Under the pitch-black night sky, in the vast forest, a person was concealed high up in a tree, rging with the trunk and hard to distinguish under the blurry moonlight, a pair of distinctly black and white eyes continuously flickering with signs of intelligence. He coldly watched his surroundings. It was Luo Zheng, who had stayed behind to observe.
An hour went by and there were no disturbances from the enemy; two hours went by and still no disturbances. Luo Zheng started to wonder, could he be overly apprehensive? He looked up at the night sky; the moon was gradually being obscured by dark clouds, and the night grew even denser. If it weren't for the night vision device, he wouldn't be able to see anything at all.
The night breeze gently blew, causing the leaves to rustle loudly. A few strange cries of wild birds shattered the silence of the forest. The dark forest seed like Dark Hell itself, emitting an oppressive atmosphere that could have easily overwheld anyone not of firm mind, confronting them with a darkness so thick they could barely see their hand before their face.
After waiting so more and still detecting no sign of the enemy, Luo Zheng considered whether to leave, but thinking of the consequences, he decided to wait until dawn. He carefully placed his backpack in the fork of the tree, took out a special kind of rope, secured the backpack, and tied himself to the trunk as well, to prevent falling off while asleep.
After having done all this, Luo Zheng looked around to ensure there were no threats like snakes nearby, then closed his eyes to rest, initiating the family's Breathing Skill. He quickly entered a trance-like state. At this mont, Luo Zheng felt as if his brain had gone dormant, yet his senses of sight, hearing, sll, taste, touch, and thoughts beca unusually active and sensitive. The sounds of the wind, the calls of birds, and the rustling of the leaves seed exceptionally clear.
He didn't know how long had passed when, in a daze, Luo Zheng suddenly dread of many people surrounding him. A sense of unease surged in his heart, jolting him awake. His half-closed eyes suddenly snapped open, flashing a sharp light. Luo Zheng looked around cautiously, only then noticing that it was beginning to get light. In the distance, a flock of birds took flight, startling him.
"They're indeed here," Luo Zheng fully awakened, gripped his gun tightly, and took a deep breath to calm himself down. His frosty gaze watched the surroundings intently, ready for anything.
It wasn't long before Luo Zheng saw military personnel approaching from all directions, each ard and in uniform, wearing grim expressions, moving quickly and cautiously. Those from before had turned around and were completing an encirclent. Seeing this, Luo Zheng knew what was happening and quietly congratulated himself for being cautious due to Mountain Eagle's early warnings; otherwise, they would be in big trouble.
Soon, this group charged in, swarming in by the hundreds, each with a frosty face, their gun barrels aid at the camouflaged camp. Luo Zheng's stern eyes swiftly identified several leading officers by their ranks as Captains with large beards, cold expressions, and their hands urging their subordinates forward.
Seeing no resistance, the group appeared puzzled. So n fiercely entered the camouflaged camp, tripping over tripwires unknowingly, completely deceived by the camouflaged stones. Their faces turned an ashen blue when they realized they'd been duped, rushing forward, lifting the branches with their guns, and stepping aside, waiting for the officers to approach.
The officers had also realized the trick; before they could rush forward, a series of violent explosions suddenly erupted, one after another. Countless red lights burst open, engulfing the surrounding soldiers, with smoke billowing everywhere. The soldiers let out piercing screams as limbs and pieces of flesh flew around, an arm blown onto a tree making a "plop" as it hit and then fell, its hand still gripping a steel gun, the fingers trembling eerily, blood spraying around, and the ground strewn with dry leaves thoroughly soaked in blood.
"Ah? Retreat quickly." The officer's face turned pale as he roared and turned to run, fearing the successive explosions would co for him next and kill him as well.
Aloft the towering tree canopy, Luo Zheng's tiger-like eyes blazed with lethal intent, coldly watching the explosions under the tree. Hearing the continuous screams and seeing the wounded rolling on the ground, the earth stained red, a cold smile crept onto his resolute face. This barrage had killed or wounded nearly half of the enemy, serving as retribution for being played.
After waiting a while, when the explosions ceased, the officer, his face ghastly pale, approached the scene with extre caution. Each step he took trembled, as did the arm holding his gun. With so many dead, not knowing who the enemy was, how would he report back? And how could he face the subordinates who had died in battle?
The surviving soldiers looked at the captain with panic, uncertain of what to do. The trap had been crafted cunningly,—no matter how they tried to run, they couldn't escape the danger of the explosions. The majority of their comrades had died incomprehensibly, horribly, without even a glimpse of the enemy's shadow, nor knowing how the explosions had been triggered. A mysterious enemy with mysterious thods suffocated everyone with despair.
Luo Zheng stayed immobile atop the tree, coldly observing the scene. Watching the officer use a military radio to communicate with the outside world briefly before rallying everyone together, he lectured them shortly, left so injured to guard the site, and then led the remaining few dozen n south in pursuit.
The captain spoke in Arctic Bear Country's language, which Luo Zheng couldn't understand. However, seeing them head south, a cold smile played across his lips. From his observations, Luo Zheng concluded two things—the Arctic Bear Country had discovered them, and yet, they didn't know he had headed northwest.
If the Arctic Bear Country knew his location and deliberately pursued south to confuse him, Luo Zheng had nothing to say. On second thought, if the Arctic Bear truly knew he was hiding there, they wouldn't chase but would have ordered an attack instead. Dozens of n surrounding him in the tree would leave almost no chance of survival. Thus, Luo Zheng didn't believe this possibility. Once the captain had led his n far away, Luo Zheng strapped on his gear and quietly slid down the tree, hurrying toward the northwest.
Along the way, Luo Zheng did not stop. Everyone had moved on the night before and was probably growing impatient. By noon, Luo Zheng reached a mountain ridge, only to suddenly see an aggressive squad rushing toward him. Startled, he swiftly hid in the bushes, his gun aid forward, ready for confrontation, his eyes fierce yet restrained, holding back his fighting spirit.
Soon, the squad hurried past; a few soldiers even passed right in front of the bushes where Luo Zheng was hidden. A bit more attention and he might have been discovered. Luo Zheng silently thanked his luck, guessing the squad was rushing to provide reinforcent. The Arctic Bear Country would surely be anxious with so many dead.
Luo Zheng erged from the bushes and continued onward, bouncing swiftly and soon disappearing into the forest.
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