Strongest Soldier King

Being targeted by a sniper was definitely a terrifying thing. Luo Zheng was not sure whether there were snipers around. He cautiously looked around and, to ensure safety, gently unfastened his camouflage suit and also took off his helmet. He shrank out of his camouflage suit like a snake shedding its skin and leaned against a rock.

After he emerged from the camouflage suit, the suit maintained its original shape, and at first glance, it still looked like someone was inside it. Luo Zheng leaned against the rock, a sniper rifle lying across his abdomen, sitting on the ground and gasping for breath. The movement had seemed simple, but to ensure he wasn't detected, each movement had been very cautious to prevent any distortion of the camouflage suit, which had drained quite a bit of his energy.

After resting for about three minutes, the scout, Golden Eagle, alerted him through the earphones. The enemy was coming. Everyone's nerves were tense. The team leader, Shan Hu, kept asking each person about their status to ensure absolute safety. Luo Zheng wasn't sure if there were enemy snipers around after already giving one warning. He decided not to repeat it and waited patiently instead. The rustling of the leaves and a few falling ones drifted with the wind. Occasionally, several birds chirped joyfully, flying out from the woods and quickly disappearing into the bushes on the hillside.

After a while, a troop entered everyone's view. They looked like villagers, dressed plainly, wearing wide hats, leading mules and forming a long line. At a glance, they resembled a caravan. If not for the fact that each carried a gun, one might have thought they were traders traveling through the mountains.

There was nothing remarkable about the troop, and it was hard to identify any leader. All were walking with their heads down. Luo Zheng, having hunted in the mountains since he was young, had seen various trading caravans that all shared one common feature: they would have a few lookouts constantly watching the surroundings to ensure safety and determine directions, unlike this group that was hurrying along with heads bowed. Alarmed, he whispered, "Captain, something doesn't seem right."

"What is it?" Shan Hu whispered back.

"I can't pinpoint it exactly, but it's a feeling. They are all walking with their heads down. Aren't they afraid of danger? If they were really drug traffickers, they should be more cautious," Luo Zheng said in a low voice, his unease growing.

"It is strange, but no time for that now. We are approaching the national border. We absolutely cannot allow unidentified armed groups to enter our country. Once my gun fires, everyone open fire. If the situation turns bad, immediately retreat to the assembly point. Any questions?" Shan Hu whispered back.

"No," everyone responded quietly, all ready to fight.

Luo Zheng felt that Shan Hu made sense. Continuing forward meant reaching the national border, and they naturally couldn't allow unidentified armed groups to cross. However, the behavior of this group was peculiar, and reading their definitive identity was challenging. Although everything now matched the intelligence in terms of time, location, and number of people, what if they were wrong? According to the intelligence, there should be a signal from a contact person within the troop. As these people all hurried with their heads down, it was impossible to identify the contact person.

"Unable to identify the contact person. Everyone, hold your positions and wait for our orders," Shan Hu, not having identified the contact person, quickly issued an order to pause the attack.

As the group drew nearer, still without a signal from a contact person, and the situation differing from the initial setup, everyone realized something was off and silently awaited further instructions. Shan Hu considered for a moment, then decided to startle the group, whispering, "Brothers, pay attention. I'll fire first to see their reaction. Everyone else hold your fire."

Then, at that moment, an unexpected change happened in the valley. The troop suddenly dove into the jungle, firing wildly around, bullets flying everywhere. Shan Hu cursed, "Something's off, brothers, do not fire and expose your positions. Stay hidden. I want to see what these people are up to."

Luo Zheng hid on the mountain ridge, unreachable by bullets. Faced with this sudden change, he knew he was in trouble. As he loaded his gun, suddenly, a familiar sound pierced the air, "Whiz—!"

"A sniper rifle?" Luo Zheng was shocked; the sound of a sniper bullet was different from regular bullets, of which he was certain. Then, Luo Zheng heard a "thud." He quickly turned his head and saw that a bulletproof helmet not far away had been hit and sent flying a great distance.

"There's indeed a sniper." Luo Zheng was alarmed and secretly relieved that he had been cautious enough to crawl out of his camouflage suit. Otherwise, that shot could have easily been the end of him. It further confirmed his suspicion, so he quickly spoke into his headset, "Captain, there's a sniper."

"What? Are you sure?" Shan Hu was startled. If there really was a sniper, what did that mean? Shan Hu dared not think further and urgently asked.

"Sure, if I hadn't been cautious and played the 'Golden Cicada Shedding Its Shell,' I would be lying dead, waiting for my brothers to collect my body," Luo Zheng quickly explained while searching for the sniper's hiding spot. Seeing no suspicious targets, he suddenly pulled at the leg of his camouflage suit, giving the illusion that he was not completely dead yet.

"Whiz!" Another bullet shot through, hitting the camouflage suit directly.

"Son of a bitch, I finally found you," Luo Zheng sharply identified the sniper's position. He didn't shoot immediately but waited a few minutes. Judging from the current situation, it was clear that the people in the canyon below were luring the enemy. The indiscriminate firing was a test to locate ambush points for the sniper to target sequentially. The first target for the sniper now being him indicated not only his exposure but also that this was a trap.

Realizing this, Luo Zheng was alarmed and quickly said, "Captain, something is wrong, this is a trap."

"I got it, damn it, the intelligence was wrong," Shan Hu said angrily. "Everyone, retreat immediately, and stay safe," he ordered. "Zhengzi, take care of yourself."

As soon as Shan Hu finished speaking, "Ratatata!" countless bullets came shooting from behind. Everyone was startled and turned around just as birds flew up in fright, signifying the unknown number of enemies rushing forward. Shan Hu yelled in shock and anger, "Damn it, we're being surrounded! Brothers, retreat quickly."

The intense sound of gunfire erupted as the people in the canyon, seeing no return fire, grew bolder and pursued into the woods. Seeing this, Luo Zheng's expression grew somber. Using a small team as bait, then having the sniper pick off exposed targets, followed by a full encirclement, was a vicious strategy. Thankfully, no one had fired and exposed their positions. Hearing Shan Hu's order to retreat, everyone began to pull back. Luo Zheng did not move, but quietly waited. It wasn't that he didn't want to move, but that he dared not; the enemy's sniper was definitely still around.

At that moment, Luo Zheng heard shouting from behind. The enemy was closing in. With the canyon ahead making escape impossible, and only the sides left to run to, not running meant certain death. After a moment of thought, Luo Zheng clenched his teeth, took a risk, and snatched his camouflage suit.