"Don't anyone move," the man called Shi Qingshan, who found himself utterly powerless to fight back and easily subdued by Luo Zheng, was shocked. Feeling the fierce murderous aura from Luo Zheng, he was even more astonished. How many people must this much younger man have killed to emit such a strong killing intent? Realizing that the killing intent was not directed at him, Shi Qingshan quickly shouted out loud to avoid any misunderstanding.
Luo Zheng also realized his behavior had been overly aggressive, but still tightly gripped the other man and roared, "What exactly happened? Tell now."
"Captain, let him go first. How can he speak if you keep holding him like this?" The scholar hurried over to smooth things over.
Luo Zheng gradually regained his composure, slowly letting go and said apologetically, "I'm sorry, I was too anxious."
Shi Qingshan, who could breathe more easily now, gasped heavily and said with a wry smile, "Commander, I understand your feelings. Here's what happened: A week ago, a brother from the First Squad's Fourth Team returned carrying a wounded man, reporting they were ambushed, the whole team perished, and Captain Lan drew off the enemies by jumping off a cliff. His life or death is unknown."
"Fourth Team? My people? And what about the Fifth Team? The people from the Military Research Institute?" The scholar, upon hearing this, beca frantic, staring at Shi Qingshan with a ghastly pale face and demanding answers.
"Fifth Team escorted the Military Research Institute's personnel to safety without any casualties. The returning brother is called Zhang Hai, the wounded is ng Guo, all others died in combat, their bodies have been recovered, and they fought the enemies at close quarters—true heroes," Shi Qingshan said, his voice growing heavy, eyes red with emotion.
"What?" Hearing this, the scholar's face drastically changed; he looked at Luo Zheng then at Shi Qingshan, unable to believe what he had heard was true, his eyes glazed as two hot tears rolled down.
With a cold expression, Luo Zheng said detachedly, "Take to the scene."
Without any hesitation, Shi Qingshan gestured, and the team pulled back, silently concealing themselves in the surrounding woods. Shi Qingshan led the way, and in no ti, a hillside appeared ahead littered with corpses—many gnawed by wild animals, exuding a foul stench, with guns and ammunition strewn all over the ground.
"According to our investigation, the enemy appeared suddenly, and the Fourth Team held them off here before retreating along the river direction," Shi Qingshan said somberly, clearly affected by the loss of a whole squad of brothers in the wilderness.
Luo Zheng silently observed the battlefield, saying nothing, his gaze filled with hatred as he looked at the corpses, the traces of battle. He seed to envision Lan Xue fighting, then coldly moved forward. Shi Qingshan tried to offer so explanations but was pulled back by the scholar. With Luo Zheng's ability, the scholar believed he could discern far more on his own, without needing any explanations from Shi Qingshan.
In a short while, Luo Zheng arrived beside a broken tree, seemingly seeing Lan Xue making a stand there, then counter-charging forward, creating a bloody path with tactical sniper fire. Luo Zheng traced the marks left by Lan Xue, imagining Lan Xue's difficult retreat, filled with pain and hatred, regretting he wasn't there at his side.
Seeing Luo Zheng jogging up the hillside along an odd route, Shi Qingshan was about to offer a warning when the scholar pulled him aside, turned off his earpiece, and whispered, "Brother, let him go. With his keen eyes, nothing that happened here will escape his notice."
"Who exactly is this commander? He's even younger than ," Shi Qingshan murmured.
"Why do you call him the commander?" the scholar asked curiously in return.
"It's what the organization instructed," Shi Qingshan asked in a sowhat puzzled whisper. "They told to bring people here to wait for you all and to follow his commands. You have fought alongside him for a while, so you should understand him. Tell , why don't I feel confident about this? Is it because he's too young?"
"Since the organization has given such instructions, you should just address him as such. Knowing too much is not good. Furthermore, his identity is special, so don't ask too much. You can call him commander or captain; he doesn't care about titles. Just rember one thing: don't underestimate him. With his abilities, he could easily take down your entire squadron. Do you believe it?" the scholar explained seriously in a low voice.
"Hiss?" Knowing the scholar and both being from the sa large unit, Shi Qingshan knew the scholar was not one to speak without basis and would not make comnts lightly. Once he did, his words were often accurate. Shi Qingshan couldn't help but size up Luo Zheng, only to find that Luo Zheng had already rushed forward along the river.
The two of them quickly followed, only to find that Luo Zheng was heading towards a hillside instead of continuing forward. The scholar was surprised, while Shi Qingshan, impressed, said, "He's really incredible to have noticed sothing amiss over there."
They quickly caught up and saw no sign around. After walking forward for a bit, they found many bodies strewn across the uphill path, and soon, the scholar saw that many people had died from cold weapons. Clearly, a fierce battle had taken place here, prompting a look towards Shi Qingshan.
"Your n were engaged in close combat with the enemy here," Shi Qingshan explained.
The scholar's face turned pale, and he sat down abruptly on the ground, his expression downcast. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Luo Zheng dash forward, which jolted him awake. He hurriedly got up and followed, only to find nurous bodies lying at the edge of a cliff plateau, disfigured by wild animals, with weapons scattered all around.
At the edge of the stone cliff, Luo Zheng stood, his face deathly pale, carefully observing the surroundings. Then he moved to a stone, as if he could see Lan Xue's despair fighting to the last mont by that stone, the helplessness of leaping off the cliff, and that beautifully tragic smile in midair. At this mont, Luo Zheng's heart bled, his vision darkened, and he fainted to the ground.
"Captain." The scholar was shocked and rushed over.
Everyone scrambled to carry Luo Zheng to the side, pinched his philtrum, lifted his head, and poured water into his mouth. After a while, Luo Zheng gradually regained consciousness, looking dazed, his gaze unfocused, his lips trembling, muttering, "Too late, I'm too late..." His entire being was listless and radiated an air of desolation, deeply distressing to witness.
"Captain, pull yourself together," the scholar shouted softly, his heart heavy with sorrow, watching the deeply stricken Luo Zheng without knowing how to comfort him.
"Commander, Captain Lan must still be alive. Co on, snap out of it. Captain Lan is waiting for you to find him and avenge him," Shi Qingshan, sensing the peculiar relationship between Luo Zheng and Lan Xue, knew it was more than just comradery. He had a sudden realization, being soone with experience, and imdiately shouted.
"Huh?" Luo Zheng was taken aback, staring steadily at Shi Qingshan. His unfocused eyes slowly gathered strength and beca resolute. Shi Qingshan and the scholar exchanged glances, silently relieved, when Luo Zheng suddenly rose from the ground, grabbed Shi Qingshan by the collar, effortlessly lifting him up, and demanded with a cold face, "I need to find her, to avenge her. Tell , who is the enemy?"
User Comments
0 comments from readers