Strongest Soldier King

The natural law, the survival of the fittest—the first to fall can only be the weak. Under the mad spray of bullets from desperate men with little accuracy, the bullet avoidance steps that Luo Zheng and Ghost Hand were renowned for rendered them almost ineffective. Before the enemy could catch up, they fell one by one to precise sniping. Luo Zheng and Ghost Hand burst forth with unprecedented speed, and with the accurate covering fire from their comrades, they charged into the dense forest in one go.

Hidden behind a big tree, the two of them gasped for breath. Once they had calmed down a bit, they exchanged a knowing smile, a surge of combative pride, born of life-and-death struggle, rising in their hearts. Ghost Hand said with a hint of admiration, "Kid, you've got skill. You must have turned Fox Wolf into a sieve, huh?"

"Yes," a bullet went straight through his forehead at close range." The image of Fox Wolf's miserable state flashed through Luo Zheng's mind as he said gratefully, "If it weren't for your cover, it would've been impossible to kill him, and even if I had hit him, I probably wouldn't have made it back."

Ghost Hand gave a thumbs-up, then turned to glance at the pursuers behind them. They hadn't caught up, probably intimidated by the precise sniping of Lan Xue and the others. Luo Zheng looked back as well and let out a sigh of relief. Mountain Eagle's anxious voice came through the earpiece, "Is that bastard Fox Wolf really dead?"

"Rest assured, he's as dead as can be." Ghost Hand cut in before Luo Zheng could answer.

"That's, that's great, that bastard is finally dead. Luo Zheng, brother, from now on you're my brother, Mountain Eagle," said Mountain Eagle with excitement.

"You can't be like that," I played my part too, right? Let's skip the thanks and get practical. I can't move now, my calves are cramping. Aren't you going to carry me out of this godforsaken place?" Ghost Hand pretended to be in distress and motioned to Luo Zheng.

Luo Zheng caught the hint and smiled without giving it away. An icy voice resounded in his ear, "Move out now, save the chatter for when we get back." It was Lan Xue.

At Lan Xue's command, Ghost Hand lost his temper and unhappily signaled to Luo Zheng to retreat first. Luo Zheng did not stand on ceremony. Since the enemy hadn't caught up and the danger wasn't great, he climbed a tree and swung back using the ropes. After several swings, he left the 200-plus meters of mountains and forest behind. As soon as he landed in the safe zone, he saw Ghost Hand arrive too. They looked at each other and smiled in understanding. Luo Zheng said, "Last to start, first to arrive. Nice move."

"Of course." Ghost Hand boasted with a smug smile.

Luo Zheng knew Ghost Hand had the right to show off. Seeing Lan Xue running over in haste, he stepped forward with open arms, signaling that he was unharmed. Lan Xue looked Luo Zheng up and down to make sure he was fine and finally let her guard down, asking, "Which one of you took out the enemy radar?"

"Him." Ghost Hand said somewhat gloomily. The Soldier King, reduced to playing a supporting role—how lamentable. But thinking of the glorious results of the battle, Ghost Hand smiled and leaned against a large tree to rest. Even for someone as strong as Ghost Hand, the high-intensity combat was too much to bear.

Luo Zheng simply sat down on the ground to catch his breath, and seeing that the enemy didn't pursue but once again vanished, he was startled momentarily before he asked, "Ghost Hand, what's your estimate of the enemy numbers inside?"

"At least three hundred, the majority are those armed militants we've encountered before, with mediocre combat abilities. We've only spotted Fox Wolf from the Wild Wolf Mercenary, haven't seen the damn Wolf King, nor any other members," Ghost Hand said seriously, his gaze shifting to Lan Xue with a grave expression on his face.

"We aren't sure of the exact number of members in the Wild Wolf Mercenary Group, there might be even more enemies inside the valley. The dense forest surrounding the three sides of the valley has been laced with a multitude of landmines, forming a deadly mined zone. It's not easy for us to go down, and neither is it for them to stealthily attack us. The exit has a clear field of vision, charging out directly would be too costly. I suppose they will choose to stay hidden. However, it doesn't matter. After the battle just now, we took out their radar, cutting off their contact with the outside world, and killed Fox Wolf along with quite a few armed militants, achieving the purpose of intimidation and causing panic. Next, it's our turn to rest and have a standoff with them, to see who will give in last," Lan Xue said coldly.

Everyone agreed that it made sense and didn't object, maintaining their defensive positions. Luo Zheng and Lan Xue bid Ghost Hand farewell, skirted around a dense forest, and took cover in the thick woods on the side of the valley entrance, continuing to monitor the situation inside the valley. The wolf's den in the valley was eerily quiet, with no post-battle panic or disturbance, and no signs of anyone coming out, only the smell of blood permeating the air, adding a heart-pounding eeriness.

An hour passed, then two hours, and there was still no movement from the wolf's den in the valley. Perhaps there was, but it was hidden from view. As long as the enemy didn't come out, Luo Zheng was too lazy to bother. After continuous battles, the warriors were tired. This was a good time to rest and ease the tense mood.

At noon, everyone had some dry rations casually and continued their vigil. Such a stakeout was a piece of cake for a sniper. The enemy didn't move, neither did they. Time passed slowly until the afternoon when Luo Zheng, who was chatting quietly with Lan Xue with their earpieces off, suddenly noticed people coming out of the rooms and raised his sniper scope.

They were several women, timid and fearful, carrying buckets with pale faces and eyes full of panic. Luo Zheng guessed they were coming out to fetch water and signaled to everyone not to shoot. As he watched them slowly approach the valley's mouth, walk to the river, carefully fill their buckets with water, and head back, thinking about the contaminated water, a hint of compassion appeared on Luo Zheng's face, but it was quickly replaced by a more resolute expression. The battlefield was ruthless; showing mercy to the enemy was cruel to oneself.

After this group of women returned to the buildings, another group of women and the elderly numbering about a dozen came out, each carrying buckets and other containers. They tensely fetched water from the river and quickly retreated back, soon disappearing into the cluster of buildings. Not long after, many rooms began to emit smoke from cooking.

"Let's prepare something to eat as well," Luo Zheng said.

"Sure, your Beggar's Chicken is really tasty, I want to eat that," Lan Xue said with a smile, acting like a girl coquettishly clinging to her boyfriend. With the earpieces off, they didn't have to worry about being overheard. Lan Xue showed her true self in front of Luo Zheng.

"Alright, just wait, I'll catch one," Luo Zheng promptly agreed, and just as he was about to go, Lan Xue came up from behind and embraced him, resting her face on his shoulder without moving or speaking.

Luo Zheng felt Lan Xue's affection and concern, laughing as he said, "Don't worry, I'll be careful." After Lan Xue let go, he strode forward, his heart brimming with happiness and sweetness. The fatigue and oppression from battle were gone, swept away by Lan Xue's tender support. Having someone who truly understood and cared for him, what more could he ask for in life?