Chapter 957: This Non-Specialist Can't Be Messed With!
"Alright, alright!"
"Quit sulking with those ugly faces!"
"You brought this on yourselves!"
"Commander Ling Zhan already told me to collect a list of those who wanted to upgrade their Sacred Artifacts."
"But you all didn't trust him and gave up the chance."
"Now that Commander Ling Zhan has successfully upgraded them, do you think it's not too late to regret it?"
"Let's not forget how you mocked him before it all started!"
General Avina looked at her downcast troops and couldn't help but scold them loudly.
Well…
They really had no one to blame but themselves.
Commander Ling Zhan gave them three full days to consider.
Time to think and make a decision.
That was already more than fair.
But they didn't take the chance.
After deep thought, Avina and Clodas had naturally chosen to trust Ling Zhan.
The reason was simple.
Their father held absolute admiration for this non-specialist.
To have their father admire someone so unconditionally—it was a first in their lives.
So both Avina and Clodas handed over their weapons to Ling Zhan for upgrades.
Even if they failed, it didn't matter.
The Rowe family had a deep enough foundation. They still had four or five Sacred Artifacts. If one broke, they could replace it.
But what they didn't expect was…
This non-specialist actually had a 100% success rate!
Not a single failed upgrade!
Every single one was a perfect success!
It was outrageous!
"General Avina, this really wasn't our fault!"
"Commander Ling Zhan never said the success rate was 100%!"
"Yeah! If we knew that, we'd have sold everything to scrape together the materials in three days!"
"It sucks! My buddy's weapon is upgraded and now his combat power is ten times mine—I can't even beat him anymore..."
"No joke, upgrading a Sacred Artifact gives way more stats than leveling up ten times!"
"General Avina, can you ask Commander Ling Zhan to upgrade for us again?"
"..."
Members of the Amethyst Legion pleaded.
They couldn't help it…
They were burning with jealousy!
Those who succeeded kept flaunting their upgraded Sacred Artifacts in their faces!
How could they not be jealous?
"Don't beg me—it's useless..."
"And who can guarantee success with Sacred Artifact upgrades anyway?"
"Also..."
"If you want Commander Ling Zhan to help, ask him yourselves."
"But I don't think he will."
"He already has an attack plan in place and doesn't have time to waste here."
Avina said calmly.
Hearing this, they glanced at each other and sheepishly walked toward the central base where Ling Zhan was.
Sure enough, within ten minutes—
Avina saw them return, looking disappointed and helpless.
"Told you, didn't I?"
"If you want upgrades, wait for the next chance. Maybe if Commander Ling Zhan is in a good mood, he'll help again."
Avina wasn't surprised at all.
She had gotten a read on Ling Zhan by now.
He strictly followed his own plans.
He never changed them for anyone.
So it was no surprise they got rejected.
"Damn it..."
"What if we all protest together? If he doesn't upgrade us, we strike!"
Someone, in a fit of emotion, blurted this out.
"Yeah! Upgrading us boosts our power—then we'd be even more useful on the battlefield!"
"If he won't upgrade us, isn't that targeting us?"
Others chimed in.
But someone else snapped out of it.
"Are you crazy? You think this is some adventurer's guild where you can take or leave a mission?"
"This is a battlefield! We're a legion! We're soldiers! Obeying orders is our duty!"
"What, you think you can rebel now?"
Finally, a voice of reason.
General Avina remained calm as she looked at those talking about 'striking' and said, "You want to strike? Fine. I'll send you all home right now. Every last one of you—and revoke your military status."
"Come on then, step forward if you're striking. I'll count heads."
As soon as she said that—
The whole place went silent.
The angry veterans instantly shrank back.
Truthfully, they already regretted saying those things.
After so many years on the battlefield, they knew how serious the consequences would be.
If they really did it, their careers would be ruined, and all their merit reset to zero.
Never underestimate military law.
"Don't embarrass me in front of Commander Ling Zhan!"
"I'll say it again!"
"If you want upgrades, prove yourselves in the next battle!"
"Maybe then, Commander Ling Zhan will give you another shot!"
"As for that talk about 'striking'..."
"You'd better hope it was just a moment of stupidity."
"Because if you dare strike on the battlefield..."
"Don't blame me for treating you like deserters!"
Avina said coldly.
The legion members shivered.
They didn't know how other nations handled deserters—
But in the Amethyst Empire, desertion meant immediate execution!
Avina was clearly serious.
The troops quickly nodded, swearing they'd never strike. They were just speaking out of frustration, but they were calm now.
Avina sighed lightly and said, "You should be glad you didn't keep pushing it with Commander Ling Zhan."
"I only tolerated you because we've worked together for years."
"But Commander Ling Zhan wouldn't show any mercy. If you pushed him, he'd have you shipped out on the spot."
"He's in charge here—not me."
"Even I have to follow his orders obediently."
"So don't test your luck, or I won't save you—not that I could."
Hearing that, everyone straightened up.
Thank goodness they didn't go in with a tough attitude and instead backed off.
Otherwise, they'd have been screwed.
This non-specialist... can't be messed with! Really can't!