章節 12: Chapter 12: Call Me Lan Xue
"This is a neighboring country, without any communication devices, using any primitive methods of contact will expose us. Tell me your identity and service number." the female soldier asked, her tone no longer as icy as before.
"This? If you're a soldier, you should be aware of military discipline," Luo Zheng replied with difficulty, "If it were possible to keep myself safe, I would take my leave now." His gaze was resolute as he walked on, his comrade's vendetta could not go unavenged, even if he was no match, a man standing in this world should have clear principles of what to do and what not to do.
"Are you really not afraid to die?" asked the female soldier, a hint of irritation in her voice.
"You have asked this question twice now, is there anything else?" Luo Zheng retorted.
The female soldier was now certain that Luo Zheng was a soldier, but unsure of his service number. It was unlikely he was Special Forces; first, he didn't seem skilled enough, and second, only a limited number of people knew about this secret mission, and it was unlikely they would send someone else. He didn't seem like a border defense soldier either; an ordinary one couldn't have performed this well, which made her quite conflicted. Seeing Luo Zheng about to leave, she immediately said, "Wait a moment."
"Do you have something else?" Luo Zheng stopped and asked in return.
"With your current strength, going after them would be suicide," the female soldier stated bluntly. Seeing that Luo Zheng was not angry but seriously contemplating, she regarded him more highly and continued, "You have some cleverness, and luck is on your side, I won't deny that, but it's still not enough for revenge. The mission I received is a death sentence, and it must be completed, so I cannot go back either."
"What exactly are you trying to say?" Luo Zheng asked with a mix of shock and intrigue.
"I'm wounded, almost certainly unable to complete the mission, but I won't give up. Regardless of our identities, we have a common enemy, and that's enough. You have potential, quite like a sniper, and I can teach you battlefield skills to facilitate your revenge. You help me complete the mission; how about it?" the female soldier said earnestly.
Luo Zheng fell into deep thought, his eyes landing on the woman's leg wound. Traveling with an injured soldier would be troublesome; how could they catch up with the enemy, let alone seek revenge? The woman, as if reading Luo Zheng's mind, continued, "I know how to find them and the means to deal with them. You can't do it alone. Only by helping each other can we both fulfill our desires. You should be well aware of that."
"Okay, it's settled then," Luo Zheng agreed decisively, knowing that what she said was true.
"Your name is Luo Zheng?" the female soldier shifted the conversation, and upon seeing Luo Zheng nod, she immediately said, "Thank you for saving me twice, my name is Lan Xue."
"Blood of blue, it's a unique name. It seems we have a basis for trust, which is good. Given the severity of your injury, I guess we can't move today. By the way, there's Chaihu Herb over there; it's the juice of it that I fed you yesterday. I will go get us something to eat," Luo Zheng said with a smile and walked away with big strides.
The soldier named Lan Xue turned her head following Luo Zheng's words, recalling how Luo Zheng had fed her, her face turned a bright red. Slowly sitting up, she watched Luo Zheng leave with a warmth in her usually cold eyes, struggling to stand and moving to the edge of the pond with the intention of washing her face, only to find it clean. She quickly guessed what had happened, her cheeks burning with embarrassment. Turning her head to watch Luo Zheng leave, her eyes filled with gratitude.
Lan Xue had professional training and naturally knew some first aid measures. She pulled out the Chaihu root, washed it clean, and chewed it in her mouth – both to treat illness and to stave off hunger. Looking at the crushed Chaihu leaves and juice strewn across the ground, inspiration struck, and her icy face softened with a hint of warmth.
Ten minutes later, Luo Zheng came back with a fat wild rabbit that he had killed with a thrown rock. Seeing Lan Xue had managed to start a small fire and was adding twigs to make it larger, he couldn't help but feel elated. Without asking how she did it, his respect for her abilities grew. At the poolside, he used the Army dagger to skin and clean the rabbit, then skewered it on a stick and started roasting it over the fire.
Upon seeing Luo Zheng, Lan Xue's normally steely heart softened a little. Not daring to meet Luo Zheng's gaze, she bowed her head, silently contemplating her thoughts to mask the awkwardness. Luo Zheng, not wanting to press the conversation, focused on roasting the rabbit. After a while, the rabbit was done, and Luo Zheng tore off a leg and offered it to her.
Without salt or any seasoning, the roasted wild rabbit wasn't appetizing, but to survive, both of them forced themselves to eat it. Lan Xue hadn't expected Luo Zheng to be able to stomach it so readily, and even appearing quite normal about it, indicating this wasn't his first time eating food in such a manner. She became more curious about him but refrained from asking.
The two of them finished off the fat wild rabbit. Luo Zheng, washing his hands by the pool, asked, "Can you find the backpack I lost?"
"Yes," Lan Xue replied confidently with a nod.
Luo Zheng sensed that Lan Xue's attitude toward him had changed somewhat, but seeing that her expression remained as frosty as ever and her manner of speaking just as succinct and direct, he couldn't figure out what was different. He didn't dwell on it, delightedly saying, "That's great. It has survival supplies. If we find it, we won't have to worry."
"It's no use," Lan Xue said, looking west with a heavy expression.
"What?" Luo Zheng was about to ask why when he saw Lan Xue's expression and swallowed his words, suddenly realizing that the enemies would also need supplies and likely had taken them. He gave a wry smile and said, "Right, there's probably nothing left."
"Let's go," Lan Xue said, her demeanor regaining its icy detachment as she stood up.
Seeing Lan Xue could hardly stand, Luo Zheng quickly said, "No hurry, just wait a moment." He looked around and, to Lan Xue's curiosity, ran off nearby to pick up a stick. With a few quick swipes of his Army dagger, he cleaned off the branches and fashioned a simple crutch, then ran back and handed it to Lan Xue.
"Thank you," Lan Xue said, taking the crutch and trying it out. It fit her perfectly. Her face flushed with a burning red, she quickly bowed her head and hurried off. She didn't expect Luo Zheng to be so thoughtful, even considering her height when making the crutch. A surge of unspoken affection welled up inside her, but recalling her background, she quickly dispelled these unrealistic fantasies.
They set off, one after the other, with Lan Xue leading. "I'll start by teaching you the first lesson of jungle warfare: how to retrace your steps," she said. "In dense forests and mountains, one can lose both direction and path. If you find yourself lost, don't panic or run around shouting. Calm down, carefully recall any landmarks you've passed—springs, boulders, large trees, streams, caves, peaks, forked paths—and then rely on your memory to locate your footprints and backtrack to your original route. Now try to remember."
"It was too dark last night, and I was too focused on escaping to notice anything," Luo Zheng said with an embarrassed laugh. As a former hunter, forgetting the path he had tread was an unforgivable mistake.
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