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It was the height of summer, and the Qinling Mountains were sweltering and humid. Tang Shengkai, Xu Hongchang, and six others struggled through the dense jungle, their clothes soaked with sweat. After several days of trekking through the jungle, their clothes were torn to shreds, and their heavy breathing indicated that they were in poor condition.
To evade enemy pursuit, they had to choose the most secluded and difficult-to-traverse locations. The Qinling Mountains are the largest east-west mountain range in central China, with numerous peaks, valleys, and cliffs.
It was precisely this complex terrain that allowed Tang Shengkai and his men to escape the enemy's pursuit.
At this moment, Tang Shengkai was leaning against a thick tree. With a light stroke of his dagger, the ordinary green snake in his hand was skinned. Tang Shengkai had already instructed them to dig a deep pit and make a passage in the ground, where sparks were now flashing.
"Hey, Lao Tang, hurry up, if you don't give me a couple of bites soon, my legs are so weak I'm about to collapse."
"Chen Erniu, I think you're craving snake meat, aren't you? You were running faster than anyone else just now."
"Pshaw, no way! I'm really done for. Oh, Old Tang, help! I can't get any further without a bite of snake meat. Oh, Bu Mancang, what's wrong with your fire? Look, it still hasn't lit."
Bu Mancang sat resting against a large rock, lazily glancing at Chen Erniu. It seemed he hadn't learned his lesson from yesterday evening.
Chen Erniu immediately straightened his face, looking somewhat annoyed.
They knew the mission was dangerous, and each of them carried some dry rations when they set out. However, they didn't expect to be ambushed and driven into the Qinling Mountains by the enemy.
This is a vast area rarely visited by humans, fraught with danger. They knew nothing about it, nor had they had the time to explore and familiarize themselves with the terrain. Food and water were also major problems; they could only rely on their wilderness survival experience to find food and nearby streams to survive.
Last night, after finally finding a stream, Chen Erniu couldn't stand the stench of sweat on his body. After drinking the water, he took off his outer shirt and washed it in the stream. This small thing almost got him discovered by the enemy who had been secretly following them.
To this day, the group still doesn't know exactly what they've done to the enemy. Fortunately, Tang Shengkai noticed something amiss in time and led everyone away quickly. But this group of enemies was no pushover either; they tried to shake them off for most of the night, finally managing to escape this morning.
While the others were talking, Tang Shengkai had already skinned the five snakes he had caught on the road and thrown them into the pit. While doing this, he carefully sensed the movements around him.
He broke through to the first level of Qi Refining on the second night after being forced into the Qinling Mountains. For the first two days after they entered, they encountered the enemy every day. Xu Hongchang was injured in the leg by the enemy outside, and several people took turns carrying Xu Hongchang, which slowed down their progress.
It was also at that time that Tang Shengkai broke through his physical limits and advanced to the first level of Qi Refining. The Qinling Mountains were sparsely populated, and their spiritual energy was far more abundant than anywhere else Tang Shengkai had ever been. Now, Tang Shengkai never forgets to circulate his spiritual energy, no matter what he's doing.
Xu Hongchang sat on the ground, his face as white as paper, his lips cracked and chapped, but his eyes still shone brightly. "Alright, Erniu didn't mean it, but everyone needs to be more vigilant from now on. The enemy is more dangerous than we imagine. We must be prepared at all times."
"yes!"
"yes!"
......
Tang Shengkai looked around at the terrain. Behind them were towering cliffs that seemed to reach into the clouds. They were on a slope surrounded by dense forests. It was a place that was easy to defend and difficult to attack. After running through the Qinling Mountains for seven days, they had no idea where they were.
"Commander, I think we can't go any further. There's a water source nearby, and plenty of small animals, so we won't go hungry. This location isn't bad either..."
Xu Hongchang understood Tang Shengkai's meaning. They didn't know where in the Qinling Mountains they had reached. He had heard of this mountain range before, and now that they were in, they didn't know when they would reach the end. This wasn't a sustainable solution.
Drawing on his extensive combat experience, Xu Hongchang devised a series of countermeasures. They set up makeshift traps around the area to guard against a sudden enemy attack. Simultaneously, they sought opportunities to establish contact with the outside world and request support.
However, the radio Li Weiguo was carrying was damaged during the battle, and they couldn't repair it no matter what they tried, which is why they couldn't send out any messages.
In fact, Tang Shengkai could have used his spiritual power to heal Xu Hongchang's leg injury at this time, but he couldn't explain how he did it, so he could only use the method taught in the army.
"Battalion Commander, the surrounding area is safe now. Let's remove the bullet from your leg first."
Xu Hongchang had wanted to do it for a long time, but he was afraid that the smell of blood would attract the enemy's attention, so he didn't dare to do it.
"Are you sure there are no spies around?"
Tang Shengkai nodded. He couldn't describe his current situation, but he was certain that there were no enemies within a 5-mile radius.
Xu Hongchang then rolled up his trouser leg, and seeing the wound on his leg, the men's eyes immediately welled up with tears.
Sunlight filtered through the leaves, casting dappled shadows on the ground that highlighted the dire state of Tang Shengkai and his group. Their gazes were fixed on Xu Hongchang's leg, where blood had already congealed; the condition of the wound was horrifying.
Xu Hongchang had a deep wound on his leg, the bullet embedded in the flesh, the surrounding skin swollen and everted. Pus was constantly flowing out, with yellow pus oozing from the very center.
At first glance, it was shocking. Tang Shengkai was also stung by the state of Xu Hongchang's leg at this moment, and he was reminded of his own past.
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