard.’

This wasn’t just because of their personal strength. To become a powerful Awakener, one had to kill a sufficient number of Black Spine Zergs. This was a tangible contribution that couldn’t be faked.

Qin Hu introduced Lin Feng to the group.

"Everyone, this is the Mr. Lin Feng I mentioned before, whom we were fortunate enough to meet during the rescue mission. However, he has since joined the Jiangnan Administration Bureau and is now a Special Soldier in the State Guard."

"He’s very young, only twenty-five, a recent college graduate. The young are truly formidable."

The young officers before him nodded, not looking down on Lin Feng for his low rank. They had all been recently promoted and understood the importance of personal strength.

It was precisely because of the unique pride of Awakeners that they didn’t place much importance on military rank.

And Lin Feng, as a powerful Superpower Bullet Awakener, possessed a level of combat prowess that far surpassed those with ordinary Physical Enhancement Superpowers.

After all, with his Superpower Bullets and a squad of soldiers, he could easily suppress a charge of dozens or even hundreds of Black Spine Zergs, while they were forced to engage in extremely dangerous close-quarters combat.

In terms of both utility and effect, Lin Feng’s Superpower far exceeded their own.

The group exchanged a few simple, polite words, getting acquainted. They then began discussing the upcoming Wu City campaign and their respective arrangements for the next few days.

Some were also bragging about how they killed Black Spine Zergs.

Lin Feng followed behind Qin Hu, making his face known.

This had been his initial goal.

As long as this connection existed, future interactions would be much smoother.

Compared to other civilian Awakeners, Lin Feng’s treatment would naturally be different.

Soon, however, Lin Feng overheard something new as he listened in.

The few Tier One Late Stage Awakeners who were Level 16 and above were discussing something secret.

It was about how to advance to Tier Two and information regarding Tier Two Zerg types within the Zerg Race.

Several of them, after reaching Level 19, found they could no longer grow stronger no matter how many more Tier One Black Spine Zergs they killed. Their Physique and Spirit Attributes were stuck at 150, unable to advance.

Lin Feng didn’t know much about how to advance to Tier Two, as it was still a long way off for him. But regarding the Tier Two Zerg Race, he had the latest information from Ding Chenghai, so he knew a little.

In the Research Institute’s files on the Zerg Race, between the vast numbers of low-level Soldier Zergs and the High-tier Mother Empress, they had only discovered two types of Middle Tier Zergs via drones.

One was the Tiger Spine Zerg, an upgraded evolution of the Black Spine Zerg. Its body was three to four times larger, ten meters wide, covered in distinct golden tiger stripes, and exceptionally ferocious.

Another was an advanced version of the Cyan-winged Zerg, tentatively named the Wind-winged Zerg. They had only managed to capture a few blurry images of it in flight before the drone was destroyed.

It was suspected of having long-range attack capabilities.

By compiling the currently available information, experts at the Research Institute speculated that these two Tier Two Zerg Race types only existed near a Mother Empress. They served as her final line of defense, were few in number, but extremely powerful.

They typically wouldn’t be wasted as cannon fodder on the main battlefield.

Therefore, if these Zergs appeared on the main battlefield, it meant the Mother Empress had already reached the city’s doorstep, lying in wait Underground, ready to burst forth at any moment.

Because this information wasn’t officially confirmed, it hadn’t been released. Many frontline units didn’t even know what types of Tier Two Zerg Race existed.

Lin Feng considered it for a moment, then walked up to the few majors and shared the information he knew.

After listening, they exchanged glances. One of the Level 19 majors spoke, his brow furrowed.

"Is this information reliable?"

Lin Feng nodded but didn’t reveal his source, and the other man was tactful enough not to press the issue.

"Thank you. This information is very important."

"My name is Cheng Zhan. If you need help in the future, you can contact us."

After speaking, the major raised his glass as a sign of gratitude.

Lin Feng, holding a glass of juice, took a sip in return.

Besides earning a favor, Lin Feng also wanted to use them to verify the accuracy and reliability of the information.

’One must always prepare for a rainy day.’ Although Lin Feng was only Level 14 now, it wouldn’t take more than a few days and a few missions to grind his way to Full Level.

If he had the chance, Lin Feng wanted to break through Tier One and reach Level 20 before the major campaign broke out.

After their conversation, Lin Feng moved to the edge of the crowd. Just then, Qin Hu walked over to him and, to his surprise, thanked him.

"Haha, I didn’t expect to owe you another favor so soon."

Lin Feng: ???