"What's that smell?" Su Tang didn't stop walking, her voice as steady as if she were asking about the weather.
This composure made Wang Xiaoya, who was on edge, relax a little.
She closed her eyes, like a small animal trying to distinguish scents, her tiny nose twitching slightly in the air.
She filtered out the damp earthy smell, the fishy smell of rotting leaves, and the crisp fragrance of pine needles from the mountain forest.
Finally, she caught that abrupt scent that didn't belong to this mountain forest.
“It’s the smell of a person.” Wang Xiaoya opened her eyes, her tone very certain. “Two kinds, both very faint… It’s the smell of soap used for washing clothes, the kind that our army issued, a slightly astringent alkaline smell.”
In those days, resources were not abundant, and the soap issued by the army had a single, distinctive flavor, so almost everyone used the same kind.
For ordinary people, this smell will quickly dissipate into the complex environment of the mountain forest once they are a few meters away.
But Wang Xiaoya's nose can distinguish even more subtle differences from this same smell.
She paused, then added, "They must have been there for quite a while; the smell has seeped into the air, coming in waves. And... they don't seem to have moved much; the smell just stays in that direction."
Su Tang finally stopped walking.
She looked up in the direction Wang Xiaoya was pointing.
It was a seemingly unremarkable gentle slope, overgrown with waist-high shrubs and weeds, a tangled mess that just reached above a person's half-squatting body.
Further up, there is a jumble of huge rocks, the gray-brown stones jagged and interlocking, forming countless natural bunkers and firing ports.
Su Tang immediately made a judgment: this was a good ambush location.
From their vantage point, with a commanding view and a clear view of the path they were currently on, they could see everything clearly.
The vegetation and rocks provide excellent concealment conditions. Not to mention two people, even a whole class would be difficult to detect as long as they don't move.
Upon hearing that someone was there, Chen Xiaocao immediately tensed up and instinctively gripped the gun in her hand tighter.
"Is...is it Bai Wei and the others who have caught up?" Chen Xiaocao couldn't help but feel nervous at the thought of those six guns firing at them.
Su Tang didn't answer; her mind was racing.
Bai Wei and Zhao Yan's group had just experienced a failed pursuit and casualties, and their morale and judgment were at a low point. It was unlikely that they would be able to regroup so quickly and patiently set up such a calm ambush here.
The other party was very careful, hiding themselves very well, and barely even moved their position, just to avoid making any noise or leaving any trace.
Any ordinary team would probably have rushed in without any warning.
Unfortunately, despite their meticulous planning, they didn't anticipate that their team had a "human military dog" named Wang Xiaoya.
“They are waiting for us,” Su Tang said calmly.
"Then...what do we do? Go around them?" Wang Xiaoya asked nervously, subconsciously tugging at my sleeve. "We'll go around them along the side path; they shouldn't notice us."
Wang Xiaoya's reaction was normal; it's human nature to seek advantage and avoid harm.
"Go around it? No." Su Tang looked at the seemingly calm pile of rocks. "Why would I turn down a flag that's been delivered to my door?"
"Let's go over there."
"Huh?" Wang Xiaoya and Chen Xiaocao were both dumbfounded.
Knowing there's an ambush ahead, why would you deliberately walk towards it? Isn't that just walking into a trap?
Su Tang turned to Chen Xiaocao and whispered a few words of instruction. Chen Xiaocao nodded and said, "Understood."
Then Su Tang took the lead and strode towards the pile of rocks.
...
Meanwhile, above the pile of rubble.
In a crevice perfectly concealed by bushes, two female soldiers in training uniforms lay motionless in ambush.
It was Zhang Man and Zhou Zhihui, who had previously parted ways with Zhao Yan.
"They're here!" Zhou Zhihui said in a low voice, unable to hide her joy. "I told you they would definitely take this route. This is the only way to the top of the mountain. If they want to go up, they have to pass right under our noses."
Through the crosshair and rear sight, she could clearly see three figures appearing at the edge of her field of vision, walking towards her at a leisurely pace.
"Strange...why are there three of them?" Zhang Man pushed up her glasses, a hint of doubt flashing in her eyes behind the lenses. "How did Wang Xiaoya end up with Su An?"
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