The night deepened, darkness enveloping everything as clouds masked the moon. Lights glowed along the main avenue of Kuntai Base, illuminating the vicinity. The patrol team was ticulously vigilant, unaware of a dark corner among rows of wooden huts where a pair of bright eyes glead with a chilling glint, like a ghost wandering on the edge of darkness.
He had already stealthily moved past about a dozen rows of wooden huts. Each required utmost care to avoid making a noise, which demanded great endurance and energy. Even Luo Zheng felt exhausted and had to rest in the shadows for a while. Seeing another group of the patrol team pass by, he couldn't help but scoff. The patrol's defense was tight, but they would never imagine soone bold enough to sneak directly through the soldiers' barracks.
Just one more row of huts and he would reach the end. Beyond that lay a towering mountain. Luo Zheng checked the ti, it was already four in the morning, and he couldn't afford any more delays. Cautiously scanning his surroundings and confirming it was safe, he moved forward swiftly. He slipped into the doorway of one of the huts, suddenly heard a noise, and instinctively retreated a bit, drawing his Tiger Teeth combat knife ready for confrontation.
If he were discovered now, there would be no escape. Soon a shirtless man erged from the room, stepping aside to relieve himself, the sound of urine flowing loudly. Luo Zheng watched coldly as the man, half-asleep with his eyes barely open, looked utterly unalert. With a swift move, Luo Zheng pounced, pinning the man down before he could scream, and with one strong slice, he slashed a deep gash across the man's neck.
According to the original plan, Luo Zheng had not wanted to kill to avoid raising suspicion, but the situation had changed. Despite the man's groggy, half-asleep deanor, Luo Zheng couldn't risk being discovered and took the initiative. After the killing, he didn't panic but looked around to ensure he wasn't noticed and let out a quiet sigh of relief. With no place to hide the body and short on ti, he swiftly entered the room.
Inside, three people were deeply asleep. Luo Zheng was about to do the sa to them when a sudden thought struck him. He moved to one of them, covered their mouth, and swiftly slashed their throat with his Tiger Teeth, blood spurting out but the person unresponsive.
Luo Zheng stood on the bed's edge, quickly killed the other two, and then stripped off his clothes, throwing them on the ground. He dragged the outside body back in, arranged the four bodies to simulate a mutual killing, picked up other sharp knives from the room, and stabbed the bodies several more tis. Setting the knives in their hands, he wasn't sure if this would create a convincing scene of confusion, but it was worth a try.
After completing his grim task, Luo Zheng didn't dare linger. He swiftly climbed through the window, ahead was an open field, and beyond the field was a forest, then the mountain. Crouching on the ground, blending into the shadows, he listened carefully. Hearing nothing unusual, he took a deep breath and with a powerful spring, dashed forward like an arrow towards the forest, nearly invisible in the darkness.
The field was narrow and not more than ten ters wide. Luo Zheng quickly crossed it and hid under a tree. All was silent. On the main avenue, the patrol continued with dim lights. A searchlight from the mountaintop swept across the open field, briefly illuminating it before moving away.
After waiting a mont, Luo Zheng hurried along the edge of the forest and reached a large wooden hut. Surrounded by shadowy trees and the murmuring of a small stream, the hut was silent. A winding dirt road led upward where patrols were active. Luo Zheng skirted around them, advancing about ten ters, when suddenly he discovered a cave near another wooden hut, guarded by about a dozen n with a heavy machine gun mounted on sandbags.
"Hiss?" Luo Zheng was greatly shocked upon seeing the cave in the mountain, wondering if the highest peak had already been hollowed out underneath. With this thought, his face soured as the significance of the subterranean galleries could be vast. From the overall layout, soldiers resided around the periter while many wooden houses were built along the mountain peak, possibly for higher-ups to reside in. But what about the cave? For stockpiling resources? Holding prisoners? A command center?
After pondering for a mont, Luo Zheng realized all these possibilities existed. Putting himself in Kuntai's shoes, if he had caught soone as important as Lan Xue, the ideal place to detain her would be the underground cave. Let alone whether the rescuer could gain entry, once inside, the cave system would certainly be intricate, making it hard to find anyone.
With over a dozen guards, the entrance's surrounding area had a clear field of view, making it nearly impossible to infiltrate silently. Considering this, Luo Zheng decided to first climb the mountain to check the situation. Once resolved, he cautiously ascended the slope, avoiding the wooden houses and patrolling guards, eventually reaching halfway up the mountain without realizing it.
Luo Zheng caught his breath and was about to continue forward when sothing bright caught the corner of his eye, startling him. He quickly squatted down and turned to look—it was a light coming from beneath the ground. Surprisingly, Luo Zheng scanned the surroundings—all forest, what was the source of this light?
Curious, Luo Zheng went over to take a look. It was a hole about a ter in diater, with light seeping out. The hole was bordered by stones, covered with a bamboo net to prevent leaves from falling in. Luo Zheng squatted down, greatly puzzled, and investigated.
"Could this be a vent or a light well for the underground cave?" Luo Zheng wondered. Observing the surrounding terrain, if there was indeed a massive cave system below, ventilation and lighting would have to be considered; otherwise, wouldn't the cave suffocate everyone? Given the conditions here, this implentation of vents and light wells was the best they could do.
To ensure nothing was overlooked, Luo Zheng quickly scanned the vicinity and before long, he found another similar hole. This confird his belief that they were indeed for ventilation and lighting. Luo Zheng squatted beside this newly discovered hole and observed for a while. It was quiet below, the light was dim, and he saw no one. After a mont's thought and a grit of his teeth, he pulled out a specialized rope from his backpack, tied it to a nearby tree, moved the bamboo net aside, and lowered the other end into the hole.
After waiting for a while with no signs of disturbance from below, Luo Zheng, with a stern face and fierce eyes, grabbed the rope and jumped down. The hole, a bit wider than a ter, was big enough for Luo Zheng to descend. He held tightly to the rope, dropping down vertically, very slowly and carefully, not making any noise.
Soon, Luo Zheng sensed more light below and looked down—he was about to reach the cave. He slowed his rappelling speed and pricked up his ears to listen. Hearing nothing, he sighed in relief and continued descending, quickly reaching the end of the hole, about five or six ters above the cave floor. With his back against the cave wall and feet pressed against the front, he secured himself, reeled in the remaining rope, and coiled it up to avoid discovery from below.
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