Intuition is a mysterious thing, but often very accurate, especially on the battlefield. It's better to trust it than not. Luo Zheng placed great trust in his own intuition, which had saved his life more than once. He glanced at everyone, who were all vigilantly watching their surroundings, and had not sensed anything unusual. After thinking it over, he decisively pushed the raft towards the riverbank.
Everyone sensed Luo Zheng's unusual behavior. Lan Xue asked softly, "What's wrong?"
"I don't know, sothing feels off. Let's get to shore and talk about it," Luo Zheng explained.
Everyone knew that Luo Zheng was not one to act without reason, and they also understood the importance of intuition on the battlefield. Without objection, their expressions turned serious and they beca even more cautious. Before long, the raft reached the shore, and they dragged it up a bit and secured it with two poles on the riverbank. Whether it could be used again was uncertain, but it was better to be safe than sorry.
Quickly, they made their way into the woods and stopped in a sowhat open area. Lan Xue looked at Luo Zheng with a mixture of surprise and doubt. After thinking for a mont, Luo Zheng said, "I have a bad feeling about what's ahead. Let's circle around by following the river and take a look."
"That sounds good," Lan Xue agreed, not opposing Luo Zheng's seemingly baseless hunch. On the battlefield, caution was never wrong. It was better to take a longer route and endure more hardship, as long as it kept them alive. Only by staying alive could they accomplish their mission.
Luo Zheng took the Dragon Tooth knife passed to him by Snow Leopard, placed it on his back, and led the way with his gun ready. Everyone spread out in an attack formation, moving forward and searching with extre caution, silent except for the rustling of leaves and the calls of animals and birds. A few brightly colored frogs sat on the trees ahead, croaking strangely.
"Poison dart frogs?" Luo Zheng, leading the group, saw this scene and rembered the information they had rushed through earlier, which specifically ntioned this globally recognized, beautiful yet highly poisonous species. He quickly directed everyone to take a detour, not wanting to provoke unnecessary trouble. The rest followed, feeling a chill at the sight of the colorful frogs hanging from the trees, and detoured around them.
In the primal forest, the brighter and more beautiful things are often the most dangerous, such as the colorfully patterned poison dart frogs or the Cannibal Flower. They may look pretty and cute, but can cause serious trouble if provoked. Everyone was well aware of this knowledge, so they made a wide detour around this patch of woods and continued along the river.
Soon, they ca upon a bend in the river where it turned, and the bank was covered in dense shrubbery rather than tall trees. The shrubbery was full of brightly colored flowers, a sight so enchanting that even the steadfast Lan Xue couldn't help but marvel at it. It was a woman's nature to love flowers, but she quickly regained her composure.
After traveling continuously, everyone was a bit tired. Luo Zheng suggested they rest for ten minutes right where they were. After setting down their backpacks, he went ahead to scout the area. Just a few minutes in, Luo Zheng was startled to see a person squatting beside a large rock on a slope ahead, not more than ten ters away, wearing a camouflaged uniform and with their eyes closed, resting with a Single Soldier Radio on his back. Luo Zheng quickly raised his gun to aim, zooming in through the sight and realized the man was of the Yellow Race but could not identify his nationality.
"Huh?" Luo Zheng looked around in surprise, quickly noticing that the ambush site was not far from the riverbank. If they had continued on the raft past the bend, they would have entered right into the encirclent of these people. He was shocked, imdiately realizing they had been spotted. His expression darkened as he tapped his earpiece twice to warn his companions.
At that mont, another person clad in camouflage bent over and approached the one carrying the Single Soldier Radio. They picked up the radio and began to speak in a rapid, indecipherable chatter. Luo Zheng didn't understand a word, yet he recognized the other person's final, respectfully uttered "Hi." That term was exclusively used by the Japanese, unmistakably.
Realizing what was happening, Luo Zheng ca to the conclusion that these were Japanese forces lying in wait for them. Had they not co ashore earlier, they would have fallen directly into the ambush. His face turned cold as he began to search the area quickly, soon finding that the troop started to retreat, heading into the woodland.
"Huh?" Luo Zheng exclaid in surprise and suspicion. Watching person after person erge from the thicket, nearly a hundred in total, his face turned pale. He dared not make a sound for fear of alerting them. After the group had completely left, Luo Zheng swiftly fell back to regroup with his team, his expression grave as he recounted his findings.
Upon hearing the news, everyone was secretly relieved. An annoyed Ghost Hand said, "A troop of nearly a hundred, and there might be more on the other side of the river. We've entered their territory; they must be very familiar with the environnt, or they wouldn't have chosen this place for an ambush. I suggest we sneak up on them and engage in a silent battle, take out so of their n since we've been exposed."
"It took us about an hour from the landing spot to here, and our detour hasn't saved us any ti. Their withdrawal suggests that they too had calculated this timing, retreating when no one appeared. They're indeed familiar with the terrain. However, they didn't attack us, which ans they're not clear on our current position; taking out a few from behind could work, but it would expose us unless we manage to take out the entire troop," Snow Leopard comnted.
"The likelihood of wiping them out is almost zero. In my view, we should follow them and deal with the base when we find it," Mountain Eagle suggested, remaining vigilantly on guard.
Lan Xue looked to Luo Zheng, who after a mont's thought, nodded and said, "I agree with Mountain Eagle's analysis. Killing the enemy isn't our mission. The priority is to locate the base, understand its surroundings, and then decide on the next part of the action plan. The enemy's strength is substantial; there's no need for us to clash head-on."
"Fine, let's move out," Lan Xue decided, seeing that everyone was more or less in agreent.
The team imdiately sprang into action, following the traces left behind. Luo Zheng led the way, with Lan Xue and Mountain Eagle covering the rear, and Snow Leopard and Ghost Hand in the middle, advancing in an attack formation. Before long, they passed through the thicket and into the dense woods. The forest was damp and cool, the tall trees blotting out the twilight sky. The ground, bereft of sunlight, was sparse with undergrowth, and many tree roots lay exposed, making it easy to trip if one wasn't careful.
Throughout the pursuit, Luo Zheng couldn't figure out how they had been discovered without any warning. He remained alert, scanning the surroundings, when he quickly noticed another group erging from the woods. The two groups greeted each other familiarly and joined forces, stopping to rest in an open area of the woods.
Luo Zheng was alard. He raised his hand to signal the team to hold position. Seeing his gesture, everyone stopped in their tracks, crouching down with their guns raised at shoulder height, calmly scanning their surroundings. Luo Zheng slowly backed away, his gaze wary, his expression as stern as iron. His arm vertically lowered, fist swinging backward, he signaled a retreat.
With a mix of alarm and suspicion, the team mbers retreated, crouching and observing the area with heightened caution, not daring to relax in the slightest. After retreating about a hundred ters, they spread out in a circle, back to back, keeping watch vigilantly. After Luo Zheng joined them, they remained still and silent, continuing to maintain heightened alertness.
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