Noon, five days later.
The vast snowfield was clad in silver, with the cold wind howling, blowing snowballs off the trees, shattering them on the ground. The earth was covered with a thick layer of snow, many tree branches bent under the weight, drooping onto the ground. So birds flew in the air, chattering on the branches, searching for food. The sky was cloudless, and the sunlight brought a hint of warmth to the endless forest.
On a heavily wooded hillside, a snow-white wild rabbit suddenly appeared. It took a few steps and stopped, raising its ears to cautiously observe the surroundings, its eyes darting around, its nose twitching as if sniffing for danger in the air. Its body tensed as it stared suspiciously at a certain snow pile, perhaps realizing so danger. Suddenly, it darted away like a flash of lightning, disappearing in an instant.
The snow at the base of the pile was suddenly pushed aside by sothing, and soon a person erged, clad in a full-body cold-weather suit, wearing a hat. Their eyes were sharp and vigilant as they scanned their surroundings. After confirming there was no danger, they turned around and pulled a backpack from the snow, shrugging it on. The resolute face bore a look of somber determination; it was Luo Zheng.
A few nights ago, Luo Zheng drove away without sleep or rest, arriving at the edge of the forest after two days and nights. After trekking for another three days and nights, he finally reached this hillside at dawn. He woke up after sleeping through the morning, ate so dry food, and prepared to continue his journey. A vast expanse of white lay ahead, the thick snow relentless. Despite the dense forest, foliage, and desolation, Luo Zheng had grown used to it. He pulled out his earpiece and put it on.
"Brother-in-law, awake? My sister took the team north for training. They just left this morning. Your proposal to delay the rescue operation has been approved. They want to wait until you have exact intelligence before acting. A special satellite has been diverted here. They didn't want to disturb your sleep," Lan Xing's voice ca through the earpiece.
"Got it. Relying on just one person for intelligence support is challenging. Discuss with Director Wu about drawing in the Information Officers from the First and Third Squadrons. I'm sure they'd want to do sothing for their affected comrades, and it would relieve you of so burden. Don't handle everything alone in case sothing goes wrong," Luo Zheng advised.
"Yes," Lan Xing replied gratefully, "Are you alright?"
"What could happen to ? Relax, this kind of place is where I'm most at ho. Don't forget, I grew up in similar areas," Luo Zheng said nonchalantly, advancing cautiously while scanning his surroundings. It had been three days and nights; moving forward would an entering the Snow Bear's base camp's influence area, so he couldn't afford to be careless.
After walking for about an hour, Luo Zheng stopped to rest beneath a large tree. As he observed the surrounding terrain, preparing to speak with Lan Xing, he spotted a cigarette butt on the ground from the corner of his eye. Startled, he crouched to inspect his surroundings, his gaze cutting like a sword. The surroundings were quiet except for the whistling wind shaking loose snow off the trees. Luo Zheng prudently observed for a few minutes, confird no danger, and then advanced to pick up the cigarette butt. Upon seeing the Arctic Bear Country script, he tossed it aside and moved forward a few steps.
There were footprints ahead on the ground. Luo Zheng warily drew his pistol and followed the footprints, running quickly to press against a tree and observe for a while. Upon confirming there was no problem, he continued forward, stopping and starting intermittently. After about ten minutes, a towering peak appeared ahead, the footprints leading upward.
"Hmm?" Luo Zheng scrutinized the mountain with a grave expression, deliberating before deciding to go up and investigate. Climbing directly by following the footprints could expose him, so after studying the terrain, Luo Zheng chose a circuitous route to ascend. He communicated through his earpiece, "Lan Xing, locate now and scout for enemy activity around, especially on the peak directly ahead."
"Understood," Lan Xing promptly replied.
Luo Zheng waited quietly, and after a while, Lan Xing reported back with no findings, surprising Luo Zheng. Based on the cigarette butt and trace evidence on the ground, soone had ascended further. This was about a hundred kiloters from the Snow Bear Base Camp, right along a sentinel defense line. Could they be sentinels?
With this thought, Luo Zheng quickly advanced upward along his selected route. The mountain rose about two hundred ters above ground, the terrain steep and difficult to traverse. Fortunately, the mountainside was densely packed with trees to aid his climb. Luo Zheng moved cautiously, pausing periodically to observe and ensure safety before pressing onward.
The ascent took nearly an hour. Once at the slope, Luo Zheng did not proceed imdiately. Instead, he carefully observed his surroundings. The quietness prevailed, and with the excellent view, he spotted nothing out of the ordinary. Suspiciously, his sharp gaze landed on the highest point at the mountain's edge, where the snow pile was unusually high, seeming very odd.
Luo Zheng advanced warily, using the trees for cover, reaching within twenty ters of the snow pile before vaguely hearing voices. Startled, he imdiately tensed, ears pricked, gun pointed forward, his other hand drawing the Tiger Teeth dagger.
While being hunted by the State Preceptor from Yin Country, Luo Zheng lost his Tiger Teeth dagger while disarming the Land Mine that Ghost Hand stepped on, but upon returning, was issued another. The Tiger Teeth is a specially designed National Blade, its black blade and razor-sharp edge with its terrifying tip glinting ominously in the sunlight, promising lethal strikes like a Fierce Beast.
Luo Zheng stealthily moved forward another ten ters, the voices becoming clearer beneath the snow pile. Surprised, he stealthily circled around it. The other side of the pile revealed a cave mouth at the hillside, and voices drifted out from within the cave. There appeared to be three people speaking.
Realizing that the enemy's sentinels hid in such high, cave-like locations, Luo Zheng understood why they evaded satellite detection. It all made sense—these reconnaissance posts were hidden like rats, impossible to spot easily. How could they be located otherwise?
"Sentinel discovered beneath , mark the coordinates," Luo Zheng whispered into the earpiece.
"Roger," Lan Xing quickly responded.
Luo Zheng was here only to confirm the sentinel's location and avoid alerting them unnecessarily. Just as he was about to leave, he heard soone humming a tune, startling him into imdiate response. Crouching swiftly and turning, Luo Zheng saw a figure erging on a nearby slope. Clad in a white coat, covering their entire body, an AK rifle in hand, carrying a wild rabbit.
Luo Zheng's black cold-weather attire stood out sharply against the snowy forest, and the foe imdiately noticed him. Startled, they promptly dropped the rabbit and aid their rifle, but Luo Zheng anticipated exposure upon seeing the figure. In an instant, he flung the Tiger Teeth dagger from his hand, tracing a pitch-black lightning bolt through the Void, racing towards the target's forehead like a Death God's strike.
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