Chapter 2: You Can Even Loot Corpses!

"Surround them, leave no survivors!" shouted Liu Lei, the commander of the hundred-man company.

Watching the bandit leader charge toward him, Liu Lei remained calm. He gripped his saber with both hands, watching the attacker with cautious focus. As a centurion, Liu Lei was a veteran of countless battles; such scenes were commonplace to him.

"You corrupt dog!" the bandit leader roared. "Die!"

He lunged at Liu Lei, swinging his blade down with lethal intent. Liu Lei raised his own saber to block. *Clang!* The sheer force of the blow made his arm tremble.

"You’re no ordinary bandit," Liu Lei muttered, instantly sensing something was wrong. "Who exactly are you?"

"Ask that in the underworld!" the leader sneered. He pulled back his blade and struck again, his movements sharp and vicious—clearly the product of professional military training, not the clumsy brawling of common thugs.

Liu Lei struggled to parry. The bandit was incredibly sturdy and powerful, and Liu Lei found himself hard-pressed to keep up. With a sudden *thud*, the bandit leader kicked out, sending Liu Lei sprawling to the ground.

"Die, you dog!" The leader grinned hideously, raising his blade to finish him off.

*It’s over,* Liu Lei thought, a wave of despair washing over him.

But just then, *swish*—an arrow tore through the air. *Squelch.* It pierced the bandit leader's chest, forcing his strike to falter. The wound, however, was not immediately fatal. With a savage snarl, the man charged at Liu Lei again.

*Swish.* Another arrow flew, striking the bandit leader squarely in the heart. The man’s sword clattered to the ground, and he toppled backward, dead before he hit the dirt.

"Dead?" Liu Lei gasped, reeling from his brush with death. He looked behind him and saw Zhu Ying running over, bow in hand.

Upon reaching the fallen leader, Zhu Ying drew his own saber and brought it down on the man’s neck. *Crunch.* Blood splattered across Zhu Ying’s face. The bandit was well and truly finished.

*“Target killed: Tatarian centurion. Attributes increased by 20 points. First kill of an official-rank enemy: Ordinary Treasure Chest awarded,”* a prompt appeared before Zhu Ying’s eyes.

But at that moment, Zhu Ying wasn't feeling triumphant. He felt his stomach churn. Looking at the gore, his face turned pale and his body tensed up.

Seeing this, Liu Lei felt a mix of gratitude and amusement. "Fresh recruit," he chuckled, pulling himself to his feet. He turned to his men, his voice commanding once more. "All soldiers, listen up! Finish them off—leave no one standing!"

The bandits, already surrounded by the hundred-strong government force, were quickly cut down. Within moments, the ground was littered with bodies.

"Reporting to the Centurion," a squad leader said, hurrying over. "All forty-eight bandits have been executed. We have four dead and over a dozen wounded."

In the Ming military, the hierarchy was clear: soldiers, followed by squad leaders (commanding ten men), platoon leaders (commanding fifty), and then various levels of centurions and thousand-man commanders.

"Get the wounded to the rear for treatment and tally the battle merits," Liu Lei said steadily. Having survived many such raids, his earlier panic had already faded.

"Understood!" the squad leaders replied.

Liu Lei walked over to Zhu Ying. "What’s your name, kid?" he asked with a smile.

Zhu Ying stood up straight, steadying his breathing. "Reporting, sir. My name is Zhu Ying. I’ve been in the service for less than two months."

"I could tell you were a greenhorn," Liu Lei laughed. He reached out and patted Zhu Ying on the shoulder. "If not for those two arrows, I’d be a dead man. If you ever need anything in this army, or if there’s something you don't understand, don't hesitate to come to me."

"Yes, sir!" Zhu Ying bowed.

"Go help clear the bodies," Liu Lei ordered.

"Understood."

As he walked toward the corpses, Zhu Ying’s mind was occupied by his status panel and the attributes he had just gained. Mentally, he probed the interface. *Attribute Panel?*

Instantly, a data window manifested before his eyes:

Host: Zhu Ying
Age: 13
Strength: 180 points (1 point = 1 jin of force)
Speed: 140 points
Physique: 95 points (Determines defense and recovery rate)
Stamina: 88 points
Spirit: 87 points
Lifespan: 88 years
Storage Space: 1 cubic meter

"It’s not a dream," Zhu Ying thought, his heart racing. "The attributes I gained from those kills were added directly to me."

This was his path to survival! "And I can even gain lifespan? Does that mean I can become immortal?"

He reached out and touched the body of a fallen bandit. *“Physique +5,”* the panel chimed.

His eyes lit up. "Not only can I get attributes from killing, but I can scavenge them from the corpses too?" He quickly touched another body. *“Lifespan +5 days.”*

"I can actually extend my life!" His pulse hammered in his ears. This was something emperors throughout history had sought in vain, yet now, it was within his grasp.

"The Shen family... thank you," he whispered to himself.

Without wasting a second, Zhu Ying began running from corpse to corpse, touching each one.

"Strength +5."
"Stamina +5."
"Lifespan +5 days."
"Speed +3."
"Lifespan +5 days..."

The other soldiers watched him with confusion. "Is this kid crazy? Why is he checking every single corpse?"

"Haha, he’s a strange one," an old veteran remarked. "First time I’ve seen a recruit so diligent about making sure they’re all dead."