The three-goblin squad

The long-dormant encirclement remained silent without any warning. Suddenly, the thick, stagnant fog surged violently, the air currents in the forest became turbulent and volatile, and the once still white fog transformed into layers of killing intent, completely sealing off all of Lu Heng's escape routes, lines of sight, and blind spots.

A chill instantly enveloped my entire body.

Lu Heng's mind tensed instantly, and all his muscles tensed up, entering a state of absolute combat readiness.

The thick layer of decaying leaves beneath my feet trembled slightly as the mycelium of the Blood Taisui Mycelium silently spread out, its fine, spiderweb-like veins deeply embedded in the soil, constructing a warning and sensing network for the entire area. At the same time, strands of fibrous Mycelium followed the texture of my skin, covering my entire body and forming a thin yet tough invisible protective layer on my skin, closely guarding against any sudden attacks.

The Star Blade was held steadily in front of him, its blade concealing its faint light and revealing no trace of his presence, awaiting the surprise attack from the demon lurking in the shadows.

The next second, three completely different figures simultaneously broke through the fog and attacked from three directions and three heights. Their coordination was perfect, without a single mistake, as if it were a fixed hunting routine that had been honed a thousand times.

The first to arrive were the Goblin Assassin hidden in the high-altitude fog.

Its body was thin and withered, its skin dark, blending perfectly into the gray-white mist. Its movements—running, leaping, and landing—were completely silent, without a single extra movement. It had utterly abandoned direct confrontation, deeply understanding the unpredictable art of assassination within the fog. Taking advantage of the dense fog obscuring its vision, it suddenly lunged forward, its dark, short blade gleaming coldly, its aim extremely ruthless, fixed on Lu Heng's vital chest.

Almost simultaneously, the overwhelming force landed with a deafening crash.

The Silver Tier Goblin Warrior, clad in a full set of heavy Black Iron armor, possessed a burly and imposing physique. Wielding Giant Bone Battle Axe, he charged forward, crushing through the mist. Each step he took caused the decaying leaves to tremble slightly. The heavy axe strikes crushed down from above, completely blocking Lu Heng's every move—left, right, retreat, or advance—using absolute power to lock down his rhythm and forcibly distract him.

And in the deep fog dozens of meters behind, the last small figure stood silently.

It was the Goblin Mage.

Lu Heng's gaze swept quickly over the other person, and a distinct sense of difference instantly arose in his heart.

Along his journey, he encountered countless Goblin Mage. Whether they were scattered monsters wandering the outskirts or small groups of spellcasting units, almost all of them relied on Fireball to fight. The blazing firelight was conspicuous, the heat waves were explosive, and the elemental fluctuations were clearly emitted. Even through the thick fog, their trajectory could be easily tracked and anticipated for avoidance.

But this elite mage before them completely overturned all previous understandings.

There was no scorching heat wave around it, no condensed orange-red fireball, and no outward release of explosive elemental fluctuations.

Throughout the entire process, it relied solely on its own Mental Energy, gently yet forcefully drawing the dense fog across the entire forest area.

What was originally just a simple natural white mist that obscured the naked eye's vision was completely transformed under its control. The mist became viscous and stagnant, carrying with it fragmented and chaotic mental shocks, layer upon layer, constantly squeezing, consuming, and stripping away Lu Heng's outward mental perception.

Vision was obscured by fog, and perception was suppressed by magic.

All the sounds of wind, fog, and swaying branches in the surrounding area were assimilated by the Spell Fog Field, with real and false movements overlapping and greatly interfering with the rhythm of prediction.

System diagnostic prompts kept popping up in my mind.

[Target detected: Silver Tier Goblin Assassin]

[Target detected: Silver Tier Goblin Warrior]

[Target detected: Silver Tier Goblin Mage]

The brief three-line prompt caused Lu Heng's heart to sink completely.

These three monsters are definitely not ordinary Silver units scattered around the perimeter.

The assassin's ultimate stealth and silent killing moves, the warrior's heavy armor and frontal positioning, and the mage's exclusive Fog-Type Mental Suppression. The three have clear roles, complement each other in offense and defense, and coordinate their advances and retreats. Every tactical detail has been honed to perfection. There are no flaws, no weaknesses, and they support and complement each other, making them a truly elite hunting squad.

In a flash, Lu Heng finally understood the ultimate reason why all the survivors in the Mist Forest were wiped out.

Ordinary survivors have far less stable mental perception than him, and they don't have the Blood Taisui protecting them. Once they step into the Inner Region and encounter such an elite squad, their detection abilities will be locked down by the mist mage from the start, rendering them blind.

The assassins then launched endless sneak attacks from the fog, continuously reaping losses; the warriors pushed forward head-on, locking down the formation and eliminating any chance of retreat and regrouping.

One link leads to another, each layer of restraint creates an unsolvable problem.

Even with a numerical advantage, they will eventually be gradually eroded.

Thoughts flashed by in an instant, and a deadly attack was already upon them.

The Mist Assassin's fighting style is cunning and ruthless, with an extremely fast pace. Taking advantage of gaps in their perception being disrupted, their figure appears and disappears in the white mist, their movements are completely unpredictable, and each appearance is aimed directly at a fatal body spot.

The first cold glint suddenly shot out.

Disrupted by the fog, Lu Heng's mental anticipation was half a step slower, and he didn't have time to completely dodge to the side.

Clang!

The jet-black short blade pierced precisely into the chest.

The Blood Taisui Mycelium covering his body hardened instantly in response to the stress, its thousands of veins taut and intertwined, enduring the deadly piercing. The sharp edge sliced through the surface of the Mycelium, creating fine cracks, and the powerful impact of the piercing traveled through the fungus layer, sending a shiver of numbness through Lu Heng's chest.

Before he could regain his footing, the thick fog surged and shifted once more.

The assassin used the opportunity to conceal himself, instantly circling to a side angle, and then delivered a second chest stab, faster and at a more sinister and unexpected angle.

The Blood Taisui Mycelium still desperately held on, hardening its protective layer and stubbornly blocking the deadly attack. However, after two consecutive punctures, the protective layer on its surface was damaged more and more severely, and the fine fragments of Mycelium drifted away with the mist, greatly weakening its protective state.

The Goblin Warrior in front of them didn't stop for a moment.

The giant axe slammed, swept, and pressed down relentlessly, while the heavily armored figure advanced step by step, relentlessly compressing Lu Heng's space to move. Whenever Lu Heng's attention was drawn to the assassin in the mist, the ferocious axe blows would instantly press down on his face, forcing him to parry and exhausting his stamina and reflexes.

The mage's fog-based suppression never ceased.

A continuous stream of Mental Energy poured into the dense fog, constantly eroding Lu Heng's perception range, creating countless false movements and phantom images in the fog, constantly disrupting his rhythm, and creating more openings and opportunities for the assassin's sneak attack.

Within moments, the assassin broke through the fog for the third time, his cold light flashing once more, still locking onto the vital spot in the chest.

Lu Heng hastily turned his Star Blade to parry, but his movements were ultimately a fraction too slow.

The short blade struck the body's protective layer again, causing the cracks to spread further, and the Blood Taisui's protective silk layer was almost on the verge of breaking.

Lu Heng frowned slightly.

He had tried his best to break down the offensive, switch to defense, and predict the movement, but the coordination of this elite squad was simply too unstoppable.

The heavily armored warriors immediately blocked the path of the mage who attempted to rush in and kill him.

To deal with the warrior head-on, the Assassin in the Mist relentlessly attacks any openings, forcing him to retreat and defend.

The attempt to pinpoint the assassin's location was hampered by the persistent suppression of mental perception by the dense fog, making it extremely difficult to track their movements.

Throughout the entire process, they were passively pulled along, constrained at every turn, and controlled at every step.

Even with the Star Blade in hand, the Blood Taisui protecting him, and his spiritual perception far surpassing that of ordinary people, Lu Heng was still being held back by this extremely well-coordinated Silver Elite team, locked in a fierce battle, and under immense pressure.