The Qing Consortium’s troops advanced in a tactical formation. However, Ren Xiaosu still did not come out from behind the large tree as he was waiting
Although the campsite was about 500 meters to his rear, Ren Xiaosu didn’t want to go back to call for reinforcements. After all, there was no one there he could count on other than Chen Wudi.
Jiang Wu’s students would definitely be more than willing to help him, but the key thing was that the eight of them were intellectuals and they might not even know how to hold a rifle.
As for a group like the private troops, how could he possibly count on those incompetent people?
But what Ren Xiaosu was waiting for was for the Qing Consortium’s troops to come a little closer!
When the Qing Consortium’s combat troops stepped into the range of the Brambles, Ren Xiaosu was not in a hurry to make the vines attack. Instead, he waited quietly for this entire platoon to get into range.
Other than the spot Ren Xiaosu had dug up for the seed to sprout, the rest of the vines were concealed under the thick snow.
Just as the Qing Consortium’s troops entered the attack radius, someone realized something was wrong. “Hang on, it feels like we’re stepping on something.”
Someone crouched down and cleared away the snow to reveal the brambles on the ground. “These crimson brambles look a little strange. I’ve never seen a plant like it before.”
“Strange plants like this one are increasing by the day, so nothing is surprising about them. Don’t tell me they can even attack people?” a soldier said as he cast a glance at it before resuming his watch on the surroundings.
However, the platoon commander frowned. “There’s something odd about this. Don’t move any further. We’re withdrawing!”
Ren Xiaosu was surprised while hiding behind a tree that was a few dozen meters away. He did not expect the Qing Consortium troops to be so careful. Weren’t they being overly cautious? Weren’t they just some plants found in the wilderness? ‘What are y’all so afraid of!’
Ren Xiaosu found it a little pitiful. The enemies had presented themselves to him, yet he did not even manage to kill a single one of them.
But what Ren Xiaosu didn’t know was that these were the elite troops sent by Qing Yun to intercept the Divine Arms Battalion and that they were also very well-known throughout the entire Qing Consortium. These were just the scouting party, while the main force behind them were currently reorganizing.
How could a fighting force confident enough to inflict heavy damage upon the Divine Arms’ nanosoldiers fall for a trap so easily?
If he had not incapcitated the Potato Shooter, he could have tested its capabilities.
The commander of the platoon suddenly said, “Friend, are you part of the Li Consortium’s troops?”
When Ren Xiaosu heard this voice, he was stunned. “Tang Zhou?!”
The platoon commander was stunned as well. “Ren Xiaosu?!”
If there had been no interaction, then so be it. But now that the enemy had said something, it turned out to be someone he knew?
Previously, Tang Zhou had sent Qing Zhen and Luo Lan back to Stronghold 111 with the off-road vehicle. As soon as they got back there, Qing Zhen and Luo Lan were placed under house arrest by the Board. Meanwhile, Tang Zhou was deployed to the frontline troops where he reported directly to the forward operating base at Mt. Daping.
After he was reassigned to work under Qing Yun’s troops, Qing Yun knew he still remained loyal to Luo Lan. So Qing Yun demoted him from the rank of captain to platoon commander and sent him to this elite force as a scout.
Many of the soldiers in this force used to be under Qing Zhen’s command. Qing Yun had sent them here on the pretext of “intercepting” the Divine Arms Battalion, but how were they supposed to retreat from this place after successfully intercepting the Divine Arms Battalion?
Importantly, the Li Consortium had stationed their combat troops at the front lines of Mt. Fengyi, Mt. Shuanglong, and Mt. Tantou. Once the Divine Arms Battalion got involved in a battle there, the entire Li Consortium would launch an unbridled counterattack on these troops of the Qing Consortium.
Even if they ended up becoming heroes in the Qing Consortium’s history books, they definitely wouldn’t walk out of this mountain range alive!
So Qing Zhen immediately sent Qing Yun’s trusted troops to negotiate with the Li Consortium after seizing command from him. What everyone was doing was essentially the same thing: removing dissidents from around them.
It was not to say that it was a cruel thing to do, but that war itself was very cruel anyway. If they could not maintain control of their leadership over the military, they could not win the war.
At this moment, Tang Zhou was still unaware that Qing Zhen had seized command of the military. When they were sent out here, Qing Yun did not even equip them with satellite phones or radio sets for communicating with headquarters. That was why when Qing Zhen asked if he could recall this platoon, the second-in-command had said, “It’s too late.”
Ren Xiaosu and Tang Zhou were on pretty good terms when they were still at Stronghold 109, and Tang Zhou also helped them out a lot. Since it was Tang Zhou who was here, this created an immediate opportunity for negotiations to ease the current situation.
Earlier, Ren Xiaosu was wondering why this platoon was so difficult to deal with. Just a few brambles on the ground was all it took to attract their attention? Now that he realized they were Luo Lan and Qing Zhen’s troops, he suddenly felt “enlightened.”
In his opinion, the men under Qing Zhen and Luo Lan were all elite soldiers with no cowards among them.
Ren Xiaosu shouted, “Come over here alone, let’s talk!”
He wasn’t willing to go over. After all, Tang Zhou was not the only person on their side. What if the others decided to shoot at him indiscriminately?
When Tang Zhou heard that, he was ready to step over the brambles to Ren Xiaosu when someone next to him whisper-shouted, “Platoon Commander, you mustn’t go over! What if he’s tricking you to get you over there?”
Tang Zhou shook his head. “Don’t worry, we’re old friends.”
“Even old friends can change,” someone reminded him anxiously. “Don’t believe him so easily.”
Tang Zhou smiled and said, “Don’t worry, I trust him. Didn’t I tell you guys before that Boss Luo and I were saved by someone while escaping from Stronghold 113 after it collapsed? He’s the person who saved us. He and Boss Luo are good friends too… uh, I’m not exactly sure if they can be considered good friends.”
Everyone around him was stunned by the impact of this twist as it proved a little too much for them to handle. So the other party was Tang Zhou’s savior? But the real question was, why had he appeared at this place? What was he doing here squatting in the snow in the middle of the night by himself? Playing in the snow?
Tang Zhou carefully avoided stepping on the brambles and walked towards the large tree where Ren Xiaosu was. Ren Xiaosu got a little emotional as it felt rather nice to be trusted by others. Tang Zhou actually dared to come over by himself!
“Long time no see, what are you doing here?” When Tang Zhou reached the tree, he saw Ren Xiaosu standing there. He chuckled. “Is that the Divine Arms uniform you’re wearing?”
Ren Xiaosu looked at him. “Let’s sit down and talk.”
Tang Zhou and Ren Xiaosu sat down crossed-legged on the snow. Tang Zhou placed his rifle aside and said, “Does this mean you’ve joined the Li Consortium?”
“Join them? My ass!” Ren Xiaosu said, “I fled with the escapees from Stronghold 109 and ended up getting conscripted into their military.”
“Hahaha,” Tang Zhou laughed. “But you’re not yet as miserable as me. I’ve been sent here to die.”
“Sent here to die?” Ren Xiaosu wondered, “What do you mean?”
“Currently, someone called Qing Yun is in charge of our military forces. Mr. Qing Zhen and Boss Luo have been placed under house arrest at the villa in Stronghold 111 and are stuck there for the time being. I was immediately demoted after transferring to Qing Yun’s forces, and he also placed many of Mr. Qing Zhen’s former men in the force and made us come to intercept your Divine Arms Battalion.”
Ren Xiaosu reacted with a strange expression. “Then y’all are heading in the wrong direction. I’m not from the Divine Arms Battalion; I’m just a part of the private troops…”
