The sky grew overcast, the wind howling through the mountains, as a few startled birds frantically flew into the underbrush and disappeared without a trace, leaving only a few tangles of dead grass swirling in the air. A bleak scene unfolded with dark clouds looming overhead, the mountain rain imminent, and the oppressive low pressure made Luo Zheng and his comrades' breathing grow strained. Crossing over one mountain ridge only to see more looming ahead seed endless, the only difference being the varying sizes and shapes of the mountains, weighing heavily on everyone's spirits.
"It's going to rain," Lan Xue said with furrowed brows, glancing up at the sky. Her grip on the steel gun tightened, and her oil-painted face softened slightly. If a storm could really break, preferably lasting until dark with even stronger winds, they would be much safer. Storms were disadvantageous for helicopter combat.
Yet, just as they harbored this hope, a rumbling sound reached their ears, a strange hum that didn't seem like a helicopter. Everyone's faces changed drastically as they realized what it might be and tensed up. Luo Zheng quickly turned around, seeing nothing, but the terrifying noise was unmistakable. With horror, he said, "Fighter jet?"
Having survived an attack by a fighter jet before, they knew all too well its destructive power. In the open mountains, who could escape the bombing of a fighter jet? Their hearts sank, despair washing over their faces. Instinctively, they looked to Luo Zheng who, lacking a better plan, noticed a cliff ahead, his face growing grim as he shouted, "Quick, jump off the cliff!"
The cliff was more like a crevice, with the gentle mountain terrain suddenly splitting open and forming a fissure. The cliff was steep, its depth unknown, but with no ti to think, they charged forward. As they reached the edge, not daring to look, the fighter jet was already roaring in. Turning back, they saw a missile with a vicious tail fla roar toward them, its fierceness like that of a Demon sneering.
All faces turned pale, and Luo Zheng suddenly drew his Sword Dragon Tooth, yelling loudly, "Jump down and find a way to anchor yourself in the middle of the cliff!" With those words, he leapt off the cliff, plunging the Sword Dragon Tooth into it without hesitation. The Dragon Tooth bore the force, tearing through the cliff's dirt as Luo Zheng rapidly descended.
The others snapped to their senses and followed, twisting their bodies in midair to stab their Sword Dragon Tooth into the cliffside. Under the fierce montum of the fall, the sharp blades sliced through the dirt, slowing their descent as they stopped and hung suspended in mid-air after dropping a few ters.
Before they could catch their breath, a piercing whine swept over the cliff top, accompanied by a massive sonic boom that left them dazed and their eardrums aching. Then, they heard a thunderous explosion as the missile detonated on the opposite side of the cliff, a good two to five hundred ters away from them. The blast sent a powerful shockwave outwards, scattering fiery clouds and smoke, revealing a massive chasm as the nearby soil collapsed with a loud crash, extending dozens of ters in length.
Fortunately, the missile exploded more than five hundred ters above them, and the shockwave's impact was less severe at their level, but they still felt an intense wave of sweltering heat as if trying to tear their bodies apart. They gasped for air as the heat seed to scorch their faces. Dressed in tight protective suits, they were sowhat shielded, but they instinctively lowered their heads to avoid the heat. Suddenly, their grip loosened, and they began to fall.
The shockwave had also loosened the cliff where the Sword Dragon Tooth had been anchored, and naturally, those who were clinging to them began to drop. Thankfully, the fall was not deep, just about ten ters or so. During the fall, everyone frantically opened their eyes wide to clear their vision of the ground. After landing, they loosened their legs and rolled to dissipate the impact force.
"Run!" Luo Zheng's voice erupted in the earpiece. Without hesitation, and without ti to check for injuries, everyone followed Luo Zheng as they dashed forward. The twenty-sothing-ter-deep cliff provided poor visibility for the drones and fighter jets high above, making it difficult to clearly see what was below. As the fighter jet turned and flew over, it failed to spot the targets concealed beneath the cliff and started to circle in the air.
The unmanned reconnaissance drone flew over, searching along the cliffside. Luo Zheng, leading the way, saw the drone approaching. His face turned pale, and he imdiately stopped, dropping to the ground. The others also lay down motionless. Cloaked in camouflage suits, they blended in with their surroundings. The drone, not spotting any suspicious targets, zipped over their heads and swiftly flew off towards another direction.
"Run!" Luo Zheng saw the reconnaissance drone fly past, his anxiety eased slightly as he quickly yelled out, picking up the pace and madly rushing forward. With the cliff as cover, as long as they weren't discovered, the danger was minimal. Thankfully, Arctic Bear Country's ground forces were far away and couldn't reach them in a short ti, which wasn't a concern for now.
The cliff was steep, and nature's artistry had carved the face of the rock neatly. Below was filled with mud and pebbles, resembling a dried-up riverbed, indicating that a river had once flowed here, but had long since dried up. Using the cliff for cover, Luo Zheng and his group continued to run. Suddenly, they heard a roaring sound from behind. Knowing that the reconnaissance drone hadn't found its target and was turning back to investigate, they lay down again.
The unmanned reconnaissance drone swept over their heads, and everyone breathed a sigh of relief. Just as they were about to continue running forward, they suddenly heard Luo Zheng shout, "Back, go back."
"What?" Everyone looked at Luo Zheng in surprise, not understanding the reason, but noticed his ashen face showed no mood for explanations. He turned and ran. Thinking of Luo Zheng's ability to sense danger on the battlefield, the group didn't ask any questions and quickly turned around, following Luo Zheng as they sprinted.
Soon, they arrived back at the cliff they had been under when the missile struck, stopping without hesitation. Before they could ask any questions, they saw a missile whizz by, aggressively hitting near where they had previously lain, causing a thunderous explosion. The ground shook as if trembling, and the dirt on both sides of the cliff began to collapse, filling in the cliffside for over a hundred ters.
The group, witnessing the landslide of dirt before them, paled significantly. If they had continued running forward, even if they hadn't been blown up, they would likely have been buried alive by the collapsing dirt. They felt secretly relieved.
Luo Zheng looked towards the bend ahead. The collapsing dirt had stopped at the curve, and he too quietly let out a sigh of relief. If not for the bend partially blocking the blast wave from the missile, they would have been in serious trouble. He then glanced at the nearby cliff that had been hit by the first round of missiles, where more dirt continued to slide down. Luo Zheng was grateful that the cliff had already been blasted previously, causing a collapse. Otherwise, they would have t the sa buried fate.
With pale faces and anxious eyes directed towards Luo Zheng, foreheads slick with cold sweat and nerves on edge, no one could remain composed faced with such ferocious explosions.
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