Strongest Soldier King

Luo Zheng briefly explained the situation to the team leader, who was furious. He told Luo Zheng not to turn off his phone and went to verify the information. Five minutes later, he called Luo Zheng again, confirming that Song Yang had indeed given several watches to his comrades, including Zhou Gang. Others confirmed this as well. The team leader's decision on how to deal with Luo Zheng did not concern him. After hanging up, Luo Zheng knew he had to explain things to his squad, or else it would be difficult for everyone to get along in the future.

In the dense forest, Luo Zheng gathered everyone and sat down together. He glanced at them all before speaking softly, "This matter has been investigated. Zhou Gang made an unintentional mistake and was exploited. Don't hold any opinions against him. I won't hide it from you—Song Yang and I have had issues, and it was he who leaked our location to our enemies. That's how they found us so precisely. Such a pity for the helicopter pilot who died innocently."

"What?" Everyone was shocked after hearing this internal news and turned their gazes toward Luo Zheng.

At that moment, Zhou Gang suddenly said, "Commander, they might not know about your grudge with Song Yang, but I'm very aware of it. Back in the training team, there were all sorts of rumors flying around, including one about Song Yang leading a team to assassinate you. I didn't take it seriously at that time—just rumors, you know. I didn't expect that bastard to play me too. Commander, I've let everyone down. I request to be disciplined, however you see fit."

"What? There's such a thing? That bastard is really too much," Liu Xun said in surprise.

Apart from Zhou Gang, the other members of the Ghost Team were selected from different training teams and were unaware of the previous issues with Song Yang, though they were aware of his low-key presence in the Special Forces. They couldn't imagine Song Yang doing such a thing and looked toward Luo Zheng again.

"It's okay, now that everything is out in the open, I don't want any of you to hold prejudices against Gangzi. I trust Zhou Gang," Luo Zheng said earnestly.

"Yes," everyone replied softly.

"Thank you, commander," Zhou Gang said excitedly.

"Alright, no need to act like a woman," Luo Zheng said with a smile. "I was a bit too harsh just now, having them search you guys was my mistake. I made a hasty decision. I apologize to everyone here, and I hope you don't take it to heart."

"You're being too formal, commander. It was all for our own good," Zhang Bin said with a laugh, and the others chimed in.

After clearing the air, everyone felt much better, and Luo Zheng also relaxed. Team cohesion was extremely critical during combat. He gestured for everyone to grab their gear and maintain their firearms. Then he hurried over to Lan Xue and said with a wry smile, "The truth is clear now. What are your thoughts on what to do next?"

Lan Xue tilted her head skyward, lost in thought. Knowing Lan Xue's personality, Luo Zheng was not in a hurry and waited. After a while, he suddenly said, "I have a suggestion?"

"Place the watch on an animal and have it run all over the mountain?" Lan Xue looked at Luo Zheng and said.

Luo Zheng was taken aback, and they both smiled in understanding. He took the watch, stood up, went over to Zhou Gang, and handed it to him. Zhou Gang dared not take it, as if it were a hot potato. Luo Zheng said with a bitter smile, "It's not for you to use again. Since the issue started with you, you should end it. Find a leaf monkey or something and let it lead the enemies on a wild chase across the mountains."

"Understood." Zhou Gang caught on, excitedly took the watch, hoisted his rifle, and scanned left and right. Soon, he spotted a group of monkeys chattering in the treetops and hurried off to catch one, saluting before he left.

Ten minutes later, Zhou Gang returned, and Luo Zheng had already checked and maintained his weapons. The rain had soaked into the firearms during the battle, and if not cleaned, it could affect their performance. Everyone had rested enough, and the team regrouped to continue west, with Mountain Eagle leading the way, Snow Leopard covering the rear, and the Ghost Team in the middle.

During the forced march, Luo Zheng instructed his squad to be vigilant about hunting. They were tired of eating dry food every day, and it was uncertain how the upcoming battles would unfold. It would be beneficial to store up some food for the next few days. After the rain, the air in the tropical rainforest wasn't fresh, emitting a foul smell of corpses and decaying leaves. Dangers lurked everywhere, which kept everyone on high alert. Fortunately, they were all well-trained elite Special Forces, knowledgeable in wilderness survival skills.

Along the way, Luo Zheng cut several grapevines and filled his canteen with the fresh water inside. Seeing some wild fruit trees with birds pecking at them, he went to pick a good number of fruits, selected a few for Lan Xue, and handed them to her. Ghost Hand and the others, seeing that Lan Xue didn't mind taking the fruits from him and ate them, were astounded, as it didn't match their impression of the icy commander. They didn't ask more questions, quietly observing, and laughed to themselves as they realized that the "Ice Beauty" commander's relationship with Luo Zheng wasn't simple.

As it was getting dark, Luo Zheng, who had dropped to the back of the line, hunted a fat wild chicken and quickly caught up to the group, only to be grabbed by the rear-guard Snow Leopard. Luo Zheng was startled and looked at Snow Leopard's odd expression, asking, "What's the matter?"

Snow Leopard glanced ahead warily to ensure it was safe and then motioned for Luo Zheng to listen closely before whispering, "You're quite the man, picking the coldest flower in our ranks. I don't know how many people will want to duel you when they find out. But I'm rooting for you. Hehe, fancy joining our division?"

"Your division? I don't think I have the abilities you guys do. Would I even be considered?" Luo Zheng asked with a teasing smile.

"How old are you? And how old am I? I'm at least five years older than you. Five years from now, you'll definitely surpass me. Considering your relationship with the commander, and with a good word from your brother here, there'd be no problem. If you take down Fox Wolf, Mountain Eagle will surely speak highly of you too, not to mention Ghost Hand. If our squad vouches for you, how about that?" Snow Leopard asked with a grin.

"Not so good?" Luo Zheng said with a laugh, seeing Snow Leopard's deflated expression and then explained, "I mean, whether you vouch for me or not, I will take down Fox Wolf if I get a chance. By the way, does your division recruit outsiders? What are the requirements? Can you tell me?"

"We don't recruit," Snow Leopard said sulkily.

"Oh, then forget it. I'll treat you to roast chicken for dinner," Luo Zheng said with a smile, then quickened his pace to catch up with the others.

Snow Leopard lingered behind, smiling as Luo Zheng left. A figure emerged from the trees beside him—it was Mountain Eagle. Mountain Eagle watched Luo Zheng leave and asked in a low voice, "So?"

"I just tested him. The kid is definitely interested in our division, but he doesn't want to go through the back door. Hehe, Mountain Eagle, I was thinking, if we lure this kid to our division, in three to five years, what kind of freak do you think he'll become?" Snow Leopard asked with a chuckle, his resolute face and the eyes sharp with intelligence, pondering something.

"Let's just complete the task the team leader gave us. Do you really think so highly of him?" Mountain Eagle responded with a question.