Chapter Sixty-Nine: Rewards and Merits

This was Chen Hao’s first time commanding a battle in the game, and he hadn’t expected to receive an A rating. Achieving this was due to a fair amount of luck. The fact that they managed to defeat a larger enemy force with minimal losses—only two of their own—was thanks in large part to his teammates. Liu Zixuan’s caution ensured that the ambushers hiding in the mountains were never discovered; Liu Yishou’s landmines struck terror into the pursuers; and the agile Night Rain eliminated Chen Hao’s arch-nemesis, Sanshengshi, depriving the frail Mr. Liu of any chance to escape.

After the battlefield was cleared, Lin Heier had Chen Hao gather all the players for a debrief and rewards ceremony. In addition to the experience points, each player received a physical reward. The prizes were mostly loot dropped during the battle—players with outstanding performances, like Night Rain and Liu Yishou, received standard Model Broomhandle Mauser pistols, while those with average performances got standard Mannlicher or Kuaile rifles, and those who did the least well received either ordinary firearms or silver dollars.

The players had fought this battle on behalf of Lin Heier and Lady Cuiyun, so even those who died in battle received rewards. The two fallen players had been ambushing in the wheat field on the left; as they fired from the wheat field, Sanshengshi’s men returned wild fire in that direction, and they were unfortunately hit by stray bullets and killed.

Upon resurrection, the fallen players would receive a system notification and could collect their rewards at the post office. They lost one level from dying, but the experience gained from completing the quest made up for it, so it was as if they’d toiled for nothing. But war always claims casualties, and everyone who participates in a battle mission is mentally prepared for that—being struck by a stray bullet is just a matter of bad luck.

As the commander of this operation, Chen Hao earned the most experience and successfully reached level twelve. Besides the experience, he also received a standard Browning M1900 pistol as a reward.

Before the revolution, countless Browning pistols flooded into China, earning them the nickname “badge pistols.” Among pistols of the same quality in the game, the Browning was the most expensive. Dainty and compact, the Browning used a magazine and was especially well-suited for female players.

With countless players joining “War,” there were many women among them, and owning a Browning pistol was every female player’s dream in the early game.

The Browning M1900, produced by the Belgian state-owned Herstal company, was one of the best pistols available early on in the game, and only a handful had dropped in the Huaxia region. The Browning Chen Hao received was likely Sanshengshi’s sidearm.

Equipment Name: Browning Pistol (M1900 Model)
Type: Automatic Pistol
Quality: Standard
Description: The first mass-produced pistol by Belgium’s Herstal company, utilizing a classic blowback action. Elegant and compact, easy to carry.
Length: 165 mm

Caliber: millimeters
Weight: kilograms
Effective Range: 30 meters
Magazine Capacity: 7 rounds
Base Attributes: None
Power: 35
Rate of Fire: 55
Accuracy: 85
Stability: 90

After reviewing the Browning’s stats, Chen Hao thought that while its power and range didn’t match the Colt, its accuracy was somewhat better, but the Colt still suited him more.

The advantage of the Browning pistol was its exquisite compactness, being even smaller and lighter than his premium Colt, but this feature held little appeal for him—it would be better suited to a female player.

Early in the game, pistols were rare drops, and most players relied on rifles, so Chen Hao was reluctant to sell the Browning. In his team, the pale and mischievous Yaonie had previously fought without a gun, but now, thanks to the premium Colt in his hands and his decent performance this battle, combined with his growing rapport with Lin Heier, he received a standard Kuaile rifle.

After some thought, Chen Hao discussed with the mischievous Yaonie and Yudie, and the three carried out an exchange: Chen Hao received Yaonie’s standard Kuaile, Yudie received Chen Hao’s standard Browning, and Yaonie got Yudie’s standard Mauser.

This exchange was clearly a loss for Chen Hao. In the game, pistols were more precious than rifles, and the Browning was the priciest of them all—a single standard Browning could easily be traded for two standard Kuaile rifles.

Yet Chen Hao didn’t mind. He already had a premium Colt pistol and what he really needed was a rifle; a standard Kuaile would suffice for now. Besides, the mischievous Yaonie had helped him a lot at the start, and he had a good impression of Yudie in the team—this trade would only strengthen the team as a whole.

Liu Zixuan had also distinguished herself in this battle, earning the only standard Mauser G98 rifle as a reward. Since she already had a standard Kuaile rifle, she handed the G98 to Lin Xiaofeng, saying, “Brother Lin, this rifle suits you.”

Lin Heier, Lady Cuiyun, and Chen Hao had been fierce in melee, taking down most of the enemies themselves, leaving Lin Xiaofeng and Chen Feng with only modest performances. Lin Xiaofeng did a bit better, having eliminated two players and receiving a standard Kuaile, while Chen Feng only got an ordinary model.

Lin Xiaofeng glanced over the stats of the standard Mauser G98 and shook his head. “Zixuan, the G98 is much more advanced than the Kuaile—you should keep it.”

Liu Zixuan smiled. “I’m used to the Kuaile, and since they’re both standard models, using the G98 would just mean getting used to it all over again. Wasn’t the Kuaile in my hands a gift from you? I didn’t hesitate to accept it then, so you shouldn’t refuse this now.”

Seeing Liu Zixuan’s insistence, Lin Xiaofeng relented. But upon accepting the G98, he immediately handed it to Chen Feng, smiling, “Let Chen Feng use this one. Now everyone in our team will have a standard firearm.”

Not far away, Chen Hao overheard their conversation and was quite pleased with the team’s camaraderie. Now that everyone was armed, the next priority would be marksmanship practice. Chen Hao planned to improve his own shooting first, then reload extra rounds for the team so everyone could train—selling ammo at a sixty percent discount should be acceptable to them...

Chen Hao was a bit troubled about what to do with the eight constables. Letting them go was out of the question, but since Liu Zixuan had accepted their surrender, it wouldn’t be right to kill prisoners either. Left with no choice, he turned to Lin Heier for help, asking her to take the constables away. Whether she brainwashed them into joining the Boxers or simply killed them was no concern of his.

Lin Heier had just finished handing out the rewards. When she saw Chen Hao approaching, she smiled and said, “Nephew Baxi, you are truly impressive—winning against the odds with only two casualties. I actually wanted to ask for your advice on something.”

“What is it?” Chen Hao asked curiously.

Lin Heier gestured for the nearby players to leave, then said angrily, “That filthy official Liu Ziyuan is truly despicable. I want to return to Penglai County and execute him. But now that we’ve hijacked the prison convoy, the authorities are sure to increase security. Do you have any ideas?”

Chen Hao’s face changed instantly, and he replied with a wry smile, “Aunt Lin, you know the magistrate will be on high alert. Killing Liu Ziyuan won’t be easy. The prison break will certainly alarm the entire Denglai defense command. As the leader of the Red Lanterns, it will be extremely dangerous for you to return to Penglai County.”