Chapter 26: Shadows in the Forest

Li Meng waved his hand decisively.

"Scatter! Gobuda, Gobuka, Gobuba, let's go!"

The group of goblins gathered in front of the wooden hut scattered in all directions.

Soon after, Li Meng led three hunting teams westward, leaving the tribe.

That night, the forest was eerily silent.

In the darkness, small shadows occasionally flitted past.

This world had both magical beasts and ordinary animals.

Creatures with magic crystals were classified as magical beasts, while those without were considered ordinary animals.

Suddenly, rustling sounds echoed from the depths of the forest.

Before long, the sound grew louder and closer.

Moments later, a large swarm of shadows emerged, spreading across the forest and moving in the same direction.

The crunching sound of dried leaves underfoot echoed throughout the forest.

Among the moving shadows was Li Meng.

This time, Li Meng had not brought Benben along.

Benben's bulky size made stealthy actions difficult.

Li Meng's goal this time was to collect Ghost Spider webs, avoiding battles as much as possible.

Five days had passed since leaving the tribe.

During these five days, the hunting team had hunted while steadily approaching the Ghost Spider Forest.

The tribe was not far from the Ghost Spider Forest—approximately 20 kilometers in a straight line.

If they marched at full speed, they could reach it within a day.

"Boss, it smells like a swamp!"

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In the dark, Gobuqiang identified the scent and approached his leader.

Li Meng also caught the damp and decaying scent in the air.

The smell of a swamp indicated that they were close to the Ghost Spider Forest.

Meanwhile, not far from the goblin hunting team, shadows were hiding in the underbrush.

"The noise is loud—it’s goblins!"

"There are too many of them. Be careful not to get discovered!"

"They won't notice us. We've smeared ourselves with mud to disrupt their sense of smell."

"What should we do now?"

"Abu, once the goblins have gone far enough, return to the tribe and report to the High Priest."

Ada stared intently at the shadows moving through the forest.

Not long ago, its younger brother had been killed by goblins.

Though filled with hatred, it would not confront those vile creatures at night.

"What about you?"

"We’ll keep watching the goblins to see what they’re up to."

"Understood!"

Soon, the forest noise gradually faded away.

As the goblins moved farther, the forest grew silent once again.

Suddenly, there was a stir in the underbrush.

From the quivering bushes, a strong figure emerged.

"Be careful. I'm heading back."

In the darkness, whispers echoed through the forest.

Abu quickly turned and walked into the depths of the swamp-side forest.

"Whoosh!"

After only a few steps, a sharp whistling sound came from the right side of the forest.

"Thud!"

With a dull sound, Abu’s body jerked as if struck by an invisible force, flying five meters before crashing to the ground.

"Abu!"

The sudden event caused an exclamation from the bushes.

"Stay quiet!"

Sweating profusely, Ada covered its companion's mouth with a trembling hand.

It knew they might have been discovered by the goblins.

In another part of the forest, Li Meng stood holding a spear, his gaze fixed on the forest depths.

"Boss, it’s Lizardmen!"

Behind Li Meng, Gobuqiang looked at his leader with awe.

With one throw, the boss had hurled the spear over 100 meters, accurately hitting the Lizardman.

The distance, along with the numerous trees in the way, made such precision incredible.

Even ten—or twenty—of him couldn’t achieve the same feat.

Li Meng sniffed the air and listened to the sounds of the forest.

There were definitely more Lizardmen in the area—they never moved alone.

However, their exact hiding spots remained uncertain.

"Let’s go!"

After a long silence, Li Meng turned and left.

Gobuqiang sneered at the forest depths before following his leader with a grin.

Someday, he thought, the Lizardmen would be nothing more than waste in his belly.

Soon, the forest fell completely silent.

Half an hour later, whispers emerged from the bushes.

"Is it quiet? Did they leave?"

"Not sure, but they should be far away by now!"

Moments later, several sturdy figures emerged from the underbrush.

Ada rushed to check on Abu's body.

"Ada, how is he?"

"He’s dead. A long weapon pierced his body!"

Ada gripped the spear lodged in Abu's chest and yanked it free.

The weapon slid out with a wet sound.

"The goblins have found us but couldn’t pinpoint our location. Let’s go back!"

Moments later, the three Lizardmen carried their companion’s body and hurriedly retreated.

**Five hours later, in the swamp.**

The silver moonlight illuminated the swamp, driving back some of the darkness.

Compared to the forest, the swamp was vast, like an expansive plain dotted with countless puddles.

Ninety percent of the land was submerged in shallow water no more than 20 centimeters deep.

In the swamp lay a small island with a cluster of thatched huts.

That night, in a larger, roofless hut, moonlight poured in, slightly dispelling the darkness.

"High Priest, this is the goblins’ weapon!"

Kneeling respectfully, Ada presented the spear with both hands.

Before it sat a Lizardman covered in snow-white scales, shimmering under the moonlight.

Despite being a Lizardman, its figure was graceful and alluring.

It extended a slender hand and took the spear.

The white Lizardman examined the weapon, running its fingers over the spearhead.

"This is iron—something only humans use!"

Humans?

Ada’s eyes flickered with surprise as it recalled human adventurers from years ago.

Though those humans also used iron weapons, they were different in quality from the goblins’ tools.

"Though it’s iron, the quality is far inferior to human weapons!"

The white Lizardman set the spear aside and looked at an elder sitting nearby.

"Elder Adao, we cannot allow these goblins to pollute our swamp!"

Its voice was soft, but its gaze brimmed with loathing.

No race in this world liked goblins.

The elder Lizardman opened his eyes, stood, and strode out.

"Do not worry, High Priest. These goblins are nothing to fear!"

As the elder disappeared, the white Lizardman looked at the spear, deep in thought.