Chapter 12: The Desert King's Challenge

  Rehuo was worried, and not far away came two gunshots. It was clear that it was Ding Xuan Chen and the sniper exchanging fire. This kid won't get into trouble, will he? Rehuo didn't know why she cared so much about Ding Xuan Chen. Just now, she had silently taken out three black-clad men, causing the remaining black-clad men to be like startled birds, abandoning their collective defense and hiding in dark places, each fighting for themselves, afraid of becoming the next target.

  The distant gunfire made her lose interest in continuing the chase, and she felt uneasy, a feeling she had never had before, never so tense alone.

  Neither side noticed a black figure silently approaching, and in the blink of an eye, it appeared behind the bonfire. The dazzling flames not only failed to illuminate its figure, alerting everyone, but instead concealed its figure behind the flames, making it completely invisible. The newcomer was none other than Ding Xuan Cheng, who had just taken out the sniper. The gun tip pierced into the bonfire, and with a surge of strength, the burning wood flew towards the location where the black-clad men were hiding in the forest. As the flames swept over their heads, the remaining black-clad men's hiding spots were instantly exposed.

  "Not good, quick flash..." One of the men in black shouted, and at this moment, he exposed his position, which was undoubtedly equivalent to a death sentence.

  Dada dada dada...

  After the gunshot, everyone found Ding Xuan Chen behind the bonfire. At this time, Ding Xuan Chen was like a heavenly god, holding an M16 in his hand, charging towards the hiding place of the black-clothed man, with flames spitting wildly.

  The bullets were like they had eyes, and with one burst of fire, the people in black fell down into a pool of blood.

  "My goodness......" A black-clad man who was a short distance away saw this scene and was frightened out of his wits, pulling up his legs and running.

  Bang...

  The Colt M2000 in Ruihua's hand rang out and shot the black-clad man's leg. With a stumble, the black-clad man fell to the ground.

  "Get up......" Ding Xuan Cheng used his spear to press against the black-clothed man's forehead.

  "Spare my life... spare my life..." The man in black grabbed his nose and tears with one hand.

  "Good-for-nothing." Ding Xuan's face twisted in a sneer as he spat out a mouthful of saliva, his foot pressed firmly on the black-clad man's chest, rendering him immobile.

  "Are you hurt?" Huo Yan walked over, his voice full of concern.

  "Haha, men without scars are often lacking in substance." Ding Xuan said with a sly smile.

  This kid is so arrogant, when will he ever learn? Severe blood loss can be fatal.

  "Who sent you?" Ding Xuan Cheng poked the black-clad man's head with his gun and asked viciously.

  "Don't kill me, I...I..." The man in black raised his hands in surrender, wagging them like a dead dog begging for mercy.

  Bang...

  A gunshot suddenly rang out in the jungle, and a hole appeared on the head of the man in black. Blood arrows sprayed from the wound, splashing onto Ding Xuan's body, with fresh blood mixed with brain pulp, and waves of nauseating bloody smell wafted up.

  "I'm not alone, there's still someone." Ding Xuan Cheng also became tense, the opponent was lurking around them, and neither he nor Re Huo had discovered it. If their opponent had targeted either of them just now, neither would have been able to escape.

  The hotter the fire, the more important experience becomes at this time. Suddenly turning around, holding a gun in the direction of the bullet's origin, although she didn't know where the opponent was hiding, but this could at least intimidate the opponent.

  Military boots trampled on the weeds and withered branches, making a crunching sound. A gigantic black shadow emerged from directly in front of the two people.

  They exchanged a glance, and both Ding Xuan and Huo Yan saw the shock in each other's hearts. The position where the black shadow appeared was different from the direction of the bullet, which means that when the shot was fired, the opponent should have been moving. In such a dim environment, it is possible to move while ensuring accuracy in shooting and not being discovered by anyone. The strength of the opponent can be imagined.

  In front of the bonfire, the black shadow stopped its figure. Ding Xuan Cheng and Re Huo saw clearly the face of the person who came.

  Almost two meters tall, with a large face and ears, typical of Northern Europeans, but his skin was bronze-colored, clearly exposed to the outdoors for an extended period, with a receding hairline, and a full beard, looking very majestic.

  "Who are you?" Ding Xuan Cheng stepped forward, blocking the heat behind him, standing between the man and the heat.

  A warmth in my heart, this kid is actually worried about himself, standing in front of me to prevent me from getting hurt? Am I that weak? No, men all like gentle and obedient women, huh, Huo Yan, remember! Remember!

  What a mess, what are you thinking about? As he thought of this, beads of sweat the size of beans dripped down from Huo Yan's cheeks.

  "Battle crazy." The newcomer replied simply, walked to the front of the tent and sat down, casually throwing the huge backpack on his back to the ground, reached out to remove the guns from both sides, placed them on the backpack, and looked at the two with a carefree gaze, as if Ding Xuan and Re Huo posed no threat to him.

  In the fiery eyes, a flash of reverence and fear appeared. Crazy War, the Desert King, one of the top mercenaries in the Middle East. How did he end up here? Although Hot Fire had made some name for himself in the mercenary world with the help of the warship "War Eagle", compared to Crazy War, it was like a small trickster meeting a great magician.

  "Why did you kill him?" Ding Xuan Cheng pointed to the black-clad man's corpse on the ground, lying sprawled out beside Kuang Zhan, with an air of relaxation and ease as if they were old friends chatting.

  He was taken aback by the sudden heat, could it be that this kid knew Crazy War? Impossible, he's just an ordinary student at Shanghai Jiao Tong University, how could he possibly know a mercenary like Crazy War who is covered in blood?

  "Because I also know the answer you want, he has no value in living." Kuang Zhan didn't waste any words, let out a sly laugh and stared at Ding Xuan Cheng.

  Darkness enveloped him, and from the moment Crazy War appeared, Ding Xuan felt an intangible pressure. He had no idea who Crazy War was, although he was called a genius by the War Eagles, but that only applied to his understanding of military equipment and shooting skills. As for mercenaries, he was like a blank sheet of paper, how could he possibly know Crazy War, let alone know that the burly man sitting next to him was known as the King of the Desert. However, the pressure from Crazy War made Ding Xuan clearly understand that this guy was not simple, he was a master.

  "Now you can tell me the answer." Although his opponent was strong, Ding Xuan didn't show any sign of giving up. He was like a spring, the tighter he was pressed, the greater his explosive force and rebound would be.

  "They were all third-rate mercenaries brought in from outside by the Eagle King." Kuang Zhan pulled out a half cigar from his pocket, lit it and started smoking.

  "Ah……" After hearing Kuang Zhan's words, Ding Xuan Cheng and Re Huo simultaneously went stupid. These people were brought by Eagle King, why? Could it be that Eagle King wanted to test my standards? No way, just now these people clearly wanted to kill us, not like they were just testing or anything! The more Ding Xuan Cheng thought about it, the more confused he became.

  "You're being hailed as a genius by the War Eagles, and it's no wonder why. I just watched your performance from the shadows, especially when you took out that sniper with an M16 despite getting hurt - it was absolutely brilliant! No wonder Hawk King and Old Jack hold you in such high esteem." Crazy Warfare smiled faintly.

  "Why did the Eagle King do this?" Ding Xuan didn't understand.

  "What you lack now is actual combat experience, and these people are obviously the best targets for you to practice on." Kuang Zhan glanced at Ding Xuan Cheng.

  "Is it?" Ding Xuan also knew that what he lacked was experience, but for Eagle King to do this, he couldn't quite accept it.

  "A mercenary's experience is always bought with blood, and even a genius has no shortcut." Kuang Zhan knew what Ding Xuan was thinking, so he patted his shoulder.

  Watching Kuang Zhan and Ding Xuan Cheng chatting easily, Huo Yan was somewhat surprised. Facing Kuang Zhan, she could clearly feel the intangible pressure on this evil god's body, and she almost exhausted all her strength to barely hold on. Ding Xuan Cheng, as a newcomer, could face him with ease, was he really a genius like others said?

  "The Eagle King made a mistake, actually using people of this caliber to test me." Ding Xuan Cheng sneered and curled his lips, he didn't feel any pressure from those black-clothed men at all.

  "You think it's that simple and it's all over? How naive! The War God laughed maniacally, his demeanor extremely arrogant."

  "Huh?" Ding Xuan felt that Eagle King might still have some assessment projects, and they were related to Crazy War.

  "I am your ultimate test for this level." Kuang Zhan stirred the fire with a branch in his hand, and the flames grew stronger.

  "Is that so?" Ding Xuan Cheng couldn't help but laugh, he had figured out one thing, why after the Crazy War appeared, there was always a kind of faint pressure lurking in the shadows. That pressure should be the legendary killing aura, because Crazy War would engage in combat with Ding Xuan Cheng, and in his heart, he had already regarded Ding Xuan Cheng as an opponent or even an enemy, that's why the killing aura would uncontrollably overflow.

  Re Huo was shocked and reached out to grab Ding Xuan's arm.

  "No way, you can't accept this school." The intense tension made both Ding Xuan and Kuang Zhan somewhat astonished.

  "Why?" Ding Xuan Cheng scratched his head in confusion.

  "Do you know what kind of person he is?" Huo asked with burning eyes.

  "I don't know, he should be a master, looks like it?" Ding Xuan Cheng smiled foolishly.

  Kuang Zhan looked at Ding Xuan's appearance and couldn't help but laugh, this kid is really a wooden fish, I am not an ordinary expert.

  "He is a top mercenary known as the King of the Desert, Crazy War." Hot Fire spoke with a very determined gaze.

  "Little girl, it's no use saying you don't agree, I've already promised the Eagle King. If you try to stop me again, I'll destroy everything." Kuang Zhan stood up and patted off the dust that had accumulated on his clothes.

  "He's a student I brought, or an unqualified mercenary, a rookie. You've been famous for your fierce battles, and you're going to deal with this rookie? Are you kidding me?" The argument started heating up.

  "We're all mercenaries, have you forgotten what that means? As long as we accept the mission, everything in our way must be eliminated. What about newbies? In my eyes, he's already a target. If his abilities aren't enough to protect himself, then it's his own bad luck." Kuang Zhan coldly stared at Re Huo.

  A strong pressure emanated from Kuang Zhan's body, and Huo Yan was somewhat out of breath, unable to continue arguing.

  Ding Xuan's body shape shifted left, horizontally crossing between the two people, and suddenly the heat and flames all over his body relaxed.

  "I accept your challenge, but I have a condition." Ding Xuan said, looking at Kuang Zhan.

  Kuang Zhan couldn't help but secretly praise him, Ding Xuan Cheng this kid has great potential, under his pressure, very few people can talk and laugh freely, but Ding Xuan Cheng is like a person who doesn't care.

  "Speak up? In our line of work, the winner is king and the loser is a bandit." Crazy War lazily yawned.

  "You lost, and the title of Desert King is mine now." Ding Xuan said excitedly.

  Kuang Zhan was taken aback, and the expression on Ding Xuan's face reminded him of himself many years ago. At that time, he wasn't as powerful as he is now, but he had a fearless spirit, a sense of invincibility, and an aura that commanded respect. However, since his last defeat, although his abilities have improved, his mental state, especially his fighting spirit, has been somewhat diminished compared to the past.

  "It's settled then." Kuang Zhan smiled maniacally, picked up his gear and slung his pack over his shoulder.

  "Tomorrow, from sunrise to sunset, if you can survive, the title of King of the Desert will be yours." Before the words had even fallen, the figure of Crazy War had already disappeared into the darkness.

  "Are you crazy?" Huo Yan glared at Ding Xuan Chen with some anger.

  "How could this be? Heartbreaking." Ding Xuan Cheng sneered with a sly smile, unwilling to let go of this opportunity to take advantage.

  "I'm not in the mood to fool around with you, he's the Desert King, a mad warrior. When you were still in your mother's womb, he was already making a name for himself in the Middle East. After one war, he became famous and was hailed as the Desert King, implying that he's the number one in the Middle East. For so many years, no one has ever been able to shake his position. You can't even survive in the wilderness, yet you dare to take him on? Aren't you just asking for death?" Hot Fire said indignantly.

  "Do you think it's over if you just don't respond?" Ding Xuan Cheng sneered with a smile.

  "What?" Huo Yan was taken aback.

  "Just now, there were two times he almost made a move, that kind of invisible pressure suddenly became stronger, but unexpectedly this old guy endured it. I won't agree, neither of us can leave this thicket alive. If I die tomorrow, at least you can still live." Ding Xuan looked at Huo Yan with complex eyes.

  Re Huo's face was flushed, and Ding Xuan Cheng's complicated eyes revealed some of his true feelings. Re Huo couldn't bear to look at him and turned away. His pretty face turned red, and his heart was in a mess. It took him a while to calm down, but when he looked around, there was no one left beside him. The sound of Ding Xuan Cheng's peaceful snoring came from the tent.

  "Hey... this is my tent, Ding Xuan Cheng is like a dead pig, can't be woken up no matter how hard I push him. His dirty hands are still clutching the clean undershirt he was about to change into, maybe he's having a nice dream. Ding Xuan Cheng has a very silly smile on his face."