Strongest Soldier King

Thinking they might accidentally harm their own, Luo Zheng quickly called over the squad leader and others, attempting to organize the team to shout simultaneously, so that Shi Tao, Niu Gang, and the others could regroup. Just then, a menacing voice echoed in the air, like a thunderclap, shaking the earth: "Everyone drop your weapons, lie on the ground, hands over your heads, or you'll be killed without mercy."

Hearing this, Luo Zheng couldn't help but smile, realizing he was worried for nothing. At that moment, an armed helicopter roared in, unleashing a burst of firepower towards the ground like lightning. Under the lights, Luo Zheng vaguely saw someone getting torn to shreds, without knowing if they were friend or foe, but it seemed more likely to be an enemy. Niu Gang and Shi Tao were all in suits, which made them easy to identify, and the enemy wouldn't be ambushing in suits too, right? That seemed unlikely.

Three armed helicopters hovered arrogantly in the sky, their intense lights illuminating the ground as if it were daylight. Under the searchlights, everyone obediently lay on the ground, hands over their heads. Any slight movement would bring a thunderous attack from the helicopters, shattering the opposition.

With the situation under control, Luo Zheng sighed with relief and was about to call the troops down to help. Suddenly, many vehicles sped by on the highway, escorted by police with sirens blaring—though for once, they weren't as annoying. Shortly, police cars came to a halt, and a large number of officers disembarked. These police did not join the fight immediately but instead secured the perimeter, while numerous military trucks pulled in behind them. Soldiers poured out and, led by officers, surrounded the enemy from all directions.

As the reinforcements arrived in force, the enemy did not give up. Perhaps they realized they were doomed. Some found cover to hide and continued to fire back, but they quickly drew the wrath of the helicopters, getting blown to bits in the blink of an eye.

Soon, the bulk of the military units closed in, and the remnants raised their guns in surrender. Luo Zheng stood on the hill, coolly observing the scene, smiling as he said to a squad leader who approached, "Please go down there, make sure our own men aren't misunderstood. The others, pack up; we're pulling out."

"Understood." The squad leader agreed and hurried away.

They brought down the fallen warriors and led the wounded as they descended the hill. Upon reaching the bottom, Luo Zheng saw Shi Tao and Niu Gang approaching with their men. Two had died, and five were injured, but fortunately, none were life-threatening. Watching the warriors whose eyes would never open again, Luo Zheng said somberly to Niu Gang and Shi Tao, "They are heroes. Bring them with us; we'll return to Beijing overnight. The injured will stay for treatment."

"Yes." Niu Gang and Shi Tao answered solemnly.

At this moment, a lieutenant general ran over with a long stride, surrounded by a dozen guards vigilantly watching the surroundings. Impatiently pushing past the guards blocking his way, the lieutenant general rushed to Luo Zheng, glanced at the fallen warriors, then solemnly saluted their bodies, his gaze sincere.

After the salute, the lieutenant general looked at Luo Zheng, then at the injured, stepping forward to inspect each one carefully and offer words of encouragement. Finally, he said to Luo Zheng, "Well done, greatly boosting our military's morale. I didn't expect these thugs to smuggle weapons into Shanghai—this was my oversight. I owe you all an explanation and will promptly investigate the enemy's identity."

The lieutenant general lowered his stature, expressing respect and admiration for the warriors, easing everyone's mood somewhat. Luo Zheng looked complexly at the other deceased, along with a dozen captives, his face turning stern as he coldly stated, "They must have come specifically for us. No need for you to investigate. Hand them over to me, and arrange for someone to escort us back to Beijing overnight."

"No problem," the lieutenant general agreed without hesitation.

Ten minutes later, all captives were loaded into a vehicle, and Luo Zheng and others got into a military vehicle arranged by the lieutenant general for the journey to Beijing. This time, two platoons of guards were assigned as escort. The drizzle slowly ceased; the surrounding terrain was nothing but dark hills. Luo Zheng calmly observed the scene, feeling unexpectedly relieved.

Indeed, this ambush was a desperate act by the so-called Demon Extermination Alliance, indicating that their members scattered throughout Huaxia Country had been rounded up. That was good news, and there should be no disruptions for some time. Of course, Luo Zheng wouldn't assume this would completely break the Demon Extermination Alliance.

War is endless, and enemies can never be completely eradicated. A period of peace, even if brief, is welcome—a chance to rest. Luo Zheng contemplated this, lost in thought, until eventually, he noticed the moon ahead, accompanied by stars. The ground around was gray and misty, serene and peaceful.

"It would be nice if there were no war in the world," Luo Zheng sighed to himself, shifting to a more comfortable position and closing his eyes to rest, gradually drifting off to sleep at the breakneck speed of the vehicle.

In a haze, Luo Zheng was nudged awake. Opening his eyes, daylight had broken, and the convoy had reached a military district in Beijing. Everyone had disembarked, and the captives too were being led out. Luo Zheng shook his head to clear his mind, got out of the vehicle, and saw a convoy approaching the military district gate.

The convoy stopped quickly, and a few people got out of the lead vehicle. Luo Zheng saw it was Lan Xue and other team members, grinning as he advanced excitedly, shouting, "You guys made it?"

"Are you alright?" Lan Xue asked with concern as she jogged over, examining Luo Zheng up and down. Seeing he wasn't injured after all, she secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Ghost Hand and others also approached, exchanging greetings.

Hong Meihua approached to direct the handover of captives, while Niu Gang and Shi Tao's men were assigned other vehicles for their return. They boarded a vehicle and left the military district with the captives. On the way, Luo Zheng asked, "Why are you all here? Nothing happened in Beijing, right?"

"Very quiet; they probably all ran off to ambush you. Had we known these bastards hated you so much, attacking at all costs, we would've set a trap earlier to take them out," Hong Meihua laughed.

"It must be because I dismantled their base in Shanghai and seized a large amount of explosives. They felt it was do-or-die time, so they went all out against us. If those explosives weren't seized, and they had weapons, they wouldn't have revealed themselves so quickly," Luo Zheng pondered analytically.

"That assessment matches our Intelligence Team's overnight analysis," Hong Meihua laughed. "Either way, you achieved a great victory, capturing the enemy in one swoop, allowing us some peace for a while."

"You never know, there could still be some that slipped through the net?" Luo Zheng joked.

"No worries, the police and national security won't slack in their pursuit. Even if some escaped, they'd be too fearful to show themselves again, too busy escaping," Lan Xue said with a confident and relaxed smile.