An hour later, at the peak of the midday heat, Luo Zheng, along with Ghost Hand and Mountain Eagle, quietly arrived at a dune not far from the lake and concealed themselves well. They watched as the patrol team near the Oasis Castle showed no sign of diminishing, all of them on high alert under the blazing sun as if they were facing a formidable enemy, demonstrating high military discipline.
"These guys are not simple; could they be the elites from Wolf King's side?" Ghost Hand whispered.
"It's possible, but it doesn't matter what elites they are. The battle has reached this point; there's no turning back now, ready for action?" Mountain Eagle said as he looked towards Luo Zheng, his gaze resolute.
"Hmm, in a mont, your task is to refill the empty water bottles while I go and poison the insects," Luo Zheng said as he eyed the castle ahead, feeling sothing amiss but unable to pinpoint it. After a mont of thought, he agreed and began to move, first sliding down the dune. After rolling onto the ground, he imdiately lay prone, his cold gun barrel aid forward as he remained on guard.
Soon, Ghost Hand and Mountain Eagle also slid down the dune and swiftly lay down to keep watch, their movents quick. Luo Zheng waited a while, and when he was certain they hadn't been detected, he let out a sigh of relief and whispered, "Be careful, let's move." Saying this, he started crawling forward.
After crawling for a while, beads of sweat the size of beans rolled off him, making him exceedingly uncomfortable. Luo Zheng stopped to rest, gasping for breath; he turned his head to glance at the scorching sun, feeling intense frustration. Observing the castle patrol team, they also seed dazed and weary from the heat. Heatwaves rolled off the ground, which must have been around fifty degrees, making the air seem to burn and suffocate anyone who breathed it in.
After a good while, Luo Zheng felt sowhat better and continued to crawl forward, using his hands and feet. He tried to minimize any movent of his body to avoid detection. Dressed in a desert Jili suit, he resembled a pile of sandbags from a distance with the heat from the ground rolling up and reflecting the light, creating an illusion that made it difficult to discern the moving sandbags, which provided excellent camouflage for Luo Zheng.
Half an hour later, Luo Zheng stopped three hundred ters away from the castle. The nearest patrol team was less than two hundred ters away, and the likelihood of being detected if he moved any further forward was high. Estimating that he was in a good position, he crawled to the lakeshore and, under the cover of reeds, took off his backpack, poured all the poisonous insects into the lake.
The lake water was still, and the poisonous insects and bacteria dispersed slowly, unlike in flowing water where they would be swept away. The surrounding bushes were dense, providing excellent concealnt and making it hard to be spotted. Luo Zheng reckoned that by tomorrow, it should take effect. He turned around and began to crawl back carefully so as not to ruin everything at the last minute.
About an hour or so later, Luo Zheng returned to the rendezvous point, where Ghost Hand and Mountain Eagle were already waiting. The three of them cautiously climbed up the dune and, after eting with the others, hid behind an inconspicuous dune and began to observe patiently. It was lunchti, and a large number of people ca out to fetch water, each carrying two buckets and making three trips back and forth.
"Huh?" Lan Xue suddenly voiced her suspicion. Seeing everyone's curious gaze, she explained, "I feel sothing is off. Look, each ti they co out to fetch water, there are twelve people, each with two buckets, making three trips, which is over seventy buckets. This might seem like a lot of water, but it's nowhere near enough for Wolf King's three hundred elites, unless there aren't three hundred people inside the castle. Then, where have Wolf King's elites gone, and how many are left?"
Luo Zheng was startled, suddenly realizing why he had felt that sothing was amiss. His expression grew solemn as he stared at the castle in front and said in a low voice, "There's a flaw in our plan."
"What flaw?" Ghost Hand asked curiously.
"If there's a well inside the castle where they get their drinking water, and they use the water from the lake outside for washing clothes and the like, then our plan is aningless. I failed to consider this thoroughly," Luo Zheng said with distress.
"You can't bla yourself; the enemy situation is unclear. The fact that you thought of contaminating their water supply as a tactic is already comndable. On the battlefield, luck often plays a big part. If the castle has a well, that's Wolf King's luck, but it's not your fault. Let's wait and see," Lan Xue consoled.
"Right, maybe there's no well inside the castle. Who can say for sure?" Ghost Hand also offered comfort.
"Wolf King is a cautious man. It's unreasonable to think he wouldn't consider the water supply issue. The castle is built on a sandy substrate; it's easy to dig a well for water, which gets filtered through the sand and becos drinkable after boiling. This place is a base with a large number of people needing water. It is unlikely that Wolf King didn't account for this—it was my oversight which wasted a whole day," Luo Zheng reproached himself with a hint of distress.
"It's fine; nobody is infallible. You've successfully outmaneuvered Wolf King at every turn. An occasional miscalculation doesn't matter, nor does it waste much ti. Now, we face two issues. First, we must confirm whether there's a well inside the castle. I estimate we'll see the effects by tomorrow. With such drastic temperature differences here, the bodies decompose quickly, viruses breed rapidly, and water contamination won't be slow. The second issue is, assuming there really is a well in the castle, what should we do? Ghost, little brother, you are full of wits and wisdom. It's your turn to think about this problem. I've found that after teaming up with you, I've beco too lazy to think," Ghost Hand said with a laugh.
"Hey, I feel the sa way," Snow Leopard chuckled.
"Little brother, don't look so upset. Nobody blas you. Why feel guilty? It's better to have a thod than none at all. I couldn't have co up with the insect poison contamination attack. All this is just speculation. What if there's no well? Even the wisest can overlook sothing, and isn't Wolf King human, too? Let's not dwell on this and consider our next steps," Mountain Eagle consoled.
Luo Zheng felt the warmth of his comrades' goodwill and fell into deep thought, his gaze firm and shining with intelligence as he looked towards the castle. After a while, he suddenly said, "Have you noticed the patrol routes of the patrol teams? They maintain a distance from each other, creating a buffer zone. If we are careful, we can also infiltrate through there, but we must be extrely careful, and it will be ti-consuming."
"Ti is not a concern. What's your detailed plan?" Lan Xue asked.
"It's likely that the castle has a well, and I don't want to wait any longer. Waiting another day increases the danger; if we are not killed by the enemy's discovery, we will be tornted to death by this ghost desert with its alternation of heat and cold. I propose we act tonight. It's colder at night, freezing enough to make it hard to keep one's eyes open. What do you think?" Luo Zheng suggested.
"That's fine, but how do we avoid the patrol teams?" Lan Xue followed up.
"It's not difficult. So ti ago, I fought with the Jili-suited Special Warfare Team from Arctic Bear Country, and I learned a trick from them, which is perfect for this situation. That is to dig a trench: dig in front and fill in behind, only keeping a section long enough to fit the five of us. The trench doesn't have to be too deep. If we lie down inside, it will just level out with the ground, and with such minimal disturbance to the surface, it won't likely raise suspicion in the dark," Luo Zheng explained.
Upon hearing this, everyone's eyes lit up, and they all laughed.
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