"Gurgle, gurgle."
"Wah!"
"Wah, wah."
"...!"
Faint noises drifted from deep within the jungle.
Tang Zheng's eyes flashed. He stopped, pricked up his ears, and listened as the indistinct sounds gradually became clearer.
Something was coming this way, and there were quite a few of them!
Tang Zheng narrowed his eyes and swept his gaze over the surroundings. He quickly picked out a relatively thick tree, then quietly moved behind it and pressed himself against the trunk to wait.
Time passed bit by bit.
The familiar "wah wah" cries rang out from time to time, making Tang Zheng's eyes light up.
He had dealt with plenty of Goblins before. These were clearly Goblin calls!
Sure enough.
This place was already close to the Ogre territory!
Tang Zheng remained pressed against the thick trunk, leaning his head slightly forward as he turned to look in the direction the sounds were coming from.
Very soon!
A group of thirteen Goblins entered Tang Zheng's field of vision.
These Goblins wore tattered, ill-fitting clothes. Some had even pulled cut-off trouser legs over their heads as hats.
Dressed like that, they looked just like refugees.
Yet Tang Zheng's gaze sharpened noticeably, because among all the Goblins he had seen, this was the only group in which every Goblin wore clothes, no matter how ragged those clothes were.
The Goblins he had encountered before had basically been naked!
What surprised Tang Zheng most was that the two Goblins walking at the front each held an iron weapon, though they were only forks.
Following the Goblins at the front, he looked toward the rear.
For the first time, a clear change appeared on Tang Zheng's face.
Several Goblins at the back were struggling to carry bloodied, mangled corpses as they followed behind the Goblins in front.
People!
Tang Zheng's expression turned grim.
There were five corpses in total. Judging by their builds and clothing, they were likely three men and two women. Their dark, rough arms hung down and dragged along the ground.
That made Tang Zheng realize that these people were probably Farmers from nearby villages.
Although he was currently in the Great Forest of Tob, he was still on its outermost edge. To the north lay the forest's depths, while heading south would take him out of the Great Forest of Tob and into a wilderness-like region.
Continuing south, one would find a dirt road extending from E-Rantel.
There were quite a few villages in this area.
Compared with Carne Village, which lay within the territory of Hamsuke, the Wise King of the Forest, the villages around the Ogre territory and the Demon Snake of the West's territory were far less safe.
That was why the Adventurer's Guild in E-Rantel had long maintained missions to exterminate magical beasts, Goblins, and the like.
"Wah, wah."
The Goblin at the front seemed to feel that they were moving too slowly. It shouted angrily at the ones behind it, its tusks protruding from its mouth with a savage air.
Hearing the howl, the Goblins carrying the corpses behind it showed frightened expressions on their green faces and continued forward with effort.
Throughout the entire process, the Goblins never noticed Tang Zheng hiding behind the tree.
He watched expressionlessly as the Goblin group passed before him.
Tang Zheng lightly turned the hilt of his sword, lifted his foot, and followed them with soft steps, trailing behind the Goblin group.
Though there were many Goblins, they were no trouble!
In the New World, ordinary civilian Farmers were usually around Level 1. With training, they had a chance of reaching Level 2.
Ordinary Goblins were around that level as well. After all, as a Demi-Human Species, they did possess some racial advantages.
Thus, dealing with these Goblins would not be difficult.
However.
Based on their actions, Tang Zheng guessed that they were most likely returning to their tribe.
Once he realized that.
Tang Zheng naturally had no hurry to deal with them immediately.
As he followed the Goblin group deeper into the Great Forest of Tob, Tang Zheng could clearly feel that the surrounding trees and bushes were growing increasingly lush.
The atmosphere of the Forest began to change. Most noticeably, the light suddenly dimmed significantly, and an invisible sense of oppression seemed to spread through the woods.
Tang Zheng flipped his palm and took out a pocket watch from his Item Box. It was only around three in the afternoon, yet the dimness around him made it feel as though evening had already arrived.
"They probably haven't gone too deep."
Tang Zheng looked at the Goblins carrying corpses at the rear, his eyes flickering. At the same time, he raised his iron sword and lightly carved two marks into a large tree beside him.
In such a vast primeval forest, losing one's sense of direction would be both troublesome and dangerous.
Naturally, Tang Zheng had come prepared.
Aside from leaving his own markings on trees along the way, he had also kept a large bag of specially purchased lime powder in his Item Box.
He was still in the outer region of the Forest and could clearly determine his bearings, so there was no need to use the lime powder for now.
Next!
Tang Zheng followed the Goblins for roughly another ten minutes. He was certain that they were about to reach their tribe.
That was because he could already smell the stench permeating the air—a rotten odor mixed with something like foul socks and rotten eggs, an indescribable reek.
Very soon.
An unexpectedly open patch appeared amid the dense jungle filled with thick, towering trees.
It was not particularly large, only about one and a half basketball courts in size. The entire area had clearly been cleared, with no large, tall trees remaining.
The moment the Goblins entered, they immediately became livelier. The Goblins carrying the corpses at the rear, in particular, grew much more excited.
Tang Zheng swept his gaze across the area.
He saw quite a few animal skeletons, mixed with human leg bones and arms, casually discarded to one side.
Several thick animal hides of unknown origin had been spread on the ground near the center.
On one patch covered in withered yellow grass lay some rotten meat, with a large swarm of insects gathered around it.
The waves of foul stench in the air came from there.
What drew Tang Zheng's attention most was a thatched hut in the center of the area, clearly built from weeds and branches.
Tang Zheng examined it carefully, and a trace of confusion flashed through his eyes.
The hut was clearly far too large for the small Goblins, and more importantly, it was the only hut in the entire area. It seemed rather conspicuous.
Furthermore.
The number of Goblins was somewhat abnormal.
Not because there were too many, but because there were too few!
This was clearly a small Goblin tribe. Apart from the thirteen Goblins that had just returned, Tang Zheng could see only five Goblins staying behind in the tribe!
He was not sure whether there were any more Goblins inside that hut.
Yet there were far too few Goblins left behind. Although Tang Zheng could not distinguish Goblins' ages by their appearances, he could tell that the ones guarding the tribe were also clearly in their prime.
In other words.
This small Goblin tribe before him actually had no elderly or young members.
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