The night was gradually falling, dark clouds overhead. The forest turned dim, visibility decreasing, the wind shrieked sharply, wrestling with the large trees, causing the branches to sway wildly. So leaves were whipped into the air, spiraling away, while a few night birds cawed loudly, struggling to fly through the wind and disappearing into the depths of the forest in the blink of an eye.
On a hillside, Luo Zheng signaled Ghost Hand and Madela to stop. The three breathed heavily, glancing back. The enemy was not in sight for now. They didn't know how far they'd run, nor how many enemies were pursuing. They only felt the forest behind was everywhere, forcing them to speed up. By the ti they reached the slope, the enemy was so distance behind.
Luo Zheng looked up at the sky, his expression grave. He knew it would rain, but underestimated the looming dark clouds and the magnitude of this rainstorm. He glanced in the direction of the enemy's pursuit, still no sign, and quickly said to Ghost Hand and Madela, "Looks like a storm is coming. We don't need to run forward anymore. We'll detour around."
"Alright," Ghost Hand agreed, glancing at the pursuing direction of the enemy. Without hesitation, he looked up again at the clouds and continued, "A downpour will co in ten minutes at most. The rain will wash away traces. If the enemy can't catch us, will they retreat? Are we detouring around to the enemy's cave?"
"Yes, to the enemy's camp. As for the pursuers, they'll chase so distance further. Whether they return to base or to the cave after, we don't know, but we can only take a chance. Let's go," Luo Zheng said grimly, choosing a direction to run.
Ghost Hand and Madela understood and followed closely. After running for a while, a muffled thunderclap exploded in the sky, shaking the entire space terrifyingly. The three couldn't help but halt and looked up. The dark clouds were more oppressive, and raindrops began to fall.
"Less than ten minutes, the sky will grow even darker. We can't see the path; we'll have to use flashlights, but that might expose us," Ghost Hand advised from the side.
"Then let's run as far as possible in ten minutes," Luo Zheng said calmly, glancing in the possible enemy direction—it was quiet. With his brow furrowed, he sprinted forward, shouting, "Final sprint, increase speed everyone."
"Yes," Ghost Hand and Madela replied in deep voices, all sprinting forward.
Soon, the rain grew heavier and more intense. Bean-sized raindrops hit their heads and faces, stinging. They'd experienced heavier storms before, wearing helts then, which offered protection. Now, without anything, the rain slipped down their foreheads, blurring their vision.
They charged onto another hillside, densely forested, but it couldn't withstand the torrential rain's ravages. Rain poured down, imrsing the forest in a world of water, visibility extrely low. Luo Zheng had to stop, raising his hand, and Ghost Hand and Madela also stopped, panting heavily, taking out flashlights from their backpacks.
The flashlights, also military products provided by the ambassador, were waterproof, durable, and had strong light penetration. Imdiately, their visibility increased significantly. Luo Zheng glanced at his watch; it was around eight at night. Observing the surrounding downpour, where he could hardly see five fingers past the extended hand, light didn't travel far. In such weather, the enemy likely couldn't see them, and he breathed a sigh of relief, shouting, "The enemy might not have brought flashlights. They could be hiding in the forest until morning; we move forward."
"Yes," Ghost Hand and Madela replied.
The three moved forward again, with Luo Zheng calmly asking through his earpiece, "Lan Xing, position us imdiately, find the safest route to the cave in the shortest ti, and what's the current situation of the enemy pursuit?"
"Understood," Lan Xing quickly replied. After a while, he continued, "The enemy pursuit area is pitch black, nothing visible, no light, and probably halted. Details unknown. Route sent to your phone."
Upon hearing this, Luo Zheng pondered while walking. No light in the pursuit area? Could his guess be right, no flashlights? Thinking this, Luo Zheng quickly fumbled out his phone, pulling up GPS swiftly finding the route Lan Xing sent, and marched expediently.
Two hours later, they erged from the forest, facing barren hills. Only low grass and exposed rocks remained on the mountain, the rocks dark, scrubbed clean by rainwater. The three followed the ridge, crossing a hill, where a light appeared ahead, marking the enemy cave's camp.
"That's it ahead," Ghost Hand calmly observed, focusing on the front.
The rain poured down in torrents. Speaking without shouting was nearly inaudible. Rainwater obstructed their vision, yet they could still see the camp lights ahead—dim and faint. Luo Zheng also saw this, frowning deeply, contemplating briefly, then activating a signal device. After connecting to the satellite signal, he inquired, "Lan Xing, confirm if the target is in the cave?"
"Unclear, but one thing's sure, no changes at the enemy's cave, and no one has left. Only about two hundred troops returned from the pursuit," Lan Xing quickly explained.
"So, enemy forces over two hundred, not fully grasping our real intention, successful deception tactics," Luo Zheng remarked with relief.
"You could say so. Tiger diverting strategy succeeded, but the enemy still has over two hundred troops. Details unknown, and the situation in the ground seam is unclear. What do you plan next?" Lan Xue's voice ca through the earpiece.
"I'm planning to infiltrate for assessnt before deciding," Luo Zheng intently observed the camp ahead, saying coldly.
"No, it's too dangerous. Such a high-difficulty mission is hard for just the three of you," Lan Xue imdiately negated.
"It's not possible, and the enemy realizes this, so their defense will be lax. Assuming we're fleeing in the deep mountains, they won't expect us to return fire right into them. The elent of surprise and attacking unprepared places is advantageous. As long as cautious, worst case, we can retreat," Luo Zheng replied gravely, valuing Lan Xue's opposition highly.
Lan Xue knew Luo Zheng's temperant; no one could change what he decided. Helplessly, she said, "Be careful. If things go wrong, retreat imdiately. At least we know where they are, can strike when more prepared; I hope no one gets hurt."
"Rest assured," Luo Zheng promised, decisively ending the call, looking ahead, his eyes full of battle intent.
User Comments
0 comments from readers