Strongest Soldier King

If it were just the Ghost Team, Luo Zheng wouldn't hesitate—he'd just keep fighting with his team. How could a soldier be frightened by trivial matters? However, since it involved Lan Xue's team, he had to respect everyone's opinions. Lan Xue handed over the decision-making power, but Luo Zheng didn't want to force anything, lest it create resentment among the team and affect combat performance.

Seeing that Luo Zheng had made a decision, the members of the Ghost Team expressed their support. Who could stand to leave their military superiors behind on the battlefield and flee for their lives? To have that known would be a disgrace to anyone's name. Luo Zheng gave Lan Xue a subtle glance, then immediately turned to Ghost Hand, Snow Leopard, and Mountain Eagle.

"Kid, you think you can get under our skin? Save the reverse psychology; don't try to show off those little tricks in front of us. Isn't he just a son of a bitch who raises Wild Wolves? Even if you don't go, I plan to meet him. Now that I finally have the chance for revenge, I won't give it up," Mountain Eagle said nonchalantly.

Ghost Hand and Snow Leopard looked completely relaxed, but their message was clear. Luo Zheng thought it over—they were a Mysterious Army made up of Soldier Kings; how could they be scared by a little difficulty? He had underestimated these guys' courage and strength. He looked at Lan Xue, who gave a slight nod. Understanding her, Luo Zheng replied with a wry smile, "Brother Mountain Eagle, I'm narrow-minded, don't mind me."

"You're being too formal, kid. Just remember one thing—we aren't afraid of anything, and there's nothing we can't do. Our motto is: We live for battle, we will never kneel to death," Mountain Eagle said seriously.

"We live for battle, we will never kneel to death." Luo Zheng was taken aback, feeling his blood boil with excitement. What an imposing motto, what a resolute determination. What kind of army was this? His gaze turned stern and resolute as he looked at the Ghost Team and said excitedly, "Brothers, do you remember our motto?"

"We are the ghosts of the battlefield. Wherever the Ghost appears, wails and howls follow," the Ghost Team shouted fervently.

"Right, so we advance without retreat. Because we are Ghosts, because we are here to reap the lives of our enemies. Alright, maintain your weapons, stand watch in shifts," Luo Zheng said excitedly, having made his decision.

Everyone got to work. Their weapons were their second life, their brethren in life and death. No one dared to be careless, and Luo Zheng was no exception. He dismantled his gun, cleaning it and applying gun oil. He removed the bullets from the magazine, wiping each one carefully, especially the sniper bullets. He inspected each bullet head in the light for any burrs or notches—such minor flaws could affect shooting accuracy. Luo Zheng would rather discard any bullets he wasn't confident in.

Half an hour later, Luo Zheng had finished meticulously maintaining all his weapons. He loaded three spare magazines in case of any emergencies during the night. Then he and Lan Xue leaned back against each other, using each other's shoulders as pillows to rest. This posture was ideal for resting in the wild—it ensured quality sleep and quick readiness for combat.

Early the next day, everyone gathered some game. They chopped it into small pieces, placed it in helmets, added some wild herbs, and hung the helmets over a campfire to cook. It wasn't often they had the chance to eat something hot. After a hearty meal and drink, the team set off at a rapid pace toward the Wild Wolf Mercenary Group base, also known as the Wolf Den. Mountain Eagle, swift as ever, was dispatched by Lan Xue to scout ahead.

The journey went very smoothly, which did not bring joy to anyone's face; it indicated that the Wild Wolf Mercenary Group was ready and waiting at the Wolf Den. A prepared Mercenary Group was not easy to deal with. By noon, using the coordinates obtained from the intelligence and the help of GPS, the team arrived at a valley.

The valley was surrounded by mountains on three sides, with peaks standing tall and an altitude of over five hundred meters. Midway up the mountains, clouds and mist twined around, and towering trees covered the slopes. The exit was narrow, at most one or two hundred meters wide, with relatively gentler terrain that was open and clear, and a river about ten meters across. The river's flow was not rapid, and using huge trees as pilings, a wooden bridge had been laid across it that looked rather precarious.

Everyone hid in the nearby woods to observe for a while, and the sight of the terrain turned their expressions grave. Lan Xue spoke coldly, "I fear there might be land mines buried in the lush forests surrounding us. The valley is sizeable, with clear lines of sight; a heavy machine gun could hold us all off. At the entrance there's only that bridge, and beyond it, there seems to be a Dark Fortress. This place is a dead end, but also a dangerous one, easy to defend but hard to attack."

"I'll do some recon." Luo Zheng's expression darkened as he spoke.

"I'll accompany you. The Ghost Team stays behind. Mountain Eagle, you're responsible for the east side; Snow Leopard, the north; Ghost Hand, the south entrance. The two of us will head to the west. We'll regroup here in one hour," Lan Xue instructed coldly.

"That works. Zhou Gang, Liu Xun, Zhang Bin, each of you partner with one of them, assist with cover and recon. Don't hold them back. The remaining two, stay and guard the camp," Luo Zheng immediately revised the orders, allowing his brothers to follow the experts like Ghost Hand to learn and gain experience.

Those called by name readily agreed, while those not picked envied them but could do nothing about it. Luo Zheng and Lan Xue had already left with large strides, and the others swiftly shed their gear, taking only essential weapons before silently disappearing into the dense forest.

Twenty minutes later, Luo Zheng and Lan Xue arrived in the dense woods to the west, climbing a large tree that offered a view into the valley. Luo Zheng raised his sniper scope and observed carefully for a while, noticing that the valley was filled with stone houses about three and a half meters high, single-story, with stone slabs as roofing to prevent rain leakage. There were quite a few rooms, easily five or six dozen, with some women, children, and elderly moving around outside, but no able-bodied men in sight.

The distribution of the houses seemed somewhat disorderly, obscuring the view of the largest building at the center. Luo Zheng could not see inside this tall building but could make out something like a radar on its roof, along with a signal dish, and no guards. After observing for a while, Luo Zheng began to suspect something was off and said in a low voice, "What's going on here? It doesn't look like a base at all."

"What do you think a mercenary base should look like? Fully armed with tight security? That's a military base. Mercenaries have families and loved ones, too. They can't appear in public places, so they hide here in the deep mountains and forests. What about their families? The best solution is exactly what you see here, which to the uninitiated might just seem like a gathering place for a minority group," Lan Xue explained.

"That makes sense. The able-bodied must be hidden. I'll go down for a closer look; cover me," Luo Zheng said and quickly slid down the tree, heading down the mountainside.

He had not gone more than ten meters when Luo Zheng, with the keen senses of a Hunter, felt something amiss in the woods. Relying on his hunter's intuition, he noticed that the area had been tampered with and immediately became vigilant. Calmly searching in detail and not overlooking anything, he quickly spotted a tree stump lying across the ground ahead. The break did not look natural, prompting him to be alert.