Chapter 254

On the southern bank of the Luoshui River, deep within the dense forest. The moonlight was blotted out by thick clouds, leaving only scattered patches of starlight casting a shimmering, silvery glow across the surface of the Luoshui River. Wang Qingzhi lay prone among the reeds along the riverbank, her dark navy military uniform blending seamlessly into the night, save for the faint, cold gleam occasionally reflected from the steel water flask at her waist. Behind her, eighteen snipers lay motionless like stone statues, each with a rifle wrapped tightly in strips of cloth resting beside them—the cloth had been soaked in mud to eliminate any metallic glare. Further back, Li Shanlin's thirty thousand elite infantrymen had quietly assembled, their iron armor covered with rough burlap and their weapons bound with straw rope, leaving the entire army in absolute silence.