Bright Sword: Conquer the monk at the beginning and take down Zhou Weiguo

He sighed softly and glanced around the dimly lit room. Liu San and Xiao Hu were already sitting by the wall, intently drawing maps and gathering intelligence. Their eyes held a calm and serious expression. Although the night made them look exhausted, they remained unfazed.

At this moment, a sudden sound outside the house broke the moment of peace.

"Captain!" Liu San called out softly, holding a crude signal cannon. He held one end of the cannon tightly, the flame at the other end flickering faintly.

"What's wrong?" Qin Cang stood up quickly and glanced outside the house sharply.

"The radio just received an order to retreat immediately! The order has been issued." Liu San's voice was low and urgent.

Qin Cang's heart suddenly tightened, his vision lost focus for a moment, and his steps paused slightly. Retreat? He was suddenly unable to react, and a complex emotion surged in his heart. In order to carry out this mission, they had been lying dormant in this mountain forest for a long time, and they had already grasped the enemy's movements. All intelligence and preparations were nearing completion, and now, they had suddenly received the order to retreat.

Retreat - these two words were as heavy as a stone in Qin Cang's heart, making it almost impossible for him to breathe.

"Why retreat?" He finally spoke, his voice low, as if carrying some unconscious questioning.

"The order didn't explain in detail, it just said the mission was complete and we had to evacuate." Liu San looked at him, his eyes full of confusion and bewilderment. "Captain, our intelligence isn't complete yet. This order to retreat... isn't it a bit..."

"Strange." Qin Cang interrupted him coldly, "I feel the same way. We've almost touched the cloth behind the enemy. How could they suddenly ask us to retreat?"

He paused, took a deep breath, his eyes flashing with alertness. "No matter what, since the order has been issued, we can only follow it. We still need to confirm the specific arrangements for the evacuation."

He looked up at the pitch-black woods outside, his heart thick with doubt. Retreating meant overturning all plans, but this was also an order from his superiors. Qin Cang knew that sometimes, an order was just an order, and he had to obey it, no matter the reason behind it. The question now was whether they could complete the unfinished mission before retreating.

"Pack your things first." Qin Cang ordered in a low voice, his eyes quickly scanning every corner of the room, and he quickly made a decision in his mind, "We won't leave directly, but retreat to the temporary camp at the foot of the mountain first. Change into light equipment, deal with the supplies, and then make a judgment based on the enemy's reaction."

He turned and walked towards the wooden table, quickly picking up a map and some simple equipment, his mind already calculating his next move. Even if they retreated, they couldn't let the enemy detect their true intentions. Qin Cang had even begun to consider how to seize the opportunity to stage a "counter-retreat" - if the retreat itself was a trap, then they would have to take advantage of this illusion.

Liu San and Xiao Hu had already begun packing their backpacks. The atmosphere in the room suddenly became tense and oppressive, like the silence before an impending thunderstorm.

"Captain," Xiaohu suddenly spoke, a hint of doubt in his eyes. "If we retreat, will the enemy let down their guard? We might be able to take advantage of this opportunity..."

"No." Qin Cang shook his head decisively. "Retreat is an order and cannot be disobeyed. However, our mission is not yet completed. The enemy's loophole is there, and we cannot let it go easily."

His words made the atmosphere in the room even more tense. Everyone silently quickened their pace, packing up all the necessary equipment. Even then, Qin Cang's mind was still swirling with an unresolved mystery: What did retreat mean? Had the enemy become aware of their presence? Or was there some larger conspiracy behind them?

The wind roared deep in the forest, but the night seemed to grow increasingly oppressive, even the humidity in the air seemed heavier. Qin Cang took a deep breath, finally suppressing his inner restlessness and uneasiness. As long as the mission was not completed, retreat was not the end. Even during the retreat, he still had ample opportunities to discover the enemy's weaknesses and complete his unfinished mission.

He packed up his equipment and patted Xiaohu on the shoulder: "Are you ready?"

Xiaohu nodded, his eyes gleaming with determination. Liu San had also finished his inspection, his eyes firm: "We are ready to go at any time."

"Then let's go." Qin Cang said softly.

They left the simple wooden house and walked into the night. The deep forest made every step seem particularly heavy. The moonlight was swallowed by the clouds, and darkness almost enveloped everything. Qin Cang knew that

They slowed their pace temporarily, avoiding the dense trees and walking closer to the open space at the foot of the mountain. The air was cool and the silence was oppressive, only the occasional gust of wind and the rustling of a leaf broke the silence.

"Xiao Hu, Liu San." Qin Cang whispered, his voice almost blending in with the sound of the wind around him. "Remember, retreat does not mean relaxing our vigilance. The enemy's actions are still ongoing, and we still need to remain vigilant."

Xiaohu nodded. Although he didn't fully understand why the captain was so wary of retreating, seeing Qin Cang's ever-piercing eyes, a sense of nervousness crept in. Retreat was an order they hadn't received in a long time. Normally, only the enemy would discover their whereabouts and force them to retreat. But this time, the situation was clearly different. The captain never showed any sign of letup, his calmness, honed over the years, even making Xiaohu a little uneasy.

Liu Sanze kept his head down, his steps steady, his mind clearly revolving around the same thing. He raised his head, glanced at the captain, and whispered, "Captain, are we really retreating? Could they have noticed our whereabouts and are waiting for us to attack mid-strike?"

Qin Cang didn't answer immediately, but remained silent for a moment. His gaze, sharp as a hawk's, gazed at the moonlit valley ahead, his mind racing. Retreat? Yes, they had received orders, but he had never seen one so brief and abrupt. He was almost certain the enemy hadn't detected their movements. And judging by everything in the village, they were still under enemy surveillance and hadn't completely let down their guard.

Suddenly, he felt something in his heart and realized that something was unusual.

"If this is really an order to retreat, why do they suddenly tell us to evacuate before the enemy has fully launched its operations? Shouldn't they react before the next wave of operations begins?" Qin Cang frowned and spoke in a low voice, "This is not right."