The expansive view of the desert oasis castle made a sneak attack no easy feat. Without the presence of heavy weapons or aerial strikes, only three thods ca to mind: a frontal assault, disguising as the enemy to blend in, and silent infiltration. The first two were simply impossible, leaving infiltration as the only path. However, infiltration required cover, and with open visibility and heavy patrols in the vicinity, slipping in unnoticed was incredibly challenging. Therefore, Luo Zheng decided to focus his efforts around the water source.
This approach was ti-consuming, but it was also a viable strategy. Just as Luo Zheng slid down the dune, preparing to crawl near the lake to look for poisonous insects, he was startled by the sudden ergence of an ard group from the castle. He quickly signaled for everyone to lie flat on the ground. Disguised in their desert camouflage suits and at a safe distance, they didn't have to worry about their safety, but they couldn't afford to make any movents.
After a while, Luo Zheng realized they were a patrol team arriving to change guard and he breathed a sigh of relief. Quietly waiting for a few minutes to ensure they were not discovered, he then spoke softly, "Brothers, the lake is three hundred ters ahead. Spread out carefully and crawl slowly over. Our Night Vision Devices have infrared thermal imaging capabilities that can sense heat from targets above 0°C. It won't be hard to find poisonous insects. Let's move."
The Night Vision Devices everyone wore were military-industrial products developed by the National Blade Equipnt Team, featuring capabilities such as gathering light from photons, sensing heat from infrared, long-range vision from radio waves, automatic detection of visual range in ters, and direction finding. Moreover, what was most impressive was that while the view from inside the device appeared as bright as day, from outside the lens, it was completely dark with no digit display or indicator lights. Many advanced countries' Special Forces were already equipped with these night vision devices, albeit each with varying degrees of performance.
"Understood." Everyone spread out, each choosing a direction to crawl in. With the help of the Night Vision Devices, the surroundings were crystal clear; they could see every nocturnal creature actively moving about and promptly pulled out their military knives.
Luo Zheng, with his extensive hunting experience, could tell from the ground traces which animals had passed by and where they might be hiding. Arriving at the lakeshore, he quickly found a piece of shed skin that had been weathered for so ti, appearing to be from a large snake. Overjoyed, Luo Zheng drew his military knife and, after looking around, quickly decided on a direction to crawl towards.
Before long, he spotted a sand snake ahead, coiled with its head raised high, vigilantly scanning its surroundings. Closing in, Luo Zheng released the knife from his hand, which streaked through the air like lightning, severing the snake's head in an instant and burying the knife in the sand.
With swift handiwork, Luo Zheng looked around and spotted several scorpions. He quickly drew another military knife, killing each with a single stroke and then stashing them into his backpack. He climbed further, retrieved his buried knife from the sand, and once again began to carefully observe his surroundings.
Biological needs dictate proximity to water. Where there's water, there tends to be a rich ecosystem. On the desert shores, various creatures could be found around the lake, especially lizards and scorpions. With the assistance of the Night Vision Devices, Luo Zheng managed to gather a substantial amount within an hour. Upon reuniting with the group and pooling everyone's trophies into the backpacks, he noticed they had nearly half a bag's worth. Looking at the sizable lake, Luo Zheng thought for a mont and then signaled for the team to continue their collection.
Carrying on ant searching further ahead, and proceeding entailed greater risk. Without a better plan, they all gritted their teeth, ready to take the plunge. In pairs, they collected along both shores of the lake, moving as cautiously as possible. An hour later, Luo Zheng surveyed their haul and saw it had increased significantly. Then he looked up to the front: the patrol team was rely two hundred ters away. Continuing forward would greatly increase their chance of being spotted, so he imdiately signaled for everyone to retreat.
Half an hour later, they all crawled back to the eting point below the dune, where they consolidated their prizes: a half-bag full. Luo Zheng estimated it was about enough, and casting an excited glance at the group, everyone understood and crouched down to keep watch. Luo Zheng then started to climb up the dune with the spoils.
Climbing up the sand dune was extrely strenuous; the loose sand offered little resistance, forcing one to climb in a zigzag pattern. By lying horizontally and increasing the area of contact with the sand, it beca sowhat easier, but given the need for silence, what had been a few minutes' slide down took a good ten minutes to ascend. Once Luo Zheng had climbed the dune, he imdiately used it as cover to keep watch for the others.
After a while, Ghost Hand was the second to reach the top, followed by Snow Leopard and Mountain Eagle. Each person took about the sa amount of ti, and when everyone had arrived, they returned to the original spot to et up with Lan Xue. By then, it was deep into the night; the temperature had plumted, and the cold made everyone shiver.
Luo Zheng gave Lan Xue a look; his body shivered from the cold, his face pale and looking ghastly under the moonlight. The others weren't faring much better, which tightened his heart. He looked around at the vast expanse of sand dunes with nowhere to hide and quickly said, "This won't do; we must find a place to take cover as soon as possible."
"Alright, do we have everything? When will we make the drop?" Lan Xue asked.
"Almost ready. Let's sun it tomorrow to speed up the rotting. Noon is when the sun is strongest and patrols are sparse; we'll make the drop then." Luo Zheng assured, pointing in a certain direction, "Quick, let's head over there to find a spot to hide and get through the night."
"That sounds good, let's go." Everyone agreed, packed up their gear, and redistributed the supplies into other people's backpacks. Despite the additional weight, it wasn't too burdenso since everyone was strong and it wasn't a long forced march. After organizing their things, they hurriedly evacuated.
Half an hour later, they stopped behind a wind-sheltered dune and quickly crawled into their sleeping bags. The sleeping bags were a special military product from the National Blade Equipnt Team, designed for cold, fire, radiation, and water protection. In a desert with temperatures below minus thirty degrees, it was unlikely anyone would co for a patrol, but Luo Zheng remained cautious and insisted on keeping watch while the others slept, a necessary asure in the extre cold.
Watching the howling cold wind that carried no sand, the silent desolation was enough to drive one to despair. Luo Zheng wore a bitter smile, but the thought of a permanent solution to Wolf King spurred a thrill in his heart. Ti slipped by unnoticed, and after three hours, Brother Mountain Eagle got up to take his turn at watch as Luo Zheng went to sleep.
When he awoke, it was already daylight, and everyone was climbing out of their sleeping bags, eating compressed biscuits and drinking clear water. Luo Zheng noticed that their water supply had dwindled significantly and kept it in mind as he dumped out all the poisonous insects onto the sand for sunning, along with the harvested Cistanche.
The temperature rose quickly in the morning desert; the poisonous insects soon started to stink. After waiting a bit, Luo Zheng decided it was ti and said, "Let's gather all the empty water bottles that have been drunk; the water is contaminated, and we won't be able to use it. We need to collect so first. Brother Mountain Eagle, Brother Ghost Hand, the three of us will go. Xue Er, you and the Snow Leopard Brothers keep watch."
"Okay, be careful," Lan Xue responded.
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