Strongest Soldier King

Noon had arrived, and the blazing sun was directly overhead, casting a weariness over everyone. The sky was cloudless, with a gentle breeze blowing. The land stretched out barren and desolate; the occasional two villages we encountered had only a few households. To avoid exposure, we circumvented as stealthily as possible. Before we knew it, a mountain range loomed ahead—its sinuous rises and falls devoid of any green. Layers of mountain ridges stretched as far as the eye could see, the tallest peaks reaching about 300 meters high, and to the east, the end was not in sight.

To the north, our path was blocked by this mountain range, and our gasoline was nearly depleted. It was a pity there were no dense forests to slip through. Luo Zheng fixed his gaze on the mountain range ahead, his eyes narrowed in concentration, his expression growing worried. Following the mountain range certainly would be easier, but with no cover on the mountains, concealment was poor, and it was easy to be discovered. Better to drive straight to the east then—at least we wouldn't have to abandon our heavy weapons, offering us that extra measure of security.

"What shall we do next?" the Scholar asked, eying the mountain range with a grave look.

Luo Zheng didn't answer the Scholar's question immediately; instead, he fell into contemplation, spreading out a map and studying it for a while. His face then set in determination, and he decisively said, "Continue heading east in this direction. There's a village up ahead. We'll adapt to the circumstances when we get there."

"We're not abandoning the truck?" the Scholar asked, surprised. Seeing Luo Zheng's resolute face, he didn't press further and went to knock on the truck's hood, signaling the Monk driving to continue east. The Monk acknowledged the command, and the truck kept racing across the wasteland. Although there was no road, the ground itself was hard and the terrain flat, which didn't affect the truck's speed.

After ten minutes, a dirt road appeared, winding eastward. Following it for less than five minutes brought us to a small town divided in two by the road. From afar, we could see quite a few people in the town. The Scholar reminded with a worried face, "Passing through here might expose our identities."

"We can't worry about that now," Luo Zheng said calmly, his eyes sharply scanning the town ahead, not missing any detail. Sensing no danger, he felt slightly relieved. Just as the truck was about to enter the town, Luo Zheng spoke in a low voice, "Stay vigilant, prepare for battle."

"Yes." Luo Zheng had been elected captain by the group, and his orders were followed without hesitation. Everyone racked their weapons, chambering rounds and preparing for combat. Danger lurked in all corners, and no one dared to let their guard down.

Luo Zheng took charge of the SVD sniper rifle once again, ready for battle, paying no mind to the shocked expressions of the nearby townspeople. He observed the surroundings calmly, and upon spotting a gas station, he ordered succinctly, "Fast, into the gas station—everyone else, get out and keep watch outside."

"Yes." As the truck approached the gas station, everyone armed with rifles jumped out and found places to conceal themselves. The surrounding townspeople ran off in a panic. Seeing that no shots were fired, they hid in the distance, peeking curiously and murmuring to each other. Luo Zheng's face tightened as he held his rifle and dashed toward a nearby house, startling the homeowner who panicked and hid inside. Without entering the house, Luo Zheng sprinted up beside it, stepped on the surrounding wall, and soared up to the roof. He set up his rifle in a corner, remaining vigilant as he surveyed the area.

Through the sniper scope, Luo Zheng quickly located his comrades' positions. Monk was concealed at a wall corner by the roadside; the Scholar had made his way onto a balcony of a house diagonally opposite; the Gardener was lying low in a depression near the gas station, covering the Farmer who was refueling. The three formed a triangle of coverage. Together with Luo Zheng's high vantage point, they left no blind spot within a twenty-meter radius.

An old soldier with rich combat experience, Luo Zheng's calm eyes brimmed with admiration. With his heart at ease, he watched the Farmer, who was using a gun to threaten someone into refueling the truck while another person was carrying a fuel drum onto the vehicle. Luo Zheng was taken aback for a moment but then smiled; with that big drum of fuel, they wouldn't have to worry about running out on the road.

After waiting for a while with no attacks, Luo Zheng began to feel uneasy. This sentiment was sudden and inexplicable. He frowned and tried to pinpoint its origin, but could find none. Nevertheless, Luo Zheng became fully alert, a hint of combat readiness igniting in his calm eyes.

Minutes later, still no danger presented itself. The farmer had already filled the truck with fuel and brought it over. The gardener took a running leap onto the vehicle, immediately took control of the heavy machine gun at the front, and with a murderous look on his face and eyes narrowed to dangerous slits, he kept a vigilant watch on the surroundings.

As the truck passed where Monk was, he too took a running jump onto it and quickly took over the heavy machine gun at the rear. The truck continued forward, and the Scholar jumped from the second-floor balcony directly into the truck's bed. With a neat skid, the truck came near where Luo Zheng was hiding. After Luo Zheng ascertained there was no danger, he jumped from the rooftop onto the vehicle, and the truck roared off towards the east, leaving behind a crowd of puzzled townsfolk and a gas station owner cursing loudly.

Two minutes later, as they left the town, everyone breathed a sigh of relief. The Scholar said with a chuckle, "Brother, I think I understand now why you were demoted. Dining and dashing, fueling and fleeing; it's quite amusing. But let's agree not to include this part in our reports when we get back."

"Makes sense," the others laughed.

Luo Zheng was startled but then quickly caught on. It was no wonder the Scholar, coming from a military family, realized that someone might be targeting Luo Zheng and deliberately brought the topic into the open to prevent further exploitation of the issue. Grateful, Luo Zheng smiled and chose not to respond, instead falling into contemplation. The Song family had targeted him time and again, and perhaps they were also behind bringing the Wild Wolf Mercenary Group into the picture—using someone else to do their dirty work, intent on pushing him to his demise. A fierce vendetta was set, and thinking of this, a seething rage sparked in his tiger-like eyes.

"Are you alright?" The Scholar, keenly picking up on Luo Zheng's discomfort, asked softly, while the others looked on, surprised and curious.

"Eh? I'm fine," Luo Zheng answered nonchalantly, not wishing to elaborate on the matter.

"We've been through life and death together, your problems are ours too. If you need help, just ask. Maybe I won't be much use, but I can still offer some advice," the Scholar said seriously in a low voice.

"Sure, I'll come to you if I need to," Luo Zheng replied indifferently, closing his eyes to rest. With the Song family's towering influence, Luo Zheng did not want others drawn into the vortex.

Seeing that Luo Zheng was reluctant to say more, the Scholar exchanged glances with the others, and by mutual understanding, they all chose to remain silent and rest, closing their eyes. The truck kept speeding along the dirt road, the passengers resting while the vehicle never stopped. After consecutive battles, they had collected more than two hundred dog tags, not a lot, but not a small number either. The priority was to get back as quickly as possible, and with the truck to hasten their journey, their speed was much increased.

In the afternoon, as the terrain ahead rose and the road conditions grew more complicated, they had to slow down. Suddenly, faint gunshots were heard from up ahead. Everyone, who had been resting with closed eyes, sprang to their feet, tensed all over like Fierce Beasts poised to pounce, and observed their surroundings with utmost vigilance.