Strongest Soldier King

In the dimly lit massive cavern, a well-equipped group suddenly came in from outside, and shortly after, a group of equivalent numbers lined up to leave, evidently changing shifts. A few people gathered around a stone slab, arguing in low voices. Luo Zheng faintly heard words like retreat, decisive battle, and status. Not knowing what they were talking about, he involuntarily perked his ears to eavesdrop. Those behind him were unaware of the circumstances due to the narrow gap, unable to move forward to inquire, so they had to patiently wait. Thankfully, they were all trained soldiers who knew to remain silent at such times.

At that moment, a middle-aged man in camouflage was escorted in by several people. One person quickly ran to the vicinity of the stone slab and whispered a few words before having the middle-aged man brought over. The middle-aged man was calm and composed, walking steadily forward while shouting, "I am Piero, a Special Agent from Sam Country, here to discuss a business deal with you."

"Oh? What is there to talk between us?" A middle-aged man by the stone slab said coldly, scanning the other person from top to bottom with dissatisfaction. He continued, "You've come at quite a time. If I remember correctly, your country sent two squads here, killing over sixty of my brothers. How should we settle this enmity?"

"Mr. Bloodsucker, you jest. On the battlefield, you kill me, I kill you — a very normal occurrence where everyone relies on their own skills. We've also had two trained armies die in this forest, and this account is hard to settle. I have come representing the nine forces outside to discuss business with Mr. Bloodsucker. If Mr. Bloodsucker is unwilling to talk, then let my visit be forgotten." The middle-aged man named Piero spoke calmly and unhurriedly, showing no trace of panic.

"Nine forces? You truly think highly of me." Bloodsucker responded coldly.

"Mr. Bloodsucker, you are too gracious. Not all the nine forces outside are aimed solely at you. If you are willing to sell us the activation device, name your price. We have suffered losses from prolonged fighting, and continued fighting would be detrimental to both sides, would it not? Now, the nine forces outside have formed an alliance. Of course, it's not aimed solely at you, as long as you're willing to do business with us." Piero chuckled indifferently.

"You're threatening me?" The middle-aged man named Bloodsucker coldly shouted, a chilly gleam of astonishment flashing in his slightly closed eyes, locking onto the middle-aged man Piero with a heavy expression.

The individual combat capabilities of the nine forces had already put Bloodsucker in a dire situation; now that they had formed an alliance, their combat strength was not as simple as one plus one equals two. Bloodsucker's current strength may not withstand them, and this outcome made Bloodsucker exceptionally furious, not expecting so many to participate in the competition, and what's worse, they formed an alliance.

Luo Zheng was greatly shocked hearing this, not expecting that nine forces had come — adding up to over one or two hundred individuals? Naturally, all those who came were elite, and with so many joining forces, how could this battle be fought?

Just as he was pondering, Piero below spoke calmly, "Mr. Bloodsucker, this is not a threat, just a statement of fact. You took the activation device to make money, right? You name a price, and if reasonable, we're willing to pay it. A ceasefire from both sides — how about that outcome?"

"Not satisfied? We are mercenaries, and mercenaries prioritize reputation. The item already has a buyer, and I've promised to sell it to them. Selling to you again would mean losing reputation. Without reputation, how would mercenaries stand in the future?" The middle-aged man named Bloodsucker spoke coldly.

"Who is it?" Piero's face changed slightly, his tone somewhat cold.

"Also, to my knowledge, Huaxia Country people saved someone from your country, and there must have been some agreement between your two nations — if I'm not mistaken, it should be your withdrawal from the competition, as that would be the only condition for Huaxia Country to take action. You're a Special Agent from Sam Country, coming here to discuss business with me goes against your nation's interests, indicating you're not just a typical special agent from Sam Country." Bloodsucker replied coldly.

"You've seen through it. It seems your intelligence capabilities are quite impressive. However, that doesn't matter. I buy the item, and you collect the money — isn't that better? If I'm not mistaken, your team has about a hundred people left. Over three hundred people fought, leaving just about a hundred. Continuing to fight is not advantageous for you." Piero spoke coldly, with a hint of anger in his words.

"Really? We've already sacrificed about two hundred people. This grudge is deeper than the sea, higher than the sky, and you want me to give up?" Bloodsucker spoke coldly, "Look around. Will my brothers agree? Can this grudge be resolved? You may be profit-driven, but for us mercenaries, we can forgo money, even life, but reputation must be upheld — it's fundamental to our survival. You should leave, and we'll meet on the battlefield." Bloodsucker stated coldly.

"Are you sure?" Piero asked, unwillingly looking at Bloodsucker, seeing Bloodsucker already turning away with someone coming to send him off, he had no choice but to turn and leave. At the moment he turned, a cold killing intent flashed in his seemingly calm eyes.

Luo Zheng stood dumbfounded, watching the scene, feeling overwhelmed by the amount of information, unable to digest it all at once. Bloodsucker's resolve to fight for reputation, and the alliance formed by nine powerful forces — either detail spelled bad news. Bloodsucker's firmness implied the difficulty of this battle, and the alliance posed an intimidating presence.

Thinking of this, Luo Zheng's expression became serious. He slowly stepped back, signaling everyone in the gap to retreat as well. They retreated a good distance, finding a relatively open space to stop, ensuring nobody could listen to their conversation. Luo Zheng then detailed what he heard, finally adding, "The situation is more complex than we imagined. Bloodsucker still has over a hundred people, and the alliance's strength is probably around one or two hundred — what do we do next?"

"Keep observing from the gap, seize the chance to act and snatch it, but there are three issues to resolve: first, how to descend without a sound; second, how to locate the activation device; third, how to retreat from the cavern. Without clarifying these three points, we mustn't act rashly." Lan Xue said in a low voice.

"Descending shouldn't be difficult. We can rappel down. We have over ten people, over ten ropes, two ropes combined should be sufficient, meaning we have at least six ropes to descend. Each rope can accommodate about five people; at a height of twenty meters, each person can be down in about three seconds — it's possible under cover of darkness." Luo Zheng spoke in a low voice.

Everyone pondered, and Lan Xue speaking uneasily said, "The gap is too small, we have to squeeze one by one — having that many ropes wouldn't make much sense."

"No, having more ropes means faster descent. Waiting for one rope is unsuitable," Luo Zheng said, shifting his gaze to Hook and explained the situation briefly before asking, "Old friend, you could wait inside the cave without exposing yourself, and once we've diverted those in the cavern, you can come down."

"No, we must fight; it's our honor." Hook hurriedly replied.