Strongest Soldier King

At midnight, moonlight spilled onto the earth like liquid silver, caressing the lush woods behind the Training Team's hill with a gray haze. Occasionally, a few night birds fluttered into the night sky, vanishing quickly. Perched on a branch of a large tree, an owl sat motionless, its eyes flickering with an eerie glow. Suddenly, it swooped down like a streak of lightning, seizing a mouse that had ventured out to forage, and then just as quickly flew away, disappearing without a trace.

Not far from where the owl hunted, in a thicket of bushes, a head raised up, watching the departing owl with eyes dancing with a cold light, then quickly turned back to the sniper scope. The sniper rifle was camouflaged with dried grass and was practically indistinguishable at first glance. The head was crowned with a ring of grass and the body was draped in a grass coat—it was Luo Zheng, engaged in sniper training.

As the moon climbed over the treetops, it was around midnight. After lying in ambush for three hours, Luo Zheng planned to practice some military boxing and then return to rest. Suddenly, he sensed something off in the not-too-distant front and was startled, remaining motionless as he continued to observe.

Soon, a Black Shadow rushed over and stopped at the base of a large tree, then quickly climbed to the treetop and started observing the Training Team's camp in the valley below through a pair of binoculars. The whole sequence took no more than a minute. Luo Zheng was shocked; to climb a fifteen-meter-tall tree would take him three minutes, yet the figure had done so in under one. Who was this person? Why were they surveilling the military camp?

At this thought, Luo Zheng realized he had encountered a master. He dared not move carelessly, steadied his breathing, and decided to wait and see. After about ten minutes, the figure swiftly descended the tree, suddenly crouched down, and hid in the shadow of the tree, cautiously observing something up ahead.

Luo Zheng was alarmed and also looked in another direction, abruptly noticing three people approaching, forming a triangular assault formation and advancing with great care. Luo Zheng slowly moved his sniper rifle and used the sniper scope to observe—the scope had night-vision capabilities. He saw that one of the individuals was Song Yang, which deepened his confusion. What was Song Yang doing here?

The situation grew increasingly bizarre. Luo Zheng decided to watch and wait. After a while, Song Yang and his two companions had advanced significantly. They were unarmed but each held a military dagger. If they moved any further, they would encounter the figure in the shadows. Luo Zheng forced himself to stay calm and kept observing closely. Suddenly, he noticed the figure in the shadows move like a civet cat, quickly darting up the tree and disappearing into the foliage.

"Huh?" Luo Zheng noted that the shadowy figure was not meeting with Song Yang and grew even more curious. He saw Song Yang and the others quickly find the spot where Luo Zheng had been practicing. After searching the area without finding anything, the three of them grouped together and whispered amongst themselves. Then, two of them swiftly concealed themselves to the left and the right, leaving only Song Yang exposed.

"What are they trying to do?" Luo Zheng wondered, surprised.

"Come out. I know you're around here. If you've got the guts, come out and face me one-on-one," Song Yang suddenly shouted, his voice shattering the night's silence. The surrounding insects and birds became alert, falling silent. A wild bird let out a strange cry and flew into the depths of the forest, disappearing from sight.

"Could they be looking for me?" Luo Zheng wondered, startled.

"I didn't expect you to find out. Interesting. Since you're courting death, I'll grant it to you," the shadowy figure suddenly slid down the tree and said coldly, walking towards Song Yang.

"Who are you?" Song Yang exclaimed in surprise, demanding an answer from the shadowy figure.

"The one who will kill you," Black Shadow said coldly as his body suddenly accelerated, much like a cheetah hunting in the night, moving at breakneck speed, reaching Song Yang in a blink, with a huge fist aiming straight for Song Yang's head.

Song Yang was terrified, rolling away hastily yelling, "Brothers, come out and help!"

Two people who had been lurking nearby had already sensed something amiss and rushed out rapidly. Black Shadow coldly watched the two men pounce towards him, a hint of cruelty flashing across his face. He did not dodge, instead kicking the fallen Song Yang hard, sending him flying five or six meters away with a miserable scream. Luo Zheng saw Song Yang spew out a mouthful of blood and couldn't help but be frightened by the powerful combat strength.

At that moment, the other two had already lunged forward. Black Shadow, far from retreating, advanced, his body shooting forward like a projectile, knocking one of them flying. That person, too, let out a pained scream, flew five or six meters, and landed heavily on the ground, moaning in agony.

With one successful move, Black Shadow sneered and, without even looking at the other flying kick coming his way, suddenly turned and swept his leg out, kicking the other man's leg and taking him down. He then stomped down hard, and with the snap of a bone breaking, the man screamed out in pain and passed out.

In a matter of seconds, Black Shadow had floored three men, all within the span of five seconds. Luo Zheng watched in horror at the formidable combat strength. He quickly aimed and was about to shoot when he heard Black Shadow let out a mocking laugh, as if talking to himself, "They say the Huaxia Country Special Forces are formidable, but they seem quite pathetic." With that, he picked up a military knife and walked towards one of the men.

Luo Zheng knew the enemy wanted to kill and silence Song Yang. Without hesitation, he aimed at the opponent, regardless of Song Yang's past attitude towards him. They were both soldiers of the nation, and in the face of a formidable enemy, Luo Zheng set aside personal grudges and decisively opened fire.

"Whoosh!" A bullet roared out, tracing a fiery path through the night sky.

Black Shadow twisted his body in a bizarre maneuver, diving to one side, his movements as quick as lightning, dodging the sniper shot and leaping away, vanishing into the darkness of the night without a trace.

Luo Zheng knew he was up against a strong adversary and dared not move carelessly, not knowing if the enemy might be lurking somewhere in the darkness waiting for an opportunity. Moving carelessly could expose him, and he would certainly be the one to die. By hiding, he could deter the enemy. Remembering the terrifying strength of the opponent, Luo Zheng desperately repressed his breath and adjusted his breathing to avoid being discovered.

The gunshot alarmed the military camp in the valley; lights blazed, and the place seethed with activity. In no time, many people rushed towards the rear mountain. Luo Zheng continued to observe calmly, not daring to make a move until reinforcements arrived. After waiting a while, a voice came from the dark woods ahead, "I didn't expect there to be such a calm sniper here. We will meet again."

Luo Zheng hadn't expected Black Shadow to indeed be hiding in the woods and silently gave a sigh of relief. As he saw a large group of reinforcements rushing in, the leader was none other than the instructor and the female military officer Lan Xue. Lan Xue was running at the forefront, holding a sniper rifle, and was about ten meters ahead of the instructor and the others, her face anxious.

Lan Xue arrived at the scene, glanced at the moaning Song Yang and the others on the ground, her face turned ashen, and she radiated a chilling aura of murderous intent. The air around her seemed to freeze instantly. She dashed into the dense forest with lightning speed, disappearing in a moment, pursuing in the direction Black Shadow had fled.