Liu Feng's worries vanished three days later.
Although the team was still in its early stages of development, with such an exceptional natural advantage, they might well be able to keep "Big Uncle" outside their gates.
Since they were already here, they might as well settle in. At worst, they would meet him head-on and let the braver side prevail.
Even if the Residential Camp really was wiped out by "Big Uncle," it would be no big deal. They could simply find somewhere else and start over.
Liu Feng had never feared failure.
Three nights later.
After a satisfying meal and plenty of tea, Han Bing joined Liu Feng for a stroll around the Residential Camp. By chance, the two ended up on the platform.
Looking at the zombies wandering outside the community, Liu Feng felt his enthusiasm stir. With a sweep of his hand, more than ten thousand neatly arranged Parasitic Insects took to the air.
Compared with the Exploding Insects, whose explosions were devastating, the Parasitic Insects were undoubtedly better suited to nighttime combat.
[Ding! Killed one zombie. EXP +10] [Ding! Killed one zombie. EXP +10] [Ding! Killed one zombie. EXP +10]
Listening to the system notifications ringing in his ears, Liu Feng curled his thin lips into a satisfied smile.
Over the past few days of fighting, the Parasitic Insects' combat strength had improved considerably.
The Iron-toothed Insect, capable of gnawing through anything, had reached LV2. Although it still could not chew through steel, the time it needed to tear apart a zombie had been reduced by more than half.
The Parasitic Insects had likewise reached LV2, but their changes were less obvious. Aside from an increase in the number he could summon, their defense had only improved slightly.
Though the improvements to both seemed modest, their performance in actual combat was surprisingly impressive.
What impressed Liu Feng most was the Exploding Insect. Its destructive power was tremendous.
Not just zombies—even a living human, once targeted by one, would be reduced to a mass of mangled flesh with a thunderous blast.
Unfortunately, Liu Feng had not yet accumulated enough EXP, so he had been unable to upgrade the Exploding Insect.
Just as Liu Feng was lamenting this, the system suddenly sounded again.
[Ding! Killed one zombie. EXP +10] [Ding! Host's current EXP: 2010/10000. Exploding Insect upgrade available. Upgrade?]
Well, speak of the devil. What were the odds?
Still, now that I could upgrade it, why wouldn't I?
"Upgrade!"
[Ding: Deducted 2000 EXP.] [Ding: Upgrade successful.] [Exploding Insect level: LV2]
As the series of system notifications ended, the Exploding Insect's upgrade was finally complete.
Without worrying about Han Bing standing beside him, Liu Feng summoned an LV2 Exploding Insect on the spot.
"Bzz~"
Under the dim light, a small insect glowing pale yellow appeared on Liu Feng's finger. He studied it carefully. Aside from being a size larger than before, the LV2 Exploding Insect's appearance had hardly changed.
Han Bing raised his eyebrows at the Exploding Insect on Liu Feng's hand.
"Feng, what kind of insect is that? It looks pretty cute."
As he spoke, Han Bing curiously reached out a finger, wanting to find out what the cute little thing felt like. But before his hand was even halfway there, Liu Feng stopped him with a sharp shout.
"Stop! Do you have a death wish?"
At those words, Han Bing's heart gave an uncontrollable jolt, and cold sweat nearly broke out on his forehead.
"F-Feng, what exactly is that goofy little thing?"
Seeing that Han Bing was still shaken, Liu Feng raised his hand and tossed the Exploding Insect away. Then he pointed toward the far end of the street outside the camp's gate and said quietly, "Han Bing, whatever you do, never let appearances fool you."
"Boom!"
Before he had finished speaking, a deafening explosion rang out from the darkness deep down the street.
Han Bing shielded his eyes with his hand, trying to keep the flash from blinding him. Only after the smoke at the end of the street cleared did he let out a long breath.
"Well?" Liu Feng raised an eyebrow, a smile on his face. "Still want to poke that goofy little thing for fun?"
Recalling what had just happened, Han Bing's expression abruptly tightened. After swallowing hard several times, he shook his head like a rattle.
"No, no, no, Feng. Even if you threatened to kill me, I wouldn't dare entertain that idea again."
Seeing Han Bing's reaction, Liu Feng broke into a faint smile.
"Chicken!"
Han Bing shook his head without arguing. The two looked at each other and burst into laughter in perfect unison.
"Awooo~"
Suddenly, a low howl came from north of the Residential Camp. It sounded similar to a zombie, yet was fundamentally different.
Ordinary zombies generally did not make sounds. The low growls people usually heard were merely the vibrations of their vocal cords as they moved rapidly.
Of course, that only applied to ordinary zombies. Mutant zombies like the big brute were another matter.
After all, the big brute had developed at least some intelligence. Strictly speaking, it already belonged to a different form of life.
"Awooo~"
Another low howl sounded. Liu Feng looked north of the residential camp, his brows locked in a troubled frown.
North of the residential camp lay a large tract of undeveloped land earmarked for construction by the government. The foundations had already been excavated when the Zombie Virus suddenly struck, leaving the vast pit abandoned.
As time passed, the deserted pit had become overgrown with weeds and dense, lush woods. Aside from a few small animals that shunned the light, no other creatures passed through it. Humans certainly had no time to venture there.
"Han Bing, what's that sound?"
Han Bing tilted his head and thought for a moment before hazarding a guess. "It's really hard to tell from the tone, but judging by how loud it is, I can make a rough guess. Whatever it is, it probably isn't very big!"
"Oh?" Liu Feng watched Han Bing with interest. "I never knew you understood music!"
Han Bing scratched his head sheepishly and said with a laugh, "Heh, just a little. Just a little."
Seeing Han Bing's pleased expression, Liu Feng gently patted him on the shoulder.
"Get to bed early tonight. First thing tomorrow morning, round up a few reliable guys. We'll go find out what it is."
Han Bing's eyes immediately widened in horror.
"F-Feng, nobody's been into that godforsaken place for nearly decades. Are you really sure you want to..."
Liu Feng smiled without answering him. He simply waved his hands, turned around, and headed back to his sleeping quarters.
Watching his silhouette gradually disappear into the night, Han Bing was left with a jumble of emotions.
(End of chapter)
Before you continue