Strongest Soldier King

"The coalition army retreated too quickly, and the troops didn't have time to form an encirclement, allowing the enemy to disperse and break through. They're preparing to divide forces to pursue. Are you alright?" Lan Xue's angry voice sounded in the earpiece, followed by intense gunfire.

"Have Zhou Gang lead a team to pursue them, with about a hundred people each. Don't let a single one escape. Lan Xing, can you hear this? Provide satellite assistance to Zhou Gang's team, and make sure to lock onto the retreating enemies. Also, tell Hook, these captives can be exchanged for good things in the future." Luo Zheng said coldly.

"Understood." The voices of everyone responded almost simultaneously in the earpiece.

Luo Zheng heard the intermittent sounds of intense gunfire in the earpiece. His gaze fell on the two captured individuals, who were expressionless and lost in thought. Luo Zheng's eyes swept over them and looked towards the distant, vast forest. There was no trace of joy at repelling the enemy; instead, there was a hint of concern. The coalition army represented a nation; even if captured and defeated, it doesn't mean the nation behind them concedes. Various counterattacks and reprisals are likely to follow, right?

If it weren't for the Hook Tribe's armed forces, Luo Zheng was not afraid of any nation's retaliation. The wrath of Huaxia Country is not something everyone can withstand. But the Hook Tribe contributed greatly this time. Luo Zheng couldn't leave them out in the cold and had to find a win-win solution. Thinking of this, Luo Zheng spoke into the earpiece: "Squad Leader, special channel."

"Here, hold on." Hong Meihua's voice sounded in the earpiece.

After a while, Hong Meihua indicated the conversation had transferred to a special channel. This meant only the two could hear the content. Luo Zheng pondered and said: "The coalition army has been repelled, and Hook helped quite a bit. We can't leave Hook behind unattended. The coalition army's retaliation is not something the Hook Tribe can withstand. Is it possible to get a batch of weapons, like heavy machine guns and grenade launchers?"

"Understood, I'll report it as soon as possible." Hong Meihua agreed. When it comes to weapons, Hong Meihua couldn't readily agree and could only follow procedure to report it. As for whether the higher-ups would approve, various political considerations were needed, which neither Hong Meihua nor Luo Zheng could influence.

"Understood. Let me know as soon as there's news." Luo Zheng said, understandingly.

The two exchanged a few simple words, and the conversation mode switched to the public channel. Luo Zheng heard the intermittent sounds of intense gunfire and knew that Lan Xue and others were pursuing the retreating coalition forces. The recent battle inflicted significant losses on the coalition. Only thirty to forty people scattered to break through, while more than a dozen were shot to death by a barrage of bullets.

The Hook Tribe's armed forces still had eight to nine hundred people, who were in a frenzy. It was hard for them to miss such an opportunity for pursuit and vengeance. Eight to nine hundred people were pursuing thirty to forty people who scattered and broke through. In groups of three to five, Luo Zheng had Zhou Gang and others lead a hundred people each for the pursuit; the problem shouldn't be too big.

The chase continued. Luo Zheng dared not stay idle, having Ghost Hand and Mountain Eagle ambush around, wary of the enemy making a counterattack. The two hostages captured were examples. Lei Jian, Zhang Fan, and other wounded brothers were in the cave, also ready for battle. Luo Zheng himself guarded the cave entrance, hiding under a rock, leaning against it with cold eyes watching the surroundings, pondering how to deal with the upcoming counterattacks from the coalition forces.

Over an hour later, Lang Sen brought about a dozen people, escorting two captives over. Luo Zheng gestured for Ghost Hand and Mountain Eagle to stay put and went forward himself to check. He discovered the captives were of Oriental descent, his expression darkening as he sternly asked: "Which country are you from?"

The two stayed silent, looking at Luo Zheng with fierce eyes. Luo Zheng, angered, pointed to the other two captives and made a binding gesture. Lang Sen nodded in understanding, stripping off clothes from the two, tearing them to bind their hands and feet completely. He then had people find resilient vines from around to tie them up like dumplings.

Seeing the two tied up like dumplings, Luo Zheng felt a little better, sneering: "In consideration of you being soldiers, I didn't intend to make things difficult for you. Since you're uncooperative, don't blame me for being rude." With that, he gave Lang Sen a few hand signals, indicating for Lang Sen to guard the captives on the spot.

Lang Sen was somewhat reluctant, wanting to continue pursuing the captives. But seeing no others around the cave, coupled with his respect for Luo Zheng, he nodded and agreed, having people bring vines to bind the first two captives into dumplings.

After a while, more captives continued to be brought in, in groups of two or three. This improved Luo Zheng's mood significantly, as all captives were tied like dumplings. Lang Sen's men were very experienced. The vines used were quite resilient; even a wild boar wouldn't escape if tied like this. Luo Zheng felt reassured.

Another two hours passed, and more captives were brought in. Luo Zheng remembered that many of the injured had already left early. Given that they'd deeply offended the coalition nations, he didn't mind being more ruthless, immediately notifying everyone via the earpiece to continue pursuing, having Lan Xing send the positions of the already-retreated enemies to Lan Xue, Zhou Gang, and others.

Time passed gradually, unknowingly reaching dusk, with the captives numbering more than twenty. Part of the returning team stayed behind while more personnel set out again to join the coalition pursuit team. Lang Sen stayed with his men to guard the captives. Unable to participate in the pursuit, Lang Sen was furious, kicking any captives he disliked. As long as they weren't killed, Luo Zheng turned a blind eye, continuing to deliberate on the aftermath.

After nightfall, the pursuing coalition forces had not yet returned. Luo Zheng would occasionally connect with everyone to know the progress was good, waiting with reassurance. It wasn't until the next morning that teams gradually returned with captives. The pursuing teams also experienced varying degrees of casualties, which was expected, as the coalition forces were no pushover.

By noon, Lan Xue and Hook returned, escorting more than a dozen captives. Hook appeared excited, Lan Xue was calm, her delicate brows slightly furrowed, lost in thought. Luo Zheng glanced at the captives, not recognizing them, then turned his concern to Lan Xue and asked: "What happened? Are you alright?"

"I'm fine. These were the coalition forces that retreated earlier. We caught up to them. However, battlefield victory doesn't mean winning the war. The coalition nations will undoubtedly counterattack. What do you think of this?" Lan Xue said in a low voice, speaking in Huaxia Country's language.

"I've thought about this issue too. We'll discuss it with everyone later." Luo Zheng said softly, signaling Lan Xue to stay calm, then turned to Hook, switching to the common international language: "Old friend, we achieved victory. I must thank you for your help. Calculate the casualties and evacuate here as soon as possible."

"Alright." Upon hearing the words "casualties," Hook's expression immediately turned grief-stricken. He agreed and directed his team. Although they won this battle, the Hook Tribe's armed forces had significant losses. As a tribal chief, Hook felt deeply pained, his gaze towards the captives becoming hostile.