The setting sun's dying rays spilled over the ancient prival forest, golden beams piercing through gaps in the brush and dappling the ground below. Hidden in the midst of the dense shrubbery, Luo Zheng lay in ambush, still as death itself. His eyes were cold as he closely watched his surroundings, his bow drawn, like a ghost skirting the edge of death—his murderous intent concealed in his icy stare. Through the dense brush, he spotted a soldier approaching. Luo Zheng's eyes exploded with lethal intent, and with a slight release of his hand, an arrow flew forth.
"Ah!" A scream echoed as the wounded soldier fired his gun wildly, the bullets sailing into the air. Not far away, the pursuing enemies watched their surroundings alertly. Their eyes t nothing but shrubberies, an impossible place to locate their target, so they fired indiscriminately into the brush.
At that mont, Luo Zheng agilely crawled out from the bushes, circled around, and silently positioned himself behind the enemy. In a pounce, he pushed the enemy to the ground, his hand firmly covering the man's mouth, while his other hand, gripping the reverse blade of his Tiger Teeth combat knife, didn't hesitate to slice into the soldier's throat. With a swift pull, a spray of blood erupted.
After eliminating this pursuer, Luo Zheng looked around. Seeing only shrubberies, he could not find his comrades, but he did not panic. Once the fight had begun, everyone had chosen to take cover in the brush and fight on their own, like hungry wolves constantly hunting any approaching targets.
"Ratatat!" Two soldiers fired frantically at a patch of shrubbery. Luo Zheng didn't know if any of his comrades were concealed there, but he quickly nocked an arrow to his bow and aid for one of the soldiers' necks. Like a bolt of lightning, he loosed the arrow and instantly rolled into another clump of bushes, using his hands and feet to move swiftly.
"Ah! Ratatat—" The screams and gunfire erupted almost simultaneously, the terrifying bullets hitting all around with a rustling sound. Luo Zheng quickly stopped and watched the enemies outside the brush. One stood there, his face stricken with panic, firing wildly. Luo Zheng let out a cold laugh and drew another arrow on his bow.
"Whoosh!" The arrow sped from the dense forest, and at a re six ters, it struck the target's throat, sending another bloody spray in the air. That pursuer fell backward, instinctively pulling the trigger, sending bullets chaotically into the sky before he stopped moving.
Luo Zheng bit the Tiger Teeth knife in his mouth and withdrew towards the east, the agreed-upon direction of retreat. Although the enemy had been montarily confused, it was only temporary. Once they regained their senses, it would be his group who would suffer. Using the bushes as cover, Luo Zheng ran a few dozen ters in one breath and saw Lan Xue doubling back, her face etched with anxiety. He hastened to et her.
Lan Xue, seeing Luo Zheng unhard, breathed a sigh of relief, gave him a stern look, but said nothing, then turned to continue the retreat. Luo Zheng gave a sheepish smile, feeling warmth in his heart as he followed Lan Xue. They ran, bent at the waist, and after a short ti, many of the native warriors caught up. Seeing Luo Zheng, they quickly pulled back with him.
After bursting out of the shrubbery, no one dared to pause, and they continued to hurry. Ascending a slope and crossing a ridge, they entered another dense forest. At that mont, Hook approached in an anxious state and cried out, "The brothers behind us have spotted the enemy in hot pursuit, about fifty n. What do we do?"
Luo Zheng looked around. The trees were tall, the canopy dense, but the forest floor was free of underbrush, with tree roots exposed and dead leaves piled high—their line of sight was fairly clear. This terrain left nowhere to hide. They could keep running without any issue, as the natives were swift and would not hold them back. But with only about fifty enemies, Luo Zheng wanted to strike a blow to demoralize the enemy. His expression darkened as he said, "How about we all climb the trees?"
"No problem," Hook replied without hesitation, shouting the command.
Soon, Luo Zheng noticed the natives were as agile as monkeys, climbing quickly into the trees and concealing themselves among the foliage, bows drawn, arrows nocked, eyes resolute, no complaints or panic amongst them. Luo Zheng was touched, truly these were formidable warriors. Turning to Hook, he continued, "Tell everyone to hold their fire, wait for us to make the first move."
"Understood." Hook complied, shouting orders loudly.
Luo Zheng glanced at the natives scattered in the surrounding treetops and turned to Lan Xue, "Let's play with them in this forest, fighting while retreating to draw the enemy's attention. With them initiating from above, those fifty or so enemies, fifty guns, it's ti to switch up their weaponry."
"We can give it a try. Everyone, spread out and fight independently, and be careful." Lan Xue pondered and then issued the order.
Everyone quickly dispersed, hiding behind large trees and waiting for the pursuers to arrive. Hook ran up to Luo Zheng with a puzzled look. Luo Zheng repeated the plan and cautioned, "Tell everyone just to shoot cold arrows, make sure not to expose themselves."
"Got it." Hook promised, shouted gibberish a few tis, and then climbed up a big tree himself.
At this mont, the pursuers were rapidly approaching with murderous intent. To Luo Zheng's shock, their force was much more than fifty. After quickly counting, he estimated there were roughly eighty, which turned his face ashen. But it was too late for regrets or blaming the natives for false reporting; he had to brace himself for battle. Once the bow is drawn, the arrow must fly. Luo Zheng readied his rifle and waited solemnly.
After entering the forest, the pursuers quickly dispersed and beca vigilant. Luo Zheng cautiously peeked out and spotted soone who looked like an officer hiding behind the team, shielded by trees and hard to shoot. Reluctantly, he gave up and chose a target at the front instead.
Just then, Luo Zheng noticed another target looked up in shock, seemingly discovering sothing. Luo Zheng was alard. If soone in the trees was spotted, they would beco sitting ducks. At this critical juncture, Luo Zheng didn't hesitate to fire. Although the enemy hadn't fully entered the ambush zone, there was no ti to wait.
"Bang!" A bullet whistled through the air, a spray of blood followed—an instant headshot. The gunfire broke the silence of the forest and tensed every nerve, shifting everyone into battle mode. The pursuers quickly sought cover and began firing wildly ahead.
Luo Zheng hid behind a large tree, pressing his back against it. He felt the fusillade clatter against the trunk with terrifying sounds but remained unmoved. anwhile, Lan Xue and the others also began to shoot, drawing the enemy's fire towards them. Knowing his chance had co, Luo Zheng quickly darted out from cover and fired three shots at the enemy.
The three bullets zood toward the exposed targets' chests. Luo Zheng didn't dare stop to see the outco; he turned and ran. While running, he felt bullets sweeping towards him. He quickly hid behind another tree and stayed motionless as bullets riddled his surroundings into chaos.
Lan Xue made her move, continuously pulling the trigger. Five shots flew out in rapid succession, resembling a burst from an automatic weapon, each one aiming for a different target, begetting headshots with blood spurting out. Lan Xue didn't look to see the results either but turned and ran. Running, she saw Ghost Hand and the others also firing while retreating. She quickened her pace, leading the pursuers toward the ambush circle, and the great battle resud.
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