Strongest Soldier King

"It should be no problem; he's not slow and vanished in the blink of an eye," Golden Eagle recalled.

"That's good. Golden Eagle, you're fast. Take up a guard position a kilometer away," Shan Hu directed, pointing toward the direction from which the pursuers had left.

"Understood." Golden Eagle acknowledged and hurried off.

"This situation is unexpected, but two things are certain. First, this is a trap targeted at us, and second, our intelligence personnel have either been used or have betrayed us. Regardless, we're at a disadvantage, whether we stay to uncover the truth or call for backup and retreat. Think it over, and when Zhengzi gets back, we'll have a quick meeting and then decide," Shan Hu cautioned.

"There's nothing to think about. We have to get to the bottom of this; otherwise, we won't have peace even if we go back. Whoever dares to provoke us must pay the price," Duke of Thunder said sternly.

"Exactly," Mountain Leopard agreed coldly, taking out some dry food to eat. He leaned against a big tree, glanced up at the sky, and said with some concern, "Captain, it looks like it's going to rain. Once it starts, it'll be harder for the pursuers to find us. We could use this rain for a counterattack, catch a few of them for questioning. It's worth seeing what's exactly going on."

"Do you guys still remember what happened before the battle?" Instead of answering the question, Shan Hu suddenly countered, and seeing the puzzled looks from everyone, continued, "Before the battle started, Zhengzi warned us that something was off. We were all too caught up in the urgency of the moment, and now it seems Zhengzi was right."

"Yeah, it's incredible that a rookie who's new to the battlefield could have such high alertness and such a strong sixth sense," Duke of Thunder mused, and the rest fell into contemplation.

┅┅.

Luo Zheng was unaware of the discussion as he sprinted with all his might. He hadn't expected the pursuers to come after him so quickly. He needed to escape before they managed to encircle him. There was no time to shoot back; he just ran as hard as he could, with the sound of the wind whooshing by his ears. If he hadn't had the family's "Breathing Skill" to regulate his breath, such desperate running would have been impossible without overwhelming his heart and lungs. Half an hour later, a river appeared before him, twenty-some meters wide, flowing eastward.

The river flowed gently, and its banks were overgrown with shrubs. A few wild birds were startled from the bushes and flapped into the forest, soon disappearing from sight. Luo Zheng looked around, quickly took off his backpack, put his pistol and bullets inside, gritted his teeth, and jumped into the river, keeping his weapon held high as he waded forward.

It took him just a few minutes to cross the twenty-some meters breadth of the river. The sounds of the pursuers were faintly audible behind him. Irritated, Luo Zheng looked around and spotted a good position halfway up the hillside. He rushed over there and saw that it offered a wide field of view: mountains behind him, dense forest on both sides, and ahead, a low-lying plain along with the river. The plain spanned about ten meters, entirely covered with bushes, meaning there was a thirty-meter open stretch that the enemy would have to cross in order to enter the woods.

With that in mind, Luo Zheng bit his lip and decided not to go any further. He used the family's Breathing Skill to recover his strength. The escape from the intense gunfire of thousands had drained too much of his energy; continuing to run would only exhaust him to death. After resting for a while and feeling his breathing become much smoother, he saw that the pursuers had arrived at the riverbank, with several people in discussion.

The people in discussion wore no different attire than the others, but those around them subconsciously maintained a certain distance, forming a perimeter with these individuals at the center as they stayed on alert. Luo Zheng was certain these few were the leaders. Overwhelmed with the fury from being relentlessly pursued, he took bullets out from his backpack and placed them beside him. Then he hid himself behind a huge piece of bluestone covered in Vine, which was indiscernible from a distance. It wasn't until he reached this spot that Luo Zheng realized what an excellent sniping position he had found, and naturally, he intended to make good use of it.

Soon, Luo Zheng had locked on one of them and was about to take the shot when suddenly someone next to his target turned around, presenting their back to him. A strange image appeared in the sniper scope, prompting Luo Zheng to move the scope back in surprise. On the neck of the person was a tattoo, a lifelike wolf's head.

"Wild Wolf Mercenary Group?" Luo Zheng exclaimed in shock. On closer examination, there was no mistaking the familiar insignia. His rage intensified further. To think that members of the Wild Wolf Mercenary Group were among those pursuing him. He aimed at the tattooed mercenary, his murderous intent erupting. He was about to shoot when he saw the person in the scope suddenly leap to one side.

"Such strong danger perception." Knowing that his target had sensed the danger and missed his window to shoot, Luo Zheng resolutely aimed at another leader-like figure and fired, delivering a fatal headshot.

"Da da da!" The pursuers reacted swiftly, targeting Luo Zheng's location and opening fire. A hail of bullets pinned him down, making it impossible to raise his head to counterattack. Bullets struck the bluestone, creating sparks and scattering stray projectiles and shattered stone fragments everywhere.

Cradling his rifle, Luo Zheng hunkered down beneath the bluestone. Part of the vast stone jutted out, leaving an empty space underneath that perfectly concealed a person. He felt no worry about being hit as he waited for a while. Perhaps thinking he had vacated the spot, the pursuers across the river gradually halted their gunfire, and a few of them began crossing the river.

"Perfect timing." From beneath the stone, Luo Zheng searched through his sniper scope and found that the Wild Wolf Mercenary Group mercenary and the other leader-like figure had disappeared from sight. With no choice, he focused on those crossing the river and decisively pulled the trigger. A three-round burst took out three pursuers on the spot.

The gunshots drew another heavy barrage from across the river. Luo Zheng didn't dare to be careless and continued to stay put behind the stone, patiently waiting. This time, the gunfire lasted significantly longer than before. Luo Zheng guessed that those who had crossed the river had reached his side of the bank. He desperately wanted to fight back, but the enemy's ferocious suppression gave him no chance, forcing him to bide his time.

After a bit longer, the barrage weakened. Seizing the moment, Luo Zheng peeked out. About a dozen men had entered the dense forest, closing in on his location quickly. Without time to think further, he slung his backpack over his shoulder and retreated swiftly. Diving into the underbrush, he once again took up a frantic run.

"Boom!" A peal of thunder resounded.

Luo Zheng looked up to see that the sky had become overcast with clouds, and a wind had picked up, rustling the trees loudly. The chill seeped into his soaked body. He hurried to speed up, knowing that if he couldn't find shelter or his comrades soon, catching a fever or cold would pose a serious problem.

The raindrops quickly grew larger. Without daring to stop, Luo Zheng continued his mad dash, taking a circuitous route along the ridge. The pursuers' footprints had vanished behind him. As the rain intensified, Luo Zheng figured that with such inclement weather, the enemy wouldn't be able to continue their pursuit either. He therefore slowed down a bit, but didn't dare stop completely. Stopping in a downpour would cause his body temperature to plummet rapidly, making it easy to fall ill. Running would at least generate some heat.