Zhao Si Has Gone Mad!

Bai Pu was not wasting his Investigation skill. He wanted to use this Green Armor Squad Leader to verify a suspicion of his.

"Just as I thought. Since the Three Kingdoms: Red Cliffs scenario exists to test examinees' Spirit Realm exploration results, its difficulty naturally has to match the examinees' average level.

"I belong to the same batch as those examinees who scored full marks in virtual combat. The average level should not be below Level 4, so the natives should also be Level 4 or above!"

"Even an ordinary-template naval squad leader has attributes surpassing those of a Level 2 elite creature. Though his Combat Expertise certainly cannot compare with an elite's, he still cannot be underestimated. There are hundreds of thousands of rank-and-file soldiers on this battlefield, and surely more than ten thousand corresponding squad leaders! One can imagine the scenario's difficulty." Bai Pu's gaze was distant.

They entered the camp and collected their food.

It was worth noting that Sun Wu naval soldiers ate surprisingly well: steamed millet rice, pickled vegetables, and fish soup. The food was pleasantly seasoned, and Bai Pu ate two extra large bowls.

Of course, that was also because this was the first meal for Bai Pu's batch of sailors after disembarking, so they were being rewarded.

While on duty aboard warships, they ate cold, hard rations, drank filtered river water, and slept atop the rocking river. It was truly grueling.

With Zhou Yu's strict military discipline, naval soldiers generally had to wait ten days before rotating off the ships to rest. Their first meal ashore was naturally better.

After eating, the Green Armor Squad Leader, Zhang Neng, led Bai Pu and the other sailors to the designated campgrounds to rest.

Suddenly, a crowd had gathered by the roadside, seemingly watching a spectacle. Faint sounds of scolding came from within.

Zhang DaLang squeezed closer, listened with his ears pricked for a while, then quietly ran back and said to Bai Pu, "Some sailor's gone possessed or something. He actually stopped the Military Marquis to offer battle strategy advice, and the Squad Leader is beating him."

Bai Pu's expression turned solemn. This "possessed" sailor was clearly an awakened examinee like himself.

The Jiangdong Navy's military structure, from lowest to highest, was squad, section, team, garrison, regiment, and division.

Five men formed a "squad," and two squads made a "section," led respectively by a Squad Leader and a squad leader.

Five sections formed a "team," led by a team leader; two teams formed a "garrison," led by a Garrison Commander.

A Garrison Commander commanded a hundred men. Five garrisons, or five hundred men, formed a "regiment," commanded by a Military Marquis.

Just consider it: there was a full five-level gap between a Military Marquis and a rank-and-file soldier. That showed how absurd it was for a common soldier to stop a Military Marquis and offer advice—it was like a clueless recruit stopping a battalion commander to teach him warfare. He was bound to be harshly berated by his squad leader.

Especially in the Three Kingdoms World, where hierarchy was rigid, lowly soldiers were often barely literate. Their opinions could never receive the attention of their superiors!

In a Three Kingdoms scenario, Squad Leaders clearly would not use persuasion and education on troublesome soldiers. They used verbal abuse and beatings instead!

This awakened examinee might not be able to endure it... Bai Pu thought silently. The man had rushed to stand out the moment he entered the scenario, which showed an impatient temperament.

For someone impatient, losing his mind after being cursed at and beaten by a Squad Leader was perfectly normal! Suddenly, blades clanged, and the onlooking crowd let out a low cry of alarm!

The crowd parted like waves as a figure rushed out with a saber in hand! Threads of blood still clung to its edge.

"Zhao Si has gone mad!"

"He killed the Squad Leader! Go call the Military Marquis!"

That awakened examinee, "Zhao Si," was clearly an Agility Specialization type. He ran to the camp's wooden palisade and leaped upward! Thwang!

A dull bowstring twanged, and a feathered arrow shot forth, striking Zhao Si squarely in the back!

The powerful force hurled Zhao Si high into the air before he crashed down heavily! Blood flowed freely like a small river. That arrow had pierced straight through Zhao Si's defenses and killed him on the spot!

The archer slowly lowered his bow.

He wore a Red Turban around his head and Green Leather Armor over his upper body, with only silver armor plates protecting vital areas such as his wrists, waist, and knees.

He was not even wearing a shirt. His solid chest muscles were boldly exposed, while the bronze bell hanging at his neck was particularly conspicuous.

"It's General Gan..."

"Once General Gan makes a move, Zhao Si has no chance of surviving. Who knows what evil possessed him!"

Bai Pu keenly noticed something: when Zhao Si was pierced by the arrow, a phantom slipped out of his body, turned into white light, and vanished.

Bai Pu was very familiar with that white light. It was the glow of cross-world teleportation!

Clearly, that examinee had not truly died. He had merely left the scenario and returned to reality.

Then the "Zhao Si" corpse left behind must have been a deception created by the Spirit Realm Will. It spared the natives from witnessing the abnormal sight of a corpse transforming into light and disappearing, which might have made them question the other awakened examinees!

The "General Gan" mentioned by the soldiers, combined with that attire, was most likely Gan Ning, the great general who had once been a Brocade Sail Bandit.

Bai Pu did not regret using his Investigation skill early on the Green Armor Squad Leader Zhang Neng.

The Investigation skill could only obtain partial information about a target. The stronger the target was compared to Bai Pu, the less information it could reveal.

If he used it on Gan Ning, he would probably learn only his name at most. He might not even be able to inspect all of Gan Ning's attributes, much less his skills.

"What can be confirmed now is that Gan Ning can instantly kill a Level 4 elite awakened one."

Bai Pu rubbed his temple. "The problem is that the Red Cliffs battlefield is filled with famous generals. Gan Ning may be strong, but there are at least eight or ten generals in this battle stronger than him!"

Not to mention a mere Level 2 awakened one like Bai Pu—even Level 4 examinees could only be considered cannon fodder on the Red Cliffs battlefield.

Moreover, the awakened ones' greatest advantage lay in individual and small-team combat. This kind of large-scale, organized battlefield was something they needed to avoid at all costs. Bai Pu had already made up his mind to leave the main Red Cliffs battlefield!

They passed a Wounded Soldier Camp where quite a few wounded men lay. They were unlucky fellows who had been struck by arrows during the previous cross-river exchange of fire between the Eastern Wu navy and Cao's army. Several medical officers bustled through the camp, examining wounds, treating injuries, and changing dressings.

Bai Pu suddenly raised his hand and said to the Green Armor Squad Leader Zhang Neng, who was leading them, "Sir, I know how to make medicine. I can help Physician Liu treat the wounded!"

Zhang Neng turned around. Bai Pu had already set the "Alchemist" secondary profession on his personal panel to display mode.

In the natives' eyes, the act of displaying one's secondary profession would automatically become the action of producing an alchemist's credentials or showing books related to one's professional field.

In short, it was a way to prove that he possessed professional skills in a secondary profession without arousing the natives' suspicions.

Zhang Neng had intended to scold him, but upon seeing the "medicine manual" Bai Pu produced, he brightened and said, "The fighting is urgent right now. If you truly possess such skill, that is certainly a good thing! I'll take you to see Physician Liu at once. But if you are merely bluffing and deceiving others, do not blame military law for its mercilessness."

Bai Pu said loudly, "I am from a branch of the Wu County Lu Clan. I learned to read from childhood and have studied medical texts thoroughly. If you do not believe me, Physician Liu may test me at any time."

"The Wu County Lu Clan?" Zhang Neng was suddenly startled. That was a prominent Jiangdong family.

Zhang DaLang, standing nearby, said, "That's right. Lu A'niu... Lu Pu really is from the Wu County Lu Clan. My grandfather told me that Lu Pu's grandfather even studied at the Lu Clan school."

This served as a small piece of corroboration, making Bai Pu's words more credible.

Squad Leader Zhang Neng then ordered two Squad Leaders wearing half-armor to lead the remaining sailors into the camp, while he personally took Bai Pu to the Wounded Soldier Camp to see the physician.

Physician Liu was an old man in a blue robe with a grizzled beard. He had initially been impatient, but when he heard that Bai Pu came from the Wu County Lu Clan, he became respectful. "Since you are a descendant of the Wu County Lu Clan, you must possess some learning. But treating wounded soldiers is no trivial matter. You must demonstrate your ability first."

Physician Liu then handed Bai Pu a cluster of dried vegetation resembling wild grass and said, "This Jian Jin Flower is quite effective for blade and spear wounds. Prepare it for use."

Bai Pu accepted the bundle of dried grass. In the Flesh Plague: Origin Plane, he had learned the knowledge of an Alchemist and was familiar with many medicinal herbs.

Though the Flesh Plague: Origin Plane was in Europe while the Three Kingdoms World was in Asia, both were "Origin Planes" formed from segments of Earth's historical river. The principles behind medicinal materials were the same! There would only be certain differences when it came to medicinal herbs unique to a particular plane.

Bai Pu removed the Jian Jin Flower's seeds and ground them into fine powder in a small mortar. He then placed the stems and leaves into a pot and decocted them into a small bowl of thick medicine. "Apply the powder externally and take the decoction internally. It can stop bleeding and relieve pain."

Physician Liu stroked his beard and smiled. "Precisely."

The Green Armor Squad Leader Zhang Neng was also quite pleased. Patting Bai Pu on the shoulder, he said, "Follow Physician Liu and prepare medicine. I will report this to the Military Marquis and have you transferred to the Wounded Soldier Camp to treat the injured."

Blades had no eyes, and Zhang Neng worried about what would happen if he himself were wounded. Now that the Wounded Soldier Camp had someone familiar like Bai Pu among its physicians, he had an extra measure of security.