Strongest Soldier King

Before long, Lan Xue emerged from the woods, clad in a camouflage suit, which caused the soldier's heart to tremble; such equipment was not available to ordinary units. Still, he cautiously said, "Brother, I'm sorry, but before verifying your identities, we must treat you as potential suspects. Please come with us."

"No problem. That's the ancient trail outpost ahead, right?" Luo Zheng asked understandingly. Thinking of the ancient trail outpost, Luo Zheng couldn't help but recall his squad leader and deputy squad leader. Unfortunately, they were worlds apart now, and a hint of melancholy surfaced on his face.

The soldier signaled to the others behind him, and five men emerged from the woods, watching the two with wary eyes. One of them stepped forward and politely said, "Gentlemen, sorry for the inconvenience, please come with us. If you are one of us, you know the rules; don't hold it against us for not being sentimental."

"Alright, let's go." Luo Zheng said nonchalantly and started walking forward, leaving his back to these soldiers. It was an attitude of trust.

They hadn't walked far when another squad appeared. The two squads were together, and upon meeting up, a lieutenant came up, warily questioning their identities. Lan Xue stayed silent, leaving the situation for Luo Zheng to handle. He obviously couldn't blow his cover, so he simply asked for their phone to call the Special Warfare Team's commander.

The commander answered the phone, and hearing Luo Zheng's voice, he started shouting with excitement, almost roaring, "You little shit, where are you?"

Luo Zheng had to pull the phone away from his ear, feeling a warmth in his heart. He glanced at Lan Xue, who had also heard the shout, saw Lan Xue nod slightly, and said, "How should I know our coordinates? Can't you check?"

"Alright, so brave now, daring to scold me. I'll deal with you when you get back," the commander barked.

After hanging up, Luo Zheng handed the phone back to the lieutenant and sat down to rest with Lan Xue. The lieutenant seemed to want to interrogate them further, but thought better of it. In less than ten minutes, a transport helicopter flew in, hovering overhead and lowering a rope ladder. Luo Zheng looked at Lan Xue, who nodded in approval, and climbed up first. Luo Zheng smiled at the lieutenant, "Brother, our ride's here, thanks for your help."

"No need to be polite, we're all on the same side." At this moment, the lieutenant no longer doubted the identity of the two and guessed they had returned from a secret mission, speculating that they were the legendary Special Forces, feeling a surge of respect and saluting admiringly as Luo Zheng climbed up the ladder as well.

Upon reaching the helicopter, Luo Zheng was surprised to find Shan Hu as the pilot and heard him almost roar, "Son of a bitch, I've been worried sick! You haven't lost any parts, have you?"

"No way, I'm from the first team. Can't disgrace the team," Luo Zheng replied with a smile, a strong sense of brotherhood welling up inside him. Seeing that Shan Hu had lost weight, he surmised it was because of his concern. Three days and nights without rest could overwhelm even the toughest of men, and he felt a deep sense of gratitude.

"Good to hear you're alright. Let's get moving." Shan Hu shouted excitedly, nodding at Lan Xue. Though he didn't recognize Lan Xue, it didn't stop him from respecting the person who dared to risk life and limb to find someone. He could tell the relationship between Lan Xue and Luo Zheng was deep, so he took the helicopter and charged off.

After around fifteen minutes, the helicopter landed in the Special Warfare Team's training field, and Luo Zheng got off the aircraft to see the other members of the first team, none missing but all looking much thinner and in poor spirits. Overcome with emotion, he walked toward them; the brothers opened their arms wide and hugged tightly.

"You little brat, get over here," a vexed voice shouted.

As soon as Luo Zheng heard the voice, he knew it was the team leader. With an awkward smile, he said to Shan Hu and the others, "Brothers, I need to step away for a bit, will chat later."

"Go ahead, we've prepared drinks and dishes in the dormitory to welcome you back," Shan Hu said.

Luo Zheng glanced at Lan Xue, who nodded, and the two headed to the team leader's office. Upon entering, Lan Xue plopped down on the sofa next to them, poured herself a glass of water, and began to drink. Luo Zheng didn't dare to do the same. The sibling-like relationship between them was different from his subordinate status. After closing the door, he said jokingly, "Team leader, I've missed you."

"Miss my ass, if you missed me, why didn't you come back earlier?" the team leader scolded with dissatisfaction, throwing a skeptical glance at Lan Xue, then staring discontentedly at Luo Zheng. He noticed that Luo Zheng had changed since returning, his aura more subdued, slippery, and a lot more confident. The team leader knew this was a sign of returning to simplicity and truth, as true masters often appear ordinary. However, the team leader didn't expect Luo Zheng's transformation to be so rapid, and his curiosity returned to Lan Xue, suspecting his ferocious sister might have had a hand in it.

Luo Zheng didn't have as many thoughts as the team leader and laughed, "I just got lost, that's all."

"Pfft!" Lan Xue could no longer hold back her laughter, finding it amusing that Luo Zheng, a distinguished Special Combat Elite, had gotten lost. Who would believe that? Such an excuse was too... too...

"Watch it, I'll cut you. Let's be serious, I've heard a detailed brief from the others. You need to write up a report too, a detailed one, don't miss any details," the team leader ordered unhappily.

"Don't write anything about after you met me," Lan Xue suddenly said.

"Huh?" Luo Zheng looked at Lan Xue, then turned to the team leader, who after scrutinizing them both, said helplessly, "Then just write up to the point you two met."

"Yes, sir," Luo Zheng puffed out his chest and quickly agreed with a smile, thinking that Lan Xue belonged to a Mysterious Army and confidentiality was key, even for the team leader. Seeing that the team leader's face wasn't looking too good, he joked, "Team leader, does this mean we've completed the mission? Can my rank be promoted to Lieutenant now?"

"Keep dreaming. Is that all you're thinking about, getting promoted? Did you join the army just for that? Don't forget, you are a soldier of the people, fighting for the people, for the country," the team leader scolded angrily.

"I do, I really do. Getting promoted is great. I could go back and make the ancestors proud, and marry the prettiest wife in our area. How could I not want that?" Luo Zheng pretended to be anxious in his defense.

"You..." The team leader was so mad he nearly cursed.

"Pfft!" Lan Xue laughed again, and the team leader realized he was getting led off-topic by Luo Zheng. Even his icy beauty of a sister had laughed twice, which was unheard of. Coming to his senses, and knowing that the relationship between these two was probably more unusual than he first thought, he sized up Luo Zheng again. His appearance was not outstanding, but his demeanor was more harmonious than before. If there had to be something extraordinary about him, it would be his eyes: lively, restrained, exuding a maturity and wisdom beyond his years, and a sense of cunning.