Chapter 166: Chapter 127: Suspicion and Truth, Upgrade Armor-Piercing Magnetic Cannon
Everyone laughed heartily and took a big gulp.
A few minutes later, the miracle happened again.
The wounded soldiers’ broken bones, internal injuries, and bruises all healed completely, as if they were never injured.
The milky-white Organic Nutrient Liquid was as good as a miracle drug.
After witnessing the miracle a second time, all the soldiers’ doubts vanished completely.
They now completely trusted this stuff.
In its place grew envy, jealousy, and regret for not stepping forward to try it earlier!
After all, the Sergeant Major had also mentioned that drinking more of it could permanently increase their Physique Attribute.
For those who had Awakened the Physical Enhancement Superpower, the value and effects of the Organic Nutrient Liquid were multiplied!
Unfortunately, after the twelve wounded soldiers finished drinking, the large bottle of milky-white liquid was completely empty, without a single drop left.
Fortunately, Lin Feng, standing to the side, spoke up after telling the wounded to rejoin their ranks:
"Don’t worry, there’s plenty of this stuff!"
"Zerg Eggs this large can yield tens of kilograms of Organic Nutrient Liquid, which is more than enough for us."
"As long as everyone is willing to fight hard, I will absolutely not treat you unfairly. Rewards will be given based on merit, and I always keep my word."
Hearing the Sergeant Major’s promise, the crowd erupted in thunderous applause and cheers once more.
Lin Feng waved his hand to quiet the noise, glanced at Shen Jie to his left, and continued speaking:
"With so many benefits from this treasure, some of you might be thinking, ’Aren’t there any side effects? Isn’t there a price to pay?’"
"After all, we all know that the meat of Alien Zergs is absolutely inedible; it’s highly toxic!"
"And this stuff is from an undeveloped Zerg Egg, a Tier Two Zerg Egg at that!"
"Although it won’t kill you, it still contains trace toxins for humans. At least, ordinary people can’t consume too much of it..."
"As for us Awakeners, we can completely immunize ourselves against the toxins. There’s just one thing I’m not entirely sure about, which is why I need to be clear with you all!"
"There’s no such thing as a free lunch in this world. Even a gift from the heavens has its price."
"You may have all heard the rumors about the Federation’s secret Genetically Modified Warrior program. Since we can no longer stop the Zerg Race’s advance on the main front, the Federation has initiated this plan to turn the tide. Genetic Warriors, designed for decapitation strikes, are about to be deployed to the battlefield!"
"I need everyone to keep this strictly confidential. For now, the higher-ups have no intention of announcing it to the public. However, we soldiers who fight and bleed on the front lines will surely witness the power of the Genetic Warriors firsthand."
"Take Major Qin Hu, the former hero of the Thirteenth Division, for example. He has now become a Tier Two Genetic Warrior, capable of unleashing Power double his own Physique Attribute! While wearing his Battle Armor, he can kill a Tier Two Tiger Spine Zerg with his bare hands. And with a weapon, taking on a group of the Tier Two Zerg Race by himself is a simple matter!"
"But to possess such immense Power, one must inevitably pay a corresponding price!"
"Speaking of which, I think you’ve all probably guessed it. The so-called genetic modification plan is to inject the Awakeners participating in the experiment with Zerg Race blood and genes..."
"The highly active Zerg Race cells invade and assimilate the subject’s bodily tissues. So, the greater the Power they unleash, the deeper the Assimilation becomes."
"But it is all worth it!"
"After all, to gain this Power, the subjects sacrifice everything, even their identity as human beings, to protect humanity and defend the Federation!"
"So now, I must be frank with you and give you an advance warning..."
Lin Feng patted the empty shell of the Zerg Egg beside him:
"While this Organic Nutrient Liquid can be called a miracle drug, no one knows what negative side effects might come from drinking too much of it. It might enhance everyone’s Physique, but it could also have some lasting consequences for the body."
"For example, a tough Outer Armor like the Tiger Spine Zergs, or barbs on your skin."
Seeing the utter silence on the field, Lin Feng took a deep breath:
"But please, rest assured. Before I brought it out, I personally drank twenty to thirty kilograms of it on the way here, all in one go. So far, at that dosage, there don’t seem to be any problems."
"But to be on the safe side, if you have the chance to get this kind of reward in the future, or if you find Zerg Eggs, try not to drink too much in a short period."
"That’s all. Dismissed!"
Having said his piece, Lin Feng visibly relaxed and went back inside the Battleship.
Li Ran saw this and turned, his brow slightly furrowed. He watched as the crowd dispersed, everyone wearing thoughtful expressions and discussing quietly amongst themselves in groups of two or three.
He walked over to the wounded soldiers who had just come down from the Battleship.
The squad of thirteen wounded soldiers, including Liu Yi, had now basically fully recovered and would soon be able to participate in the next combat mission.
But having heard the Sergeant Major’s final words, Liu Yi, who had drunk the most, was now anxiously rolling up his pant leg all the way to the top, revealing his healed left leg.
Above the knee, at the spot where it had been broken, the healed area was now just a ring of yellowish-black, peeling skin.
Liu Yi rubbed it vigorously, peeling off a large patch of old skin and revealing the new, pink skin beneath. The blood vessels and muscle tissue were clearly visible under the translucent new skin.
There were none of the signs of Zerg-form Assimilation that the Sergeant Major had spoken of...
Seeing this, Liu Yi let out a long sigh of relief. The weight that had been pressing on his heart was finally lifted.
But then Li Ran appeared before him, his face stern.
The anxiety and fear that had just subsided came rushing back.
Liu Yi quickly let go of his pant leg and snapped to a salute.
Li Ran frowned slightly. He clearly remembered the background information on each of his new recruits: where they lived, their family members, their professional history, and so on.
After the warning from Qin Hu, he was fully prepared to identify the Zerg Race spy hiding in their ranks.
He had all the members of the ’wounded squad’ go to a room in the lounge building to be questioned individually.
Liu Yi, being the first, answered the captain’s questions somewhat nervously. It wasn’t until he got up to leave that he began to belatedly realize the deeper reason for this interrogation...
While he was questioning the sixth wounded soldier, another soldier knocked on the door:
"Captain Li, the Sergeant Major is looking for you. He’s behind the Battleship."
Li Ran’s expression changed abruptly but returned to normal in an instant. He dismissed the soldier who brought the message and the one he was questioning, then walked to the side of the room. He took the large-caliber rifles—the ones turned in by the veterans who had joined them—out of a cabinet.
After a moment of consideration, he shoved them back inside.
A minute later, when Li Ran arrived at the rear of the Battleship, he saw Lin Feng sitting on a stone block. Behind him stood the Battleship’s pilot, Lin Feng’s woman, Chen Yanyan.
There were two other unexpected people as well.
Shen Jie and his female classmate, Zhang Liying.
They were among the first to follow Lin Feng. After making some inquiries, Li Ran had learned that Shen Jie and the others were just high school students with no combat experience whatsoever.
Their only exposure was probably three or four days of military-style training.
So, even though they held the title of captain, their actual combat experience was zero—just like a brand-new recruit—apart from having a high Awakening Level.
Their presence here now, however, confused Li Ran slightly.
But soon, after Lin Feng gave him a faint smile, the change in Shen Jie and his companion nearly made Li Ran react violently on the spot, his hand unconsciously reaching for the pistol at his waist.
"Wait!"
Lin Feng ordered in a low voice, stopping Li Ran’s instinctive reaction. He then pointed at Shen Jie and his companion, who weren’t making any moves, and explained:
"This is their ability!"
"Devouring Assimilation. They absorb the genes of the Zerg Race. You can think of them as natural Genetic Warriors with very few side effects, just like Qin Hu."
Li Ran retreated a few steps, staring at Shen Jie and his companion, who had retracted their Battle Armor to reveal their ’true forms’.
One of them was covered entirely in black and yellow Outer Armor. A large blade resembling a Giant Mandible grew from the outside of his arm, and even his face had morphed into the jaws of a Tiger Spine Zerg.
Meanwhile, Zhang Liying, standing to the side, had transformed into a smaller version of a Tier One Cyan-winged Zerg. Her pair of transparent Membrane Wings shimmered brightly in the sunlight.
Only after Lin Feng began to explain, and seeing that the two of them were indeed not making any further moves, did Li Ran finally regain his footing.
After taking a deep breath, he asked:
"Is that why you added that last part to what you said?"
Lin Feng nodded. Revealing the information about Genetic Warriors and embellishing the nonexistent side effects of consuming the Organic Nutrient Liquid was all to create an opportunity for Shen Jie and his companion to smoothly display their own Superpowers.
But that alone was far from enough. The reason Lin Feng had specifically called Li Ran over was to also assuage his concerns:
"Brother Qin should have mentioned that after activating his ability, he is capable of Sensing the Zerg Race spies hidden in a crowd."
"And Shen Jie and his companion, who possess a similar Superpower... can do the same."
Just as he finished speaking, a notification flashed before Lin Feng’s eyes:
[Level 27 Electromagnetic Cannon, Upgrade complete]
