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

Not far ahead, at the edge of a small open space, he saw several figures.

Three people sat on a fallen, withered tree, dressed in forest camouflage, each with a short cigarette dangling from their lips. The cigarettes flickered in the darkness, yet they illuminated their faces clearly.

He squinted and recognized one of the men—Lin Hua, whom he had trained with and who had saved his life in the battle at Xiling. At that moment, the man was calmly and naturally conversing with two others beside him.

"Do you think he took the bait tonight?" one of them asked in a low voice, hoarse as if his throat was burning from cigarette ash.

Lin Hua exhaled a puff of smoke and chuckled, "He suspected it a long time ago. After Xiao Hu came back, he started investigating us. That box of stuff tonight was the bait; there was no way we wouldn't take it."

The other person frowned: "What if he really comes looking for us?"

A sinister glint flashed in Lin Hua's eyes, but his voice remained calm and unhurried: "He can't cause any trouble on his own. If he really comes looking for us, he'll only be throwing his life away."

“You underestimate him,” the hoarse voice rang out again. “Qin Cang is not someone to be trifled with. Just you wait and see, if we can’t take him down tonight, we’ll have to move on to another place tomorrow.”

In that instant, Qin Cang's blood seemed to freeze. He didn't know why he hadn't charged out—gun in hand, rage burning in his heart, his knuckles were white, and every muscle in his body was taut to the extreme. He hadn't expected that Lin Hua was actually one of the "three-man action team."

That person, for so many years, has been hidden so well!

And he didn't even notice!

Qin Cang nearly ground his teeth to powder. He dared not take another step closer. Although the three men were chatting and laughing, they had deliberately chosen a high vantage point at the edge of the open space; anyone who approached would be noticed. Moreover, they all carried guns—in a single exchange, he probably wouldn't even have a chance to react.

He slowly retreated, gradually disappearing into a clump of weeds further away. His hand gently reached from his waist and pulled out a small, short whistle, a special tool for transmitting emergency signals, but he didn't use it immediately. Little Tiger was still in the cave on the other side of the mountain; if he rashly attracted reinforcements, he feared he would alert the enemy, and even he wouldn't be able to escape.

"Don't rush, don't panic," he kept reminding himself. "Now I know who it is... but that's not enough. I need to know their next move."

A thought crossed his mind: Stay. Track. Set an ambush.

But at that very moment, one of the three suddenly stood up, dusted himself off, and said, "The time has come. Let's go. We've received word from above that they'll make a move tonight. There's a chance."

Upon hearing this, Lin Hua immediately stood up as well: "Who sent this from above? Weren't they always telling us not to move?"

“We’ve changed people,” the man said in a low voice. “The new one doesn’t follow many rules. As long as we can take care of Qin Cang and that kid together, he’ll do whatever he wants.”

Lin Hua hesitated for a moment, then nodded: "Let's go then."

The three quickly prepared their equipment, their movements swift and agile. Every action they took demonstrated that they were not ordinary traitors, but a well-trained and perfectly coordinated assassin team.

Qin Cang dared not linger any longer. He knew that if they didn't act soon, their next target would be the little tiger in the cave. Although the child possessed the secret password to all their intelligence, he wouldn't last long against these people.

He turned and darted through the woods like a wolf, avoiding any branches or blades of grass that might make a sound. He bypassed the path he had come from and turned onto another mountain trail he had already scouted. This trail led to an abandoned kiln, which had once served as their emergency contact point and was now being used as a small depot to hide backup supplies. He needed supplies, but even more so, he needed time to set up the ambush.

He ran across a precipice, slipped, and nearly tumbled into the valley. He gritted his teeth and steadied himself, his chest tight with breathlessness. The cold wind filled his lungs, making him feel as if his internal organs were freezing, but he didn't stop; only one thing burned in his eyes—

anger.

From caves to forests, from pages to traitors, he watched helplessly as all those he trusted revealed their fangs, and Little Tiger, the child who had entrusted his life to him, was now their target.

"None of you are allowed to touch him." He gritted his teeth and uttered the words in a low voice, which sounded like a murmur in the night, yet carried a chilling killing intent.

Deep in the dense forest, a slender yet upright figure moved silently forward. His steps were extremely light, each one seemingly treading on clouds, without making a sound. His worn gray military uniform was covered in mud, and his face was etched with the marks of time, yet his eyes remained as cold and sharp as a knife, carrying a fierce intensity that made people afraid to look directly at him.

This man was Qin Cang.

"Damn it, this awful weather..." he cursed inwardly, but his face remained as cold as ice. He knew that countless eyes were hidden in this forest—perhaps enemies, perhaps wild beasts, or perhaps... the person he was looking for.

Qin Cang's mission was extremely secretive; even his direct superiors didn't mention it. The reason was simple—the target was far too special. Xiao Hu, that name had become a legend on both sides. No one knew his real name, and no one had ever seen his face, yet rumors about him spread faster and more ruthlessly than autumn leaves falling. He moved through enemy territory with impunity, his intelligence reports invaluable, repeatedly saving allies from certain death traps and turning the tide of battle. But recently, this man had suddenly vanished.

"The intelligence has been cut off for three days," Qin Cang murmured, his voice so low it seemed to be squeezed from the depths of his throat. "They're either dead... or they've betrayed us."

He couldn't be sure of the answer, but he had to find this person, whether he was alive or dead, friend or foe.

At the edge of the dense forest, a faint light shone through—the dim glow of an oil lamp. Qin Cang squinted and quietly crouched down to approach. A low, dilapidated hut stood alone in the woods, a wind chime hanging in front of the door, but it was silent; clearly, the clappers had been removed long ago to avoid attracting attention.

There were faint shadowy figures moving inside the room. Qin Cang quietly crept towards the side wall and pressed his ear against it. Intermittent conversations could be heard from inside. Although they were deliberately kept low, they could not escape his ears, which had been trained for many years and were more sensitive than a wolf's.

"...The intelligence has been sent out, but he has probably already noticed."

"Him? You mean Qin Cang? Impossible, there's no way he could have found this place."

"Don't underestimate that person; he has more tricks up his sleeve than a ghost."

"What's there to be afraid of? This is their blind spot. Besides... Xiao Hu isn't the same Xiao Hu he used to be."