The sky was dim, and torrential rain poured down as Luo Zheng vigilantly observed his surroundings. He noticed Captain Wu flash forward, blink, and hide behind another large tree. Captain Wu held his gun with both hands, his face stern as iron, his eyes bursting with sharp light in the fierce rainstorm, moving as swiftly and agilely as a fox wolf.
"Crack!" A bolt of lightning slashed across the sky, briefly illuminating the woods. Luo Zheng, taking advantage of the brief light, suddenly spotted a vague figure in the branches of the tree ahead. The lightning faded too quickly to see clearly, but Luo Zheng instinctively gripped his gun tighter and continued his surveillance. There were three assassins in total, and without knowing their precise locations, acting rashly would only lead to a disadvantage.
Soon after, Luo Zheng noticed the hand signal from Wu Jin suggesting to abort the attack, which startled him. Seeing Wu Jin begin to retreat surprised him even more, but he still followed and retreated. The two ran swiftly for quite a distance before Wu Jin stopped, pulling Luo Zheng to hide behind a large tree.
As the two cautiously peered back to ensure no one had followed, Luo Zheng looked at Wu Jin, who spoke with a grave tone, "The enemy is skilled. One is in the tree branches, another behind the large tree, and a third is with Vine. They are positioned in a triangular formation. If we attack now, Vine will be poisoned and killed. We need a different plan."
"Hiss?" Luo Zheng narrowed his eyes and said in a low, icy voice, "It seems we need to split up. I'll go ahead and find a way to ambush them while you follow from behind. How about that?"
"No need. Let's both head to the front and block them. We must ensure Vine's safety. It's too hard for just one person. These bastards have co this far; they won't run back but will continue forward. We'll go ahead and look for an opportunity to strike," Wu Jin said calmly, his expression resolute as steel, his eyes filled with rage as he stared at the forest ahead.
"Alright then." Luo Zheng thought it over briefly and, finding it reasonable, agreed. They then made their way towards the mountain summit, moving forward in the faint light. Unwittingly, Luo Zheng tripped over a vine on the ground. He got up and continued on, with each step laborious through the varying depth of the soil, a boiling anger churning within him.
About half an hour later, the two reached the ridge. Luo Zheng calmly surveyed the scene ahead: below the mountain waist was a valley laden with dense shrubs, not suitable for walking. The assassins could only travel along the mountain waist up to the ridge, then along the ridge. Rain had washed the mud of the ridge clean, making it precarious. Ahead of the ridge was a small river, surrounded by mud slopes where the risk of mudslides and rock falls was grave, also unsuitable for walking.
"Do you have any ideas?" Wu Jin asked quietly, looking at the terrain ahead.
Luo Zheng eyed the mud slopes. The soil had slid down, revealing the inner yellow mud two ters high. In front of the slope was an incline – the only route forward. An idea sparked in his mind. "Captain, this slope is the only way forward from the ridge. We can hide in the mud slope and wait for the right mont to act."
Captain Wu's eyes lit up at the sight of the slope. "Good idea. I didn't realize you had such a nuanced understanding of using the terrain to your advantage. No wonder everyone trusts you so much. It's a solid plan." He said before rushing over, rolling on the ground to coat himself in yellow mud. He leaned against the mud slope, blending with it almost indistinguishably.
Luo Zheng ran up and sared more mud on Captain Wu, covering any exposed spots, even wrapping his head so that Captain Wu rged even more perfectly with the slope. The protruding stones on the slope provided shelter from the downpour, ensuring the mud on the body wouldn't be washed away. He looked just like part of the sloping earth, perfectly camouflaged.
"Do you have another plan in mind?" Wu Jin whispered curiously as he noticed Luo Zheng wasn't hiding but was instead helping him with camouflage.
"I'll go over there." Luo Zheng pointed to the ground not far away, and Wu Jin took a glance. It was about five ters away from him, on a slope that could form a pincer position with his own, assisting each other. Wu Jin couldn't help but smile, gaining a more comprehensive understanding of Luo Zheng's jungle warfare capabilities.
After helping Wu Jin with his disguise, Luo Zheng ran to the slope and began to cover himself with the surrounding mud and rocks, completely concealing his entire body, not even sparing his head. His black long knife was unsheathed, tightly grasped in hand, hidden in the mud as he patiently began to wait.
Waiting was a long process, not knowing when the three assassins would make their move. Waiting was also agonizing; being buried in a landslide was uncomfortable. Fortunately, the rain had lessened a lot. But waiting was worth it, as only through patience could there be a chance to launch a surprise attack, increasing the success rate of rescuing his little sister. For his little sister, Luo Zheng gritted his teeth and persisted, patiently waiting.
Perhaps the three assassins had rested enough, or maybe they wanted to break away quickly while the heavy rain persisted. After about ten minutes, Luo Zheng sensed soone approaching. He opened his eyes to look, but the view in the rain was unclear. He closed his eyes again, lest his killing intent give him away. Against these advanced killers, even a gaze filled with killing intent could give away his presence. He absolutely couldn't be careless.
Soon, this person stopped above the slope where Luo Zheng was hiding, only a ter away. At this distance, Luo Zheng was confident he could kill the man with a single strike but that would also blow his cover, possibly scaring away the people behind him. Thus, he had to suppress his anxiousness, using his family's Breathing Skill to regulate his breath and calm his emotions.
Gradually, Luo Zheng felt as if he had fully rged with his surroundings, as if he himself were the mud, the stones. All was silent, nature thriving — it was an amazing sensation. Right then, the assassin stepped closer to the slope, eventually pulling sothing out and relieving himself. The liquid fell on Luo Zheng's chest, the foul stench nearly unbearable.
Luo Zheng felt the assassin was right above his head, only half a step away. He dared not move, silently thankful for the thick layer of mud that camouflaged him, preventing the urine from revealing his hiding spot. Swallowing his humiliation, his grip on the long knife that he had been clenching within the mud slowly loosened, to avoid inadvertently releasing killing intent and ruining all his efforts.
The assassin didn't leave after relieving himself but instead calmly surveilled his surroundings. He stood for three minutes. Luo Zheng wasn't worried about being exposed; at such a close distance, the assassin would have opened fire by now if he had been spotted. As for Captain Wu, Luo Zheng worried even less — that was a true expert. Slowly tightening his grip on the long knife, he was ready to strike.
At that mont, the assassin walked forward and stopped a ter away from Captain Wu, looking around to make sure there was no danger. After giving a signal to the people behind him, the other two assassins promptly moved into action. One covered the rear while another pushed the exhausted little sister forward.
Fortunately, the little sister had grown up in a mountainous area, so her ability to traverse the jungle was not bad. Otherwise, she couldn't have endured such a strenuous forced march. But she was also visibly fatigued, her complexion pale, her eyes wide with intense fear and despair. Having never experienced anything like this, she had no idea what to do.
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