Strongest Soldier King

The night was like ink, and the bright moon had been obscured by dark clouds at some point, adding a layer of terror to the barren village. The sudden gunfire shocked both friends and foes inside the courtyard; the enemy ceased their movements, and Luo Zheng too lifted his head in astonishment, pricking up his ears. The gunfire sounded a few more times, but he couldn't detect anything unusual. He looked at the equally surprised farmer beside him and asked, "Doesn't the situation seem off?"

"Hmm, let's wait and see, be wary of deception," the farmer cautiously reminded.

Luo Zheng felt this made sense and vigilantly drew back, hiding beneath a wall of bodies. About a dozen people were stacked up, their corpses already cold, more solid than a wall of compacted soil and very effective at stopping bullets. Having gone through too many life-and-death situations, Luo Zheng had grown desensitized—or perhaps numb—to corpses, and had his own understanding and attitude toward the dead. Using bodies as cover brought no psychological burden to him.

Outside the room, in the courtyard, everything was deathly still. The previous points of gunfire had completely vanished, but then the sound of gunfire outside became more intense for a moment, before quickly disappearing as well. Puzzled, Luo Zheng whispered, "Brother, the situation seems very wrong. It doesn't feel like a trap. You hold down the fort, and I'll go out and take a look, okay?"

"That works, just be careful," the farmer knew his leg was injured and that he would be a hindrance if he went out, to say nothing of providing cover. He agreed accordingly.

Luo Zheng carefully surveyed the surroundings for a while. Six meters from the doorway was a room; its corner offered a hiding spot, and along the wall he could circle round to the courtyard's entrance. Six meters wasn't a long distance. After calculating the distance, Luo Zheng took a deep breath, gripped his gun tightly, and with a powerful push from his legs, he leaped outwards. Upon landing, he rolled and with another push he was up; with another dive, he reached the corner. His movements were swift and fluid, all within two seconds.

Once hidden, he heard no gunfire, which greatly relieved him. He carefully scanned the surroundings but found nothing suspicious. However, the gunfire outside was getting closer. Since the courtyard had both front and back entrances, Luo Zheng listened carefully for a while and signaled to the farmer before suddenly rushing out of cover. He propelled himself with force, shooting up and grabbing onto the roof, heaving himself up top.

There was no one on the roof. Hiding in a dark corner, gun pointed downwards, Luo Zheng began his search. Suddenly, rapid bursts of gunfire sounded at the main entrance of the courtyard. People screamed in agony, firing back in desperation amid panic-stricken yells. In the dark night, the gunfire was starkly visible. Following a scream, the gunfire halted, and the main entrance quieted down.

Luo Zheng couldn't help but exclaim in surprise. Someone was taking on the East Yi Yun members—could it be his own people? He looked over curiously and suddenly, from the backyard, a familiar shout came: "Brother Luo Zheng? Brother Farmer, are you there? I've arrived."

"Monk?" Luo Zheng was startled but then overjoyed. It was his teammates; he happily yelled back, "We're all here!"

"Hahaha, that's great, as long as you're okay. These bastards, I will properly send them on their way," the Monk bellowed energetically, as bursts of gunfire rang out again.

At the main gate, a familiar voice called out, "Brother Luo Zheng, hearing your voice is such a relief. Are you missing any parts?"

"Is that Scholar?" Luo Zheng was elated; both had made it to the entrance. The enemy must have been cleared out. He flipped off the roof and immediately pushed the electrical switch, illuminating the courtyard as bright as day. Luo Zheng saw Scholar cautiously approaching; the empty courtyard was littered with corpses and no sign of other living souls.

"Captain," the farmer shouted in surprise, his voice conveying the relief of surviving against all odds. He hadn't expected to still be alive; his face was awash with incredulity.

"Hahaha, I told you Brother Luo Zheng would be fine," Monk said, bursting with excitement as he ran over from the back gate.

After everyone regrouped, we hid in the treatment room. Seeing the blood all over the ground, the fortifications made of piled-up corpses, and the mud walls riddled like a beehive, Scholar and Monk were shocked. Farmer, with some emotion, briefly explained the situation and added, "It's all my fault. I held everyone back, and Luo Zheng risked his life to find medicine for me. Thankfully, you all came. Oh, and there's still one enemy sniper."

"They've run off, more than a dozen East Yi Yun Members and two mercenaries escaped from the front entrance. Brother Monk, did anyone flee your way?" Scholar said.

"The enemy knew that Gardener was lying in ambush at the back door sniping, and a few tried to run but were killed. It seems not many managed to escape," Monk said solemnly.

Upon hearing that Gardener was sniping from the backyard and was safe, Luo Zheng then asked, "You guys launched a sneak attack from the backyard, and most of the enemy forces had chased after you. What happened afterward?"

"Not much, the three of us retreated while fighting and dragged the enemy pretty far, killing quite a few of them. The enemy didn't dare to pursue us any further, so we had to chase them back. Seeing that you were engaged in a firefight, we attacked them from behind. It's just that we let some of them get away. How did you get in here?" Scholar recounted briefly.

Luo Zheng realized the situation was almost as he had guessed. Scholar's explanation was simple, but the difficulty of gradually eliminating the enemy in action was clear. The East Yi Yun Members were one thing, but dealing with members of the Wild Wolf Mercenary Group was tough. Without strong military skills, one couldn't accomplish this. Hearing Scholar's question, Luo Zheng briefly recounted his own experience.

"Brother Luo Zheng is truly formidable," Monk exclaimed after hearing how Luo Zheng had scouted the enemy, disguised himself to infiltrate their ranks, and found Farmer.

"Just lucky," Luo Zheng replied casually, then suddenly noticed that both men were injured to varying degrees—Scholar with a bullet graze and Monk with a knife wound. Surprised, he asked, "Did you get into close combat with the enemy?"

"Yeah, some reckless guy caught up with us, and he was really fast. Couldn't shake him off, so we fought it out. He managed to slice me, but I snapped the bastard's neck," Monk said nonchalantly. Meanwhile, he spotted some medicine and went to tend to his wound.

"Do you need my help?" Luo Zheng asked Scholar.

"It's just a minor injury. You go on guard at the main entrance, be wary of the enemy mounting a sudden counterattack. It's about to get light soon. We can rest here for the night. We've reduced the enemy from over a hundred to just a dozen fleeing, they're not a concern. We'll leave after daybreak, how about that?" Scholar proposed, looking at Luo Zheng.

After thinking it over, Luo Zheng nodded, picked up his gun, and walked outside. After several engagements, the enemy's main force was almost completely wiped out. Watching over the remaining few would be enough without too much concern. Upon reaching the entrance, Luo Zheng looked outside to find not a single figure, only the ground littered with corpses.