The Upcoming Selection

Regarding Shasha's words, Lin Maoxian said solemnly, "Shasha, you can rest easy. In gaming terms, you're the team's healer, so everyone will prioritize protecting you. As long as you don't die, our own survival will be much more secure."

Eel added, "The Captain is right, Shasha. When the time comes, I'll buff you, and if you run into danger, just run. Everyone will definitely come to save you."

Tiger nodded in agreement, "That's exactly what it means. Don't worry, Shasha; you're definitely the target everyone will prioritize protecting."

Hearing this, Shasha smiled happily, "Then I'll thank you all in advance! But Tiger, Eel and the Captain have already shared their stats, yet you haven't. Why don't you tell us yours too?"

Tiger retorted, "I was just about to say it, but you interrupted me, and now you're blaming me? As for my stats, my Strength and Constitution have reached 15 points, which is the highest among us, and my Agility is at 10. The only thing is, unlike Eel and Shasha, I don't have any skills; I've invested all my Source Points into my character's attributes."

Lin Maoxian nodded. The three of them hadn't held back much when introducing their stats, even if they hadn't gone into exhaustive detail. This was good enough; as long as he knew their specific attributes, the rest was their own business. "Since everyone has a general understanding of each other's stats, let's talk about our main quests to see if they're the same, so we don't run into trouble completing them later."

Tiger shook his head and said, "That's not necessary. When we gathered earlier, we already asked. Everyone's quest is the same: to hold Pingyang City for seven days during the Yellow Turban siege. We can't leave the battlefield for the first five days, though if things look bad during the final two, we have the option to run."

Eel nodded, "Tiger is right, but this world's quest is much harder than the last one. The previous quest was completed easily, but this time we have to fight on the battlefield. I don't even know if we'll survive."

"Exactly, this mission is just too difficult," Shasha chimed in from the side.

Lin Maoxian thought for a moment. His own quest was to hold the city for seven days, which meant he had to hold out for two days longer than them. By the system's logic, the difficulty of the final two days was likely equal to the first five. This meant he couldn't hide his strength early on; he needed to kill as many Yellow Turban Soldiers as possible to reduce the pressure for those final two days.

While thinking this, he said to the group, "This mission is indeed much harder than the last. I won't hide it from you—on my way to Pingyang County, I killed a Yellow Turban Army Centurion. His stats were quite high, with most above 10 and several exceeding 15. Moreover, above the Centurions are the Centurion Guards, a unit with even higher stats. If you encounter them, it's best not to face them head-on."

Hearing this, Eel said in surprise, "So the Captain has already killed a Yellow Turban Centurion? No wonder you're so confident about becoming one. But aren't those stats a bit too high? If I ran into one, I'd only be able to run."

Shasha looked at Eel and said, "You're lucky. If I ran into a Centurion alone, I'm afraid I wouldn't even have the chance to run; I'd definitely be killed."

Tiger, sitting to the side, looked grave. "Indeed. While I'm confident I wouldn't lose to a Centurion, winning wouldn't be easy. And with the Centurion Guards and the Centurions themselves above them, if I ran into them, I might lose my life too."

Seeing their discouraged expressions, Lin Maoxian knew he couldn't let this continue. He needed to boost their morale, or they'd be defeated before the fighting even started. "Don't be so pessimistic. I don't think many Centurions will appear during this siege; we can let our own side's Centurions handle them. We just need to deal with the Squad Leaders and the regular Yellow Turban Soldiers. Don't overcomplicate the mission; keep your spirits up, understand?"

Shasha pouted, "Captain, that's your fault. You're the one who told us how strong those guards and Centurions were, which is why we're so scared."

"I only mentioned it so you would be careful. On the battlefield, it's not about how many enemies you kill, but how long you can survive." Lin Maoxian looked at Shasha with amusement; he had meant well by warning them, yet here he was being blamed.

At this moment, Eel asked, "Captain, there's still a long time until sunset. Should we go to other tents to recruit people now?"

Lin Maoxian shook his head. "What's the point of recruiting now? Once I win the martial competition and they see my strength, experts will naturally come to join me, and I can pick and choose at my leisure. If we go now, I doubt many will be willing to join; it would be a waste of time."

Tiger agreed, "The Captain is right. If I hadn't seen the Captain's strength, I wouldn't have agreed to join so easily. Instead of wasting time now, we might as well wait and choose carefully. But since we have so much time, are we just going to stay here?"

"Of course not. But I need to tell you something first: that kid who came with me is a native of this world. I promised him that, as far as possible, I would keep him alive and ensure he lives a good life. So, when you're around him, don't mention the Space, or you might be penalized." Lin Maoxian explained Xiao Zhang's identity to prevent anyone from accidentally slipping up and triggering a penalty.

"He's actually a native? I thought he was your subordinate," Eel said, surprised. He then asked curiously, "Captain, since he's not from the Space, why protect him? Did you accept a quest?"

"Quests aren't that easy to come by. He was a Yellow Turban Soldier who was useful to me at the time, so I spared his life and promised to help him survive and live well. I'm a man of my word; I just don't want to break my promise," Lin Maoxian explained. Whether they believed him or not was their business.

Before they could ask more, Lin Maoxian continued, "Speaking of quests, I've accepted the side quest 'Valiant Combat.' Have any of you taken it?"

"I didn't; it's too dangerous." "I didn't either; I'm afraid I won't be able to hold out for that long," Eel and Shasha said, shaking their heads.

Tiger, however, nodded. "I took it. It's just holding out for 12 hours, right? It didn't seem too difficult, so I accepted."

"Not difficult? Tiger, you have to realize that by taking this, you have to hold out not just during the regular fighting, but for the final two days as well. If Pingyang City is breached and you run, it counts as a failed quest, and you'll lose a massive amount of Source Points!" Hearing Tiger call it easy, Eel immediately protested.

Lin Maoxian smiled and said, "Eel, every adventurer has different stats, so it's normal for Tiger to have that confidence. Besides, even if you don't take this quest, the fighting time might not be any shorter; you'd just have the option to run during the last two days. But if you do that, the rewards you get upon returning to the Space won't be much. I suggest you and Shasha go to the Centurion and accept the quest. Of course, that's just my advice; you can decide for yourselves."

Eel and Shasha fell into deep thought, clearly weighing the pros and cons to see if the quest rewards were worth the risk.

After a while, Eel shook his head. "Captain, I've thought about it, and I'm not taking the quest. Even though the rewards are good, I'm afraid Pingyang City will be breached and I'll lose a huge amount of Source Points. If I don't take it, I'm confident I can escape if the city falls."

Lin Maoxian didn't say anything. He had seen Eel's stats; while that skill only granted other adventurers a temporary 3-point Agility boost, it granted Eel himself a 6-point boost. That would push his Agility over 20, making escape quite feasible.

"Very well. Since you don't want to take the quest, I won't push you; to each their own." Lin Maoxian replied to Eel, then turned to Shasha. "What about you, Shasha? Are you not taking it either?"

Shasha bit her lip, then said firmly, "No, Captain. I want to take this quest. If I don't take it now, and the quests get even harder later, I'll have no way to pass them. I want to see if I can earn some extra Source Points this time."

Looking at the average-looking woman before him, Lin Maoxian felt a sense of admiration. She was not only far-sighted but also decisive—much better than Eel sitting next to her. "Don't worry, Shasha. Since you're with me this time, I won't let you suffer a loss. Even if this quest fails, I have a way to make up for your losses, so rest easy."

"Make up for it? Captain, are you going to give us Source Points?" Shasha asked, surprised.

Lin Maoxian rolled his eyes at her. "How could I? If the quest fails, I'll lose Source Points too. I just happen to have discovered a good place where we can make up for the losses later." He was, of course, referring to that valley. While he didn't know what was inside, he was certain there would be a great harvest.