Apocalypse: My Items Can Upgrade Infinitely

As the defensive lines of Wu City bustled with war preparations, a truck laden with supplies and equipment departed the camp, trailing behind a dozen troop carriers as it slowly headed north.

Lin Feng sat in the lead jeep, driving while discussing the details of the ambush with Ling Yi in the passenger seat.

When Ling Yi heard Lin Feng’s logical deduction—that from Xi City, located north of Wu City, a subway line connected the Great River and Taihu Lake, and the Jiangbei Mother Empress would likely use this shortcut to infiltrate the lake—she was momentarily taken aback...

Then, she nodded in sudden realization.

"That’s right! That’s right!"

"The subway stations are deep enough. The space is a little small, but with Red-Armored Beetles, they can easily dig downward to expand it."

"The most difficult part of excavating a main underground tunnel is clearing away the dirt and rubble along the way. After all, the space underground is limited."

"They either have to dig multiple shafts to the surface for ventilation and debris removal, or they have to haul it all the way back to the starting point, which is a long trip. Anyway, if they didn’t have to worry about that, the digging speed could be two or three times faster."

Just then, Ling Yi took out her phone, skillfully unlocked it, and opened a map app.

She had already grown quite accustomed to human technology.

After selecting some points and making some calculations, she reached a conclusion:

"From the bridge across the river to Taihu Lake, the straight-line distance along this Metro Line 1 is only sixty kilometers. By dispatching tens of thousands of Red-Armored Beetles, they can excavate a massive, fifty-meter-wide Zerg Path in about ten hours—more than enough for the Jiangbei Mother Empress to travel light and reach Taihu Lake."

"Once the final battle in Wu City begins, it will undoubtedly push into Jiangnan without stopping, establishing a presence in Taihu Lake as quickly as possible while also deploying its core forces of Tier Two Tiger Spine Zergs there."

"That way, it can use the speed advantage of the waterway to create a pincer formation with the Hai City Mother Empress."

"If the human defenders lose, it will seize the opportunity to land, cut off our retreat, and devour vast numbers of Human Awakeners, gaining the biological resources needed to advance to the Tier Three Middle Stage."

"And if the Hai City Mother Empress’s assault stalls, it can just bide its time and negotiate with its Hai City counterpart, demanding a larger share of the territory in Taihu Lake."

"So, regardless of the outcome of the final battle for Wu City, it can simply watch from the sidelines and reap the maximum rewards."

Lin Feng nodded. It was precisely because being the first to establish itself in Taihu Lake offered such immense strategic advantages and rewards that he was certain the Jiangbei Mother Empress would choose the subway shortcut.

However, one phrase in Ling Yi’s analysis caught his attention:

"You just mentioned ’traveling light.’ Is that a different form for a Zerg Race Mother Empress?"

Ling Yi paused for a moment before nodding in confirmation:

"Correct."

"You saw the Hai City Mother Empress burst from the ground during your escape from Hai City, didn’t you? In truth, the behemoth you saw wasn’t the Mother Empress’s actual body. It was carrying a massive Biological Nest, which serves as a barracks for the Swarm."

"Those two rows of tubes that sprayed out the Black Spine Zergs and Cyan-winged Zergs—that entire rear section—is really just the Mother Empress’s reserve Energy. If it sustains Damage, it can absorb the Life Energy from the Zerg Eggs to repair its wounds."

"Without that part, the Mother Empress itself is only about fifty meters tall. Its roughly two-hundred-meter-long body tapers off, giving it a teardrop shape with a large head and a smaller body."

"Unburdened by the Nest, its movement speed increases by tens of times. It might even reach Taihu Lake faster that way."

Lin Feng grew thoughtful after hearing this.

’Come to think of it, that makes sense. The first time I saw the Hai City Mother Empress, Identification showed its Life Value was over ten thousand, which is obviously inconsistent with the thousand-level values expected of a Tier Three Life Form.’

’It seemed it had relied on the connected Biological Nest on its back to add ten thousand to its Life Attribute.’

’And during the battle in the Jiangbei Underground Hive, the Node Mother Zergs we encountered in the Hatching Nest were just a weaker version of this carrier-type Mother Empress: extremely high Life Value, but very low mobility.’

’If the Jiangbei Mother Empress really does travel light and ditches that ’turtle shell’ on its back, isn’t there a risk the nuclear blast’s destructive force might accidentally kill it outright?’

At this thought, Lin Feng asked:

"If it comes in its true form, just like a normal Tier Three Life Form, could it be unable to withstand a nuclear explosion and just get wiped out in one go?"

"If that’s the case, I’ll need to time the nuclear detonation carefully to avoid accidentally killing it."

Ling Yi shook her head. No one understood the Mother Empress better than she did:

"Impossible. The Red-Armored Beetle Swarm will absorb part of the nuclear blast, and the Mother Empress is fast enough to evade the epicenter of the explosion. At worst, it will only be heavily wounded."

"Don’t forget, a High-tier Mother Empress’s bloated body is covered in Outer Armor comparable to that of a Peak Tiger Spine Zerg, and it’s over two meters thick. Especially its head—beneath its dozens of eyes are multiple layers of protective casing, designed to protect the central brain that controls the entire Swarm."

Lin Feng breathed an inward sigh of relief at Ling Yi’s assurance.

His goal wasn’t just to kill the Mother Empress. He needed to be the one to land the killing blow with his current equipment in order to trigger a Tier Jumping Upgrade for both his gear and himself.

While the two were talking, their convoy reached Xi City, located to the northwest of Wu City.

Xi City is situated between Chang City and Wu City. It is also one of Jiangnan Province’s more developed cities, with numerous tourist parks built around Taihu Lake.

Upon entering the city, Lin Feng immediately activated his Mind Sensing to check for any scouts sent by the Jiangbei Mother Empress.

At his side, Ling Yi also put her powerful senses to work, gathering the pheromones drifting on the air.

After confirming the absence of any Reconnaissance Squads, Lin Feng ordered them to halt outside the city. They would proceed deeper into the city on foot to prevent the vibrations from the tires from alerting the Zerg Race.