To lure all of Turul's people over, Luo Zheng chose to expose his own position. This risky act could bring fatal disaster to the team, but for the mission, for the safety of the people at the Military Research Institute, as a soldier, Luo Zheng had no choice and was too weary to choose. 'A fine blade of the nation, to battle for the country, to unsheathe for the people, death without regret.' This was not just an empty slogan to be chanted, but a duty to be upheld with one's life.
After hearing Turul's voice coming from the other end of the Single Soldier Radio, Luo Zheng knew he had indeed killed Turul's n. He mocked Turul a few sentences and then cut off the communication, believing that the best language to communicate with such people was bullets. The team continued to march and was very exhausted. Anticipating a possible major battle ahead, they needed to maintain sufficient strength, so he let the team rest on the spot.
Early the next day, everyone ate so dry food and continued on their way. Luo Zheng looked at the overcast sky with drifting dark clouds, a gloomy look that promised rain. His expression beca grave. Glancing at the forest, although the birds were chirping, none of them flew far away, clearly wary of the coming downpour.
The team silently moved forward, sending out a scout over a kiloter ahead to reconnoiter. As they walked, Luo Zheng kept observing the surrounding terrain and made notes of it. Constantly paying attention to and rembering the terrain had beco a habit for Luo Zheng. Where there was a slope, a cliff, an open area easy to walk, or dense shrubs that made it difficult to navigate - these things might seem boring, but they could save lives at critical monts.
Two hours later, following a mountain ridge, the team arrived at a mountaintop and stopped to rest. Luo Zheng looked ahead; beyond the ridge was a canyon surrounded by dense forests, and the faint sound of a waterfall could be heard. In the sky, a large bird cried out before diving into the dense forest of the canyon and disappearing from view. The sky was ominously dark; it was about to rain.
"Why don't we find a place to take shelter from the rain?" the Scholar proposed softly.
"That sounds good. However, there is a canyon up ahead with low terrain. Although the forest is dense, we shouldn't go there as it's too easy to be discovered. We'll stay right here—this place is high and offers a good field of view," Luo Zheng answered casually, pulling out two Japanese swords and handing them to the Scholar. "Take these, have the brothers cut so branches to make a shelter or sothing. This rain seems like it will be heavy and last a while, we need to make long-term arrangents."
"Alright," the Scholar agreed, taking the Japanese swords. He drew one and looked at it, the cold light dazzling, extrely sharp. He couldn't help but praise, "Good sword, where did it co from?"
"Got them from killing a few Japanese soldiers a few days ago," Luo Zheng replied indifferently, his gaze scanning the surroundings. His eyes were t with forests in every direction, the wind was picking up, and the leaves danced with the wind, tumultuous like rolling waves—a storm approaching the building rapidly. Luo Zheng closed his eyes slightly in contemplation, wondering what Turul was doing at this ti?
In battle, knowing both your enemy and yourself ensures victory in every fight. Luo Zheng didn't understand Turul very well and wasn't sure if there were traps waiting ahead, but for the mission, he resolved to proceed without hesitation. The Scholar glanced at Luo Zheng and ran off to arrange the shelter. After the downpour, none of the covering locations were suitable for everyone.
Twenty or thirty people worked together, and with the sharp Japanese swords to cut branches, they were highly efficient. Using existing trees as posts, they tied so beams and layered branches and grass on top, with broad leaves pressed underneath; the result was not perfectly waterproof but did provide a shelter from the rain.
The shelter had just been constructed when the rain ca down, which was fortunate. Everyone took refuge underneath it to rest. The Scholar returned the Japanese swords to Luo Zheng, who thought for a mont and then gave one back to the Scholar, making him inexplicably happy. The rain poured down, and the wind intensified, causing the large trees to howl.
Luo Zheng looked at the torrential rain, his mood heavy. The rain ca at an inopportune ti, slowing them all down and giving Turul enough ti to set up defenses. As he pondered, an uneasy feeling suddenly arose in his mind, a strange sensation that startled Luo Zheng. His half-closed eyes suddenly snapped open, flashing with a murderous intent. Luo Zheng was all too familiar with this feeling—it always ant danger was imminent.
"What's wrong?" The scholar looked at Luo Zheng in surprise, and the others also turned their gazes, brimming with curiosity.
Luo Zheng didn't imdiately answer the scholar's question, but instead watched his surroundings warily, pricking up his ears, releasing his body and mind to carefully perceive any hint of danger in the air. His complexion grew dark as his penetrating gaze swept over the area, not missing any detail; unfortunately, the pouring rain made it impossible to see anything.
"Sss?" Luo Zheng's heart sank as he gripped his gun and sprang to his feet.
"Is there a situation?" The scholar also beca alert, watching the surroundings closely and asking in a soft voice.
The others around also stood up, and the sound of bullets being chambered rang out. Everyone's expression changed, becoming alert, observing the surroundings as if facing a great enemy. The sniper even raised his sniper rifle, scanning the surroundings through his sniper scope, but found nothing unusual. They all looked at Luo Zheng with a mixture of surprise and suspicion.
"Sothing's not right, imdiately notify the scouts to pull back, and let's leave here as soon as possible." Relying on a hunter's instinct for danger, Luo Zheng sensed the approach of danger and dared not treat it lightly. The battlefield was no place for jokes, nor could one neglect any detail. The scholar hesitated but still promptly conveyed the orders through his headset.
A few minutes later, several scouts who had been dispersed for sentry duty gradually withdrew, holding their guns with both hands and looking drenched. They glanced curiously at the scholar, who himself did not know what was going on. He looked at Luo Zheng for answers, but Luo Zheng didn't know how to explain. He couldn't just say he had a bad feeling and thus had ordered everyone to retreat, especially in the middle of a downpour, could he?
The downpour not only obstructed visibility but also affected the march. Who would launch an attack at such a ti? Luo Zheng coldly observed his surroundings, still detecting no abnormalities, uncertain about the source of the danger. He decided to retreat first and turned to glance at everyone, about to say sothing when suddenly, gunshots sounded not far away.
"Sss?" Luo Zheng was startled. He turned to look, and the gunshots had co from a forest less than a kiloter away. With such a distance, it was unclear who had fired and why. Everyone exchanged looks, ultimately turning to Luo Zheng with eyes filled with admiration. On the battlefield, being able to sense danger in advance was an intuition that could only be honed through countless battles.
"The enemy is coming from our rear," the scholar said, astonished.
Luo Zheng looked toward the source of the gunshots, now silent, with only the sound of wind and rain in his ears. His face grew icy as he ordered in a low voice, "It seems the enemy has caught up. Let's retreat, single file, head west."
Heading west was towards Turul's base, the direction they had been moving in all along. They dashed out from under the shelter and ford a single line, charging along the mountain ridge. Luo Zheng led the way, but the unease in his mind did not dissipate; instead, it intensified. Alard, he quickly raised his right hand, signaling the team to stop.
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