Two hours later, the team dispersed and detoured, arriving at the previous rendezvous point under the cover of night and snow. Looking at the familiar mountains and forests, Luo Zheng couldn't help but feel emotional. The battlefield had led them in circles, and in the end, they were back to the starting point. Luo Zheng didn't know if the route they'd just taken was smooth, but regardless, the team couldn't endure much more. They could only retreat south following this route. Having spent too long in the icy world, non-combat casualties were bound to occur, an outco nobody wanted to see.
"No anomalies detected nearby, what do we do next?" After completing a reconnaissance loop with his n, Scholar ca over excitedly. The progress of the battles felt novel to him, and he was deeply impressed by Luo Zheng's imaginative tactical command. Putting himself in Luo Zheng's shoes, Scholar admitted he wouldn't have thought to double back.
"Have all the brothers arrived? How are they holding up?" Luo Zheng asked in a low voice.
"Everyone's here. We rested for two or three hours earlier, which restored a lot of our strength. The two-hour trek just now wasn't a big problem. It's about to get light. What do you think?" Scholar quickly responded.
"Gather the brothers," Luo Zheng said with a stern face, his eyebrows slightly furrowed as he pondered.
Seeing Luo Zheng also considering the issues, Scholar said no more and swiftly relayed the order. Shortly thereafter, all five Special Forces squads were assembled, each forming a column, with five columns in total and the squad leaders in front of their respective columns. Everyone looked at Luo Zheng with fervor, waiting for further orders.
Luo Zheng's calm gaze swept across the crowd. Seeing everyone was in good spirits, although their faces were haggard, he called out apologetically, "Brothers, I've made you suffer following ."
"Serve the people," everyone shouted in unison, filled with a fierce aura and eager eyes.
Luo Zheng was taken aback and then felt a surge of passion. He was invigorated and exclaid, "Right, we are steel warriors. We will never bow in front of any enemy or difficulty. There are just two more hours until dawn. Now, I order you to retreat south, march urgently for two hours. We must reach Eagle Worry Gorge, over a hundred kiloters away, before the enemy finds us. Once we get to Eagle Worry Gorge and seize the high ground, we'll be safe."
"Yes," everyone shouted in unison, their fighting spirit soaring.
"Farr," Luo Zheng called out.
"Present," Farr responded loudly, stepping forward with a salute that was solemn and fervent.
"I rember you being the fastest one among us, with the strongest reconnaissance capability. I believe the Special Forces squad you lead is no exception. So, I entrust the task of scouting ahead to you. Everyone's safety is in your hands too," Luo Zheng said formally in return, his gaze clear and calm as he shouted.
"Yes," Farr responded, his excitent palpable as he exclaid, "Swear to complete the mission."
"Swear to complete the mission," the mbers of Farr's squad shouted in unison. Led by Farr, they charged ahead, their gaze resolute, like fearless, fierce wolves in the snowy night.
"Scholar, you take the second position, Gardener, you're third, Shan Hu, you're the fourth, and Monk, you're rearguard. I want every single one of you to make it out alive," Luo Zheng commanded, his gaze as firm as iron, unaffected by the howl of the wind and snow as he stood unswervingly upright, like towering walls of steel, and he couldn't help but feel moved as he exclaid.
"Yes," everyone shouted in unison, and the squads charged ahead in their order. Although there were only about thirty people, they absolutely couldn't rush forward in a swarm, especially during a retreat. The combat order had to be determined, or everything would descend into chaos.
Under the lead of the team captain, everyone marched urgently. They ran over a hundred kiloters in two hours. Ti was tight, the mission was critical, but fortunately, they were in a relatively flat canyon that provided shelter from the wind. It was much more comfortable than the open, windy snowfield. Luo Zheng glanced at Shan Hu, who was hurrying along with the help of his teammates, then at Song Li, who was nearby Shan Hu without causing any trouble. Relieved, he hurried forward at a sprint.
Soon, Luo Zheng overtook the other squads and caught up with the farr who was scouting ahead. Knowing Luo Zheng's hands-on nature, the farr wasn't surprised and shouted loudly, "Brothers, the commander-in-chief has co to join us. Let's all run faster, don't embarrass ."
"Yes." Everyone's spirits were lifted, and their steps quickened.
The further they went, the shallower the snow in the canyon beca, and the easier the ground was to travel on, which quickened their pace. As they ran, Luo Zheng saw the warriors persevering with gritted teeth, their resolute faces covered with ice and snow and eyes determined. They occasionally wiped their faces with snow to stay alert. Though their steps were sowhat staggering, none of them stopped, nor did anyone complain of tiredness, inspiring respect.
Three hours had passed, and at Luo Zheng's deliberate command, the team slowed down a bit. After about half an hour, everyone caught their breath and continued to march at an accelerated pace, running against the snowstorm, stepping high and low, leaving a long trail of footprints in the deadly silent snow-covered canyon.
Two more hours later, as day broke, the troop arrived at the entrance of a tall canyon. Looking up, Luo Zheng saw that the canyon was no more than ten ters wide. Nature's craftsmanship made the cliff faces steep as mirrors, impossible to climb. On both sides were continuous peaks soaring into the clouds, topped with snow, impassable, even for birds.
"This is Eagle Worry Gorge," Luo Zheng said with a sigh, while opening the map to confirm the surrounding terrain.
"It looks like it. As long as we hold this place, no number of people can get through," the farr said with a relieved tone.
"This canyon is not long. We'll pass through quickly and set up an ambush on the other side," Luo Zheng said, folding the map away.
The group advanced through the snow in the canyon. The mountains blocked the sunlight, making the canyon cold and terrifyingly dim, so they could only proceed with their tactical flashlights. After about fifteen minutes, they had smoothly passed through the canyon. The area ahead opened up considerably. Seeing the flat plateau before them, Luo Zheng breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Brothers, hold the exit and build ice houses for rest."
"Understood," the farr agreed wholeheartedly. The order was quickly passed down, and everyone began to construct snow houses. The snow was not thick enough, or else Luo Zheng would have had everyone dig hiding caves to conceal themselves.
An ice house is made by cutting ice blocks and stacking them into a do-shaped room similar to a Mongolian yurt, which is empty inside. The circular shape dissipates wind forces to prevent collapse. One would enter through a hole dug from the ground, finding shelter from the wind and snow inside the ice house, making it the perfect place to rest in a sleeping bag. This skill was not unfamiliar to the Special Forces, and they all promptly began the task.
The peaks were too high, and the canyon too narrow, receiving little sunlight over a long period, thus forming many ice blocks. All they had to do was move the ice blocks over, cut them into the required shapes and sizes with an army spade, and then stack them into a do-shaped room. Soon after, people from behind also arrived, and everyone began building the ice houses on the wind-sheltered sides of the canyon exit.
"Brother, doing this will get us discovered. Do you have another plan?" Shan Hu tiptoed over, his face full of curiosity. Seeing the battle intent in Luo Zheng's eyes, he began to understand.
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