Strongest Soldier King

Opportunity only presents itself to the prepared, and the battlefield is no exception.

Under the night sky, Luo Zheng's stern gaze fixed on the front gate of the compound, glowing like stars in the winter sky, their brilliance undiminished. The chilly night breeze carried with it a strong scent of blood that was unsettling. Presently, groups of armed men approached from the back entrance, entering through the front gate along the side walls. Luo Zheng, seizing the moment, quickly made a detour around the other side of the compound.

Minutes later, Luo Zheng arrived at an alleyway and concealed himself in a dark corner, leaning against an earthen wall. Soon afterward, two injured armed men came by. Luo Zheng glanced further away—intense fighting continued there, with explosions, gunfire, and battle cries merging into a cacophony. The outcome was uncertain, and time was not on his side, he had to hurry and rescue the farmer.

As the two enemies passed by, Luo Zheng suddenly dashed out, knocking one unconscious with a karate chop. The other looked up in horror, only catching a glimpse of a shadowy figure flashing by before he felt a tightening around his neck and then knew no more. Luo Zheng's icy gaze swept over the fallen enemy, whose wound was gushing with blood, no chance of survival. He swiftly picked up the body and ducked into the dark shadows of the alley, smearing the man's blood all over his face and body, disguising himself as someone gravely injured.

After taking care of all this, Luo Zheng was about to step out of the alley when he was startled by the sight of three people supporting each other. He quickly hid again and gripped his M9 combat knife tightly. This was not the time to fire a gun. After waiting a while, the trio reached the mouth of the alley and kicked the unconscious comrade on the ground. Seeing no response, they muttered a few words and continued on, apparently assuming their companion was dead.

Luo Zheng breathed a sigh of relief. Checking his surroundings and seeing no one was paying attention, he dashed out, picked up the man from the ground, and followed the three wounded men ahead. The trio didn't notice someone was following them. Soldiers made their way back on their own everywhere; no one could spare attention for others.

Soon, Luo Zheng, carrying the man, arrived at the front entrance of the compound, alert and ready to fight for his life at any moment. After the three men ahead entered, Luo Zheng, pretending to be in a panic and struggling, staggered towards the entrance. Backlit by the moonlight and covered in blood, his features were indistinguishable, and he carried another person on his back. The sentinel at the gate was none the wiser and did not come up to question him.

Once inside the compound, Luo Zheng saw a small courtyard leading to a row of rooms lit with lights. There were no guards in sight. Without an understanding of the situation, Luo Zheng honestly followed the three men ahead, crossing the courtyard and arriving at the door of a room.

The room was filled with injured soldiers receiving treatment, their moans and cries intermingling under the bright lights; there were no guards inside either. The line ended at the door, and Luo Zheng, with his head down, carried his "patient" over to a corner, using his body to shield him. He covered the man's mouth and subtly drew his knife, cutting the man's carotid artery with a swift motion. The man struggled briefly, but among the disheartened and demoralized injured soldiers, no one noticed.

Once the man was dead, Luo Zheng slowly stood up and made his way toward the back of the line. The wounded soldiers thought Luo Zheng had laid down one of their own and was now queuing for treatment. The soil and blood camouflaged his appearance so well that, despite being a ruse, no one suspected anything. Some even nodded and smiled warmly at him.

Injured and in no mood to talk, everyone anxiously looked toward the interior, hoping to be attended to soon. Luo Zheng observed from the back of the line. Seeing no one was looking, he took a few steps back and hid within the shadows of the building. Suddenly, he pushed off with force, shooting out like a cannonball from a barrel and landing five or six meters away in the corner of a wall.

For the eagerly awaiting wounded, who would pay attention if there were fewer people behind them? Luo Zheng pressed his body against the wall, made sure he wasn't discovered, and then ran quickly along the wall's edge. Reaching a window, he peeked inside to find it empty, and the same was true for another window.

Luo Zheng carefully checked three rooms, found no one, so he squatted in the shadow of a corner to observe, pondering where the enemy might have hidden the farmer. His eyes were like cold stars, not missing any detail, like a leopard hunting in the night.

Soon, Luo Zheng noticed a small, separate room that was modest and unremarkable, more reminiscent of a toilet or storage room. It was six or seven meters away from the main building, unguarded, and dark inside. No one would think to detain an important hostage there, nor would it cross their minds.

Luo Zheng was someone who liked to think counterintuitively; the less likely a place seemed, the less likely he was to overlook it. Just like a sniper would never position themselves in an ideal hiding spot—-ideal meant danger. It's the unremarkable places that are overlooked that are the safest. Uncertain if anyone was inside, and with no better option, he decided to take a look.

With agile stealth and swift speed, plus the cover of shadows, Luo Zheng crossed an open stretch and arrived smoothly at the small room's doorway. He found the door unlocked, gave it a light push, and the door was bolted from the inside. He was taken aback but quickly realized something was amiss and couldn't help but feel a surge of excitement.

Time was of the essence and Luo Zheng couldn't afford to delay any longer. He decided to take a risk. He stepped back two meters, then pretended to rush up in a hurry and knocked loudly on the door. If there was no one inside, it wouldn't matter, but if there was, they would hesitate. Besides their own, no one would knock.

There indeed was someone in the room, and they were indeed baffled by Luo Zheng's unconventional approach, unsure if the newcomer was friend or foe. An enemy would have broken in, but why was one of their own knocking without saying anything? Puzzled, the person glanced at the captive tied up like a zongzi, drew a pistol, slowly stood up, hesitated while looking at the door, and listened carefully to the panting person on the other side.

The knocking resumed, louder now, as if unconcerned about being discovered, not an action one would expect from a rescuer. The person inside waited a moment, confused why the other hadn't spoken first. Still, they tentatively called out in a low voice, "Who's there?"

Outside, Luo Zheng, unsure of who was inside or what they were like, dared not speak. Hearing someone inside using a common international language was a relief. East Yi Yun members wouldn't ask in an international language. There was someone inside, and it most likely wasn't East Yi Yun members, but rather someone from the Wild Wolf Mercenary Group. The pitch-dark room and the strange voice inside were enough to suggest that the farmer was being held there.

Struck by an idea, Luo Zheng pretended to be in a rush and called out in the international language, "Sir, your men have suffered heavy losses. I've come to tell you that the enemy is strong and needs your help. Leave the guarding to us." He shouted deliberately slurred and thick-tongued, much like East Yi Yun members speaking an international language.