Chapter 4: Chasing the Killer on a Rainy Night
After regaining his senses slowly, Luo Zheng saw that the ground was covered with bullet casings and the walls riddled with bullet holes. Clearly, the attack had been sudden; there was no chance for retaliation. Afterward, the attackers had set everything ablaze; they were a group of extremely cruel individuals. He absolutely couldn't let these people go unpunished—blood demanded blood repayment. With this in mind, Luo Zheng rushed toward the communication room, only to discover that the radio had been burnt to a crisp—no way to contact the outside world. His complexion drastically changed.
"Boom!" Suddenly, the faint sound of an explosion reverberated.
Luo Zheng was taken aback and, with a stern face, dashed outside like a flying arrow. It was already late; the vast mountains and wilds were oppressively dark. The downpour made everything indiscernible, "Could it be thunder?" While puzzled, suddenly, yet another weak but distinctly audible explosion sounded—it didn't seem like thunder. Luo Zheng quickly turned his head, looking toward the distant night shrouded in darkness where a flicker of red light blinked in and out, quickly followed by total darkness again.
"It's a grenade explosion," Luo Zheng coldly observed into the deep, stormy night where the grenade had exploded. His eyes sparkled coldly as he let the rain soak him, his face full of rage. He abruptly turned and rushed back into the barracks.
It wouldn't take long before someone came to investigate the guard post. The scene couldn't be disturbed, or else it would ruin the clues. Luo Zheng fetched some paper and a pen, wrote a few lines, and placed the note in a conspicuous location, weighted down by bullet casings. He picked up a standard-issue Type 95 automatic rifle from the guard post, only to find its body badly damaged by bullets, rendering it unusable.
With no other option, Luo Zheng set the rifle aside. Out of the corner of his eye, he casually noticed the place where firewood was usually kept, now reduced to ashes. The dust, blown by the wind entering from the door, unveiled a Mitsubishi bayonet. Luo Zheng knew this Mitsubishi bayonet was his squad leader's prized possession, the only one at the post, and often played with by everyone.
Overjoyed, Luo Zheng picked up the Mitsubishi bayonet. Looking at the bayonet forged from alloy steel, he couldn't help thinking, "Could it be that the squad leader and brothers in heaven are watching over me, wanting me to use this knife for revenge?" With this thought, Luo Zheng grew even more determined to seek revenge and quickly ran towards the armory.
The armory, which didn't have much in terms of weapons and ammunition to begin with, had been completely pillaged. Not a single bullet or functioning gun could be found. Luo Zheng remembered the deputy squad leader's cherished Type 65 army dagger, a special commendation award that was always carried on his person. He dashed to the kitchen again and meticulously inspected the charred remains of his comrades. Unfortunately, he found nothing. The dagger couldn't have burned, it must have been taken by someone. With this thought, Luo Zheng felt so enraged he could explode.
"Bastards!" Luo Zheng cursed aloud, his face grim as he ran back to the nearby barracks. He grabbed a rucksack and packed it with usable food, clothes, and other essentials. After changing into clean clothes and a raincoat, he took up the Mitsubishi bayonet and a military flashlight, slung the rucksack over his shoulder, and walked out of the barracks.
"Boom!" A thunderous blast sounded, and the downpour intensified. The chilling wind howled, adding a deadly seriousness to the desolate mountain wilderness. The endless night felt palpitation-inducing, like a primeval Fierce Beast ready to devour everything.
Luo Zheng's somewhat youthful face hardened, although he had never experienced a real battlefield, had never actually killed anyone, and couldn't even shoot accurately. Yet, Luo Zheng had an unyielding spirit and a surging passion for blood, determined to avenge his brothers, he was all in.
In the square not far from the doorway, Elder Ma snorted irritably and nudged Luo Zheng, who was coming up, with his head while scraping his front limbs, clearly sensing something too. Luo Zheng gently caressed Elder Ma's neck, pulled out a machete from the carriage, and said with a firm tone tinged with regret, "Old Ma, I can't make you a wolf fur collar anymore. The brothers are still watching me from the sky. I have to go, don't try to persuade me. You should find a place to take shelter from the rain. Tomorrow, the higher-ups will send someone to check the situation here, and it's time for you to retire. Take good care of yourself."With a determined expression, he strode towards the direction of the explosion, resolute and powerfully, his footsteps echoing 'swash' in the rain, as if his brothers were marching, blessing, and bidding farewell...
Born a hunter, Luo Zheng had lived in the forests since he was young and felt a strange familiarity and affection for them. His wilderness survival skills were not too bad, and after joining the army, his physical condition had improved significantly. In the torrential rain, Luo Zheng moved quickly, almost jogging forward, gripping the machete tightly while rain slid down its handle. A lightning bolt tore through the night sky, illuminating Luo Zheng's resolute face. The machete gleamed coldly as if sensing the anger in its owner's heart.
Without the sound of explosions to guide him, Luo Zheng hurriedly marched, relying solely on judgment. The heavy rain could wash away all traces, making it impossible to find any clues; thus, this pursuit seemed somewhat blind but Luo Zheng had no regrets. He felt suffocated not doing something when he thought of his brutally slain brothers; his heart felt like it was about to burst, his body filled with strength.
After over two hours of hard running, Luo Zheng was gasping for breath, severely drained and had no choice but to slow down and continue on foot. Unwittingly, he arrived at a hillside and noticed two shell casings on the ground. Luo Zheng quickly shone his military flashlight around but didn't find any suspicious persons. He hurriedly picked up the shell casings, sure enough, they were what he thought, but he couldn't make out any clues.
"Could it be that Special Forces from within the country have caught up?" Luo Zheng speculated, his spirits lifting with blood boiling. As a soldier, Luo Zheng viewed the Special Forces as his career goal and direction. Unfortunately, after beating up a Connection Soldier in the new recruits' squad, he had been relegated to a border outpost, seemingly dooming his lifetime aspirations.
Thinking it might be Special Forces pursuing him, Luo Zheng felt invigorated. He carefully surveyed the terrain and, relying on his childhood hunting instincts, chose a direction and charged forward. Before long, Luo Zheng saw some fragments from hand grenade explosions quietly lying on the ground, telling the story of what had happened here.
Luo Zheng picked up a shard, glanced at it, and tossed it aside, starting to look around. He quickly located a small crater, already filled with rainwater, likely created by a grenade explosion. After observing the terrain, Luo Zheng began searching around. The battle signs had been completely erased by the torrential rain, leaving only bullet casings and shell fragments. Based on the terrain, Luo Zheng imagined the scene of the battle, and with the premise that the killer had fled west, and the pursuers followed from the east, he determined a general direction and decisively continued the pursuit.
He didn't know how long he chased until the sky gradually brightened, and the torrential rain finally stopped. Luo Zheng, tired and weary, slowed down. He dug out some compressed biscuits from his bag and chewed vigorously, then took out his military canteen for a drink. He felt his eyelids drooping and his head heavy, after a night of rapid marching with highly concentrated attention, which had drained much of his energy. Thinking of his vengeance, Luo Zheng gritted his teeth and persevered.