Chapter 4

After slowly regaining his composure, Luo Zheng saw the ground littered with spent shell casings and the walls riddled with bullet holes. Clearly, the attack had been sudden, leaving no chance for a counterattack. The aftermath was a fire, set by a group of ruthless people who must not be let off. Blood debts must be repaid in blood. With this thought, Luo Zheng quickly rushed to the communications room, only to find the radio already destroyed, making it impossible to contact the outside world. His face turned pale.

"Boom!" Suddenly, a faint explosion echoed in the distance.

Luo Zheng was taken aback, his face turning cold as he dashed outside. It was already dark, the mountains shrouded in darkness, and the heavy rain made it impossible to see clearly. "Could it be thunder?" As he wondered, another faint explosion sounded, though weak, it was distinct and not like thunder. Luo Zheng turned his gaze to the distant red flashes in the rain, his eyes gleaming with a cold light. Drenched in rain, his face was filled with anger as he abruptly turned and rushed back to the barracks.

It wouldn't be long before someone came to investigate the outpost. The scene must not be disturbed, or it would destroy the clues. Luo Zheng found some paper and a pen, wrote a few lines, and placed the note in a conspicuous spot, using a shell casing to hold it down. He picked up a standard-issue Type 95 assault rifle but found it already damaged by bullets and unusable.

With no other choice, Luo Zheng set the gun aside. His eye caught the spot where they usually kept firewood, now reduced to ashes. The wind from the door blew away the ashes, revealing a triangular bayonet. Luo Zheng knew this bayonet was the class leader's prized possession, the only one in the outpost, and they often played with it.

Overjoyed, Luo Zheng picked up the triangular bayonet, a weapon forged from alloy steel. He couldn't help but think, "Could it be that the class leader and the brothers are watching over me from heaven, urging me to use this bayonet to avenge them?" This thought only strengthened his resolve to seek revenge, and he quickly ran to the weapons storage.

The few weapons and ammunition in the storage had been completely looted, leaving no usable guns or bullets. Luo Zheng remembered the class deputy's cherished 65-style army dagger, a special award from a superior that he always carried with him. He rushed to the kitchen and carefully examined the charred remains of his comrades, but found nothing. The dagger couldn't have been burned, so it must have been taken. This thought made Luo Zheng's anger boil.

"Damn it!" Luo Zheng cursed, his face cold as he ran back to the nearby barracks. He found a field pack, packed it with food, clothes, and other essentials, changed into a clean set of clothes, put on a raincoat, and grabbed the triangular bayonet and a military flashlight. He slung the pack over his shoulder and walked out of the barracks.

"Boom!" A thunderclap echoed, and the rain intensified. The cold wind howled, adding a grim atmosphere to the desolate mountains. The endless darkness was terrifying, like a primordial beast ready to devour everything.

Luo Zheng's somewhat youthful face became resolute. Though he had never experienced a real battlefield, never killed anyone, and couldn't even shoot accurately, he had an indomitable spirit and a heart full of passion. To avenge his brothers, Luo Zheng was ready to risk everything.

On the square near the entrance, Old Horse snorted angrily, nudging Luo Zheng with his head and pawing the ground, clearly sensing something. Luo Zheng gently stroked Old Horse's neck, drew the machete from the cart, and said firmly but with a hint of regret, "Old Horse, I can't make you a wolf-skin vest anymore. The brothers are watching over me from heaven. I have to go. Don't try to stop me. Find a place to shelter from the rain. Tomorrow, the superiors will send people to investigate. You should retire and take care of yourself." With that, he took a determined step toward the direction of the explosions, his footsteps resolute and powerful, splashing in the rain, as if his brothers were sending him off, blessing him, and bidding him farewell...

Born a hunter, Luo Zheng had grown up in the forest, feeling a strange familiarity and closeness to it. His survival skills in the wild were not bad, and his physical fitness had improved significantly after joining the military. In the heavy rain, Luo Zheng moved quickly, almost jogging, gripping the machete tightly. Rainwater streamed down the handle. A lightning bolt split the night sky, illuminating Luo Zheng's resolute face, and the machete gleamed coldly, as if sensing his anger.

Without the explosions to guide him, Luo Zheng relied on his judgment to move quickly. The rain could wash away all traces, making it difficult to find any clues. This pursuit seemed blind, but Luo Zheng was undeterred. Doing nothing would make him feel suffocated. Thinking of his brothers' tragic deaths, his heart felt like it was about to explode, and his body was filled with strength.

After more than two hours of running, Luo Zheng was out of breath, his energy severely depleted. He had to slow down and walk. He found himself on a hillside and noticed two shell casings on the ground. Luo Zheng quickly shone his flashlight around but saw no suspicious figures. He walked a few steps, picked up the casings, and confirmed they were correct, though they provided no clues.

"Could it be that domestic special forces are in pursuit?" Luo Zheng wondered, his spirits lifting. As a soldier, he had always aspired to join the special forces. Unfortunately, he had been sent to the border outpost after beating up a well-connected recruit in the new recruit training camp, making it unlikely he would ever achieve his goal.

The possibility of special forces in pursuit gave him hope for revenge, and his spirits soared. He carefully observed the terrain, relying on his hunting instincts from childhood, and chose a direction to pursue. Soon, he found some fragments from hand grenade explosions lying on the ground, silently telling the story of what had happened here.

Luo Zheng picked up a fragment, examined it, and threw it away, searching the area. He soon found a small crater filled with rainwater, likely caused by a hand grenade explosion. He observed the terrain and searched the area, but the battle traces had been completely washed away by the rain, leaving only fragments and shell casings. Based on the terrain and the assumption that the attackers had fled west and the pursuers had come from the east, he determined the general direction and continued his pursuit.

He didn't know how long he had been chasing, but the sky gradually brightened, and the rain finally stopped. Luo Zheng was exhausted and hungry, so he slowed his pace, took out some compressed biscuits from his pack, and ate them, then drank some water from his canteen. His eyelids felt heavy, and his head was dizzy from the night's exertion and the intense focus. Thinking of his hatred, he gritted his teeth and pushed on.