Identity Bonus

Lin Maoxian scanned the group and said, "Now that we all have a better understanding of one another—though I'm sure everyone is hiding their true stats, myself included—I still hope we can give it our all during the fighting. It won't benefit anyone if things go wrong, and I believe you are all sensible people. While we still have some time, if you have anything you want to say or ask, speak up now."

Upon hearing this, Eel immediately asked, "Captain, could you tell us the Centurion's stats? Also, is it possible to know just how high your own stats are? I saw you take a punch from the Centurion without seeming to be injured at all. Tell us so we can have a baseline." As he spoke, Eel pointedly glanced at the others.

Seeing Eel look their way, the others nodded in agreement. They had been curious about these things all along but hadn't wanted to be the ones to ask. Now that someone else had taken the lead, they were more than happy to show their support.

Observing their curiosity, Lin Maoxian felt it was a good opportunity to intimidate them slightly, ensuring they wouldn't treat his orders lightly on the battlefield. As for them knowing his stats, he didn't care much; once this world ended, there was no guarantee they would ever meet again. His stats would certainly be updated by then, and they would only ever know his current ones.

With that in mind, Lin Maoxian smiled at the group and said, "Since Eel asked, and I can see you're all curious, I'll share a few of my stats. With my skill active, my Strength can reach 35 points, and my Constitution can reach 31. As for the others, none are above 20."

Seeing them staring at him in shock, he shrugged and continued, "As for the Centurion? Because he hit me with his fist—not counting weapons—his Strength didn't reach 31. I received a notification from the space at the time stating that the Centurion failed to break through my defense."

"Captain, doesn't that mean you're stronger than the Centurion when he isn't wearing gear?" Shasha asked. The thought that her captain was more powerful than the Centurion made her feel happy, as it meant she would be much safer.

Hearing Shasha's words, Lin Maoxian gave a wry smile. "Shasha, you're overthinking it. Even without his gear bonuses, I'm no match for the Centurion. My skill consumes a massive amount of energy and I can't maintain it for long. If the goal is to stall him for a while, I can manage that, but in a fight to the death, I would definitely lose. If nothing goes wrong, with my current stats, I would certainly be killed by him. Don't forget, my Agility isn't as high as his."

"You're still better off than us, Captain. If we ran into someone of the Centurion's caliber on the battlefield, we'd be dead for sure," Eel remarked. After hearing the Centurion's approximate stats, he had lost all hope of surviving if he encountered such a plot-space character.

Seeing the pessimistic expressions on the others, Lin Maoxian offered some comfort. "Don't be so gloomy. The Yellow Turban Army's Centurions will surely be handled by our own Centurions. Besides, we are the ones defending the city, which gives us the advantage. Even if you do run into one, don't panic. Don't forget the equipment effects that Knife and Key have. With those modifiers, it's not impossible for us to win. Stop worrying yourselves over nothing."

Hearing this, their expressions brightened. It was true; they still had a chance, and it wasn't a given that they would be unlucky enough to face a Centurion.

Once everyone had recovered, Lin Maoxian turned to Scar and the others. "Have you accepted the 'Valiant Combat' side quest? If not, I suggest you go to the Centurion and pick it up. It's a relatively simple task."

Scar nodded. "Captain, I've already accepted it." The others nodded as well, confirming they had done the same.

Lin Maoxian nodded in response. These individuals were relatively strong and confident in their own abilities, so it was no surprise they had already taken the quest. "Since you've already accepted it, I have nothing more to say. I'm going to see the Centurion now; wait here for my return." With that, he walked out of the tent and headed toward the Centurion's quarters.

Watching their captain walk away, Eel turned to the group. "Why do you think the captain's stats are so high? And that powerful skill—to be able to boost stats by over 30 points is just incredible."

"Indeed. I thought my own stats were quite decent, but compared to the captain's, I feel like mine are nothing," said Scar. He had originally felt confident in his own strength, but the comparison had shattered his confidence.

The others nodded in agreement, especially Key and Knife, who had both considered themselves top-tier until now.

Seeing the others agreeing, Eel asked mysteriously, "Do you think, given the captain's strength, he might be the number one person in the space?"

"That..." The group found it hard to say. While the captain was strong, they couldn't guarantee there weren't other powerhouses in the space. Anything could happen in the space; no one could claim there wasn't someone even stronger.

After a moment, Tiger spoke up. "I think even if the captain isn't the number one, he should at least be in the top five, don't you think?"

Scar disagreed. "Tiger, you're being too conservative. In my opinion, while I wouldn't dare say he's number one, he's definitely in the top three. I refuse to believe that, when we've all only been through one mission world, there could be so many experts. If that were true, how would we ever survive? Don't you agree?" He looked at the others.

"True." "Makes sense!" "Scar is right..." The others nodded one after another. They didn't believe there were that many experts, and Scar's logic seemed sound.

Sensing the atmosphere shifting, Shasha quickly interjected, "Alright, alright, we're just speculating. In my opinion, no matter the reason or the ranking, the stronger the captain is, the safer we are, and the easier it will be to earn Source Points."

Scar realized his tone had been a bit off and immediately followed Shasha's lead. "Shasha is right. We'll be safer regardless, so there's no need to dwell on the rest. Let's just wait for the captain to return."

The others didn't know what else to say, and the tent fell into a quiet silence.

When Lin Maoxian arrived at the Centurion's tent, the other nine were already there, standing before the Centurion. Seeing this, Lin Maoxian stepped to the side and waited for the Centurion to speak.

Once everyone had arrived, Lin Wu said, "Give me your old tokens. I will exchange them for the tokens designated for Squad Leaders."

Lin Maoxian and the others immediately handed over their tokens.

Lin Wu took the tokens, tossed them onto the desk, and picked up ten pre-prepared tokens, handing them to the group. "These are for Squad Leaders. Keep them safe and try not to lose them. If you do, you must come to me immediately for a replacement."

As Lin Maoxian took his token, he received a notification from the space: "Adventurer has gained the temporary status 'Squad Leader' bonus—Strength +3, Agility +3, Constitution +3 (This effect is only valid during the specified time for Main Mission 2)."

"Adventurers can solidify this status by earning military merit and interacting with the corresponding plot character. Once solidified, it can be brought back to the space."

Lin Maoxian was quite satisfied with the Squad Leader stat bonus. A total of 9 points was currently equivalent to 4,500 Source Points. It would be even more valuable once his base stats were higher. More importantly, earning 100 military merit was easy—he just needed to kill 100 Yellow Turban Soldiers. During the siege, there would be no shortage of them; a little effort would be enough.

Seeing that everyone had received their tokens, Lin Wu continued, "The Yellow Turban siege is drawing near; it could start at any moment. Once you leave, take the others in your squads to the Quartermaster to collect basic equipment. After that, return to your tents immediately. The battle could start at any time, so do not wander off and delay military matters." With a wave of his hand, he dismissed them.

Lin Maoxian and the others bid the Centurion farewell. Outside the tent, Lin Maoxian nodded to the others and headed toward his own tent. He had considered chatting with them, but decided against it since they didn't really know each other.

As he neared his tent, Lin Maoxian noticed it was eerily quiet. Upon entering, he found the atmosphere tense, clearly indicating something had happened in his absence.

Lin Maoxian didn't ask questions. He simply said, "Follow me to the Quartermaster to collect your equipment. The battle could start at any moment, and we don't have much time." He then led the way out.

He called over Xiao Zhang, who was standing nearby, and they headed toward the Quartermaster's location.