Strongest Soldier King Chapter 435 435: Discovering the Tribe

"Retreat quickly!"

Angered, Luo Zheng was about to strike back at the enemy's arrogance when he heard Lan Xue's order to retreat. Without hesitation, he turned and ran. After regrouping under Lan Xue's guidance, they swiftly crossed the trap-laden area and charged up to the mountain top. Looking up, Luo Zheng saw that the peak was connected to another one; they could cross over along the ridge, surrounded by dense trees. He said joyfully, "Quick, let's get across."

Everyone dashed down a small slope and raced along the ridge like leopards hunting in the night. They had sprinted over a hundred ters when suddenly the sound of explosions erupted behind them. They stopped and looked back, seeing the woods they had just left ablaze, explosions following one after another, mixed with screams.

"Haha, try to chase us now!" Snow Leopard shouted, exhilarated.

Everyone laughed, their frustration at being hunted by the enemy instantly vanishing. Realizing there were too many enemies, they continued running. With the night vision device, the darkness was not an issue. The journey was relatively safe. This ti, they ran for over an hour before finding a spot to rest.

"The enemy will definitely chase after us. Everyone, quickly rest and check your ammunition," Lan Xue whispered as she leaned against Luo Zheng. She took out an empty magazine, fetched a pouch of bullets from her backpack, and began loading the magazine, her expression solemn and brows tightly knit, worried about sothing.

Everyone started checking their weapons and loading bullets. Luo Zheng was no exception. The clicking sound of bullets filled the forest. No one spoke, and a tense atmosphere spread through the air. It was frustrating to reach the enemy's base and be chased around the mountains before they had even caught their breath.

Ten minutes later, Luo Zheng filled his magazine and maintained his gun, looked at everyone and said, "Folks, we should keep moving soon. The enemy probably won't give up and will catch up to us soon. With ninjas around, our movents can't be hidden; we'll just have to lay low for now."

Everyone agreed and quickly got to their feet. Luo Zheng led the way. For soldiers, retreating was shaful, but blind aggression was foolish. Only the living could complete the mission. In death, they would be nothing more than fertilizer for the forest, nothing more.

They retreated for another hour and still no pursuers appeared. Luo Zheng grew suspicious. Had the enemy given up the chase? For safety's sake, they advanced for another half-hour. Standing on the ridge, Luo Zheng spotted so crude houses in a valley ahead and quickly raised his sniper scope to observe.

The others saw it too; the huts, made of sticks, dry grass, and mud, were low and sprawling. The inside was very dark, and no people were visible. Many rooms surrounded a small river. Lan Xue, startled, said, "Could it be a tribe living in the primal forest?"

"It's not out of the question," Ghost Hand said. "Records show nearly a hundred known tribes in this forest, and there are supposedly even more unknown ones. Should we go over there?"

"No need; with unclear situations, unknown customs, and language barriers, there's no point in going up there. Let's ambush from the outskirts and watch the situation," Luo Zheng suggested.

Makes sense to everyone. They descended from the ridge and stopped to rest in a dense forest about a kiloter away from the tribe, replenishing their water and food, and taking turns keeping watch. No pursuers showed up, and Luo Zheng relaxed. He sat cross-legged and started practicing the family's Breathing Skill to rest.

Unnoticed, dawn broke, and everyone woke up to replenish food and water. In the distance, smoke rose from the valley tribe as many bare-chested individuals wrapped in cloths erged from their rooms to draw water by the river, and children ran around naked. Everyone, through the sniper scope, couldn't help but laugh at this scene.

Lan Xue, being a girl, was greatly embarrassed and said irritably, "Alright, pack up. We need to get going." She spread out the map, located their position using GPS, and began searching for the route back to base, as their mission was not yet complete, and returning now was out of the question.

Soon, everyone was ready. They camouflaged their tracks on the ground and were about to depart when suddenly, birds were startled into flight from a ridge. Luo Zheng was alard, quickly raised his sniper rifle, and observed through the scope. He noticed several people on the ridge and his expression darkened, suspecting that pursuers had caught up.

"They just won't give up," Ghost Hand said angrily as he worked the bolt of his rifle.

"Let's not panic. Spread out and let's see what's happening before deciding," Lan Xue instructed.

Everyone swiftly spread out, found cover, and patiently waited. After a while, they noticed that the pursuers didn't co directly towards them but headed towards the tribe in the valley instead, which puzzled them. They continued to wait. Upon seeing nearly a hundred ard individuals storming into the tribe, they breathed a sigh of relief, regrouped, and prepared to leave.

"Bang!" A gunshot rang out, startling everyone. They hurriedly looked around but the dense trees hindered their view. Luo Zheng scanned his surroundings, quickly climbed a large tree, and hid in its canopy. From there, he used his sniper scope and soon saw the group entering the tribe and looting, destroying the place and stealing supplies.

"Their thievery knows no bounds, always a scorched earth policy, these animals," Luo Zheng cursed under his breath, ready to descend and regroup with the others. Suddenly, he spotted through his sniper scope a group of people herding together, with one person holding a gun against a child's head, shouting sothing to the terrified villagers.

"Could they be trying to find out where we went?" Luo Zheng thought to himself, hurriedly sliding down the tree. Seeing Lan Xue and the others approaching, his eyes full of inquiry, he quickly shared his findings and concluded furiously, "These inhumane beasts, if we have the chance, we must slaughter them all."

"Yes, but not now. The mission takes priority. We can't let small issues cause big failures. Should we retreat for now? We're limited on ti. While these people are here, we should detour and focus on destroying the enemy's base," Ghost Hand suggested. For soldiers, there were only enemies and comrades. Although the villagers were not enemies, they weren't comrades either. It wasn't their responsibility or duty to protect them. Completing the mission was paramount.

"Bang!" Another gunshot was heard. Everyone thought it might be an execution. Though sympathetic, they knew they absolutely shouldn't intervene to rescue anyone as it could jeopardize the mission. Just as they were about to act, Luo Zheng's determined gaze sharp and brow raised, suddenly said, "No, I have an idea. Let's discuss this."

"Oh? What's your idea?" Everyone turned to Luo Zheng, filled with anticipation, eager for him to propose another brilliant strategy that could lead them to accomplish their mission.

PS: Five updates every day without fail. Could I have a monthly ticket, please? Even a recomndation ticket as a token of encouragent would be appreciated. Thank you.