Strongest Soldier King

"No need for a long discussion, let's just retreat. The village has over a hundred armed militants; staying here any longer is pointless. It's better to take advantage of their firefighting chaos to quickly leave and break out of the encirclement. According to the map, we should be here, and there are three more defense lines toward the east. I suggest we break through them as soon as possible," Monk proposed, his finger pointing at a location on the map.

The Gardener and the Farmer chimed in with agreement. The Scholar looked to Luo Zheng, who was deep in thought, and couldn't help asking, "Brother Luo Zheng, what's your opinion?"

"Has anyone considered one thing?" Luo Zheng didn't answer directly but instead offered another perspective, "This encirclement is large with numerous defense lines, almost blocking every passage. We were lucky to get through several lines but ended up trapped in the net. Since we're in the net, shouldn't we do something about it? Also, there are seven other competing teams on the outside, their circumstances unknown. Since we have some intelligence, shouldn't we do something about it?"

"Do something about it?" Everyone fell into contemplation. After a while, the Farmer asked, "Are you implying we should stay and take out the enemy in the village?"

"Would that make sense?" the Gardener pressed on, "Since you've taken out their officer, you've disrupted their command system. Killing those militants isn't that significant. It's better to take the opportunity to withdraw and ensure our safety first. As for the competitors outside, we're unaware of their situations. Even if we eliminate the village's militants, it might not benefit other competitors. After all, the enemy isn't foolish; they surely have countermeasures."

While they were discussing, suddenly the walkie-talkie made a static noise, and soon someone started speaking. Everyone was startled, then saw Luo Zheng pulling out the walkie-talkie from his pocket, their eyes lighting up. But after listening carefully, they couldn't understand a word. Luo Zheng turned off the walkie-talkie with frustration. Monk said, "They're probably coordinating something. The death of the officer will be discovered soon. We'd better take the opportunity to leave now."

"Leaving is easy, but there are over a hundred tags in the village. If we leave, we lose them. Without the officer, that group of militants will be easy to deal with. Besides, what if I didn't kill the highest-ranking officer?" Luo Zheng countered.

Everyone paused, their silent gazes turning towards the Scholar. The final decision was his to make. He took Luo Zheng's opinion very seriously this time, but he also couldn't ignore the risks of staying and engaging in a major battle. After pondering, he said, "If the one killed isn't the highest-ranking officer, our whereabouts will be exposed, and the enemy will surely seek insane retaliation. If it was the highest-ranking officer, the enemy will still be aware and tighten the encirclement for crazy retaliation. Either way, the enemy will retaliate. Considering this, it's best to evacuate the encirclement as soon as possible. Now that we have this map, we're not headless flies anymore."

"Agree," Monk said first, and after some thought, the others nodded in agreement. Luo Zheng glanced at everyone; the minority submits to the majority. He didn't say much further, but he gained a more comprehensive understanding of the Scholar's leadership ability: tactically defensive but strategically lacking. A man fit to be a general, but not a commander-in-chief.

There was one thing Luo Zheng didn't say, and that was the village engulfed in flames presented the best opportunity to eliminate the militants. Once the village enemies were taken out, it would certainly enrage them, prompting them to dispatch more armed forces, thus completely disrupting the enemy's original plans. This would not only aid the outer competing teams, but the team could also escape amidst the enemy's confusion and disordered command.

However, everyone was focused on the retreat, so there was no need for further discussion. According to the map, they chose a direction and route for a swift evacuation. Luo Zheng followed closely at the rear, continuing to handle rear-guard duties. They didn't encounter any danger along the way, and by dusk, the group reached a forest. They stopped at a wind-sheltered spot as it was already dark, and it wasn't appropriate to continue. They had to camp and rest to recover their strength.

With the forest for cover, there was no need to worry about being discovered. They worked together to dig a field stove and lit a fire. The thin smoke rose through the channel from the ground and dissipated before it could drift into the air, impossible to detect from the outside. They had captured plenty last time, including dry food and water, so they all had their share.

Luo Zheng saw Scholar studying the map attentively, Gardener went out to scout, Farmer was inspecting his wounds, changing the herbal medicine they had gathered along the way, and Monk was collecting more firewood nearby. Luo Zheng lay down by the campfire, using a slightly thicker piece of wood as a pillow and said to Scholar, "I'll sleep for a while first, wake me up later to take over the night watch."

Scholar agreed and continued to study the map. After a day's walk, Luo Zheng was truly exhausted and soon fell asleep. When he woke up, it was deep into the night. Luo Zheng looked at Monk who had woken him and saw the others sleeping. He then said, "My turn to keep watch, right? Leave it to me."

Monk nodded, and once Luo Zheng got up and left, he laid down where Luo Zheng had just been, not far from the campfire where it was warmer. The dew was heavy at night, and precautions were necessary. Luo Zheng checked his gun, looked around, and spotted the tallest nearby tree, thinking of taking cover there. But, considering it was too conspicuous, he thought better of it. Instead, there was a clump of shrubs not far away with a relatively open view, which was inconspicuous and ideal for an ambush or guard post.

After making sure there were no poisonous snakes or the like inside the shrubbery, Luo Zheng crawled in, laid prone on the ground, and propped up the fallen shrubs around him for simple camouflage before quietly observing his surroundings, not daring to be careless. Not long after, the image of a beautiful figure drifted into his mind. He wondered what she was doing now and how she was?

Thinking of Lan Xue, a tender smile softened the firm lines of Luo Zheng's face. Suddenly, a burst of distant gunfire reached his ears. Startled, Luo Zheng listened intently. It was coming from the south, some distance away. He remembered the map clearly showed a small road running from west to east, with scattered villages about ten kilometers to the south, and a stretch that was a key defensive point for the enemy. He couldn't help but be amazed: Could it be that one of the competing teams had been ambushed?

The gunfire was not very clear due to the distance, and without Luo Zheng's careful listening, it would have been difficult to detect, which was why the others, deep in sleep, had not become aware of it. Luo Zheng reasoned that with the sound of gunfire, even if there were enemies, they would rush to that location and not search here, so everyone was safe. Moreover, with the great distance and unclear situation, there was no way to rush over to help. It was better to take the opportunity to get some more sleep.

After a while, the gunfire tapered off. Luo Zheng figured it might have been a team retreating. With the physical and military training of the competitors, the East Yi fighters would have a hard time catching up, so there was unlikely to be any danger. Luo Zheng lay quietly in the bush, vigilantly watching the dark jungle around him with eyes that glinted with a maturity and calmness beyond his years, like stars twinkling in the night sky, until a black shadow appeared.