Strongest Soldier King

"Ding!" The elevator chime, 28th floor reached.

Luo Zheng and Lan Xue calmly left the elevator, glanced at the corridor sign, and quickly headed towards the fire escape. After feeling the elevator doors close, Luo Zheng said in a low voice, "Those two people earlier have issues. They feel somewhat familiar, unsure if they're the target's associates. Lan Xing, check their backgrounds immediately and hack the hotel's surveillance."

"Understood." Lan Xing's voice sounded in his ear.

The suddenly appearing suspicious individuals made Luo Zheng alert. He quickly reached the fire escape entrance, pushed the door open and rushed upstairs. At the upper floor fire door, Luo Zheng gestured, Lan Xue nodded in understanding and hid behind the door. Luo Zheng pulled out his sidearm, attached the suppressor, nodded at Lan Xue, then calmly opened the door a crack. He peeked out and saw two people walking down the corridor—the same individuals seen in the elevator.

Luo Zheng quickly closed the fire door, gestured danger to Lan Xue, leaned against the wall, and perked up his ears. He heard the faint sound of footsteps getting closer, which soon paused. Luo Zheng froze, he hadn't noted room numbers earlier—could the target be near the fire escape door?

While hesitating, the sound of an electromagnetic door lock being opened echoed, followed by a door being rammed. Luo Zheng was shocked, quickly opened the door to peek, and saw the two individuals forcing the door. Although the lock was open, something inside was blocking the door. Then, faint gunshots were heard—it was a silent pistol.

The shots came from outside; there was no movement from the room. Soon, the door was forced open, and the two rushed in. Luo Zheng realized they were here for assassination; glancing at the room number, it was indeed the target's location. His face changed dramatically. Without explaining to Lan Xue, he opened the door and charged out.

Rushing to the target's room, he pushed the door open and saw three people grappling inside. One was indeed the target, who had been shot in the leg but was fiercely snapping the guns out of the other two's hands. Luo Zheng raised his hand for two shots.

"Bang bang!" Two slight gunshots, the bullets directly hitting the assassins. The two fell to the ground, looking at Luo Zheng in surprise. Luo Zheng grimly finished them with two more shots, quickly aiming at the target. The target looked at Luo Zheng in disbelief but didn't move immediately.

At that moment, Lan Xue rushed in and understood the scene instantly. She aimed her gun at the target, then shut the door. Knowing Lan Xue was inside, Luo Zheng secretly breathed a sigh of relief and sneered, "Pretty good skill there, disarming two gun-bearing assassins. However, let's see how long you can last." Speaking Huaxia language.

"Well said. Who are you?" The target coldly asked, also in Huaxia language.

"Who I am doesn't matter. What's important is who they are. How will you choose?" Luo Zheng sneered, stepping back a few paces, glancing at the assassins on the floor, bleeding out. The aura around them felt familiar, and looking at the target, he suddenly realized they had the same aura, guessing something.

The target coldly glanced at the bodies, eyes flickering with a complex expression before swiftly recovering calm. Looking at Luo Zheng, he said, "What do you want? Are you going to kill me? Then do it."

"No, I've changed my mind. These guys failed to kill you; there will be another attempt. If my guess is correct, they're Death Soldiers from the Song family; you're of the same ilk, carrying the same chilly aura. Song family wants to silence you—it's your choice." Luo Zheng sneered.

"Who exactly are you?" The target said, shocked, looking at Luo Zheng.

Luo Zheng sneered, stowed his weapon, tore off the silicone mask from his face, and said, "Now then?"

"So it's you?" The target said, stunned, face turning complex again, looking at the bodies, and smiled bitterly, "Our people want to silence me, yet it's the enemy rescuing me. Seems my life isn't all that failed. Let's make a deal—you protect me, and I'll tell you everything I know, how about it?"

"Tempting offer, but I can't guarantee your life, only give you a new identity. Whether you live or not depends on you, how about it?" Luo Zheng coldly replied.

"If I refuse, you'll still take me, and your interrogation methods would make me spill the truth. Looks like I have no choice?" The target coldly said, glancing at Lan Xue at the door, then at the corpses, deep in thought.

Luo Zheng knew the other was weighing options—no one wants to die, even Death Soldiers, especially ones abandoned by their family. He patiently waited, inwardly preparing for combat. The room fell into silence. Lan Xue grew increasingly anxious, wishing to pry open his mouth immediately but knowing haste may not yield results, forced herself calm.

After quite a while, the target sighed heavily, as if making the final decision, looking much more worn, face filled with dejection and bitterness, saying, "Alright, as you say. Once I get new documentation, I'll spill right away. Until then, I'll go with you.'

"You're playing it smart, sticking with us just to borrow our strength for protection. We can't take you along, and for the documents, this set is sufficient." Luo Zheng replied coldly, taking out a set of passports prepared by the Consulate for himself, tossing them over.

The passport was genuine; the photo wouldn't match the original, but that's fine. A silicone mask on the international market costs just a few hundred bucks. The target glanced, pocketed it, and replied, "You're decisive—I'll be too. What do you want to know? Is it about Gambling City's affair?"

Luo Zheng pulled out his phone, opened the recording function, and said, "About an old case, twenty years ago in Beijing—the Lan family assassination. Might know something about it?"

"The Lan family?" The target looked at Luo Zheng, surprised, glancing at Lan Xue behind him, guessing something, then smiled bitterly, "Never thought anyone would still pursue it. Few know the truth. Seems I've reactivated just to be bait, drawing you over. From the start, I've been discarded."

"Enough nonsense." Luo Zheng coldly said.

"Bang bang bang!" Suddenly, three faint shots sounded, bullets piercing through the observation hole in the door, followed by a dull door ram sound. Luo Zheng was shocked, quickly pulling out his weapon, hiding at the corner inside the room, saw Lan Xue clutching her back shoulder, falling to the ground. Alarmed, he anxiously asked, "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, just surface wound." Lan Xue frowned, replied, not having time to explain further, quickly crawled forward, hid in the corner, glanced at the target huddled behind the sofa, her face showing a cold murderous aura, aiming her gun at the door.