"Captain Roger, if this mission is difficult, that's all the more reason I should go. As a member of the Heaven-Sundering Mercenary Corps, how can I back down at a time like this?" Lin Xinghai said resolutely.
'It was the perfect textbook answer. He didn't believe Roger could have any reason to argue.'
"I'm not the corps leader. You don't need to pledge your loyalty to me," Roger said, looking utterly speechless.
After a pause, he continued, "I wasn't kidding. For this mission, we'll have to go deep into the city, and it will be at least twice as dangerous as usual."
"You're talented, yes, but right now you're just an ordinary person. Even if I put you on logistics duty, you'd probably have a hard time escaping if we ran into real danger."
With that, Lin Xinghai was finally certain that what Roger was saying wasn't some bullshit loyalty test, but that he was genuinely looking out for him.
Thinking this, he decided to reveal some of his cards. "Captain Roger, there's actually something I wanted to report to you. I'm not as weak as you might think. This afternoon, after the Shelter assigned our accommodations, five thugs from the Axe Gang came to collect protection money, and I took care of all of them."
'It would be difficult to hide the fact that his strength had increased, especially with a mission about to start. He couldn't afford to hold back if they encountered danger.'
'Rather than have it exposed then, it was better to say something now and give him a heads-up.'
"Didn't you show them your Mercenary Badge? How did you end up in a conflict with the Axe Gang? If I remember correctly, the Wild Wolf Mercenary Corps is behind them!"
Wait a minute…
As Roger was speaking, the real meaning of Lin Xinghai's words finally sank in.
He swallowed hard, staring at Lin Xinghai in disbelief. "What did you just say? You took care of thugs from the Axe Gang? Five of them? How is that possible?"
Lin Xinghai smiled. "Actually, there's something I haven't told you. Before the apocalypse, I was a provincial Sanda champion. My combat skills aren't half bad."
"That..." Roger's eyes widened at this news, but he quickly shook his head. "That still shouldn't be possible. You haven't taken any Genetic Potions. The gap in physique between you and those thugs is huge, and you were facing five of them."
"That's the second thing I wanted to tell you. I've discovered that I absorb Genetic Potions extremely quickly."
"In just this past half-day, I've already absorbed two Genetic Potions, which is the main reason I was able to win against those thugs." Lin Xinghai finally tossed out his fabricated reason.
'He knew it was a terrible excuse, and that no sane person would probably believe him, but what else could he do?'
'The matter of the System was simply inexplicable, and he had no intention of explaining it anyway.'
"What!" This time, Roger was so shocked he shot to his feet, his eyes locked on Lin Xinghai. "Is... is what you're saying true?"
"It's true, though I have no idea why," Lin Xinghai said with a completely serious expression.
Roger stood there stunned for a long time before he couldn't help but mutter, "Could it be... you possess some kind of Special Physique?"
Lin Xinghai's ears twitched. "A Special Physique? What's that?"
"It means exactly what it says. After all, out of millions of people, there are bound to be a few with extremely special physiques, so they'll have traits that are different from the average person. People who possess a Special Physique awaken especially powerful Superpowers," Roger explained.
"Yes, I think I have that kind of Special Physique," Lin Xinghai said quickly.
'He didn't give a damn what a Special Physique was. Since it could help him cover his tracks, he would just confirm it first and ask questions later, consequences be damned.'
Roger asked, "Why?"
Lin Xinghai replied, "There's no reason, it's just a feeling. Otherwise, why else would I be absorbing Genetic Potions so quickly?"
Roger: "..."
The room fell into a long silence. After a full fifteen minutes, Roger finally seemed to accept this as fact.
"You absolutely cannot let anyone find out you have a Special Physique. Do you understand?" Roger urged him seriously.
"Okay! I understand." Lin Xinghai nodded again and again. "So, can I go on this mission now?"
Seeing the hesitation on Roger's face, Lin Xinghai added, "If you're still worried my strength isn't enough, just give me another ten or twenty Genetic Potions. I can break through and become one of the Optimized before we set out."
Roger's expression darkened, but after a moment's consideration, he actually pulled two Genetic Potions from his pocket. "Improve your strength as much as you can before we leave. When the time comes, stick close to me and don't do anything reckless."
Lin Xinghai hadn't expected Roger to actually give him Genetic Potions, and it was obvious that he was paying for them out of his own pocket.
However, he didn't refuse and accepted them directly.
'Right now, he was in desperate need of Blood Qi Power. As for this favor, he would naturally repay it in full—and then some—once he was strong enough in the future.'
"Now, let me tell you about the mission. Tianshan City is 200 kilometers southeast of the Star Shield Shelter. On our last mission, we accidentally detected an energy reaction in a certain area of the city center. We suspect there's a large quantity of Energy Crystal Stones stored there."
"Our preliminary estimate is at least one ton. Those Energy Crystal Stones are our target," Roger said, lowering his voice.
"A ton of Energy Crystal Stones!" Lin Xinghai exclaimed in shock. Realizing his outburst, he immediately clamped a hand over his mouth and glanced around.
'Now he finally understood why Roger had spent extra money on a private room and had carefully scanned the surroundings with a wrist-mounted computer before they spoke.'
'After spending the afternoon wandering around and asking for information, Lin Xinghai was no longer a complete novice. At the very least, he understood the value of Energy Crystal Stones.'
'A ton of Energy Crystal Stones might not have been a huge deal before the apocalypse.'
'But now, in an era of scarce Energy, its value was a different story entirely.'
'If they successfully brought it back and sold it here at the Shelter, it would fetch at least 100,000 to 150,000 Points.'
'This was a fortune that would drive any Mercenary Corps into a frenzy.'
"If this mission is a success, the Mercenary Corps will be able to buy a large amount of new equipment and advance to become a Second Level Mercenary Corps."
"At that point, with the talent you've shown, maybe we really could give you a dozen or so Genetic Potions a week," Roger said with a smile.