Strongest Soldier King

It was already dusk, the afterglow of the setting sun sprinkled over the vast forest. As the sun consumed its last bit of heat, it hurriedly ducked behind the mountains and vanished, much like Shijing Teng and his two associates who could not be found, leaving behind some ambiguous and hard-to-judge clues. Luo Zheng stared calmly in the direction of Ten Thousand Waterfalls Valley, his heavy expression adding a touch of decisiveness. Beside him, Mountain Eagle said softly, "Things seem strange, it's really hard to judge."

"Yes, Shijing Teng killing someone might be necessary, or it might be to confuse us. The Major and their assumptions might be right. It seems we can only take a gamble. The cave is being thoroughly searched by the Military and police, so we won't interfere. Let's go check Ten Thousand Waterfalls Valley. Besides the cave, the only place to avoid thermal imaging helicopter reconnaissance is under the waterfall in the canyon. The large amount of mist from the waterfall can conceal body heat and evade detection. Especially since the Military and police have already checked, it's more suitable for hiding people," Luo Zheng analyzed gravely.

"The darkness under the lamp?" Mountain Eagle said with suspicion, seeing Luo Zheng nod. After a slight pause in thought, he nodded in agreement, "Makes sense, should we go now or what?"

"We'll go at night. It looks like it won't rain tonight. We have Night Vision Devices and are well-equipped; Shijing Teng and his group don't have such equipment. To ensure safety, they will certainly send someone to occupy good vantage points as sentries, going there rashly is easy to be discovered," Luo Zheng mused.

Mountain Eagle nodded in understanding, and at this moment, Lan Xing's worried query came through the earpiece: "What if Shijing Teng is indeed hiding in some cave or has even left the country?"

"Then we're busy for nothing, but without better clues, we can only gamble. You stay in close contact with the Military and police side, maintain communication at all times, and inform us immediately if there's any situation," Luo Zheng replied, his gaze falling on the chimney on the wall of the room, where a string of smoked bacon hung.

People in the mountains have no refrigerators, and food can't be preserved, so they'll smoke meat they can't finish into bacon. When they eat it, they cut off a bit, and it's very fragrant. Luo Zheng saw that half the meat had been sliced, with the other half still hanging on the chimney, and he walked over in suspicion to take a look. The cut was neat, likely sliced in one go. Bacon is quite hard, and doing this requires a sharp knife and great wrist strength, not something an ordinary person can achieve.

Luo Zheng believed that people living in the mountains could have this strength, but not necessarily such a good knife. At least during the earlier search, none was found. He stared at the cut with suspicion and whispered, "Mountain Eagle, do you think this was done by Shijing Teng and his people?"

"Makes sense, but with time being short, there's really no time for them to cook here, so why cut the meat? Even if they took it to make dry rations, they should take all of it, right? Could there be more than just this piece?" Mountain Eagle asked suspiciously.

"Hard to say, maybe they don't like to eat this kind of thing and just took some for backup. Another possibility is deliberately leaving clues to make us think they got enough dry rations to escape across the border," Luo Zheng said in a low voice.

"And in fact, they are lurking nearby?" Mountain Eagle inferred understandingly.

"Forget it for now, let's make some food here for dinner. Eating the host's food means we must avenge them. What do you think? Are you in?" Luo Zheng said, walking toward the house.

"Why not? Besides, it's our duty," Mountain Eagle said decisively.

The two went into the house, found some rice, and sliced some bacon to make stew. Half an hour later, they were eating the fragrant bacon stew. After they were full, it was getting late, and it would take another two hours to reach Ten Thousand Waterfalls Valley. This was the best time to set off. Arriving at the door, Luo Zheng suddenly stopped and looked at the bloodstains on the ground, silently saying, "Having eaten your food, we will surely avenge you. Rest assured, if you have a spirit, bless us, give us some hints, and help us quickly find those beasts."

The mountain road under the night was difficult to traverse. To save time, the two traveled almost in a straight line, with no path on the ground. Fortunately, they were well-equipped, and with riot boots on, they didn't worry about anything, forcing a path under the moonlight and advancing quickly, putting on their Night Vision Devices when visibility got poor.

In less than two hours, the roar of a waterfall landing came from ahead. The two knew they had reached their destination, and slowed their pace in unison, observing the surroundings. Luo Zheng noted the terrain ahead was relatively flat, with many rivers flowing toward the waterfall, splitting into numerous small tributaries. The ground was full of shrubbery, and no tall trees could be seen.

"Stay concealed, advance with alternating cover," Luo Zheng softly reminded.

Understanding, Mountain Eagle agreed, chose a spot to lie down, set up the sniper rifle, and began observing the surroundings through the sniper scope and Night Vision Device, covering Luo Zheng's advance. Luo Zheng stooped low, sprinted forward like a civet, stopped after two or three hundred meters, and set up his sniper rifle to cover Mountain Eagle's advance.

Repeating this over and over, they unconsciously reached the canyon's edge, where the roar was even louder. Under the moonlight, the nearby waterfalls were clearly visible, cascading into the canyon bottom like silver ribbons, very scenic. Mist wandered in the canyon, making it impossible to see below. If people were hiding at the bottom, they'd be impossible to find.

Luo Zheng and Mountain Eagle lay low at the canyon's edge, observing carefully. The cliff faces were carved like chisels and axes, predominantly shale, very sturdy. Even bullets would find it difficult to penetrate much. The roaring waterfall noise was nerve-wracking, and the surrounding air was much damper, the bottom presumably even colder; such an environment was indeed unsuitable for hiding. Luo Zheng frowned as he pensively watched the canyon's direction.

"Probably can't find anyone here. How about we head downstream, descend to the valley bottom, and search upstream?" Mountain Eagle softly proposed, looking at the moonlit canyon, feeling not particularly confident. In such an environment, staying long would drive anyone crazy, not to mention the wet climate; the roar alone could drive one insane.

"Alright," Luo Zheng had no better idea, and casually agreed. The two quickly ran off, following the mountain and water flow to determine the downstream direction. About an hour later, they stopped at a bend, which marked the end of the canyon.

The cliffs were steep, unsuitable for climbing. The two found a place to hide and waited for dawn. Lying on the grass, Mountain Eagle looked at the stars and said, "Brother, if Shijing Teng and his people really hid in the canyon, they must be one for patience and great willpower. Even if we go down, we probably couldn't last two days."

"Patience? Ninjutsu?" Luo Zheng was taken aback, suddenly thought of Ninja, vaguely feeling that his line of thinking was correct. Shijing Teng was likely at the canyon bottom, and cold smiles surfaced on his face. The more impossible a place, the more likely it's where the enemy is hiding. Especially the elusive Ninja, and most in the Death God Killer Organization are of Ninja origin, incredibly powerful, and must be guarded against.