Chapter 7

“Whoosh!” A bullet accurately hit Luo Zheng's backpack.

Almost simultaneously, Luo Zheng saw the female soldier suddenly leap up from the ground, like a hunting leopard. In mid-air, she caught the thrown gun. Just as her body was about to fall, the female soldier burst with a dense aura of killing intent. The killing intent was so substantial that it was almost tangible. The gun in her hand let out a shocking roar, and the bullets whistled through the air, tearing it apart and disappearing from sight.

After landing, the female soldier quickly rolled on the ground. Two bullets almost followed her rolling back and hit the ground. Under Luo Zheng's incredulous gaze, the female soldier slapped the ground and sprang up, leaping five meters away and landing steadily behind a large tree. She curled up, minimizing her exposed attack surface, and remained motionless.

"Too strong." Luo Zheng stared blankly at the hidden female soldier, not expecting the enemy to shoot so quickly, and the female soldier to dodge even faster. What a formidable skill. Could this be the legendary and powerful special forces? The female soldier didn't shoot at him; could she really be on his side?

Thinking that the female soldier might be a special forces member from his country, Luo Zheng's blood boiled. His panic slowly subsided, and he regained his usual calm and shrewdness. He continued to hide behind the tree, knowing very well that he couldn't participate in such a high-level battle. Going out would mean certain death, and hiding would also mean waiting to die. Not knowing how many enemies there were, he had to do something to help the female soldier, as saving her would mean saving himself.

With this in mind, Luo Zheng began to observe his surroundings. There was nothing he could use, but he felt the machete in his hand and had a sudden idea. He looked at the dappled sunlight filtering through the leaves, estimated the possible hiding spots of the enemies, and slowly extended the machete out from behind the tree. The blade reflected a beam of sunlight.

“Whoosh!” A gunshot rang out.

Luo Zheng felt a powerful force, and the machete slipped from his hand, flying far away and landing on the ground, its blade broken into two pieces.

“Whoosh!” Another gunshot sounded from not far away.

Luo Zheng was startled and turned to see that the female soldier had fired the shot. Immediately after, he heard a faint groan, clearly indicating someone had been hit. He was overjoyed, gaining a clear understanding of the female soldier's terrifying marksmanship and feeling that his method was feasible, which boosted his confidence.

“Whoosh—Bang!” Another gunshot, the tree shook, and wood chips flew.

Luo Zheng felt a slight pain in his arm, blood streaming down. He was stunned, and suddenly heard a female voice shouting to get down. His body instinctively fell to the ground, only to realize that the tree he was hiding behind had been shot through with a large hole. Fortunately, the bullet's trajectory changed after hitting the tree, only grazing his skin. Luo Zheng was thoroughly enraged, a surge of anger rising within him—ready to risk everything.

Just as Luo Zheng was about to counterattack, he heard gunshots from not far away. Without looking, he knew it was the female soldier taking the opportunity to counterattack. He ignored everything, pushed off with his feet, and let out a wild cry, charging forward. He planned to use himself as bait to draw the enemy's fire and create an opportunity for the female soldier. He was confident in her marksmanship, and if he were to die, he would rather die gloriously than miserably.

“Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, get down!” The sound of three consecutive bullets being fired, mixed with an angry shout, rang in Luo Zheng's ears. He had already run several meters and couldn't stop. Not noticing a root exposed on the ground, he tripped and rolled a considerable distance.

At the moment he fell, Luo Zheng felt a bullet graze his scalp, the intense heat almost suffocating. He frantically hid behind a nearby tree, sitting down, and touched his head, feeling a sense of survival after a near-death experience. Perhaps having experienced death too many times, his heart had become numb, and he no longer found it as terrifying. He took a deep breath to calm down, noticing the dappled sunlight on the ground like dancing butterflies, and looked up at the sky, thinking, "Could it be the spirits of my comrades protecting me?"

“Whoosh, whoosh!” Two more sharp bullet whistles rang out, and a female voice shouted, “Dead?”

Luo Zheng suddenly remembered that this same voice had warned him to get down earlier, in a familiar language. He turned to see the female soldier, who had already moved to another tree about five meters away, hiding behind the large, raised roots of the tree, her gun pointed forward.

“Not dead, are you one of us?” Luo Zheng responded, asking doubtfully.

“Withdraw first.” The female soldier coldly ordered, not answering Luo Zheng's question.

“Eh?” Luo Zheng looked at the female soldier in surprise, suddenly hearing a sharp whistle from the direction of the enemy, not knowing what it meant. Seeing the female soldier's face as cold as frost, he guessed it wasn't good. He trusted the female soldier completely, knowing that if she said to withdraw, there must be a reason. Without hesitation, he ran back the way he came, picking up his backpack and machete along the way.

He ran over ten meters without the feared ambush shots, not knowing what had happened. He noticed the female soldier hadn't retreated and felt it was dishonorable to leave a woman behind. He was about to turn back when he heard a female voice shout, “Run.”

Luo Zheng felt the voice was nearby and was startled. Turning, he saw the female soldier had already rushed over, about three to five meters away behind a tree, staring at him coldly with a fierce expression. Luo Zheng felt this ghost-like female soldier was even stronger than he had imagined. Without hesitation, he increased his speed and ran.

In a battle between experts, staying behind would only be a burden. At this moment, Luo Zheng realized how useless he was. Compared to the female soldier, he was worlds apart. As for the enemies, they were also formidable, matching the female soldier's skills, far beyond his own.

He ran a long distance without hearing any gunshots behind him. Luo Zheng slowly stopped, looked around, and didn't see the female soldier, feeling worried. He gritted his teeth and ran back, unable to abandon a woman to save his own life, especially since the enemies might be the ones who had killed his comrades.

After walking about two hundred meters back, the surroundings were quiet, with only the rustling of leaves in the wind. There was no sign of any suspicious person, as if nothing had happened. Luo Zheng was shocked, wondering what to do, when an angry voice from not far away shouted, “Why come back? Looking for death? Run!”