The Half-Orc Camp (Please Add to Favorites)

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[You killed a Fang Orc (Level 1). You gained 16 experience points.]

As the Plague Cutter in Gu Su's hand came crashing down, the last Fang Orc's skull was sliced almost entirely off.

Warm blood gushed out, splattering the leaves strewn across the ground. At last, the brutal ambush came to a complete end.

Gu Su slowly put away the Plague Cutter and turned to survey the battlefield. A trace of solemnity crossed his eyes.

His losses in this battle had been far greater than he'd expected.

Of the five elite skeletons, three had fallen in battle. The other two were covered in shattered bones, badly battered and seriously injured. They could barely stand.

The eleven ordinary skeletons had suffered even heavier losses. Six had fallen in battle, three were seriously injured and unable to move, and only two had sustained minor damage and could still move with difficulty.

The only consolation was the spellcaster skeleton squad. The two skeletons capable of casting spells had already run out of mana and swayed slightly, but were uninjured.

The other spellcaster skeleton, who couldn't cast spells, had only suffered a few minor knocks to its bones. It was a minor injury and nothing serious.

Still, every loss came with a gain. This bloody battle hadn't been entirely fruitless.

After counting them, he found they'd killed a total of thirty-one Fang Orcs, several more than White Crow had spotted earlier.

What's more, these orcs were clearly much stronger than Gu Su had expected. Besides the large blades and heavy clubs in their hands, many of them wore crude but sturdy leather armor that offered far more protection than ordinary monsters.

The dead orcs' bodies, weapons, and leather armor were all tangible spoils, enough to make up for some of the losses among his undead.

Gu Su's gaze moved between the orc corpses strewn across the ground and his battered skeletons. After a moment of silence, he gave a firm order: "The seriously injured should rest here and recover their strength. Those with minor injuries, come with me."

At first, he'd planned to have the seriously injured skeletons carry one orc corpse each and the lightly injured ones carry two, taking some of the bodies back to the Graveyard Demon to be turned into new undead as quickly as possible. Then they could return for the rest.

But as soon as the idea occurred to him, he rejected it.

The skeletons were already weakened, and they wouldn't be able to carry many corpses. It would take too much time and effort for too little gain.

If they could use vines, planks, and branches to put together some carts or simple stretchers, they could transport a large number of bodies at once. That would be far more efficient than having the skeletons carry them.

Once he'd thought it through, Gu Su immediately changed his order. "Gather all the vines, planks, and branches we used to set the traps. As quickly as possible!"

Then he looked at the lightly injured spellcaster skeleton and beckoned. "You, come with me to check out their camp."

At his command, the skeletons immediately got to work, gathering the scattered materials in an orderly fashion.

Gu Su, meanwhile, stepped out of the woods and headed toward the orc camp.

The orc camp was not far from the woods, only a few dozen meters away. Gu Su hurried forward and soon emerged from the shadows of the trees. Before him lay a strangely constructed camp.

The camp hadn't been built as a temporary shelter. The orcs had made use of the ruins of a collapsed two-story building and pieced together a structure from rough timber and animal hides they'd gathered. It was crude, but reasonably orderly.

Gu Su stopped and looked around carefully. A low fence of sharpened logs surrounded the camp.

Dried animal bones and vines were also wrapped around the fence. They could keep beasts out and serve as warning signals.

A few tufts of orc hair and dried blood were scattered in the gaps between the logs, suggesting that fights broke out here often.

He stepped into the camp, his gaze first landing on a huge cooking pot suspended over the central fire.

The iron pot's rim was covered in dark brown rust and grease, and it had clearly been used for a long time. Bubbles rose and popped in the pot, where something greenish and sticky was cooking. A strange, fishy stench mixed with the smoky smell of burning wood, making it hard to breathe.

He narrowed his eyes and tried to make out what was inside, but couldn't tell whether it was meat or some other kind of refuse. He could just barely see a few irregular chunks of meat and some unfamiliar wild greens floating in it.

Several nearly burned-out logs lay around the fire. A few charred wild fruits were buried in the ashes, probably leftovers from the orcs' meal.

But to Gu Su, this was good stuff.

Whatever was cooking in the pot, the pot itself was incredibly useful to him.

The chicken soup he'd had that morning had been cooked in a plastic bucket he'd found, propped over a fire. The soup had been tainted with a pungent plastic taste that made it hard to swallow, and he still remembered that awful flavor.

If he could take this pot back to the Graveyard Demon, cooking would be much easier from then on. He could enjoy his meals more without having to put up with the strange taste of food cooked in a plastic bucket.

At the thought, Gu Su quickened his pace and strode farther into the camp. His gaze swept over the surroundings as he silently took stock of its layout and useful supplies.

The farther he went into the camp, the more he could tell the orcs had carefully planned it out.

Although the place still looked crude and cluttered, its different areas were clearly laid out.

The area on the left, near the building ruins, was the sleeping area. Thick layers of dry grass and several intact animal hides had been laid out there, with a few worn pieces of hemp clothing scattered on top. Several animal-hide bags were piled nearby.

When he opened them, he found dried wild fruits and large chunks of roots that he couldn't identify. They were probably the orcs' food stores.

Beside the sleeping area was an armory. The orcs had used the wall of the collapsed building to make a simple shelter, where more than a dozen weapons were piled up. Besides the usual large blades and heavy clubs, there were several sharpened stone axes and spears.

The wooden shafts of the spears were wrapped in vines for a better grip, while their tips had been fashioned from hard animal bones and gleamed with a cold light.

Several rolls of sturdy animal hide and some shaved logs were piled in the corner. The orcs had probably planned to use them to make new weapons.

The right side of the camp was the storehouse, where a large quantity of firewood had been stacked in reasonably neat piles.

Several enormous clay jars stood nearby. They were filled with cloudy liquid. When Gu Su leaned closer to smell it, he caught only a strong, fishy stench. It was probably animal blood the orcs had stored.

A few fresh hides lay beside the jars, their blood still wet. They must have come from beasts the orcs had hunted not long ago.

Several lengths of hemp rope and a few smooth stones lay scattered at the storehouse entrance. Their purpose was unclear.

The ruins of the collapsed two-story building formed the heart of the camp.

Strange patterns had been carved into the surviving walls, like orc totems. Several dried animal heads hung there, their fangs bared and faces twisted into ferocious expressions. They were probably trophies the orcs used to show off their strength.

A few broken stone slabs and some rubble were piled in a corner of the ruins. Perhaps the orcs had planned to use them to reinforce the camp.

Gu Su slowly scanned every corner of the camp, not overlooking even the smallest scraps. A look of understanding crossed his eyes.

Clearly, the orcs hadn't just stopped here temporarily. They'd truly made this place a long-term base, carefully arranging it and settling in for an extended stay.

Judging by their food stores and weapons, the orcs had been camped here for quite some time. They'd even established a simple system for daily life and combat.

When Gu Su reached the deepest part of the camp, his brow furrowed.