Identity Bonus

Lin Maoxian glanced around at the group and said, "You all know a bit about one another now. I'm sure everyone has held back some details about their attributes, myself included, but I still hope you'll give it your all in battle. If something goes wrong, it won't do any of us any good. I'm sure you all understand. We still have some time, so if there's anything you want to say or ask, do it now."

At that, Eel immediately asked, "Captain, can you tell us the Centurion's attributes? And could you tell us just how high your own attributes are? I saw the Centurion punch you, but you didn't seem hurt at all. Tell us so we'll have some idea what we're dealing with." As he spoke, Eel glanced deliberately at the others.

When the others saw him look their way, they nodded in agreement. They had been curious about the same things, but hadn't felt comfortable asking. Now that someone had spoken up, nodding along was the least they could do.

Seeing how curious they were, Lin Maoxian decided to impress upon them just how strong he was, so they wouldn't disregard his orders on the battlefield. He wasn't particularly concerned about them learning his attributes. Once this world ended, there was no telling whether they'd ever meet again, and his attributes would certainly have changed by then. They would only know what his attributes were like now.

With that in mind, Lin Maoxian smiled at them. "Since Eel asked, and you all seem curious, I'll tell you about a few of my attributes. With my skill active, my strength can reach 35 points, and my stamina can reach 31. None of my other attributes are above 20."

When he saw their shocked expressions, he could only shrug and continue. "As for the Centurion, he hit me with his bare fist, so without counting weapons, his strength wasn't as high as 31. At the time, I got a notification from the space saying that the Centurion hadn't managed to penetrate my defenses."

"Captain, does that mean you're stronger than the Centurion without his equipment?" Shasha asked. The thought of her captain being stronger than the Centurion made her happy. If that were true, she'd be much safer.

Hearing Shasha's question, Lin Maoxian explained with a wry smile, "Shasha, you're overthinking it. Even without equipment bonuses, I'm no match for the Centurion. My skill consumes a lot of energy, so I can't keep it up for long. I could hold him off for a while, but I certainly couldn't kill him. Unless something unexpected happens, with my current attributes, the Centurion would definitely kill me. Don't forget, I'm not as fast as he is."

"The captain's still lucky. If we ran into someone at the Centurion's level on the battlefield, we'd be dead for sure." Eel had heard roughly what the Centurion's attributes were, and now he hardly expected to survive if he ran into a character of that level from the scenario.

Seeing the others looking just as pessimistic, Lin Maoxian reassured them, "Don't be so gloomy. The Yellow Turban Army's Centurions will definitely be dealt with by our own Centurions. Besides, we're the defenders, which gives us an advantage. Even if you do run into one, don't panic. Don't forget the equipment effects of Knife and Key. With one side weakened and the other strengthened, I still have a chance of winning. Stop worrying over nothing."

Their faces brightened at his words. It was true: they still had a chance, and they might not be unlucky enough to run into a Centurion anyway.

Once they had cheered up, Lin Maoxian turned to the five people with Scar and said, "Have any of you taken the 'Valiant Combat' side quest? If not, I hope you'll go accept it from the Centurion. It's a relatively simple quest."

Scar nodded. "Captain, I've already taken it." The others beside him nodded too, indicating that they had accepted the quest.

Lin Maoxian nodded. These people were relatively strong and confident, so it wasn't surprising they'd taken the quest. "Since you've already accepted it, there's nothing more I need to say. I'm going to see the Centurion now. Wait here for me to come back." With that, he walked out of the tent and headed for the Centurion's quarters.

Watching their captain leave, Eel said to the others, "Why do you think the captain's attributes are so high? And he has such a powerful skill, too. It can boost his attributes past 30 points. It's incredible."

"Definitely. I thought my own attributes were pretty good, but compared to the captain's, they're nothing." Scar had thought his attributes were decent, but after comparing them with the captain's, he'd lost all confidence.

The others nodded in agreement, especially Key and Knife. They had thought they were among the best, but now they saw there was always someone stronger.

Seeing that the others agreed with him, Eel asked in a somewhat conspiratorial tone, "Do you think the captain might be the strongest person in the space?"

"Well..." They couldn't be sure. The captain was certainly strong, but they couldn't guarantee there weren't other powerful people in the space. Anything could happen there, and no one could say there wasn't someone stronger.

After a while, Tiger spoke up. "I think even if the captain isn't the strongest in the space, he should be in the top five. Don't you agree?"

Scar disagreed. "Tiger, you're being too conservative. I wouldn't say the captain's definitely the strongest, but I think he could make the top three. We've all only been through one mission world. How could there be so many experts already? If there really are, how are the rest of us supposed to get by?" He looked at the others as he finished.

"Exactly." "That makes sense!" "Scar's right..." The others nodded one after another. They didn't think there could be that many experts, and Scar's argument seemed reasonable.

Noticing the mood turning sour, Shasha quickly said, "All right, all right. We're just speculating. I say, no matter why or what rank he is, the stronger the captain is, the safer we'll be—and the easier it'll be to earn Source Points."

Scar realized his tone had been a little off. Hearing Shasha, he quickly chimed in, "Shasha's right. We'll be safer either way. There's no need to worry about anything else. We should just wait for the captain to come back."

Seeing that, the others didn't know what to say. The tent fell quiet for a while.

By the time Lin Maoxian reached the Centurion's quarters, the other nine people had already arrived and were standing before the Centurion. Seeing this, Lin Maoxian immediately went to stand at the side and waited for the Centurion to speak.

Once everyone had arrived, Lin Wu said, "Give me your old tokens. I'll exchange them for tokens reserved for Squad Leaders."

Lin Maoxian and the others immediately handed over their tokens.

Lin Wu took the tokens they had given him and casually tossed them onto the table. Then he picked up the ten Squad Leader tokens he had prepared earlier and handed them out. "These are for Squad Leaders. Keep them safe and do your best not to lose them. If you do lose one, come to me at once for a replacement."

The moment Lin Maoxian took his token, he received a notification from the space: "Adventurer has received the temporary status 'Squad Leader' bonus—Strength +3, Agility +3, Stamina +3 (this effect is only valid during the time period specified in Main Quest 2)."

"Adventurer may solidify this status by obtaining battle merits from the relevant scenario character. Once solidified, it can be brought back to this space."

Lin Maoxian was quite pleased with the Squad Leader attribute bonus. Nine attribute points were worth 4,500 Source Points at present. They'd be worth even more once his attributes increased. More importantly, getting 100 battle merits would be no trouble for him; he only had to kill 100 Yellow Turban Soldiers. There would be no shortage of Yellow Turban Soldiers in the siege battle, so he could meet the requirement with just a little effort.

After everyone had received their tokens, Lin Wu continued, "The Yellow Turban Army's attack is drawing closer. It could begin at any moment. Once you leave, take the other members of your squads to the Quartermaster to collect basic equipment. Return to your tents as soon as you've collected it. Battle could start at any moment, so don't wander off and risk delaying military affairs." He waved them away, signaling that they could leave.

Lin Maoxian and the others took their leave of the Centurion. Once they were out of the tent, Lin Maoxian nodded to the others and headed back to his own tent. He'd planned to chat with them, but they weren't very familiar with one another, so he decided against it.

As he neared his tent, Lin Maoxian noticed there wasn't a sound coming from inside. It was unusually quiet. Once he entered, he found the atmosphere inside was strange too. Something had clearly happened while he was gone.

Lin Maoxian didn't ask about it. He simply said, "Come with me to the Quartermaster to collect your equipment. The battle could start at any moment, and we don't have much time." As he spoke, he set off first.

He called Xiao Zhang, who was standing not far away, over, then headed toward the Quartermaster's office.