Strongest Soldier King

Having crossed the small river, about a meter wide, and traversed an open area of around five meters, Luo Zheng calmly waited for a while to ensure he wasn't detected. As his tensed facial expression relaxed into a slight smile, he swiftly took out the three grenades he carried, surveyed the terrain, and quickly picked three spots to hang the grenades on branches as traps. If touched, the grenades would fall and explode. While their usefulness if needed during retreat was uncertain, it was always better to be prepared than not.

After setting everything up, Luo Zheng leaped across the small river in a single bound, hastened a few steps, and approached a house, squatting at the corner of a wall to listen intently. Confirming it was safe, he cautiously climbed up to a window. The window was small and sealed with plastic film instead of glass, a sign of the village's poverty. The film kept out the wind without blocking sunlight, which was quite practical.

Peering inside, Luo Zheng saw the room was empty except for a bed and some rudimentary furniture. Seizing the opportunity, he pulled out the captured knife, Little Dao, and quickly cut through the film to climb inside. Once he landed, he slung the AK47 on his back, gripped Little Dao inversely in his hand, and cautiously moved to the door, listening carefully before examining a nearby wardrobe. Inside, he found clothes and quickly donned a black robe and, after a moment's thought, topped it with a white hat. He then smeared dust from the ground onto his face.

After this simple disguise, Luo Zheng decisively opened the door and stepped into the adjoining living room. The living room led to the main door, which opened onto a village pathway where people were walking by. Luo Zheng crept to the doorway and saw several local villagers casually chatting with armed militants, including women and children. He was momentarily stunned, then realized this place was an East Yi Yun Members' hideout, with the villagers deeply involved with the militants. The previous charades had all been meant to deceive everyone around.

Enraged by this realization, Luo Zheng took a deep breath to calm himself before carefully observing the surroundings. The area was swarming with militants. Since the villagers were so closely linked with them, his unfamiliar face would surely give him away if he attempted to blend in.

Surrounded by the enemy with no way out, the only way to complete his mission was to create chaos. Luo Zheng carefully made his way to the opposite room, which was the kitchen. There, he saw a pile of kindling. The villagers couldn't afford gas and relied on the wood for cooking. He also noticed some gasoline. An idea struck him; he poured all the gasoline over the kindling and found a lighter. After listening at the doorway to ensure he hadn't been discovered, he lit the lighter and flung it onto the gasoline-soaked wood before quickly hiding behind the living room's main door.

The wooden main door formed a small angle with the wall when open, just enough to hide a person. Luo Zheng waited there and soon heard people rushing in panic into the house, heading straight for the kitchen, oblivious to the man hiding behind the door.

The kindling, fueled by the gasoline, burnt fiercely and was impossible to put out. Soon, the entire kitchen erupted in flames. The low ceiling, made of accumulated straw and covered in greasy residue from years of cooking smoke, ignited instantly. What normally provided thermal and water insulation now accelerated the blaze.

The fire grew rapidly with the wind, throwing those attempting to extinguish it into complete disarray. Luo Zheng took this chance to slip out from behind the door, keeping his head down. His disguise, matching the locals, went unnoticed. After exiting the house, Luo Zheng saw many people rushing towards the fire and discreetly stepped aside, heading down the alleys towards the center of the village.

Before arriving, Luo Zheng had observed that the central building in the village was relatively tall and impressive. If there were any important figures present, they would certainly be there. Before long, a group of people rushed over, each holding various tools, shouting noisily. Luo Zheng couldn't understand them but upon seeing a basin being passed to him, he was momentarily stunned. He quickly realized they wanted him to help carry water to fight the fire. He hurriedly accepted it and followed the crowd forward.

Luo Zheng walked slowly while the others dashed off frantically to put out the fire, with no one paying him any mind. Seizing the opportunity, he dropped back and slipped into another alley unnoticed. Glancing at the basin in his hand and chuckling at the irony, he felt it made an even better disguise, so he didn't discard it and instead sprinted towards the center of the village.

As he neared the central area, a large squad of armed personnel rushed over. Luo Zheng's expression changed. Seeing a door open and the house empty, the homeowner presumably having gone to fight the fire, Luo Zheng darted inside. The armed personnel paid no attention to him and quickly passed by.

After the armed personnel had all left, Luo Zheng cautiously peeked out, ensuring there was no danger. After some thought, he set fire to the room as well, then quickly slipped out, soon arriving at a taller building nearby. Hiding in a corner, he saw that the tall building resembled a place of worship. There was a small square at the entrance with a few guards standing, the door was arched, the columns round, it was two stories tall, and the flat rooftop was unoccupied.

Going in directly was obviously not an option, as it would alert the guards at the door. Looking around, Luo Zheng smiled when he saw that the tall building was flanked by residences, separated only by a narrow alley just over a meter wide. The houses were one story tall, and he could leap onto the taller building from the roof. Luo Zheng quickly detoured around, ran up to gain momentum, and jumped onto the rooftop. With a few steps, he propelled himself up and twisted his body to land on top of the building.

The rooftop was very flat, with not much on it. Luo Zheng crouched and moved a few steps closer to the entrance leading to the rooftop. He opened the door to find the corridor empty and the second floor eerily quiet, although the first floor was quite busy. Luo Zheng descended to the second floor, keeping close to the wall by the staircase. He saw that the corridor was quite long, with five or six small rooms with doors ajar. Faint voices could be heard. Biting his lip, Luo Zheng drew his dagger and tiptoed to the door of one room. It was empty. He quickly checked two more rooms, also finding them unoccupied, until he reached a room with the door slightly closed. He pushed it open quickly and saw a person lying on the bed resting, snoring, apparently asleep.

Luo Zheng slipped into the room, carefully closed the door, then lunged forward, covering the person's mouth while his dagger swiftly slit the throat. The victim struggled and tried to scream in their final moments but was firmly held down by Luo Zheng until they were motionless. Luo Zheng then surveyed the room.

The room was spartan, with little furniture, some clothes piled on the side, likely belonging to the deceased. After searching, he found nothing of interest except for a handgun. Only officers were allowed to carry handguns. Luo Zheng examined it closely.