On the field, everyone had their choices. When Luo Zheng saw the other party was about to leave, although he wanted to join forces, he did not insist, as coerced fruits are never sweet. After the others had left, Luo Zheng turned back to regroup with everyone and briefly explained the situation before heading towards the ridge with the spoils of war. Under the moonlight, the team cast long shadows, a sight both tragic and inevitable.
With formidable enemies present and life or death uncertain, the competition had beco elusive. Everyone's mood was heavy, but no one wanted to speak up and disturb the troops' morale. After entering the ridge, the group walked inward for about half an hour and stopped in a valley to rest, realizing it was about to dawn and they had to seize the ti to rest.
Luo Zheng and Mountain Eagle took the first watch, one on the left and one on the right, climbing up the peaks on both sides of the valley. The peaks were not high, but they provided a clear view of the surroundings. Luo Zheng hid in an inconspicuous place, covered himself with the Jili suit, and calmly watched everything around him.
The ridge was quiet, with excellent visibility. The ground was covered with young grass and a few low trees, whose long shadows reflected under the moonlight. The moonlight was cool and clear in the unpolluted prairie sky. Luo Zheng listened to the unknown insect chirps around him, feeling peaceful and tranquil, slowly settling his mind.
Along the way, Luo Zheng had guessed correctly about Wolf King's intentions, but he had not anticipated Wolf King's ruthlessness— a deadly strategy of having a small elite group lead nearly a thousand ard forces to strike first, proactively attacking, which was fatal for the competition teams. All the national teams' formations were utterly disrupted, and their further developnt beca even more unpredictable, making Luo Zheng's scalp tingle just thinking about the nearly three hundred elite fighters beside Wolf King.
After several encounters, Luo Zheng was well aware of the combat strength of the elite fighters beside Wolf King. Each one was not just any team mber but a seasoned veteran, a master among masters. Perhaps because they ca from different bases they didn't coordinate perfectly with each other, but then, how well did the competition teams coordinate? One could say, the competition teams had no advantage at all.
After pondering for a while and getting nowhere, Luo Zheng simply put these worries aside, thinking even if he died, he would be with Lan Xue, which made him feel especially serene and peaceful. Under the moonlight, Luo Zheng spotted a Black Shadow running across the ridge, which shocked him, and he imdiately beca alert, picking up the sniper rifle and observing through the sniper scope.
Soon, Luo Zheng realized it was a Jackal searching for sothing. Luo Zheng was shocked and hurriedly checked behind the Jackal, found no human figure, but did not dare to be careless, remaining fully alert and continuing his observations. Seeing the Jackal heading toward the valley, his expression changed, he took a deep breath, and let out a long howl.
"Ao oh—!" The sound, like that of a wolf but not quite, echoed through the valley, breaking the stillness of the shadows and drifting in the night air, frightful to any who heard it.
Luo Zheng saw the Jackal pause in its steps, look up towards the peaks, give a low whine, then turn and charge towards him with great speed. Luo Zheng laughed, an animal is an animal, no matter if it was trained by Wolf King or not, this Jackal should not be allowed to stay. Luo Zheng pulled out his silencer-equipped pistol, ready for action.
Suddenly, Luo Zheng saw a figure appear on the slope ahead, causing him great alarm, and whether it was the competition team or pursuers, he could not afford to be careless. Luo Zheng quickly contacted everyone through the headset and signaled them to retreat ahead. As long as they crossed the mountain range, they would be at Wolf King's headquarters. Having co so far, even with unexpected developnts, Luo Zheng did not want to give up the original plan.
"Everyone else retreat, I'll stay behind," Lan Xue said as she calmly ordered, rolling up.
"No, everyone, pull out. Don't hesitate; I'll be right there," Luo Zheng said calmly, leaving no room for doubt.
Upon hearing Luo Zheng's firm tone, Lan Xue didn't insist any further to avoid distracting him, gesturing for everyone to quickly evacuate. Luo Zheng breathed a sigh of relief, just as he saw the Jackal charging up the peak. Its towering fra cast a long shadow under the moonlight, its chilling gaze flickering with terrifying murderous intent. With its mouth wide open, its blood-red tongue licked its lips as it coldly watched Luo Zheng.
Luo Zheng saw a hint of mockery in the Jackal's eyes, and he couldn't help but fury surged within him, outraged at being mocked by a beast. He imdiately drew his pistol. The Jackal whined and turned to flee. Luo Zheng burst into pursuit, noticing that as it headed down the mountain, it continuously changed its running path. The beast ran not just fast but with a fleeting movent technique strangely reminiscent of the Bullet Avoidance Steps, causing Luo Zheng a mont of disorientation, unable to aim, which alard him greatly.
"Has it beco spirited?" Luo Zheng's expression tensed as he quickly fired his gun.
"Puff puff puff!" The silent pistol's bullets flew past the Jackal's body and into the soil, missing their mark. Luo Zheng's expression grew even graver. Stabilizing his stance and calming his breath, he aid carefully, matching the Jackal's running pattern and speed, ready to fire when suddenly, a wave of danger surged over him, unsettling him.
The Hunter's intuition alerted Luo Zheng to the danger, his heart pounding as he instinctively fell backward. "Swoosh!" A sniper bullet whizzed past his nose. Had he leaped forward or to either side, he likely wouldn't have dodged the shot. A cold sweat broke out on his back, his body tensed, his heartbeat quickened.
This sensation of being in Death God's sights was chilling. Luo Zheng quickly took a deep breath, steadying his spirit, then slowly exhaled, feeling Death God retracting a bit. He flipped over, lying prone on the ground like he was facing a formidable enemy, his eyes sternly scanning forward, struggling to see far enough.
Luo Zheng crawled towards another side, his movents as swift as a slithering giant python. When he reached the edge of the peak, Luo Zheng stopped to cautiously observe. Hearing the Jackal's calls, he followed the sound and saw the Jackal circling rrily around a person draped in a camouflage suit, with another individual alertly scanning the surroundings.
"Son of a bitch." Luo Zheng imdiately grew angry, convinced that the Jackal's owner must be one of Wolf King's n. Even if not, the recent potentially deadly shot was enough to prove hostile intentions. His cold gun barrel instantly locked on the target. To avoid alerting his enemy, Luo Zheng desperately reined in his presence, holding his breath, imagining himself as a rock blending seamlessly with the surroundings.
People who have spent years on the battlefield have extrely sharp instincts and a strong perception of danger, allowing them to sense peril in advance. Luo Zheng's intuition was also notably keen; otherwise, he would have been undoubtedly dead from that last gunshot. Seeing how carelessly his adversary exposed himself, there were only two explanations: one was confidence in their own abilities and the other was assuming he was already dead.
However, Luo Zheng was more inclined to believe the forr. On the battlefield, a true expert would never be careless, leaving no opportunity for their enemy to exploit. Luo Zheng watched his opponent with calm eyes, his mind entering a mystical state of emptiness, as if everything around him had stopped, his eyes narrowed to slits, containing a raging storm within.
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