The sudden appearance of soone targeting the enemy for mistreating POWs was very suspicious. Luo Zheng was 80% sure that the person was one of their own. If it were another unit searching for Snow Bear, they wouldn't expose themselves so easily, nor would they shoot at such a low-value target. The only possibility was that it was a brother who couldn't stand seeing a comrade being tortured, and lashed out in anger. Unfortunately, the back view didn't reveal who it was.
Thinking this, Luo Zheng felt glad he ca. If it weren't for the enemy mistreating POWs, the person might not have opened fire, and he wouldn't have known a brother was still fighting. Though the thought was sowhat inappropriate, Luo Zheng maneuvered up to a mountain ridge, stopped to catch his breath under a big tree, and saw a large group of enemies had reached the ambush point and were discussing sothing. The wolf dogs were barking wildly and charging all over the place.
Seeing this scene, Luo Zheng began to wonder. Wolf dogs have extrely sensitive noses and should have no problem detecting human tracks. Could it be that the other person had sared sothing on himself to fend off the dogs? There were footprints on the ground too. Before Luo Zheng could get further into his doubts, he noticed the group splitting into two. A large number chased ahead, while others retreated back to their base camp. Luo Zheng was unsure of the enemy's plans and had no inclination to find out, quickly maneuvering to catch up.
The enemies' attention was entirely drawn to the sudden figure; none noticed Luo Zheng quietly maneuvering on the side. Hidden behind the forest, the situation was hard to see clearly. Luo Zheng could only pursue relentlessly. Soon, Luo Zheng discovered the enemies had reached a cliff. Instead of imdiately moving down to pursue, they were discussing sothing. Cautiously, Luo Zheng maneuvered around from the side, hiding among a grove on a hillside to observe.
Below the cliff was a gorge, and the shooter was nowhere to be seen, presumably hiding sowhere. The cliff was high and steep, not easy for one to descend. The enemies dared not directly go down to the hillside. After so discussion, they split their forces into two directions.
"Boom!" Suddenly, there was a loud noise. It was a trip mine made of a grenade, with the shrapnel flying chaotically. The enemies, gathered tightly together, hadn't expected traps on both sides of the cliff, resulting in five or six being blown up, writhing on the ground in agony.
"Boom boom boom!" Another three trip mines were detonated simultaneously with an overwhelming blast, adding another dozen casualties to the pool of blood. All enemies dared not move recklessly, carefully checking the surrounding area as so attended to the injured.
Upon witnessing this scene, Luo Zheng excitedly clenched his fist, feeling the rush of adrenaline and observing with admiration everywhere, yet failing to spot the shooter. If the person was still nearby in ambush, this would be the perfect ti to snipe. The enemies, wary of trip mines, definitely wouldn't dare to move around, making them sitting ducks. What a pity.
The enemies were too startled to move, now busy searching for traps. Luo Zheng had no leisure to stay and observe, swiftly assessing the terrain and surmising that the shooter likely jumped off the cliff instead of escaping down its sides. The trip mines were just a misguided trap for the enemies, with the high probability being an imdiate retreat after the jump into the thick forest below, which obscured visibility even from above.
Before long, the enemies noticed the area was clear of trip mines, dispatched so to the base camp with the dead and injured, and sent the others to chase along the sides. To them, the trip mines were obstacles preventing pursuit, and the cliff was too steep for descent. Soon, the area above the cliff was cleared out, but Luo Zheng didn't move, continuing his observation from the original spot.
A minute passed, then five. No enemies ca back to the cliff above, and below was very quiet, with no sign of anyone. Luo Zheng guessed the shooter had traveled far, though the direction taken in the gorge was unknown. Struggling to give up a newfound lead, Luo Zheng vigilantly approached the explosion site on the cliff.
The ground was stained red with blood, the air heavy with the scent of iron. Luo Zheng ca to the cliff edge and looked down; the dense trees below were covered with snow, roughly 100 ters high. It's impossible to descend without assistance. Luo Zheng carefully observed below, scanning left and right.
Soon, Luo Zheng noticed not far along the cliff a protruding rock. Quickly heading in that direction, he saw the rock was about ten ters high from the cliff, with a barely visible footprint that could still be discerned upon close inspection. Luo Zheng instantly understood. The trip mines on both sides weren't to fool the enemies but to enrage them into chasing, neglecting to check under the nearby cliff.
In other words, the shooter had prepared for retreat and calculated that the enemies would pursue. Upon reaching the cliff, instead of jumping imdiately, another side was chosen. To avoid detection, trip mines were deployed atop the cliff, which indeed enraged the enemies into frantic pursuit.
Within a ten-kiloter radius of the base camp were intermittent patrols making irregular and patternless rounds. The ground of the Snowfield was full of footprints, making it difficult to discern who belonged to whom. Marks from people passing on the cliff made it impossible for the enemies to accurately determine the target's direction, especially in a chase fueled by anger.
Estimating the jump down onto the protruding rock below, Luo Zheng realized he could do it too, but the risk was high, with the cliff being over a hundred ters high. Just having a single landing point wouldn't suffice. Luo Zheng carefully examined below and quickly noticed another footprint on the cliff beneath the protruding rock, breaking into a smile.
Since the shooter was able to descend from here, Luo Zheng was confident he could too, though not with heavy equipnt. He untied his backpack, bundled weapons and the pack together, and threw them down the cliff. They landed on a tree and bounced to the ground. Breathing a sigh of relief, Luo Zheng figured the branches absorbed the impact, making it unlikely the weapons were damaged.
Determined to find the shooter, Luo Zheng steeled himself, inhaled deeply, and jumped fervently downward. His body plunged rapidly. Nearing the protruding rock, Luo Zheng bent one leg, pushed off with force, and used the montum to bounce to the other side, then continued downward for about ten ters, landing another foot onto a recess in the cliff, using it as leverage to jump up again, counteracting the falling montum. Continuing downward for another ten ters, Luo Zheng suddenly noticed there was actually a pine tree growing out from the stone cliff below.
The pine tree was as thick as an adult's arm, but only about one ter long. Luo Zheng hadn't seen it before, but now felt jubilant. Twisting his body skillfully, he grabbed the pine tree with both hands, rotating 360 degrees, discharging the falling montum and stabilizing. Looking down, there was still about fifty ters to go.
Examining the surroundings, Luo Zheng quickly noticed an inclined slope protruding below the pine tree, about twenty ters away. The slope protruded about one ter outward from the cliff, which delighted him, deciding to risk one more jump. Inhaling deeply, Luo Zheng began to swing his body like on a swing, calculating the distance and strength. After two swings, he leveraged the montum to leap toward the protruding slope.
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