Strongest Soldier King

At dusk, the sunset colors stretched across the vast primordial forest, as if draping a rainbow cloak over nature. Several eagles circled high above, occasionally letting out sharp cries that frightened the little birds playing in the treetops. Startled, they flapped into the foliage and vanished in the blink of an eye. Some small monkeys became alert, perked up their ears, and darted their eyes around, quickly realizing a large group of people was approaching. Screeching, they hurriedly scurried away to hide.

The team rushed toward the mountaintop in haste, each one bare-chested, carrying bows, holding guns, and running barefoot at a very fast pace. Their bodies were dark like those of wild men, yet their determined expressions carried a cold, lethal aura. Their seemingly chaotic running was actually orderly, nobody obstructed each other, and their speed was impressive.

The towering mountain peak seemed unable to block this group's steps. Their bare feet ran as if on flat ground, swiftly reaching the mountainside. More people chased up from behind, rushing toward the summit. About ten minutes later, a fully armed, heavily-equipped team appeared, accompanied by a shirtless group. They were none other than the men led by Luo Zheng and Hook.

Luo Zheng glanced at the peak; tall and upright, shrouded in a misty cloud halfway up, the summit barely visible, exuding mystery, daunting to approach. More importantly, this mountain peak seemed to rise abruptly, disconnected from any surrounding peaks, encircled by a vast expanse of dense forest at its base.

"It's a dead end, a last resort, but it suits our current situation," Lan Xue said softly.

"The only problem is food," Luo Zheng agreed.

"I see everyone carrying packages, probably food. It should last for a week, meaning we have a week's time," Lan Xing nodded, looking at the people struggling to climb the peak, her calm face showing a hint of worry.

"The mountain is very large, with dense forests on it. There should be wild animals, edible plants, and the like. If managed properly, ten days shouldn't be a problem," Ghost Hand said quietly beside them.

"Hook, take the people up first. Once you reach the cave, disperse the team immediately, set up a three-hundred-meter perimeter guard below the cave entrance, half on guard and half cleaning the cave, collecting firewood," Luo Zheng instructed with a cold face. Strong enemies were tailing them, running away would only expose their backs to the enemy, a loss they couldn't afford. With no escape route, they'd have to rely on this mountain for defense and act as the situation demanded.

Thinking of the pursuing strong enemies, the fierce Bloodsucker, and elite units sent by various countries and the Wild Wolf Mercenary Group, none of them were easy adversaries. The total enemy force was estimated to be around two hundred, or maybe more. Such a powerful enemy couldn't be stopped by their dozen people, even with Hook's nearly a thousand armed men, there wasn't much confidence. Luo Zheng frowned, looked closely at the surroundings; all he saw were trees, silently sighed in helplessness, and said, "Brothers, let's head up the mountain."

"Yes!" everyone complied and started climbing up.

An hour later, they reached about two-thirds of the way up the mountain and indeed saw a cave. The entrance was as big as a truck and filled with rocks, bottomless. Above, the mountain was covered with shrubs as tall as a person, with no tall trees, greatly widening the view. Below the cave, it's densely packed with trees, though not as tall as those at the foot of the mountain, they were still sizable.

The terrain around the foot of the mountain was flat with towering old trees, while the mountainside was steep and wooded. The summit only had shrubs, no large trees, a peculiar geographical environment. Indeed, nature's wonders are incomprehensible. Luo Zheng looked at the hard rocks inside the cave and breathed a sigh of relief, at least not having to worry about collapse. As for the geological reasons leading to the mountain's peculiarities, Luo Zheng was neither interested nor had the time to study.

Hook's people had already set up defenses three hundred meters down. Luo Zheng, still not reassured, sent Mountain Eagle with the uninjured to help, providing advice on stealth reconnaissance tactics, improving everyone's combat capability. In times of crisis, only by uniting could they have a chance to survive.

Suddenly, Lan Xue pointed at the flock of birds startled in the dense forest ahead and said, "They're coming."

Luo Zheng looked down from a high vantage point, seeing the wide-open view. In the low-lying forest, the green waves rippled, the treetops swayed with the wind. In a dense forest about ten kilometers away, a large number of birds were startled into flight, clearly indicating someone was coming. His face darkened as he said, "Looks like Tang Tian is bringing the Wild Wolf group. The others wouldn't cause such a commotion, and wouldn't startle the wild birds. Judging by the distance, they should arrive in about an hour."

Standing high, seeing far, and noticing the startled wild birds, Luo Zheng suddenly found this mountain peak quite favorable too. No matter where the enemy came from, they could be spotted unless they infiltrated on a small scale without alarming wild birds. It seemed adjustments in defense deployment were necessary. Luo Zheng quickly thought over it and said to Lan Xue and Ghost Hand, "Deploy defenses in tiers. We'll position our people on the first defensive line, the next three lines will have Hook's people. Our people will focus on observation and warning, while Hook's lines will be more for blocking. Each line is a hundred meters apart. What do you think?"

"That's doable, better set up lots of traps," Ghost Hand agreed.

Lan Xue thought about it, found it feasible too. The enemy was very strong, having Hook's people on the first line was meaningless; they couldn't hold it. Only their own people could spot the enemy, then immediately alert and retreat to the second line to delay and hold off the enemy. Theoretically feasible, she nodded in agreement and asked, "How are we deploying the forces?"

"Divide into three groups: one group for defense, one group for rest, another as a reserve and to handle logistics. Each group around three hundred men. Encircling the entire mountain is a bit insufficient, need to focus on strategic terrain. Can I leave this task to you two?" Luo Zheng asked, looking at Ghost Hand and Lan Xue.

"No problem," Lan Xue and Ghost Hand agreed wholeheartedly.

Seeing no objections from both, Luo Zheng immediately called Hook, briefly explaining the thoughts. Hook immediately agreed, summoned his confidants for instructions. Lan Xue and Ghost Hand followed these people to arrange the defenses. Mountain Eagle also led people to set up defenses down the mountainside. With everyone's lives at stake, no one dared to be careless, and actions were swift.

In a dozen minutes, a large number of teams left to their posts and duties, bustling about. Luo Zheng pulled Hook aside, watching the busy people, and said, "Old friend, this battle is crucial and cannot afford failure. I need your strong support and absolute trust, can I count on it?"

"No problem, the usual way, you command, I follow you," Hook naturally understood the consequences of failure, knowing if a thousand armed men died on this mountain, the tribe would be doomed. Realizing he was not qualified to command war at this level, he decisively ceded command authority.

"Good brother," Luo Zheng gratefully hugged Hook, patting his shoulder in thanks, secretly resolved to win this battle, even if it meant his own death, his eyes grew sharp.