The princess regretted it.

Chapter 256: Encountering a Squad

Upon hearing the noise, Zhong Chuzhou's expression instantly hardened. He made a quick gesture, signaling everyone to adjust their concealment, blending in better with their surroundings. Then, with a tap of his toes, he soared up the tree like a bolt of black lightning. His movements were light and agile, making no sound, as if he were one with the gentle breeze of the forest. Once up the tree, Zhong Chuzhou, taking advantage of the tree's height, gazed intently into the distance.

On the forest path, a group of men hurried forward. They looked quite numerous, roughly estimated to be at least thirty or forty strong. They wore uniform clothing and marched quickly, their weapons gleaming coldly in the afterglow of the setting sun.

Seeing the familiar attire he'd seen so many times recently, Zhong Chuzhou felt a chill in his heart. These were clearly the same faction as the ones in the camp ahead. His brow furrowed even deeper, and he wondered: When did the camp ahead send these people? Or were they from another camp? They were rushing here in such a hurry. Could they have discovered problems at another base? Or was there some other urgent matter? These questions swirled in his mind, making his gaze even more stern and deep. He knew that he had to make a quick decision and formulate a response plan, otherwise everyone would be in grave danger.

He looked at the group and suddenly an idea struck him. He carefully descended from the tree and quietly summoned Mo Qing and several other core members. He came closer and said with a serious expression but also a hint of excitement, "Brothers, we must not let this small group of people enter the camp. We must capture them first. Then, disguise ourselves as them, sneak into the camp, and catch the enemy off guard. The others will immediately attack upon receiving the signal."

Zhong Chuzhou quickly formulated an encirclement plan. Leveraging his familiarity with the mountainous terrain and the excellent coordination of his team, he meticulously mapped out each person's ambush positions and attack routes. Everyone quickly prepared, their hands rubbing, their eyes gleaming with the desire to fight.

They had just finished their arrangements when the group of people approached the encirclement in front of them. The young leader walking in front, his face full of flesh shaking with his curses, was cursing at the top of his voice: "What happened today is really weird. We actually ran into a blind bear in the woods. If we weren't so many people, it would have been really dangerous. The beast was so fierce that several people were almost scratched by it. The higher-ups insisted that we come out to check. What abnormalities could there be in this wilderness? It's just a hassle. It's past dinner now, and I don't know if there will be anything to eat soon." He muttered and wiped the sweat from his forehead with his hand. He didn't realize the danger was coming at all, and he still walked swaggeringly, as if this forest was his backyard.

Behind him, his men were all covered in dust, their faces etched with fatigue and impatience. Their weapons still stained with blood and hair from their fight with the blind bear, revealing they had indeed endured a thrilling encounter. Some soldiers dragged their feet, their eyes wandering, clearly exhausted by their recent encounter. As they neared the camp, they could almost smell the aroma of food. Each one of them was eager to return to camp and rest, paying little attention to the deadly danger lurking in the seemingly ordinary mountains and forests around them.

Zhong Chuzhou's tense nerves relaxed slightly as he heard the team leader's complaints. He was secretly thankful that the newcomers weren't from other bases. This meant their previous actions hadn't been exposed. This group was simply a regular patrol from the camp. Now that they knew the situation, they couldn't let them return safely. After all, everyone in the camp had already eaten dinner, and the muscle softening powder must have taken effect. If this group returned to the camp, they would undoubtedly notice something was wrong, causing their carefully planned operation to fail.

He tilted his head slightly to look at Mo Qing and gave him a knowing look. Mo Qing immediately understood and led his two brothers to quietly detour from the side like ghosts, intending to cut off the enemy's retreat.

Zhong Chuzhou led the rest of the group, seemingly blending into the surrounding tranquil forest, lurking motionlessly, his cold gaze fixed on the approaching enemies until they all stepped into the preset encirclement.

Just as the enemy stepped into the core of the encirclement, Zhong Chuzhou swiftly made a sharp gesture, and in an instant, the warriors who were ambushing in various parts of the forest flew out at the same time like meteors in the dark night.

Zhong Chuzhou was like a nimble cheetah, shooting out from the woods with lightning speed. The long sword in his hand shone with a cold light, just like the scythe of the god of death in the dark night. Wherever he passed, life was stopped before blood shed a single blow. The enemy didn't even have time to shout before being killed by his sword.

The rest of the people also had their swords flashing. In the blink of an eye, the small group of people were almost wiped out before they could recover from their shock.

Only the small leader, captured by Changsheng, was still lingering. His arms were broken and hung limply at his sides. His eyes were wide open, filled with fear and despair. He dared not make a sound, his legs shaking like sieves. He knew that if he made even a sound, he would be dead instantly.

Zhong Chuzhou slowly walked up to the small leader, his eyes cold and sharp, like cold stars. He raised his chin slightly, looking down at the terrified enemy, his voice low but revealing unquestionable authority: "Tell me, what's your name? Who are you? What's the current situation in the camp? Who is the person in charge? Are there any other secret sentries or defensive arrangements?"

The little leader's body was shaking, beads of sweat the size of beans kept rolling down his forehead. He opened his mouth, but was speechless for a moment because of fear.

Seeing this, Zhong Chuzhou frowned slightly and gently raised the long sword in his hand, pressing it against the little leader's throat. A trace of blood instantly seeped out. "I'll ask you again, you'd better answer truthfully, otherwise..."

The small leader felt the stinging pain in his neck and the threat of death, and finally stammered, "Sir... My name is Zhang Erhu, the squad leader of the tenth squad. In the camp... there are a total of 4,200 people in the camp. Our commander-in-chief is Zhang Mengze, the fifth master. We are just out on routine patrol, there is really no other special arrangement. Please forgive me..."

Zhong Chuzhou snorted coldly, not entirely convinced. But time was running out, and he couldn't afford to delay any longer. He thought, perhaps keeping this man alive could prove valuable in the future, perhaps prying out some of the Zhang family's core secrets or crucial information about other strongholds. So, he decisively ordered Changsheng, "Knock him out, gag him, tie him up tightly, and throw him aside."