At noon, the sun was high in the sky. In the primeval forest, a team of about thirty men advanced cautiously. The ancient trees around them towered to the sky, and various unknown insects chirped, adding a bit of noise to the forest. Occasionally, some large birds flew past, and from a distance came the roars of wild beasts, making the entire woodland lively.
Ahead, scouts advanced about five hundred meters to ensure safety. The team was strangely composed, with a dozen fully armed soldiers and a dozen simply dressed locals—this was the group of Luo Zheng and others. Luo Zheng was quietly talking with Hook in the middle of the team, having just swum across a river and landed, all dripping wet. The crossing spot was more than twenty kilometers from their retreat location, so there was no need to worry about being discovered.
