More than three hours later, reinforcents arrived: it was Liu Xun, Zhang Bin, Wu Yuan, and ng Zhu, the first mbers of Ghost Team and Luo Zheng's old subordinates, brothers who had shared life and death. They hadn't seen each other for a long ti and were all very excited. They sat down together for a leisurely chat. Luo Zheng could tell they had all marched quickly to get there and were quite tired, so they decided to rest there for the night before continuing on.
After talking about their brotherly bonds for a while, Luo Zheng told Liu Xun, Zhang Bin, Wu Yuan, and ng Zhu to go rest. They would depart at dawn, and there might be a tough fight ahead—if they didn't rest well, it wouldn't be good. Zhou Gang also left to rest, but Shi Qingshan couldn't sleep and stayed up chatting with Luo Zheng for a bit. Changing the subject, Shi asked, "Commander, do we have a specific plan?"
Luo Zheng shook his head and looked up at the night sky, a trace of worry flashing in his eyes as he pondered. Not wanting to press further, Shi Qingshan found a piece of broken wood to use as a pillow and lay down to rest by the campfire. Staring at the night sky and thinking about his worries, the prospect of their nearly a hundred n facing the Kuntai Group's ard thousands made Shi Qingshan feel uneasy, but he didn't voice his fears, not wanting to affect the morale. He also started to consider what strategies to use if he were in command—how would he fight the battle?
Ti slipped away in the quiet night. Luo Zheng began to practice the family's Breathing Skill, resting while recovering his condition and gradually entering a serene state. It was as if everything around him stalled, and the sounds of the wind, crickets, burning fire, and various birds and animals singing combined into a harmonious symphony, a wonderful feeling.
He didn't know how long had passed when Luo Zheng suddenly felt a dangerous aura in the air, startling him awake. His half-closed eyes snapped open, flickering with a frightening sharpness as he stared intently into the darkness ahead, where only the sound of trees swaying in the wind and people resting by the campfire could be heard.
Luo Zheng was familiar with this sense of danger. The last ti he had felt it, he had almost been surrounded by Turul's ard forces. Now that the feeling had returned, he was certain danger was imminent. He couldn't ignore this instinct. Glancing at his watch, it was now past five in the morning, nearly dawn. He quickly nudged Shi Qingshan awake. Startled, Shi quickly got up, gripping his weapon and scanning the surroundings as if facing a great enemy—a true warrior. Seeing no imdiate danger, he looked at Luo Zheng in surprise.
"Shh!" Luo Zheng gestured for silence. Upon seeing Shi Qingshan's nod of understanding, Luo Zheng continued, "Wake the brothers up imdiately, quietly and quickly. Lay landmines around the area and then retreat—we've got pursuers coming."
"What?" Shi Qingshan looked at Luo Zheng in surprise. All was quiet, with no sign of danger. The outposts, over five hundred ters away, hadn't reported any enemy activity—how had Luo Zheng detected sothing? Seeing the seriousness on Luo Zheng's face, Shi quickly sprang into action, relaying the orders through his earpiece.
Soon enough, everyone awoke and moved swiftly, laying landmines in the surrounding woods. Luo Zheng, seeing everyone's practiced movents, breathed a sigh of relief and suggested, "When the enemy reaches the camp and doesn't find us, they'll likely take it out on the campfire. They might even kick it over. We could bury a landmine near the campfire; if it explodes, the pursuers will likely take cover in the surrounding woods, right where we've set the tripwires."
"Understood, I'll adjust our positions imdiately based on this strategy," replied Shi Qingshan, passing the new orders through his earpiece. Everyone changed their mine-laying tactics, focusing on placing grenades in the woods on either side of the campfire, increasing the density. Not long after, the outposts reported sighting the pursuers—there were many, but it was too dark to see clearly. They asked for instructions.
Shi Qingshan let out a breath of relief. He hadn't expected Luo Zheng to preemptively sense the danger. This ability to foresee hazards on the battlefield was undoubtedly a lifesaving gift, one developed through countless life-and-death battles. Full of admiration, Shi Qingshan approached Luo Zheng and relayed the information from the scouts.
Luo Zheng quickly spoke after a mont, "Hurry and withdraw the sentries, arrange for soone to respond, to avoid triggering the tripwire mines. Also, tell the brothers to speed up."
"Yes," Shi Qingshan imdiately passed on the orders.
Soon, the sentries were recalled and the mining completed. At Luo Zheng's command, everyone retreated a hundred ters, spread out, and stood by. The pursuers groped their way through the darkness, which infuriated Luo Zheng. If their numbers weren't too many, he decided he would teach these pursuers a lesson and take the opportunity to resupply so ammunition.
About six or seven minutes later, a large ball of firelight appeared in front of them. The Kuntai people didn't have Night Vision Devices, and they relied on torches for light at night. Luo Zheng watched the approaching torches with a cold gaze, counting them and estimating there were about two hundred n. These numbers would pose considerations during the day, but at night, with their Night Vision Devices, they could still take a gamble.
"Spread out the brothers imdiately, envelop them in a fan-shaped formation. Once the explosion goes off, fire at will, and strive to eliminate all of these enemies," Luo Zheng ordered quietly, his voice filled with murderous intent.
"Yes," Shi Qingshan, seeing Luo Zheng's ambitious plan to encircle and annihilate this group of pursuers, beca excited. A hundred well-equipped Special Forces against two hundred ard militants—Shi Qingshan wouldn't even fear three hundred, because at night, having Night Vision Devices gave them the advantage. He promptly relayed the order.
Once everyone received the order, they maneuvered around to encircle the enemy by squad, proceeding with great caution. Their eyes were cold and alert as they watched the torches ahead, excitent building up within them. None of them had experienced such a large-scale engagent—where a hundred faced more than two hundred—and the tension was thrilling. To avoid accidental discharge, they sensibly kept their fingers off the triggers.
It wasn't long before a large number of pursuers rushed over, the torchlight soaring into the sky and illuminating the surroundings. Luo Zheng also moved up and hid behind a large tree only fifty ters away from the bonfire. He watched coldly as a large group crowded by the fire, so leaders chattering away in a language that unfortunately, he couldn't understand.
The targets they had finally found had run off again, and the mood of the pursuers was agitated. The leaders discussed sothing heatedly, and one of them, in frustration, kicked the barbecue stand next to the fire. The stand fell onto the tripwire, which in turn pulled the pin out of a grenade, triggering it, and it began hissing, its sound masked by the arguing.
"A bunch of rabble," Luo Zheng sneered at the scene. If they were experienced, they would have surely sent one or two people to check the surroundings before passing through to ensure there were no dangers. They certainly wouldn't be arguing about anything.
"Boom!" Just as Luo Zheng mocked them, a loud explosion shattered the night, throwing the bonfire into the air. Several leaders near the fire imdiately fell into pools of blood, lifeless, while the others, thinking they were under attack, scattered to take cover in the forests on either side, oblivious that the forests too were deadly traps.
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