Chapter 388: Encountering Unanswerable Questions and Keeping Silent

At the same time, Lan Li lay in ambush among a pile of dead leaves on one side of the mountaintop.

Camouflage is a required lesson for the Zhencha Daitui, and also the best way to ambush the enemy.

He had already learned from the intercom that Deputy Company Commander Zhang had been taken out by Lu Yang, and Squad Leader Niu had suddenly lost contact as well, most likely a grim fate.

This gave him a new assessment of Lu Yang's strength; before he thought they were evenly matched, but now it seemed the other side was superior.

To be safe, Lan Li had pre‑placed several bait mines along the inevitable path up the mountain; even if they couldn't kill Lu Yang, they would instantly reveal his position, giving him a chance to prepare.

Time ticked by second by second, the wind on the mountaintop howled, making the flags slap the air.

Lan Li seemed to sense danger approaching, held his breath early, his finger pre‑pressed on the trigger of his Type‑95 assault rifle.

Boom!

The bait mine at the four‑o'clock direction detonated!

Lan Li's gaze shifted that way, but his barrel stayed still as he waited quietly for Lu Yang to appear!

One second, two seconds, three seconds… a full twenty seconds passed before a dusty, coughing figure finally emerged.

"Damn you, you even set traps, you're such a damn chicken‑thief!"

Lu Yang brushed the dust off his face while grumbling as he walked toward this side.

Seeing this, Lan Li realized the other should have been blown up dead by the bait mine.

But just as he was about to rise, a cold sweat broke out; at the moment Lu Yang turned, Lan Li noticed the smoke‑sensor launcher on his back hadn't fired, and his finger remained locked on the trigger!

In other words, this guy was acting, deliberately luring him out!

"How sneaky!"

Lan Li cleared his throat; because his shooting view from his position wasn't great, he had to wait for an opening.

Lu Yang pretended to look annoyed and shouted to the surroundings: "Little Lan, I know you're nearby, stop hiding; it's over, you won, I lost, come out."

"How did you make that bait mine? Can you teach me later? We haven't learned this back home."

Seeing the surrounding silence, Lu Yang frowned, feeling it shouldn't be.

That guy, besides studying well, probably isn't very sharp; he should have been able to be tricked out.

Shrugging helplessly, Lu Yang could only go look himself; fortunately, because of his color‑weakness, he's more sensitive to color changes in the forest.

The mountaintop wasn't very large; after circling around, Lu Yang finally found a mismatched spot among dead leaves on the slope side.

Lu Yang slowly raised his gun, approaching the slightly raised spot where a few damp leaves still clung: "Stop hiding, I see you, come out, Lan Li!"

Ten meters to Lu Yang's left‑rear, Lan Li, hidden beneath dead leaves, fixed his sharp gaze and subtly adjusted his barrel toward Lu Yang.

For safety, he had crafted a fake camouflage position to confuse the enemy, intended to draw Lu Yang's attention.

Watching, Lu Yang, back turned, drew nearer to the fake camouflage position; Lan Li's barrel gradually aimed at his back, but just as he was about to pull the trigger, something suddenly changed.

Lu Yang, who had been facing away, decisively turned and fired continuously at Lan Li's true hiding spot!

Lan Li startled, leapt away quickly and hid behind a tree.

"How did you find me?"

"Is that so hard? Isn't having eyes enough?"

Lu Yang returned those words to him.

Then a grenade was tossed over, forcing Lan Li to roll away while firing at Lu Yang.

Both sides exchanged fire fiercely; Lan Li's shooting was impressive—since the last time he accurately knocked a wrench from an enemy's hand, Lu Yang knew this guy was a master.

But unfortunately, he ran into Lu Yang, an unreasonable brute.

Clack!

Lu Yang's second magazine clicked empty; while seeking cover to reload, he suddenly sensed danger approaching.

The Type‑95 barrel was less than two meters away; as Lan Li was about to fire at close range, Lu Yang dove forward, lifting Lan Li's barrel, then delivered a "take that".

Lan Li wouldn't let go; both he and his gun were yanked over, a knee‑top striking his stomach.

His back arched upward, then a buttstock slammed onto his back, his facial features tightening in pain.

He thought two moves would have taken him down this afternoon, but instead it sparked Lan Li's fighting spirit.

He surged forward, grabbing Lu Yang, rolling down the side slope; the two tumbled like a rolling ball to the slope's base, Lan Li's face already slashed with several bloody gashes by branches.

Bang!

Lu Yang suddenly punched his face, then kicked him to the ground.

Seeing Lan Li clutching his stomach in pain, flailing left and right, Lu Yang rushed up and kicked his butt hard three times.

Then he grabbed his collar, raised a sandbag‑sized fist, and smashed it into his face.

"This punch is because you spoke without restraint, calling our Sixth Company a three‑legged cat!"

"This punch is for my brother Ding Tengfei; you messed with him in the drill, you're messing with me!"

Two punches later, the already‑injured Lan Li saw stars, his head drooping.

His face looked like a soy‑sauce shop had opened on it, utterly unable to fight back.

"This punch is purely because I dislike you!"

After three punches, Lu Yang felt his anger vented.

He released his grip, letting the guy fall freely to the ground.

Looking at Lan Li lying on the ground like a dead dog, unable to resist, Lu Yang stood with hands on hips, feeling quite pleased.

Indeed, he was still formidable—single‑handedly taking down the Zhencha Daitui elite.

Lu Yang passed over, preparing to climb the slope and take down the flag.

He had taken only a couple of steps up when a whooshing wind came from behind.

Lan Li, with a snarling face, grabbed a broken branch and swung it toward Lu Yang's back.

The thick branch struck Lu Yang's back and snapped, but instead of falling, Lu Yang let out a muffled grunt, turned his head and looked at him with disdain.

"You didn't even eat breakfast, you're really pushing yourself?"

Lu Yang grabbed his collar with a reverse hand, like shouldering a sandbag, and executed an over‑shoulder throw on him.

He hit the ground hard on his back, Lan Li's bones nearly snapping from the pain, letting out a horribly anguished wail.

Lu Yang could only beat him again, forcing him to calm down, and manually triggered his smoke‑sensing device.

He thought it was over, but as soon as he turned, the guy leapt at him like a sticky plaster.

Moreover, the guy tied one of his own hands to Lu Yang's right leg with a fishing line, locking them together in a strong‑man lock.

Seeing the fishing line carve a bloody mark on Lan Li's wrist, Lu Yang was left speechless.

Lu Yang tried to untie the fishing line, but it was wound too tightly.

"What are you doing this for? According to the rules you're already dead; why are you still acting like a scoundrel?"

Lan Li lifted his bruised, swollen face, with a gush of nosebleed streaming down.

He stared at Lu Yang with a fixed glare, clenching his teeth, not saying a single word.

"When faced with a hard question, you fell silent again?"

"......"

"I tell you, don't think you can stop me this way; for my comrades, I must win, and I will definitely take down this flag!"

"......"

"Damn it, it won't come undone! The fishing line is razor‑sharp; if you don't want your hand, just keep it tied like this!"

Lu Yang stopped caring about him, dragging him like a dead dog, inch by inch up the slope.

Carrying this dead weight, he moved step by step toward the flag that symbolized victory.

With only three or four meters left to the flag, Lu Yang suddenly couldn't move; turning back, he saw the guy had stuck his toe into the ground and clutched a handful of grass with his other hand.

Even though he was clearly delirious, his face battered like a pig's head, he was still struggling—something Lu Yang hadn't expected.

"Your willpower isn't ordinary, is it? It's unusually tenacious!"

"Only a pity......"

In the end, Lu Yang dragged him to the flagpole, grabbed it firmly, and pulled it up with force.

But there was clearly a pulling resistance from below, making him expend a lot more effort.

Looking down, he saw a dust‑covered hand gripping the base of the flagpole, pulling down hard.

Lu Yang shook with effort, but couldn't shake it off, as if stuck with super‑glue; drawing nearer, he could hear Lan Li's faint, mosquito‑like voice muttering.

"This is… the Zhencha Daitui flag… it's our flag…"

"I beg you, please, don't…"