After a thorough search, no enemy presence was detected in the vicinity, so the group continued on their way. Lan Xue, holding Luo Zheng's hand, lagged behind the group. She carefully examined him to ensure that Luo Zheng had not sustained any serious burns. Relieved that he was okay, she didn't dwell on the burns on his face, confident that they would heal with treatnt once they returned. For Lan Xue, a soldier who had endured countless life-and-death situations, such superficial injuries were of little concern; survival was what truly mattered.
"Don't worry, I really am fine," Luo Zheng said in a low voice, turning off his headset.
Lan Xue also turned off her headset and gave Luo Zheng a stern look but refrained from reprimanding him. Instead, she fell into deep thought. After a while, she suddenly spoke. "The enemy is skilled, able to conceal their presence. Even with our battlefield perception, we were unable to lock onto their approximate position. They're stronger than we are. Using that tactic was probably the only appropriate choice back there, even if it was quite harsh on yourself."
"On the battlefield, it's either kill or be killed. Being alive is fortune enough; how could I dare to ask for more? Don't worry, I definitely won't do sothing like that again. I nearly got roasted alive," Luo Zheng said with a bitter smile.
"Right, but if your life is at risk, continue to use that tactic. Being alive is better than anything else, understand?" Lan Xue advised with concern, her eyes filled with intense affection.
"Got it," Luo Zheng responded gratefully with a nod.
"Alright, let's catch up quickly, or they'll start worrying about us again," Lan Xue said softly, turning her headset back on.
The two hurried to catch up to the group, which continued their rapid march. As the weather cooled down, everyone's spirits lifted. They marched on under the moonlight, as the high dayti temperatures made marching unbearable. Only at night could they make good progress. When thirsty, they took sips of water; when hungry, they shared the compressed biscuits they had seized from an enemy earlier.
They marched until midnight, when temperatures suddenly dropped to around two to three degrees below zero. They could endure, accustod as they were to the desert's vast temperature swings between day and night. They carried on without panic, feeling fortunate that the temperature did not continue to drop and that they encountered no sandstorms, making for a smooth journey.
The next morning, the group arrived at a severely desertified ridge. Looking forward, the desert stretched out before them, dotted with nurous cal thorns and tall cacti. Ruins and mounds of earth stood lonely and desolate under the sun. In the distance lay a mountain bereft of any signs of life, covered in sand and gravel, yet steep. The steep cliffs were riddled with many caves showing signs of human activity.
Luo Zheng was alard and quickly signaled for everyone to conceal themselves on the spot. He raised his binoculars to observe and noticed that the caves in the cliffside held flocks of sheep, horses, and cals being tended to by people. A desert road snaked its way to the area, though no vehicles were in sight. Luo Zheng guessed they were also hidden within the caves. Just as he was about to search further, he spotted three people suddenly erging from the open, flat ground. They went to the edge of the cliff, drove a pickup truck out from one of the caves, and roared away along the road.
"Could this be the place we're looking for?" Luo Zheng was shocked and handed the binoculars to Lan Xue. After observing for a while, Lan Xue passed the binoculars to the others for them to take turns looking. Finally, the binoculars were returned to Luo Zheng, who continued observing with a grave expression.
After a while, Luo Zheng signaled for the group to retreat a bit and hide behind a sand dune away from the sun. While avoiding the sun's glare, he said, "The destination should be right in front of us. The caves in the cliffs outside serve as holding facilities for the sheep, horses, cals, and also the parked vehicles. The people are probably underground."
"I suspect the entire underground is filled with caves. That mountain is likely riddled with them too. The surface terrain here is simple, but the underground is complex. If we approach without understanding the situation, we might get ambushed. Should we observe for a while longer before moving forward?" Lan Xue said coldly, her eyes filled with worry.
"Yes," Luo Zheng also dared not recklessly attack; the enemy were all hiding below, and to go over rashly was no different from seeking death. He thought it over and continued, "Let's conceal ourselves here to observe and wait until it gets dark before we act. The soil here is soft, so let's dig a hole. Otherwise, we won't be able to bear the scorching sun. Another thod is to sneak up and hide in a cave, then act accordingly."
"That's also a good idea. What do you all think?" Lan Xue looked around and asked everyone for their opinions.
"It's feasible, but we need to find out the enemy's secret sentries first to avoid exposing our movents," Ghost Hand reminded.
"An hour should be enough, right? Under such a strong sun, even lurking sentries can't withstand it, and changing guard every hour is already the limit," Luo Zheng whispered, giving Ghost Hand a aningful look. Ghost Hand nodded understandingly and concealed himself, heading off to scout the area.
The others continued to rest in the shade, while Luo Zheng turned to Mountain Eagle with concern, "How's your wound holding up after this journey? Can you manage?"
"I probably can't manage high-speed running," Mountain Eagle answered truthfully, so that Luo Zheng could make the correct tactical deploynt. Keeping silent out of stubbornness would only affect the overall combat effectiveness and drag everyone down.
Luo Zheng nodded and pointing ahead, said, "When we retreat, you'll take the high ground. However, I suspect there will be a sentry there, so be careful. Provide fire support from a distance, and there's no need for you to co down. Once we erge from underground, you'll need to provide enough fire cover. You won't be able to use a sniper rifle inside, so we'll leave all the sniper rifles with you when we go in. You'll be in charge of our escape route. Any problems with that?"
Mountain Eagle did not imdiately agree but pondered instead. Three people, three sniper rifles, plus two captured rifles, all fully loaded—that would be fifty rounds, aning fifty uninterrupted shots. If the number of enemies chasing them did not exceed a hundred, holding them off shouldn't be a problem. However, if the enemy surged out of many places all at once, becoming too nurous to kill, the ammunition would not suffice. Reloading would take ti, and ti was the life of the team. Thinking of this, Mountain Eagle grew worried and said earnestly, "We don't know the number of enemies below; it's hard to say."
"Understood. You just need to cover us as we break into a cave. Once inside, we'll release the horses and cals with explosives to make them run wild, then hijack vehicles to make our escape. We need only five minutes for that," Luo Zheng said seriously as he began sketching a simple topographical map on the ground.
"Five minutes?" Mountain Eagle pondered for a mont before saying, "Then that shouldn't be a big problem."
"Right. Once we've succeeded, we'll evacuate from here. It will take three minutes to move from the cave to the high ground to et you. In those three minutes, you can continue to use Incendiary Bombs to kill the horses and cals, creating panic, especially by destroying their vehicles. Then, quickly co down to regroup," Luo Zheng said, marking the map with lines as he spoke.
"No good, there's a situation." Just as he spoke, Ghost Hand, who was on lookout, suddenly shouted.
ps: A recomndation for a good urban-thed book "The Beauty's Close-Range Driver," watch the car god stir up the urban scene and dominate life. Friends who like urban-thed stories might want to check it out.
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