novelhk Chapter 38: Goblin Camp Discovered!
Chapter 38: Goblin Camp Discovered!
Before Zhong Chengyu's three roommates could even raise their shields properly, the battle was already over.
"Is this... the power of sophisticated weaponry?"
They stared blankly at Jiang Ming, who was shaking the blood off his sword by the river, and Wang Yang, who was spitting on the corpse, and once again deeply understood what "gap" meant.
Li Bin looked at the golf club in his hand, which was still dripping with venom. He had just killed one of the goblins, and he was deeply impressed by how the goblin convulsed and foamed at the mouth after being poisoned.
"Quickly gather the spoils and throw the bodies into the river to wash them away." Jiang Ming sheathed his sword, his tone as calm as if he were talking about throwing away trash. "The smell of blood will attract the big guys."
The group quickly cleaned up the battlefield and then washed off the grime by the river.
Although there was no soap, I felt much refreshed after simply washing away the sticky blood plasma.
"Brother Jiang, which way to go next?" Zhong Chengyu now listened to Jiang Ming's every word and took the initiative to ask.
Jiang Ming thought for a moment, then pointed in the direction from which the goblins had rushed out: "They came from that direction, which means there might be a gathering place or nest for them over there."
"We're going to... raid their home base?" Wang Yang excitedly waved his axe.
"Let's go take a look first." Jiang Ming didn't rule out any possibility. "It would be best if we could raid their base. If not, we can still kill a few goblins to level up."
The group waded through a waist-deep river and ventured into the dense forest on the opposite bank.
The trees here are even taller than the ones we came from, almost completely blocking out the sunlight. The ground is covered with a thick layer of humus, which feels soft and spongy underfoot.
Jiang Ming led his team through ankle-high grass for about two hundred meters.
A commotion and a pungent smell of smoke could be faintly heard from ahead.
"stop."
Jiang Ming made a gesture, and everyone immediately stopped and lowered their bodies.
He slowly moved forward, using the bushes as cover.
Through the dense foliage, a chilling scene unfolded before everyone's eyes.
It was a campsite located in a forest clearing.
A rough wooden fence enclosed a circle, inside which were a dozen or so simple tents made of animal hides and branches.
In the center of the camp, several campfires burned, with unidentified ingredients on top, including sheep's heads and large chunks of meat, all sizzling and dripping with oil.
But this is not the point.
The key is quantity.
"One, two, three..." Li Bin lay down next to Jiang Ming, pushed up his glasses, and said in a slightly dry voice, "There are at least twenty of them that we can see."
The camp was full of green-skinned figures.
There were ordinary goblins waving wooden sticks around, goblin warriors sharpening their axes by the fire, and even two muscular giants nearly 1.7 meters tall standing at the entrance of the largest tent.
【Goblin Thug (Lv.6)】
[Danger Level: Medium]
Jiang Ming's pupils contracted slightly.
Monsters of this caliber possess strength far exceeding that of normal humans. Even with his Ghost Face Shield, he couldn't withstand the combined attack of these two goblin thugs.
"This...this is hopeless, right?" Wang Yang swallowed hard, his excitement vanishing instantly. "If we charge in, we'll probably be chopped into mincemeat."
"Don't worry, there's more over there."
Jiang Ming stared at the woods on the other side of the camp.
A green figure appeared there.
Another group of goblins emerged from the woods over there.
Leading the way was an elderly goblin riding a goblin thug and wielding a staff, followed by a dozen well-equipped guards who dragged a dozen dead wild deer, sheep, and... several strangely dressed human corpses as they swaggered into the camp.
The already crowded campsite instantly became even noisier.
"More than a dozen more have arrived..." Zhong Chengyu's face darkened. "That makes forty or fifty now, doesn't it? Is this the goblin's stronghold?"
Jiang Ming didn't speak, but just stared intently at the old goblin.
Goblin Shaman (Lv.8 - Elite)
[Danger Level: High]
This was no longer prey that their six-man team could handle.
No matter how good their equipment or how well they coordinate, if they face an enemy ten times their size, along with what appears to be mages and heavy infantry, charging in would be suicide.
"withdraw."
Jiang Ming made a decisive decision and led everyone back to the riverbank quietly.
Only when they could no longer hear any movement from the camp did they dare to breathe heavily.
"Damn, that scared the hell out of me." Wang Yang plopped down on the cobblestones, wiping the cold sweat from his forehead. "That old thing, just looking at it gives me the creeps."
"That camp has already grown quite large." Li Bin leaned against a tree, his brow furrowed. "And it's not far from the school. If they discover the school..."
The consequences could be disastrous.
To those bloodthirsty monsters, thousands of unarmed students were nothing more than a buffet delivered to their doorstep.
"What do we do then?" Zhong Chengyu asked anxiously. "We can't just pretend we didn't see them, can we? What if they sneak over at night..."
"With just the six of us, we definitely can't wipe out that camp." Jiang Ming drew a circle on the ground with the tip of his sword to represent the camp, and then drew six dots next to it.
"A direct confrontation would be suicidal, but if left unchecked, they will eventually expand."
Jiang Ming raised his head, his gaze sweeping over his five teammates before finally looking in the direction of the school.
"We don't have enough manpower, but we have people at the school."
"You mean..." Li Bin reacted the fastest, his eyes lighting up instantly, "Looking for help?"
"Help?" Wang Yang curled his lip. "Those cowards at school? They'd pee their pants at the sight of a mouse. What use are they? To feed the goblins?"
"They don't necessarily have to be good fighters." Jiang Ming's lips curled into a cold smile. "The biggest problem in that camp is the sheer number of people. We need people to draw fire, we need people to divide the battlefield, we need people... to be cannon fodder."
Upon hearing the words "cannon fodder," Zhong Chengyu and the others couldn't help but shudder.
"Moreover, there must be a lot of good stuff in that camp," Jiang Ming continued. "I just saw that the shaman's staff was inlaid with gems, and those thugs were wearing metal armor. These are the most scarce resources at this stage."
"Then how do we get them to come with us?" Wang Yang scratched his head. "I reckon those guys will all run away when they see this."
"Many hands make light work—that's their misconception, and it's also our opportunity."
Jiang Ming stood up, dusted himself off, and sheathed his black iron longsword.
"Go back and tell them that we found a 'resource point' outside. There's meat and equipment inside, but there are a lot of monsters. We need to cooperate and team up to farm them."
"Pack that camp as a 'copy'," Li Bin continued Jiang Ming's train of thought, pushing up his glasses, a glint of shrewdness flashing in his eyes. "Tell them that as long as they follow us, they'll get a share of the spoils."
"Especially those people in the student council." Jiang Ming sneered. "Doesn't Wei Yuan want to seize power? Doesn't he want to be a leader? He certainly won't let go of such a good opportunity to 'show off'."
"As long as we bring them out, how we fight, who we fight, when we retreat..." Jiang Ming gripped the ghost-faced round shield tightly, his voice deep and powerful, "that's up to us."
Wang Yang was stunned. Finally, he gave a thumbs up and said, "Godfather, it has to be you. You're really ruthless."
"This is called making rational use of resources."
Jiang Ming turned around and strode towards the school.
"Let's go back to school and get more people."
"Let's form a 50-person raid and wipe out that goblin camp!"