Chapter 29: Goblin Kingdom?

Li Ye picked up the telescope and looked, seeing a goblin charging out from a mine tunnel. The goblin was about the same size as an ordinary goblin, wearing a large safety helmet, a white undershirt, holding a coarse, heavy mining pickaxe, with a wrench at its waist. It was slightly hunched over, with small, fierce eyes. From its aura, this was clearly “Foreman Jeremy” who had descended upon the Glos Mine. “Don’t play dead on me—get up and work, you lazy bum!” Foreman Jeremy angrily kicked a goblin lying nearby. Then, the foreman looked at the fortress and trenches on the mountain that were blasted to pieces, and frowned. “Damn, how did it get destroyed like this... time to fix it!” He picked up his wrench and began repairs at a speed that left everyone dumbfounded. This field‐boss darted across the mine like lightning, repairing trenches, fortresses, blown‐out mine tunnels... wherever Foreman Jeremy went, it was like magic—everything was rebuilt anew, even gleaming. Before long, the mine’s defensive works were restored to their original state. The three of them were left gawking. “He seemed to take only about three minutes,” Li Jin spoke. “You even timed it,” Lei Jian sighed. Li Ye wiped the sweat from his forehead. That meant the efforts of the three mobile cities fighting for hours were completely undone. This field‐boss didn’t seem to have much combat power, but was clearly functional‐type. It and Glos Mine were symbiotic, making it extremely tricky. “If we want to win, maybe we have to seize the Glos Mine in one go?” Li Jin asked. Li Ye thought for a moment, then shook his head. “Hard.” The first wave of the three mobile cities was the strongest, best prepared, and most high‐spirited wave—but it only knocked out most of the mine’s defenses, not even breaching the interior. At present, a positional slog against the mine was clearly impossible. Just then, Li Ye suddenly had a flash of insight. “This field‐boss might repair defenses quickly, but it can’t heal or revive the fallen.” Li Jin and Lei Jian exchanged a glance, their eyes lighting up. “You mean...” “We focus on killing goblins, and once their manpower is depleted, they can’t hold the mine.” An hour later, the three mobile cities launched another attack. This time, their target wasn’t forts and walls, but goblins—especially those in large numbers in trenches and fortresses. As companions fell one by one, the goblins quickly realized their intentions. “Damn humans, always resorting to dirty tricks!” Foreman Jeremy trembled with rage. Soon, the goblins retaliated. They spread their forces into every trench and fortress. This time, it was Li Ye and the others who had a headache. Bombarding trenches and fortresses needed shells—each shell required 3 units of iron ore and 1 unit of gunpowder. Continuing this might drain their reserves. But the war was underway; to pull out would be too costly at this point. Thus, the three mobile cities entered a war of attrition with the goblins. After two days and two nights, with few goblins remaining, the three cities launched a final assault together. Although most defensive works on the mine weren’t intact, the goblins lacked the manpower to hold them and were pushed back relentlessly. Foreman Jeremy waved his wrench and pickaxe and angrily joined the fight. As Li Ye predicted, this field‐boss had virtually no combat prowess, and its weapons weren’t deadly. But it was surprisingly tough—after being bombarded by a Level‐1 cannon, it still stood unscathed, brushing dust from its knees. “Sigh... we’ll just grind it down slowly,” Li Ye sighed. Under the siege of the three mobile cities, Foreman Jeremy gradually could no longer stand and fell to the ground. When the group cautiously approached, they saw the goblin speak softly. “I have fought until the last moment,” it murmured with dazed eyes. “I’m sorry, Your Majesty the King, I couldn’t complete your plan of expansion.” “Your Majesty the King?” Li Ye and the others were stunned. This goblin had a king? Could there really be a Goblin Kingdom? If a single Glos Mine was this difficult, what unimaginable power would the Goblin Kingdom hold? Among the three, Lei Jian was the most pragmatic. “Whatever— we’re just a Tier‐1 city; if the sky falls it won’t land on us,” he scratched his head. “Let’s just see what this field‐boss dropped.” Li Jin nodded, while Li Ye’s expression was complex. “Could this refer to ‘Monstrous Civilizations’ in the intel?” he wondered. Then, they inspected Foreman Jeremy’s drops. As a field‐boss, Foreman Jeremy’s loot was far better than the Molten Broodmother’s. [5,174 Crystal Coins] [1,556 units of Tier‐1 Iron Ore, 976 units of Tier‐1 Coal, 512 units of Tier‐1 Fuel, 851 units of Tier‐1 Cloth] [Tier‐1 Item – Foreman’s Reliable Work Vest] [Tier‐1 Item – Universal Wrench] [Tier‐1 Item – Goblin Travel Water Flask] [Tier‐1 Food Blueprint – Instant Cup Noodles] [Mine Storage Room Key] [Tier‐2 Weapon – Goblin All‐Star’s Baseball Bat] Li Ye’s gaze locked firmly on the key. If they could open the storage room, they’d get the city‐upgrade blueprint. “According to our previous rules, I have priority for non‐Tier‐2 drops,” he said without hesitation, picking up the key. “So this key is mine.” Li Jin and Lei Jian nodded, offering no objection. They then examined the four Tier‐1 items. Foreman’s Reliable Work Vest (Tier‐1) Effect: reduces damage taken by wearer by 70%, though this does not apply against damage above Tier‐1. Universal Wrench (Tier‐1) Effect: increases repair efficiency by 50% when repairing Tier‐1 and common‐level structures and vehicles. Goblin Travel Water Flask (Tier‐1) Effect: refreshes a flask of fresh water every morning at 6 AM. Instant Cup Noodles – Blueprint (Tier‐1) Effect: increases satiety by 10%. Crafting requires: 0.2 units of flour. “These are all great items!” Li Ye exclaimed. The vest would let someone walk through the Wasteland Zone freely. The universal wrench would boost repair speed. The water flask was quite magical—refreshing a flask of water daily at a fixed time, popular among bounty hunters and lone survivalists, even selling for high prices. The cup‐noodle blueprint was also excellent—0.2 flour made 5 cups of noodles. Plus, its satiety effect was good and easy to store in the warehouse.