Ding! Reporting Suspected Cheating

However, the attributes of these soldiers are higher than his own, and they even have equipped armor.

Although it's just basic white armor, it's advantageous because it's a full set with additional amplification effects.

"Good sir, you've finally arrived!" A wealthy merchant wearing Shu brocade saw Long Chen and walked over with joy.

"Hmm, so what now? Are we ready to set off?" Long Chen asked.

The Shu brocade merchant nodded, then addressed the group of soldiers, "The time has come, it's time to depart! Wishing all of you good sirs a triumphant return!"

He even bowed, displaying impeccable courtesy.

For this expedition, he certainly wouldn't take any risks himself. Instead, he had brought a loyal servant who had been with him for years to guide the soldiers.

When the goods were stolen, this servant and the merchant had seen the faces of the bandits and their escape route.

Before leaving, Long Chen had asked the wealthy merchant for a weapon. He initially just wanted a basic white weapon for self-defense. However, the merchant, being quite generous, handed over the coveted blue (Excellence) grade Blood Drinking Blade.

With great enthusiasm, he said, "Good sir, I'll lend you this Blood Drinking Blade for now. If you manage to successfully retrieve the stolen goods, consider this weapon a gift!"

Overjoyed, Long Chen expressed his gratitude, "Thank you very much! I will do my best!"

He couldn't help but appreciate the amiable nature of the people during the Han era in the game. They were so kind and friendly.

In reality, these NPCs were only this friendly to Long Chen due to his exceptionally high Charisma score of 100. He possessed a level of charisma that rivaled legendary figures like Liu Bei, Cao Cao, and Sun Quan, if not exceeded it.

In addition to his remarkable charisma, the wealthy merchant also hoped to stoke Long Chen's determination for a heroic endeavor, effectively winning him over. However, if it were another player, the merchant might offer a morale-boosting green item, but he'd be unwilling to part with a blue item.

As the sun gradually rose, everything came to life, and a sense of renewal permeated the surroundings. Long Chen and the three other players on the team sat on the boat, enjoying the beautiful scenery.

"This world is incredibly lifelike! Look at the picturesque scenery here, and the air is so fresh. There's no such beauty in the real world!"

"Yeah, the real world is just full of tall buildings, and you can hardly find a hint of greenery."

"Greenery is right above you, and you can't see it, of course..."

Long Chen thought mischievously, aware that he was in an entirely different world. He maintained a low profile in the group as usual, seemingly invisible to others. Most of the conversation was led by the three other players.

After a brief interaction, Long Chen discovered that the system couldn't reveal the attributes of other players. This reassured him since possessing a legendary gold-tier talent in a world like this could lead to unwanted attention, even a manhunt. People are ruthless; if I can't have it, you can't either.

The medium-sized cargo ship had been sailing on the Yellow Water River for approximately two to three hours. The wealthy merchant's servant was at the front of the ship, engaged in a discussion with the sergeant about the bandit's lair.

If it weren't for the hideout being that of small-time bandits, the more than fifty soldiers wouldn't have dared to confront them.

The sergeant served as the highest commander for these more than fifty soldiers.

Intrigued, Long Chen decided to use the system to investigate further, but he received a warning instead.

"Ding! The level difference is too significant to investigate..."

"Ding! The level difference is too significant to investigate..."

"How large does the level difference have to be before I can't investigate anymore?"

Long Chen was puzzled. He had already completed a large number of beginner tasks on the first day, and he had already reached level 4.

"Brother, do you want to see the attributes of those soldiers?" A burly man noticed Long Chen's curiosity and asked.

Long Chen didn't deny it, and he nodded, saying, "Yes, I was planning to see, but the system says that the level gap is too large, and I can't see..."

The burly man patted Long Chen on the shoulder and said with a smile, "I was the same as you at first. Later, I checked on the game forum and found out that if the level gap is fifteen levels, you can't see..."

"Oh, I see. Thanks for letting me know!" Long Chen replied.

At that moment, the burly man suddenly roared, "Full alert, everyone!"

Instantly, the previously relaxed soldiers formed orderly ranks.

Long Chen and the other three players also stood up and gripped their weapons.

"Brother Juming your weapon is extraordinary!" Li Wu stared at Long Chen's Blood Drinking Blade in astonishment.

Li Wu was the burly man from earlier.

The Blood Drinking Blade was over four feet long, its blade shimmered with a chilling light, and its sharpness was unparalleled. In the middle of the hilt, there was a blood-red gem that gleamed eerily.

Just one look gave a sense of blockage in the heart.

Long Chen smiled calmly and said, "Let's go take a look at what's happening up ahead."

"Alright!"

The other two players seemed to be following Li Wu, staying by his side.

Long Chen didn't want to reveal the grade of his Blood Drinking Blade just yet. After all, if you start showing off without having the strength to back it up, you might end up losing your life.

"What's happening up ahead, Sergeant?" Li Wu asked, showing respect.

The Sergeant only cast a cold look at him and then shifted his gaze forward, keeping a stern eye on what lay ahead.

Who knows what that merchant was thinking, bringing a few greenhorns over. I hope they don't mess up my mission.

The Sergeant looked down on these newcomers, considering them weak and inexperienced. Most players' experiences weren't great at the beginning of the game because they were much weaker than the average person. The main reason for this was that their strength was only slightly higher than that of commoners.

Receiving the cold look from the Sergeant, Li Wu was unhappy, but he couldn't react. If he annoyed the Sergeant and got killed, it wouldn't be a good outcome. He had finally drawn a blue-quality excellent talent. If he disappeared because of this, he would have nowhere to cry.

The other two players were named Zhang Hua and Chen Wei. They were Li Wu's schoolmates on the surface but secretly were like his henchmen.

The three of them were exceptionally lucky to have been born in the same beginner's village, and their talents were quite good. The other two also had green-quality talents. In a situation where the majority of players had white-quality talents, their green-quality talents made them stand out as top players.

Seeing their big brother being ignored, Zhang Hua felt frustrated and wanted to help Li Wu.

However, Li Wu pulled him back and muttered, "Do you think this is still school? Come back quickly, don't make trouble. Just follow orders later!"

"Li Ge, but... Well, fine!"

The sergeant naturally noticed the actions of these strangers and felt even more disgusted.

"Sergeant 's Favorability -5."

Li Wu was at a loss. He just wanted to ask a question and received cold stares, which was quite different from his situation of being a ruler at school.

These actions were observed by Long Chen. He approached them with a gentle and warm demeanor, asking, "I'm not sure what's happening up ahead. What has made the general so alert?"

His words made the sergeant feel a sense of warmth. "General!?" After all, he had joined the army with hopes of becoming a general to bring honor to his family.

With Long Chen speaking this way, he felt that he had found a long-lost brother.

"Ding! The sergeant's Favorability towards you is 63, displaying genuine loyalty."

"Wow, this 'Dragon and Phoenix Among Men' talent is just too good!"

"I really love this talent!"

Long Chen was extremely pleased internally but maintained a composed demeanor on the surface, as if he were a legendary expert.

"Oh, I see. Young friend, I sensed danger up ahead, and it's very likely to be the hideout of the river bandits!"

"Your level is relatively low right now, so when the ship gets closer, you'll be able to see it."

The sergeant himself didn't know why he was sharing so much with the handsome stranger before him. He just felt that the young man was very familiar, like a warm sun, and he enjoyed being around him.

Li Wu and the others, who were preparing to make fun of Long Chen, were suddenly stunned. Their eyeballs felt like they were about to pop out.

"Oh, my God, I'm reporting this! Someone's cheating!"

Isn't this blatant cheating?

Why is the difference between people so huge? Three question marks appeared above Li Wu and his friends.

The sudden disparity made them want to quit the game immediately and report the cheater to the platform...

But when they received the platform's response, they were completely baffled.

Game platform: After a thorough examination, the player "Leaning on the Sword, Listening to the Wind" has not violated any game rules...

Fine, let's continue playing the game!

However, they felt quite unfair deep down.

Why can he do it, but not us? Just because he looks better than me?

In the game, players cannot see each other's attributes or perceive each other's charisma levels; they can only see each other's appearances. This is why Li Wu made such a judgment.

...

As the ship sailed further, Long Chen and the others could see several small dark dots in the distance.

"Are those... damaged fishing boats?"

"Yes, those are the tools these bandits use to cause trouble on the Huangshui River!"

"Hmph! When I encounter them, I'll make sure to wipe them all out! How dare they cause trouble on the Huangshui River!"

The sergeant's thick eyebrows furrowed, and he clenched his massive fist, releasing a burst of his aura in an instant.

It left Long Chen in awe.

My goodness, even a sergeant is this formidable! I wonder how amazing legendary warriors like Zhao Yun and Ma Chao must be!

Thinking of this, a hint of yearning flashed in Long Chen's eyes.

But then he remembered that he was currently in Yangzhou, and legendary heroes like Zhao Yun and Ma Chao probably had little connection to him. Zhao Yun's hometown was in Zhending County, Changshan Commandery, Ji Province, which was quite far from Yangzhou. As for Ma Chao, he was from Maoling County, Fufeng Commandery in Liangzhou, which was even farther away!

(Note: Due to being in a mythical Three Kingdoms setting, the game world is hundreds of times larger than the real world, making the distances vast. Yangzhou and their hometowns are very far apart.)

He snapped out of his thoughts and looked towards the approaching bandit's hideout.