At noon, deep in the dense woods of a mountain ridge in the primordial forest, Luo Zheng led his team to stop for a rest. After running continuously for more than two hours, the pursuers behind them had disappeared; everyone could finally catch their breath. Luo Zheng sat down on the ground, drank so water, and upon seeing Shi Qingshan approaching, he gestured for Shi Qingshan to sit down and asked, "How did you get here?"
"Sir, my orders were to follow your command. Since you left, I couldn't return to report, so I had no choice but to co and find you. You can't leave behind this ti," Shi Qingshan said, sowhat frustrated.
Luo Zheng was taken aback, knowing that Shi Qingshan was joking with him, but he couldn't cheer up as there was still no news of Lan Xue. He fell into deep thought. Seeing Luo Zheng's grave expression, Shi Qingshan didn't inquire further; he sat beside him, drinking water and eating dry rations. After a while, Luo Zheng suddenly said, "Thanks for being here. Do you have a satellite phone?"
"Yes, just a mont." Shi Qingshan hastily responded, picked up his backpack, and rummaged through it to find a satellite phone, which he handed to Luo Zheng, saying, "The phone is specially set up to only dial our base headquarters."
The special set-up of the military satellite phone was within reason; Luo Zheng found nothing odd about it. Taking it, he continued, "Is there any news about Captain Lan?"
"I contacted the headquarters this morning, and there was none," Shi Qingshan said, embarrassed.
Luo Zheng sank into thought. The satellite phone had only two buttons, talk and end; it didn't need a dialing number. Luo Zheng pressed the talk button and put it to his ear, hearing the connection sound. Soon, a commanding voice ca from the other end, "Is that you, Stone? What's the situation?"
"This is Ghost. I'm with Shi Qingshan, and I need your help," Luo Zheng, estimating that the person on the line was Shi Qingshan's superior, said politely.
"It's you, great, glad you're okay. Tell , what do you need to do?" the person on the other end asked enthusiastically.
"Thank you, I need to contact my superiors," Luo Zheng said.
"Hold on, don't hang up," the person readily agreed. Luo Zheng acknowledged and patiently waited. Connecting through such a phone was not a complicated matter. Soon enough, Wu Jin's excited voice ca through the speaker, "Is that you?"
"It's ," Luo Zheng quickly said, "Any news about Lan Xue?"
"Not yet, but rest assured, the Southwest Army is fully cooperating and has already dispatched tens of thousands of people to search. They will definitely find her. Where are you now?" Captain Wu Jin quickly asked.
"I don't know the exact location. Last night I infiltrated Kuntai Base, where I discovered their central headquarters located within a mountain peak, with caves underneath and many wooden houses built along the mountain above. I snuck into the caves but didn't find Lan Xue. Out of anger, I blew up their arms depot. I am currently facing their frenzied pursuit, but I've temporarily shaken off the pursuers. I plan to infiltrate again to see if I can find her. I won't return to my team until I find Lan Xue," Luo Zheng explained gravely.
"Okay, I grant you permission to stay away from your team for the ti being, but be careful. Also, our undercover in the Kuntai organization has sent word that their headquarters was bombed, resulting in significant loss of resources and narcotics. I didn't realize you were responsible; well done. I'll have the undercover contact you to see if he can assist you. Is there anything else you need to do?" Wu Jin said solemnly, agreeing to Luo Zheng's request.
"Help find Lan Xue," Luo Zheng said earnestly.
"Alright, I will personally oversee the search, right at the front lines. Rest assured, I won't return to my team until we find Lan Xue. Also, once the undercover makes contact with you, it will an his cover is blown. Safely bring him back," Wu Jin instructed.
"Understood," Luo Zheng acknowledged.
"There is a waterfall ten kiloters north of Kuntai Base. You must arrive there precisely at midnight in two days to et the undercover. Do not be late. His codena is Pangolin. I will inform him imdiately. Take care of yourself and make sure to co back alive," Wu Jin warned sternly.
"Yes," Luo Zheng responded earnestly.
After ending the call, Luo Zheng handed the satellite phone back to Shi Qingshan and fell into thought. Shi Qingshan had heard everything clearly. He couldn't believe Luo Zheng had actually infiltrated Kuntai Base and even destroyed an underground cave. That was incredibly bold. No wonder there had been a muffled sound before dawn; he had thought it was thunder, not realizing it was Luo Zheng detonating the arms depot. Shi Qingshan's curiosity about Luo Zheng deepened, but seeing him deep in thought and silent, he didn't feel it was right to ask more. He stood up, moved over to sit next to Zhou Gang, and whispered, "Brother, which unit are you from?"
"Northwest Military Region's Special Warfare Team. How about you?" Zhou Gang asked politely.
"Southwest Military Region's Special Warfare Team. Just call Stone. Have you been following the commander all along? What exactly happened with the explosion? Tell about it," Shi Qingshan asked enthusiastically.
"The commander?" Zhou Gang paused, quickly understanding, and without explaining further, he smiled and said, "My na is Gangzi. I t him coincidentally while on a mission. He is my old team leader. As for the explosion, we saw it from nearby but didn't have the capabilities to be involved. It was all done by the commander alone. It was too dark to see clearly, but the entire mountain seed to shrink down like an earthquake, and the damage was enormous."
"That intense?" Shi Qingshan looked at Zhou Gang incredulously, feeling that Zhou Gang wasn't lying, and believed him sowhat. Glancing at Luo Zheng not far away, he continued, "No wonder there are so many pursuers. So you guys hit their lair hard; indeed thrilling, too bad we missed it."
"It's alright, the battle certainly isn't over yet. With the commander here, there will be plenty of action to co. It's just that I'm not sure if the commander is unwilling to bring us along. It's our squad's first mission, and our experience is still lacking, which might weigh him down," Zhou Gang said sowhat dejectedly.
This conversation drew a wry smile from Shi Qingshan. Luo Zheng's departure had apparently also deed Shi Qingshan and others as a burden. After chatting briefly, they heard Luo Zheng calling them. They quickly approached and sat beside him, looking at Luo Zheng intently, waiting for orders.
"I need your help," Luo Zheng said earnestly to the two n.
"Commander, just give the order," Shi Qingshan said enthusiastically.
"Captain, won't we be a burden to you?" Zhou Gang asked worriedly, having been on missions with Luo Zheng more than once. He was all too familiar with Luo Zheng's capabilities; it might be fine for him alone, but bringing the squad might make a difference.
"If it weren't for you, I'd be dead already. What burden are you talking about? Don't ever say that again," Luo Zheng said.
"Yes, Captain. Just give the order, through fire and water, without a frown," Zhou Gang responded joyously, patting his chest and swearing earnestly.
"You guys are all comndable," Luo Zheng said with gratitude, his expression suddenly becoming stern as he asked seriously, "I'm preparing to lead you on a mission where survival is slim. Are you afraid?"
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