"Over two hundred men, wiped out by just over fifty of theirs."
"And not a single one of those fifty-plus was even injured?"
"What the hell, are those Zhang family soldiers' heads filled with crap?"
Coming to his senses, Ming Tianfeng immediately started cursing.
"Second Master, don't rush. Let Ming Boxue finish speaking first."
Chen Zhiqiang offered a word of comfort, then turned his gaze back to Ming Boxue.
"Tell me in detail, what was the situation at the scene?"
"Aside from the craters left by grenade explosions, there were no other signs of combat," Ming Boxue replied truthfully.
Hearing this, Chen Zhiqiang quickly caught on.
"Second Master, the Zhang family soldiers must have fallen into Liu Tiezhu's ambush."
"Otherwise, there's no way they could have annihilated them without a scratch."
"Fallen into Liu Tiezhu's ambush?"
At these words, Ming Tianfeng's eyes widened again.
"Old Chen, didn't we send people in first? How could they have been ambushed by Liu Tiezhu?"
Chen Zhiqiang's face stiffened, realizing he'd misspoken. Regardless, the fact that Liu Tiezhu was still alive and well was his failure.
"Second Master, give me a bit more time. I'll definitely bring that little bastard before you."
Recovering himself, Chen Zhiqiang immediately made a promise.
Hearing this, Ming Tianfeng's expression softened slightly.
The next day, Liu Tiezhu left the camp early and arrived at the bamboo grove in Liu Family Village.
This time, he didn't notify Er Gouzi and the others.
Instead, he sneaked in quietly, wanting to see if the bamboo grove's sentry system was up to par.
He had walked about fifty meters into the grove when someone stopped him.
Then two big men emerged from behind him, rifles raised to his head.
This scene pleased Liu Tiezhu immensely.
In fact, he had already spotted the two men hiding under the thick bamboo leaves when he stepped in.
To test their reactions, he pretended not to notice and kept going deeper.
Still, their movements and responses were a bit slow.
"Who are you, and what are you doing here?"
The two men stopped about a meter and a half from Liu Tiezhu and asked coldly.
This distance earned a look of approval from Liu Tiezhu.
A meter and a half was close enough for both offense and defense, allowing for a quick reaction.
This was a trick he had taught Er Gouzi earlier.
The positioning and distance control of these men clearly came from Er Gouzi's training.
But he still needed to test whether they had truly mastered the skills.
"I'm a friend of Yang Hua's. He told me to come."
As he spoke, Liu Tiezhu kept his eyes fixed on the rifles in their hands.
"A friend of the team leader?"
The big man on the left hesitated but didn't let his guard down.
He looked Liu Tiezhu up and down and continued, "What's your name?"
"My name is Li Nanshan," Liu Tiezhu made up a name on the spot.
"Ma Guozhe, search him."
"Remember, be careful."
The left big man instructed his companion, but his wary expression didn't relax just because Liu Tiezhu claimed to be Yang Hua's friend.
Ma Guozhe nodded, slung his rifle over his shoulder, and walked toward Liu Tiezhu.
"Buddy, it's our rule. Hope you'll cooperate."
Before searching, Ma Guozhe gave a warning and reached out his hands.
Liu Tiezhu sidestepped, spun around, pulled Ma Guozhe in front of him, and whipped out a dagger, pressing it against Ma Guozhe's neck.
The move was lightning fast, completed in the span of a single breath.
By the time the big man reacted, Ma Guozhe's face was already pale with fear.
"Don't move. Put down the gun, or I'll kill him."
Liu Tiezhu's tone was icy as he warned the big man.
He wanted to see how this big man would handle the situation.
"Kid, you're not the team leader's friend?"
The big man didn't lower his gun and replied coldly to Liu Tiezhu.
"I told you to put down the gun, didn't you hear me? Or I'll kill him right now."
Liu Tiezhu continued to threaten.
The big man's face hardened as he responded coldly, "Go ahead and try. Kill my buddy, and see if you make it out of this bamboo grove."
"I'll give you two choices."
"First, drop the dagger and surrender."
"Second, kill my brother, and I'll make your life a living hell."
Hearing this, Liu Tiezhu couldn't help but smile.
This was exactly what he wanted.
Their calm under pressure showed that Yang Hua and Er Gouzi's training was on point.
"Kid, you think I'm bluffing?"
The big man misinterpreted Liu Tiezhu's smile and clapped his hands.
The moment the clap sounded, a bullet whizzed past.
It flew right by Liu Tiezhu's side, punching a hole through a bamboo stalk.
Liu Tiezhu was startled—he hadn't expected a gunman to be hidden nearby.
The big man said coldly, "Kid, I suggest you drop the dagger and surrender."
"Otherwise, the next shot might hit your head."
Liu Tiezhu decided to stop playing around and tossed the dagger aside.
"Take me to your team leader. Tell him I'm Liu Tiezhu."
Liu Tiezhu?
The big man was taken aback but still didn't let his guard down.
Liu Tiezhu had just said his name was Li Nanshan, and now he claimed to be their chief. He wasn't about to believe that.
"Ma Guozhe, tie him up first."
"Zhou Guoxing, go report back."
As the big man spoke, a figure emerged from the soil about ten meters away.
That was the one who had fired the shot.
He nodded at the big man and quickly headed deeper into the bamboo grove.
Watching the retreating figure, Liu Tiezhu asked with a smile, "Who taught you this sentry method? Yang Hua or Liu Er Gou?"
"Kid, who are you really?"
The big man didn't answer Liu Tiezhu's question but asked warily instead.
Liu Tiezhu said, "Who I am, you'll know when Yang Hua and the others get here."
The big man and Ma Guozhe exchanged glances but said nothing.
About ten minutes later, the sound of hooves came from the bamboo grove.
Yang Hua and Er Gouzi, leading a dozen men, galloped over.
"Damn it, Li Dashan, why the hell did you tie up my brother?"
Even from ten meters away, Er Gouzi was shouting at the top of his lungs.
Holy crap, he had tied up the chief himself?
The big man panicked and quickly moved to untie Liu Tiezhu.
"It's fine, we were just messing around."
Liu Tiezhu smiled and gestured for Li Dashan to relax.
Er Gouzi rushed over and kicked Li Dashan right in the ass.
"You idiot, how many times have I told you what the chief looks like? Don't you have a brain?"
"Brother Gou, it's really not my fault. It's just that the chief—"
"Still making excuses, huh?"
Er Gouzi cut him off and kicked him in the ass again.
"Alright, Gouzi, it's not their fault."
"Li Dashan, you all did well."
Liu Tiezhu said, then pulled a pack of high-end cigarettes from his saddlebag and handed it to Li Dashan.
"Split it among the three of you."
Pleased with Liu Tiezhu's approval, Li Dashan and the other two were overjoyed.
After taking the cigarettes, they returned to their posts.
"Yang Hua, Gouzi, who came up with the three-man sentry method?" Liu Tiezhu asked further.
"Yang Hua did. He said it could have unexpected effects in critical moments," Er Gouzi said.
Liu Tiezhu turned his gaze to Yang Hua.
"This method is excellent. I suggest adding a hidden gunman to create a pincer attack."
"Also, the team members' reaction speed still needs improvement."
Yang Hua nodded and said, "Don't worry, Brother Tiezhu."
"Within a month, I'm confident I can double the team's combat effectiveness."
They chatted for a while, then Yang Hua and Er Gouzi led Liu Tiezhu to the camp.
Not long after they left, a group of about a dozen people appeared at the entrance of the bamboo grove.
The leader was a burly man in his forties with a full beard and a scar running from his forehead to his chin on the left side of his face, making him look terrifying.
This man was a Zhang family squad leader named Zhang Daqiang.
He pointed at the bamboo grove and glanced at Liu Sihai beside him. "Are you sure he's in there?"
Liu Sihai patted his chest. "Brother Daqiang, I swear on my head, Liu Er Gou is in there."