Chapter 253: 253, Ren Xiaosu with four identities!

Ren Xiaosu patiently explained to Tang Zhou: "I was originally conscripted into the private army, but on the way, those bastards from Shenji Camp suddenly blocked us, demanding we change into military uniforms. They even took our vehicles. Now we're forced to trek through the mountains in this heavy snow..."

Ren Xiaosu recounted the entire sequence of events to Tang Zhou, leaving him stunned: "So that's what happened. It seems our intelligence was wrong. Now pursuing them might be too late. We'd have to cross several military zones, and we can't get through."

"What's the point of going?" Ren Xiaosu asked, puzzled: "Don't you know yourself? Even if you really ambushed Shenji Camp, setting aside whether you could actually defeat them, could you survive to return?"

Tang Zhou said solemnly: "Obeying orders is my duty. Frontline soldiers can't think like that. Perhaps we truly can't survive, but as long as it's for the victory of the war..."

Ren Xiaosu sighed: "I can't understand this sense of belonging, but the Qing family hasn't treated you well either."

"No, if I fail on the front lines, when the story gets out, it'll be the soldiers under Luo Boss who messed up. Luo Boss will lose face," Tang Zhou said: "Now they're imprisoned at the 111 Stronghold. I need to redeem their honor."

"Fine," Ren Xiaosu said regretfully: "Your bond with Luo the Fatso is genuine, but you can't defeat Shenji Camp now. Why not retreat? Go back and tell the Qing family's officers to stop sending subsequent troops to Fengyishan. That way, you won't hurt me..."

Tang Zhou paused: "We can't contact the command now. Everyone came here with a resolve to die. If the mission isn't completed, none of us have the face to return."

Ren Xiaosu always felt that if the Qing family had more people like Tang Zhou, they'd win any battle.

Ren Xiaosu asked: "How many people are in your unit?"

"Over 300," Tang Zhou said: "Too many would be discovered in the mountains."

Ren Xiaosu grumbled: "Then what's the point of attacking Shenji Camp? There are over a thousand people in Shenji Camp here!"

"Really?" Tang Zhou was taken aback: "Aren't Shenji Camp's main forces all at the front lines of the battle at Pingshan under Yang? Our intelligence said there were only about a hundred here."

"That's part of their plan. I saw the private army's commander earlier—he was also surprised by this," Ren Xiaosu explained: "Your intelligence must be inaccurate. I saw them with my own eyes. I'm certain."

"Then we're done for," Tang Zhou sighed: "The mission can't be completed."

However, as he spoke with Tang Zhou, Ren Xiaosu felt a pang of emotion. He had been shouting about capturing spies under the guise of the Special Investigation Bureau, only to expose Shenji Camp's plan in one fell swoop...

Ren Xiaosu mused that, from Li's perspective, this was essentially espionage.

He never imagined that at such a young age, he would bear so many identities he shouldn't have...

Shenji Camp, Private Army, Special Investigation Bureau, Qing family spy...

Suddenly, Ren Xiaosu said: "Do you trust your entire tactical team?"

"Rest assured," Tang Zhou whispered: "They're all our people. Not just the tactical team—our entire elite force, except for some officers and deputy officers, are ours. And this officer was only sent here because he wasn't favored by Qing."

This so-called "our" referred to Qing Zhen and Luo Lan.

Ren Xiaosu said: "If not for that, you'd have hidden in the mountains first. If I had encountered your Li's forces, who I could actually defeat, I'd have taken you along."

Tang Zhou's eyes lit up: "Is that possible?"

At that moment, Ren Xiaosu was thinking: If the Qing family learned of Shenji Camp's situation, could they be driven back from the front lines to regroup?

If Shenji Camp suffered heavy losses and their numbers dwindled, he could find an opportunity to collect the nanobots.

Ren Xiaosu looked at Tang Zhou: "If I got you a satellite phone, could you contact the command to pass on the message?"

Tang Zhou hesitated: "I could, but we don't have one."

Ren Xiaosu smiled: "No problem. I have one."

To be precise, it wasn't Ren Xiaosu who had it, but the five Shenji Camp officers in their team...

Ren Xiaosu felt he was walking further down the path of treachery.

...

That night, the private army's camp was still lively. Li Qingzheng and others had gone to great lengths to light a bonfire. Though the smoke was thick at first, it was nothing compared to the warmth it provided.

Without the fire, the entire camp would have endured in silence, but once Li Qingzheng's group lit theirs, others, envious, followed suit. Gradually, the whole camp began to brighten.

The bonfire wasn't just for warmth—it could also roast the mantou they carried. In this weather, eating cold food would bring a chill from the inside out.

When Ren Xiaosu returned, Li Qingzheng and the others were chatting by the fire. Li Qingzheng's first reaction upon seeing Ren Xiaosu was to ask: "Xiaosu, where's the wild boar? Did you catch it?"

"Wild boar?" Ren Xiaosu suddenly remembered the excuse he'd prepared with Chen Wudi: "Uh, right. No, it ran too fast. I didn't dare chase too far."

"Here, have a mantou," Li Qingzheng handed Ren Xiaosu a charred, golden-brown one: "Just now, the Shenji Camp people said they're setting up camp here, waiting for the snow to stop before heading north to Fengyishan."

"Mhm," Ren Xiaosu absentmindedly replied. His mind was on how to get the satellite phone from Shenji Camp.

But that thing wasn't easy to obtain. The other side guarded it jealously, never letting it out of their sight.

It seemed he'd have to kill the Shenji Camp officers. It so happened he'd been eyeing the nanobots on those officers for some time.

Moreover, Ren Xiaosu always felt that the regular Shenji Camp soldiers had more nanobots than Lin Qi's group!

Suddenly, Ren Xiaosu called Jiang Wu's students over and asked: "What knowledge are you studying now? Have you ever self-studied mechanical knowledge? If... I mean, if I asked you to design a simple exoskeleton armor, could you do it?"

Ren Xiaosu disliked Shenji Camp's method of placing nanobots inside the body as auxiliary tools. His own body was already formidable; he only lacked a defensive system.

Before, he had simply covered his body with nanobots, without any intricate structure. Now, Ren Xiaosu suddenly wondered if he should harness the power of knowledge.

Wasn't Zhang Jinglin always saying that knowledge could change one's fate?

The student named Wang Yuchuan thought for a moment and said: "This is beyond the syllabus. It involves belt drives, spiral drives, chain drives, worm drives, hydraulic drives, pneumatic drives..."

Ren Xiaosu interrupted: "Don't mention things I don't understand. I'm just asking if you can do it."

Wang Yuchuan said calmly: "Yes."