Strongest Soldier King

The valleys in winter had already become very cold. At the training camp of the Northwest Military Region's Special Warfare Team, members were training with great enthusiasm. The training subject of the day was to exercise willpower, and the method was simple: take baths in the open air with cold water after a 30-kilometer march. Everyone was so hot they couldn't stand it. As all were men, there were no scruples. They simply stripped and showered in cold water, and Luo Zheng was among them.

At that moment, a military vehicle arrived. More than a dozen people jumped from the vehicle. At a glance, Luo Zheng recognized them and was momentarily stunned. On closer inspection, they were all members of the Training Team. Considering the time, those who had passed the three-month training should have been transferred here. Luo Zheng had no particular friendship or deep feelings with these members, so he didn't pay much attention. He poured a bucket of water over his head, feeling as if his entire body was freezing. A chill emanated from his marrow. He hurriedly held his breath and tensed his body, paying close attention to his sensations, which was beneficial for enhancing his perceptual abilities.

After waiting a moment, Luo Zheng felt he couldn't hold his breath any longer as if his lungs were about to burst. He then slowly exhaled and opened his eyes, only to find the Training Team was receiving a briefing. Among them was Song Yang; Luo Zheng hadn't expected this guy to have passed the assessment—it was a small world indeed.

Song Yang also felt someone watching him. He scanned the area and soon spotted Luo Zheng. He looked shocked at first, but then his face turned ugly. He hadn't expected that the enemy he had been searching for three months would be hiding in the Special Warfare Team. His calm eyes were now filled with a cold sneer of resentment, and his face turned ashen.

At that moment, the instructor coldly glanced at everyone and bellowed, "You are still rookies. At best, you could only be considered reserve Special Forces. You're far from being real Special Forces. If you don't train properly, you could be eliminated at any time. My task is to send you rookies back to your original units. So, brace yourselves for my torment."

Luo Zheng smirked upon hearing this familiar lecture. He was already an Elite Special Team warrior; it was beneath him to quibble over anything with Song Yang. It took rookies three months of testing to become ordinary special soldiers and they could be eliminated at any time. Whether Song Yang could withstand the tests remained uncertain, so it was pointless to bicker with someone who could be eliminated at any moment.

When one reaches a certain height, their perspective and mentality change. This was the real gathering ground for Special Forces; everything was determined by strength. The highest-ranking officer was the team leader, Lan Xue's brother—not the former Training Team. Luo Zheng didn't feel that Song Yang could prevent him from becoming stronger. With a scoff, he continued his training.

Song Yang saw Luo Zheng's disdainful look and became even more furious, desperately suppressing his emotions. It's odd how people's mindsets work; upon realizing their enemy is ahead, they feel not only hatred but also jealousy. In Song Yang's view, Luo Zheng's presence here must have been arranged by Lan Xue. To him, Luo Zheng had no real skill; a woman from his family helping another man infuriated him beyond measure.

After the briefing ended, the members were sent to the barracks to familiarize themselves with the environment. Intentionally passing by Luo Zheng, Song Yang whispered coldly, "Kid, didn't expect to find you hiding here. You made me search so hard. Just wait, and see how I'll deal with you."

Luo Zheng responded with a sneer of contempt and splashed a basin of water over himself. Song Yang, worried that Luo Zheng might play a trick, quickly walked away, throwing a resentful glance at Luo Zheng before following his team to the barracks. A fellow soldier approached Luo Zheng and whispered, "Zhengzi, who's this asshole? So arrogant."

"Just some senseless jerk; don't bother with him." Luo Zheng replied with a smile. "Gangzi, how did it go? You lost to me in the breath-holding contest yesterday. How about another round today? Loser does the laundry, how about that?"

"No way. Competing with you is asking for punishment," said the man called Gangzi, clearly frustrated.

"No contest then," Luo Zheng said with a laugh, then called out to another man, "Hey, College Boy, help me out with foreign languages tonight? I'll accompany you for an hour of combat training, deal?"

"Deal," replied another soldier, pouring a large basin of cold water on himself and holding his breath too. After a long while, he exhaled with a gasp and shouted, "Exhilarating! In the cold winter of October, with frost covering the earth, we soldiers bathe in cold water. How magnificent, how magnificent!"

"Strutting around for what, cut the crap, guys, the boss said there's a mission from up high, looks like we're going to take a spin outside. Who do you guess they'll send this time?" a warrior mumbled after scoffing.

"What mission?" Everyone got interested.

"Top secret." The warrior from before said mysteriously, seeing that everyone was dispersing without care, he couldn't help but look up in the direction of the team leader's office and mutter, "It ought to be our squad's turn to mobilize this time, right?"

"Zhengzi, the team leader is looking for you," called out the guard as he ran over.

"Oh, I'm coming." Luo Zheng replied, quickly donned his clothes, and followed the guard at a swift pace. In just a few seconds, he had reached the team leader's office where he heard someone inside speak discontentedly, "Commander, this won't do, I don't feel at ease. A greenhorn who hasn't been on the battlefield, hasn't seen blood, what's the use of good training if he screws up at a crucial moment? Sniper, such an important position, how can you entrust it to a rookie?"

"Is it you who calls the shots here or is it me?" the team leader retorted with dissatisfaction.

"You do." came the helpless reply from the other side.

"So you do know that. Then cut the crap, this is an order." The team leader scolded unsatisfied, "Zhengzi, roll in here, what are you eavesdropping at the door for?"

Luo Zheng, having heard every word by the door, quickly pushed it open and said with a grin, "Commander, you were looking for me? In this cold winter, why are you getting so heated? I'll stew some snake for you later to cool you down."

"Cut the nonsense." The team leader snapped irritably, signaling the guard to close the door and leave before lowering his voice, "There's a mission for Squad One. Squad One is short a sniper; you go over, but our squad leader won't agree. What do you think?"

The Special Warfare Team consisted of three companies and nine squads in total. Squad One was the most powerful squad in the Special Forces Team, only mobilized for important missions. The current squad leader was Shan Hu, number one in combat and tactical command. During the last mission, their sniper was injured and could no longer stay with the special team to carry out high-intensity tasks, so he had to move to a local army unit to become a reconnaissance company's sniper instructor, leaving the sniper position vacant.

Several thoughts whirled through Luo Zheng's head, and with a playful smile, he said, "Commander, I think what Captain Shan Hu said makes sense, don't be mad." Seeing the commander raise his fist as if to throw a punch, Luo Zheng quickly interjected, continuing with a smile, "Think about it. I've never been on the battlefield, never seen blood. What if I get tense and can't provide fire support for the brothers?" he thought to himself that he really needed to urgently tackle learning two foreign languages.

"Ah, Commander, I think Zhengzi is being reasonable, better assign someone else," Shan Hu quickly said.