Chapter 44: Suspicion! Hunter? Or Prey?

Words : 1080 Updated : Sep 12th, 2025

The number of nocturnal beasts active during this period seemed quite substantial. As long as they didn't provoke him, Tang Zheng couldn't be bothered to care. Having gained considerable experience, he was in a rather good mood today. Additionally, there should be a goblin settlement in this area. Tang Zheng planned to conduct a thorough search tomorrow. For some unknown reason, Tang Zheng felt in his heart that he had overlooked something, but upon careful consideration, he couldn't pinpoint anything he might have missed. The only thing weighing slightly on his mind was the previous incident of being surrounded by ogres, but since escaping that group, no similar situations had occurred. The night breeze blew past. The cool wind made the lush green leaves in the forest sway gently. Tang Zheng's nose twitched slightly - carried by the breeze came a faintly familiar scent. At first, Tang Zheng didn't pay it much attention. Just as he was preparing to go back to sleep, his eyes snapped open abruptly. This smell— Goblins! Yes, it was the distinct odor of goblins - that rotten stench resembling decades-old unwashed socks. The slight confusion in Tang Zheng's eyes instantly cleared. He had been feeling that he'd overlooked something, and only now, upon detecting this scent in the air, did realization strike. This was the very smell emitted by goblins! After half a month of "friendly exchanges" with goblins, Tang Zheng had grown accustomed to the odor and had unconsciously ignored it all this time! Yet these past few nights at his camping spots, this smell had been faintly present every evening! In the darkness, Tang Zheng couldn't see his own facial expression, but he imagined it must look unpleasant. The creatures frequently passing beneath his tree these nights weren't wild beasts at all—they were goblins! Although the goblin race possessed night vision capabilities, their daily rhythms were actually similar to humans—active during day and resting at night. Unless absolutely necessary, even goblins wouldn't hunt in forest environments at night. He was being targeted! Damn it! Only realizing it now. Tang Zheng couldn't help but curse silently. That lingering sense of something being off during this period suddenly became crystal clear. After leveling up his "Sword Saint" class to max level, perhaps because there were no monsters in this outer region that could threaten him anymore—even ogres couldn't pose danger unless they came in substantial numbers—Tang Zheng had lost his initial caution. He had completely failed to notice the goblins secretly watching him this entire time. Wait! Under his black cloak, Tang Zheng's eyes flashed. Ordinary goblins weren't intelligent enough for such meticulous surveillance work. "Could I really be this lucky to encounter some mutated goblin variant?" The thought surfaced in Tang Zheng's mind as he unconsciously licked his lips. Even with his lowered vigilance, he wouldn't fail to notice an ordinary goblin secretly following him. A guerrilla fighter? Forest priest? Druid? Thief? Hunter? These classes were all skilled in tracking, especially in complex environments like forests. Without detection magic, they could move undetected. Tang Zheng calmed himself. The goblin targeting him likely possessed one of these classes. But what was its objective? Tang Zheng frowned. This goblin wasn't simply following him—it was confirming his location every night, clearly with some purpose. He was certain it was more likely a mutated goblin individual rather than an ogre because ogres' massive size made too much noise when moving, making them completely unsuitable for tracking. "Is this a trap?" Reviewing recent events, Tang Zheng already had an inkling of suspicion. The number of goblins he'd encountered recently had been pitifully small—only today had their numbers suddenly increased. If not for discovering this potentially mutated goblin hiding in the shadows, he might have simply thought his luck had turned bad. Now it was obvious someone was manipulating things! Having figured this out, Tang Zheng continued pretending to notice nothing, leaning against the tree to sleep as usual. Now that he'd discovered his observer, the roles of "hunter" and "prey" between them were about to reverse! The moon and stars gradually faded. Morning birdsong accompanied sunlight filtering through the leaves, filling the forest. Tang Zheng stretched and jumped down from the tree, appearing fully refreshed. Not only had he not slept poorly last night, but his sleep had actually improved significantly. Since that suspected mutated goblin hadn't made a move yet, it clearly wasn't strong enough to challenge him directly. Otherwise, it wouldn't have limited itself to tracking and surveillance so far. Following his usual routine, Tang Zheng took out black bread stuffed with cooked pork. Munching loudly, he shouldered his iron sword and continued forward while subtly observing his surroundings with peripheral vision. As expected, he detected nothing unusual. This confirmed at least one thing—the stalker wasn't too close. This realization made Tang Zheng abandon any immediate plans to flush it out. If the creature truly possessed any of those suspected tracking classes, finding it in the forest would prove extremely difficult. "Then let me see this trap you've specially prepared for me—just the opportunity to dig you out," Tang Zheng thought, his eyes glinting. About ten minutes after he left the area, a figure appeared where Tang Zheng had stood. It had green pointed ears and resembled a goblin, but its size was double that of a normal goblin. Beyond just size differences, its eyes were noticeably distinct too—while goblins had narrow, beast-like eyes, this creature's eyes were human-sized with mostly white sclera and tiny black pupils at the center, radiating caution and wariness. The figure sniffed the air with its slightly flattened green nose, then looked ahead at the crushed foliage and broken twigs—traces of Tang Zheng's passage. After a brief pause, it followed the trail again. What seemed unbelievable was how the vegetation—grass, bushes, even densely intertwined branches—automatically parted before this figure without making a single sound! Unnoticed, time reached noon. Tang Zheng took out his waterskin and gulped several mouthfuls, squinting at the vertical shafts of sunlight piercing through the leaves. He actually carried more than one waterskin—among his supplies, he'd purchased over sixty 5-kilogram capacity water containers. At two per day, that was enough for a full month! As long as it was just for drinking, water supply wasn't a concern at all.

Chapter 44: Suspicion! Hunter? Or Prey?

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