Chapter 946 - 561 Unexpected Visitor (Combined Two Chapters)

Chapter 946: Chapter 561 Unexpected Visitor (Combined Two Chapters)

Back in the ranks, the soldiers all inquired about the situation ahead, and Qin Yuan detailed the report of their search to them.

“Our top priority right now is to find Captain Geng Hu’s whereabouts!”

The soldiers agreed unanimously.

“Yes, this indeed is our primary mission right now,” Qin Yuan said, “I’m here to discuss with you how to allocate our forces.”

Qin Yuan stated.

They indeed needed to send someone to search for Geng Hu, but the troops in the rear also needed guarding.

The best course of action was for Qin Yuan and He Chenguang to lead two separate groups each, one to stay put, ready to respond, while the other to advance and scout the enemy.

After all, since the enemy’s position had not yet been confirmed, they couldn’t afford to commit all their forces.

The enemy might well be watching their every move from somewhere in secret.

“He Chenguang, you guard the camp here. I’ll take a small team to search for Geng Hu,” Qin Yuan turned and said to He Chenguang.

He Chenguang initially wanted to argue, hoping that Qin Yuan would stay to lead the defense in the camp, but seeing the resolute look in Qin Yuan’s eyes, he dropped the idea.

“Alright, go on then, I’ll take care of the rear, don’t worry, contact me anytime if there’s an issue,” He Chenguang said.

Qin Yuan nodded, then selected fifty elite warriors and took the two surviving soldiers from Geng Hu’s unit, and immediately set out toward the direction of the Daybreak Troop in the east.

“Do you know the approximate direction?”

On the way, Qin Yuan asked the two soldiers.

“Yes! Over there! They appeared from that direction!”

Both pointed toward the forest in the east.

“Good, the whole army advance at a reduced pace toward that area and primarily conceal our movements,” Qin Yuan immediately ordered.

All the men moved at the previously set pace, with concealing their tracks as their top priority.

Soon, Qin Yuan discovered some traces left by the enemy.

Although they had been deliberately concealed, they did not escape Qin Yuan’s eyes.

There were some vague footprints on the ground, almost washed away by the soft, wet soil, but upon close observation, they were still discernible.

These footprints matched exactly what the two soldiers had described, extending all the way into the forest to the east.

This further confirmed the suspicions of Qin Yuan and the two soldiers that the enemy might be hiding in the eastern forest.

But why hadn’t the enemy pursued their advantage?

Each of their squads was numerically superior and better equipped compared to the 2nd platoon of the logistics company, having previously taken the offensive; why did this last remaining troop choose to avoid battle now?

This puzzled Qin Yuan greatly.

However, they had no choice but to continue forward on the current path and explore further.

Following the traces left by the enemy, the troop moved slowly, drawing ever closer to that patch of forest.

Qin Yuan began to calculate how to deal with the enemy that might appear at any moment.

Yet, everything proceeded unusually smoothly. In those few minutes of advance, they encountered no hardships and successfully reached the outskirts of the forest before them.

The team hunkered down in the underbrush at the edge of the forest, staring into the woods ahead.

Qin Yuan also observed for a while but detected no anomalies or sounds.

“Strange, it’s so quiet in here, doesn’t seem like there’s anyone around,” some soldiers began to mutter.

“Exactly, this is too bizarre, it really seems like an ambush,” Qin Yuan thought.

He understood that if the enemy had executed the earlier actions, they must be prepared to counter their retaliation and wouldn’t allow an easy surprise attack on them.

Now, their task was to locate the enemy’s position, then plan their next offensive.

The forest ahead, from the outside, looked highly suspicious; they definitely couldn’t afford to put their forces in jeopardy, but standing idle was not an option either.

After much thought, Qin Yuan decided to go in and scout it out himself.

“Wait here for me; I’ll go check it out myself and come back to inform you,” Qin Yuan whispered to his men.

“Captain! How can we let you take this risk alone?!”

The soldiers below clearly couldn’t accept this.

“Don’t worry, reconnaissance is my specialty. I’ve done this before and have never failed, so don’t worry about me,” Qin Yuan said, frowning.

Then, not wanting to waste further time discussing, he turned and entered the forest without waiting for a response.

Qin Yuan carefully parted the dense underbrush and crouched as he moved deeper into the forest.

Inside, the situation was just as he had anticipated – overgrown and lush with vegetation. Looking around, it was all green trees, with no sign of humans.

Strange, he thought, they had followed the tracks here, so why couldn’t he see anyone?

Could the enemy be playing a game of hide and seek with him?

But that didn’t make sense either; a war of attrition would be disadvantageous for Daybreak; the enemy would not be foolish to that extent.

Qin Yuan closed his eyes and shook his head.

He reassessed his thoughts.

No, there must be something wrong with this forest.

But Qin Yuan couldn’t pinpoint what exactly was off at that moment.

Suddenly, the sound of insect chirping nearby disrupted his thoughts.

Insect noises?!

Yes!

When they had arrived at the edge of the forest earlier, they hadn’t heard any noises at all!