The enemy was nurous and cunning, attacking from several directions with alternating fire support, making it very tough to fight back. The concentrated fire suppressed everyone, preventing them from raising their heads easily. Following the Scholar's order, all five spread out, returning fire separately. This strategy troubled the enemy, as the nearly one hundred foes seed nurous, but when spread out among the five n, each only needed to deal with about twenty people. Additionally, since Luo Zheng had sniped several of them earlier, each actually faced only about a dozen or so.
After an exchange of fire, the enemy's forces were significantly reduced, the pressure from their dense fire sharply decreased. The five, spurred on and courageous, clung steadfastly to the slope, constantly changing their shooting positions, rapidly firing at every visible or approaching enemy. The enemy had climbed up to halfway up the hill, a re thirty to fifty ters away, a distance more suitable for sniping.
Perhaps the enemy officer couldn't handle the pressure, seeing his troops pinned down within a thirty-ter range without being able to advance, with increasing sacrifices, he had no choice but to order a retreat. Upon seeing the enemy pulling back, the Scholar didn't hesitate to shout loudly, "Charge down and kill these sons of bitches."
"Kill!" The others also got fired up, howling as they rushed forward. Of course, more clearly, there were many spoils of war below, rewards hard-earned that shouldn't be lost. The five charged ferociously, chasing the enemy who, defeated like falling dominoes, left no more than thirty people running madly, no longer able to counterattack.
The enemy fled desperately. The Scholar didn't pursue relentlessly but decided to quit while ahead. Everyone tacitly cleaned up the battlefield, swapping weapons, collecting ammunition, and searching bodies to see if there was anything valuable. For those who ca empty-handed, clothes, dry food, salt, lighters, watches, etc., were all good things that would help everyone survive.
The battlefield was quickly cleared. The spoils were too nurous to count, but Luo Zheng could tell everyone was satisfied. The Scholar also did not dare linger there. With an order, everyone took the collected spoils and rushed off, running up the slope to a forest in the distance. Without hesitation, the Scholar led everyone into it.
The forest aided in concealing and hiding them. Everyone had rich experience in surviving in the wild, knowing the forest was more dangerous than the wilderness but could provide cover. Danger was relative, and no one took it to heart. They all rushed into the forest, stopping in a dense area to sit down and catch their breath, laughing heartily at each other after the frantic run, their friendship deepening with the laughter.
Having shared life and death, everyone's trust in each other increased as did their rapport, bringing more reassurance. After the laughter, the Scholar gestured for everyone to quiet down then turned to Luo Zheng and said, "Luo Zheng, I always said you hid your skills well. No more argunts now, right?"
"Tsk tsk, combat sniping skills, impressive indeed," the Gardener also said with exclamation, "I saw everything clearly during the fight. Your gun skills are beyond reproach; running nearly ten ters per second and still managing to shoot accurately and swiftly at a rate of one shot every three seconds, each shot a headshot. Incredible. I rember your file said you were an assault trooper, but with your Gun Skill, you should be a Sniper instead."
"I agree with Gardener's analysis, you really hid your capabilities well. Tell us, is there a special reason? We are now on the battlefield and have been through life and death as brothers, there shouldn't be anything you can't talk about, right? Of course, if it involves military secrets, never mind," the Farr also concurred and asked.
"Amitabha, I think Luo Zheng has his difficulties; let's not ask him," the Monk said cheerfully. "I know a bit, and I know Luo Zheng is a brother we can entrust our lives to; that's enough. Who doesn't have secrets, right?"
"Monk, can you stop with the irrelevant chatter? We are talking serious here. Knowing each other a bit more can only reinforce our combat strength, right, Luo Zheng?" the Farr glared at the Monk and asked.
"What does my file say?" Luo Zheng curiously countered.
"You don't know your own file?" the Farr asked back, seeing Luo Zheng shake his head cluelessly, the Farr was stunned then exchanged looks with others, falling silent. Everyone had been in the military for years and knew more rules than Luo Zheng. It was rare for soone not to know their own file unless it was highly classified by the state; outsiders would only see a fake. Curiosity about Luo Zheng heightened, but no one asked further.
"Alright, let's put aside Luo Zheng's matter. Let's eat sothing and rest a bit. Also, gather those dog tags we collected and count them," the Scholar changed the subject.
Everyone took out the collected dog tags and counted them, totaling seventy-three—aning they had taken down seventy-three enemies. All the dog tags were gathered, handed over to the team leader, the Scholar, for safekeeping as these could be exchanged for points in the future, and should not be taken lightly. The Scholar wrapped the dog tags with a cloth and secured them close to his body.
After having their fill, everyone took a short rest. The Scholar, thinking the enemy might pursue, imdiately said, "Let's discuss this—after taking such a loss, the enemy won't sit by idly. More pursuers are likely on their way. What should we do? Stay and tangle with the enemy for a while or choose a route to retreat?"
"Retreating now would be best of course, but we are unfamiliar with the terrain. The enemy surely received intelligence and may have already sent troops to intercept us. How we retreat needs careful planning. If possible, why not stay and tangle with the enemy a bit, capturing soone alive to learn about the situation," the Gardener suggested.
Luo Zheng knew the Gardener favored attacking, so this suggestion made sense. He considered it while the Farr nearby suggested, "In my opinion, we should retreat quickly, seeking opportunities to capture soone alive while on the move, not wasting ti."
Seeing Luo Zheng deep in thought, the Scholar asked, "Luo Zheng, what's your opinion?"
"I suggest retreating in the direction we ca from, going to that plundered village to gather information. Going against the expected direction, the enemy won't anticipate it, and we will be quite safe along the way. After gathering information, we can decide what to do next," Luo Zheng suggested.
"Either way, we need to gather information, going forward or backward makes no difference. As for danger, by choosing this path, we accepted that it wouldn't be safe. Going east might save ti and effort; going back wastes ti. I agree with the Gardener's suggestion; as we proceed, we'll likely encounter other villages and can inquire then," the Monk suggested.
"The enemy might also anticipate our urgency to gather information. What if they set up an ambush in the village? The village we passed on the way here was raided and surely harbors resentnt against the enemy, which could be advantageous to us," Luo Zheng reminded.
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