Strongest Soldier King

The night gradually deepened, and the moon hung quietly in the treetops, watching over the silent military camp. The troops had turned off their lights and gone to sleep, leaving the training field empty and desolate. A gust of wind blew by, raising a swirling dance of dust. The national flag in the middle of the training field fluttered in the wind, rustling loudly.

At that moment, three figures suddenly jumped down from the dormitory windows. After landing, they rolled swiftly and crouched on the ground, looking around warily. Once they were certain they hadn't been detected, the three masked their faces with black cloths. After exchanging a glance, they spread out into a triangle formation and moved stealthily forward. The lead figure quickly reached a dark corner of the mess hall, surveyed the area, and then signaled to the other two.

The two others sprinted over, their movements swift. The trio climbed through the window and immediately began searching, leaving no corner unchecked. Finding nothing, they regrouped, and one of them whispered in surprise, "Strange, why isn't that guy in his room sleeping?"

"Could he have gone out or known we were coming and hid?" another whispered back.

"Impossible, only the three of us, Commander Song, and the instructor know about this. The instructor wouldn't tell, let alone Commander Song. Strange indeed, but let's not worry about that now. Let's find a place to hide and wait," suggested another.

All three nodded and found hiding spots. Before long, they heard faint noises from outside. They quickly emerged from hiding; one of them gave several hand signals while the other two cautiously approached the window. The one signaling picked up an empty rice sack nearby and also moved quietly, hiding by the window.

Suddenly the window opened, and someone climbed through. The two in hiding pounced, one on each side, seizing the newcomer's hands. The other quickly slipped the empty sack over his head, and the three of them started to beat him fiercely.

The intruder was Luo Zheng. Luo Zheng hadn't expected an ambush in the mess hall at this hour. Caught off guard, he was bagged before he could see clearly. Shocked, he felt a blow to his head that was so painful he almost passed out. In a panic, he struggled fiercely, but his hands were held fast and he couldn't break free.

The trainees were all selected from an army-wide martial arts competition, so they were no ordinary fighters. With three attacking at once, Luo Zheng stood no chance. If not for his physical prowess, he would have been downed right away. In his desperate struggle, enduring the intense pain, Luo Zheng stomped on one attacker's foot. The man yelped in pain and punched Luo Zheng hard in the abdomen. Luo Zheng doubled over with the pain, then an elbow struck his back, making him lose balance and fall to the ground.

Luo Zheng was horrified. He wrapped his arms tightly around his head to protect his vital areas, curled up his body, and hunched his back, feeling a barrage of blows like a storm. His blood surged and he nearly lost consciousness.

In his dire situation, Luo Zheng's instinct to survive kicked in, and his mind unexpectedly cleared. His hand accidentally touched the army dagger on his waist belt, and with clenched teeth, enduring the pain that nearly made him faint, he drew the Army dagger and stabbed toward the sack in front of him.

"Ah!" Someone's foot landed right on the blade of the dagger, and with too much force, a deep wound was left. Blood began to seep out. The other two were shocked, exchanging a glance. One of them grabbed a basin nearby and smashed it down onto Luo Zheng's head.

"Thud!" Luo Zheng cried out in pain, fainting on the spot. The two didn't have time to tend to Luo Zheng and quickly carried away the injured person, vanishing into the night sky swiftly.

Luo Zheng gradually regained consciousness after an indeterminate amount of time, feeling as if his whole body had fallen apart, the pain was intense. Even the slightest movement was unbearable, and his head felt as if it were being sliced by a knife, almost causing him to faint again. Luo Zheng didn't dare to move, and after listening carefully for a while to confirm that there was no movement around him, only the sound of crickets and unnamed insects, he began to use the family's Breathing Skill to heal his injuries.

As time ticked away, a sliver of dawn light leapt across the sky, tearing through the night curtain. The valley bustled to life, with reveille pushing the troops to rise swiftly and assemble at the training ground. Soon the entire unit started their routine five-kilometer morning jog training, and before long, the training field was quiet once again.

Luo Zheng slowly opened his eyes, feeling much better. His head didn't hurt as much either. After taking off the empty rice sack and adjusting to the brightness, Luo Zheng looked around. Apart from a pool of blood on the ground, there were no other clues. With a grim face, Luo Zheng pondered, who could have done this? The instructor? Song Yang?

After some thought, Luo Zheng felt it must have been one of them he had issues with at the training base. But he clearly sensed three people attacking him yesterday, so what exactly happened? At that moment, a soldier came running in, pushed the door open, and exclaimed loudly, "Hey, the instructor said to prepare a few stir-fries for lunch, some people are coming over."

"Okay," Luo Zheng replied indifferently, eyeing the man with suspicion. The man left after getting an answer, and Luo Zheng couldn't help but speculate: why mention midday preparations in the morning? Was it a guilty conscience at work, sending someone to check whether he was dead or not?

With that thought, Luo Zheng grew more convinced that the instructor was behind this. He moved his body and felt no significant issues. Indeed, the family's Breathing Skill had vastly improved his recovery. Pleased with this revelation, Luo Zheng considered that being alone and without sufficient evidence, going public with claims of an ambush might not work in his favor. The instructor could easily claim innocence. It seemed Luo Zheng had no choice but to bide his time.

With a decision in his heart, Luo Zheng confirmed again that his body was mostly fine and got busy with breakfast. After eating his own meal, the troops returned from their march. Luo Zheng watched them coldly from the side. Everyone was smiling, and the instructor was acting normal, showing no sign of mischief. Luo Zheng scoffed and returned to his bedroom to clean his Army dagger, all the while contemplating his plan for retaliation. Sitting idly by was never Luo Zheng's style. A man should repay grievances, eye for an eye.

Eventually, the mess hall cleared out, and Luo Zheng tidied up and headed to the back mountain for a day of physical training. According to his training plan: physical strength in the morning, skills in the afternoon, and sniper concealment at night. The physical training exercises weren't many: frog jumps, push-ups, sit-ups, uphill sprints, and high-speed shuttle runs in the forest.

After warming up, Luo Zheng felt no discomfort and began training with relief. Completing each exercise left him as drenched as if he had been pulled from water, panting heavily. After a brief rest, he felt better. Checking the time, it was time to make lunch.

After returning to the mess hall, Luo Zheng remembered the instructor's message delivered earlier. Once the meals were ready, not wanting to give the instructor any cause for reprimand, Luo Zheng prepared a few stir-fries and placed them in the private room. This private room, reserved for officers' dining and connected to the dining hall by a curtain, was just set up when the mealtime bugle sounded.