The voice did not sound human, but rather like some kind of monster.
After crawling out of the tent, I saw Xivil holding a submachine gun, firing continuously into the darkness not far away.
As the shell casings clinked to the ground, piercing, scalp-tingling shrieks echoed from the darkness.
The sound was like fingernails on glass, making one feel uncomfortable from head to toe.
What kind of monster was in the darkness?
I quickly turned on my flashlight. The beam illuminated the darkness, and I clearly saw a human-shaped creature in ragged clothes inside, wailing incessantly!
As Xivil emptied a magazine, the humanoid monster collapsed and lay still, lifeless.
Could this be another case of parasitic infestation?
After waiting a few minutes and seeing no other abnormalities from the creature, I cautiously approached.
This humanoid monster was truly bizarre. It had limbs and facial features similar to a human, but its body size was much smaller than a normal human, barely reaching my waist, very much like the dwarfs described in history.
Furthermore, the biggest difference between this humanoid monster and humans was the dark green keratin that covered its exposed skin. It even had a few scales.
Its head was also extremely strange; the entire skull was very large, but there were no eyes on the front, only a small nose and a mouth that occupied almost half the space of the entire face!
I carefully poked the monster with my alloy knife and found its hands were like chicken claws, with very sharp nails.
Seeing this creature, I couldn't help but sigh at the vastness and strangeness of the world.
I had originally read in books that animals naturally evolved according to their environment.
Now, looking at this deformed monster, I deeply understood the truth of that statement.
"We call these things Goblins. Like the myths say, these abominations only exist in dark and damp underground places. Goblins, although blind, have extremely acute senses and are agile. They are not to be underestimated as hunters in this underground palace."
Xivil scanned her surroundings before slowly holstering her weapon and turning to explain.
Hearing Xivil's words, I immediately understood that the feeling I had all day was not an illusion, but that these abominations had been secretly observing us.
I nodded, then used my alloy knife to dig a shallow pit in the ground and bury the dead Goblin.
Although I didn't know if there were any scavengers beneath this underground palace, based on my experience in the forest, if dead bodies could not be immediately burned, burying them to cut off their scent was the best option.
"Professor Gu Fu once told me when he was researching that these Goblins were
artificially created monsters made by the ancient Jiuli tribe using criminals as materials. Their mission was to guard for the Jiuli tribe."
Xivil walked over and patted my shoulder, looking very pleased.
A hint of excitement also flickered across her face.
I understood that Xivil's high spirits were because if we had encountered Goblins, it meant we were getting closer to our destination.
In the past, whenever we faced a fork in the road, Qu Xiangyun would determine our direction of travel.
Although Qu Xiangyun had intentionally taken a longer route during the journey,
in order to get closer to where her father had initially entered.
But Xivil was not foolish.
Therefore, even though Qu Xiangyun could take detours, she inevitably had to move towards the final destination.
While I was digging and burying the amorphous body, Qu Xiangyun yawned and emerged from the tent.
Upon seeing Qu Xiangyun, Xivil pulled her over and began questioning her.
I pricked up my ears to eavesdrop, my hands slowing down. Suddenly, I heard Qu Xiangyun mention that Goblins' skin was very tough, and my heart stirred.
How tough could the skin of such an ugly creature be?
I curiously poked the Goblin's arm with my alloy knife, and indeed, its outer skin had a peculiar quality.
My alloy knife was incredibly sharp, needless to say. When I stabbed the Goblin's skin, it only sank in slightly, and I could even feel a faint elasticity.
This meant that while the Goblin's skin might not be bulletproof, it could minimize the damage from blades.
This made me want to collect some Goblin hides. When I returned to camp, I could use the materials I had already gathered, combined with Goblin hides, to make a new set of leather armor.
However, the greater the expectation, the greater the disappointment.
I put down my work and examined the Goblin's corpse. I discovered that it wasn't the outer skin that gave the Goblin its resistance to blades, but rather what lay beneath it.
Although their skin had some elasticity, it was still just ordinary skin.
What truly allowed them to be immune to slashing and hacking was beneath their skin.
There were hardened masses. It was difficult to describe what kind of bodily tissue these hardened masses were, but they were distributed beneath the Goblin's skin, endowing it with immense defensive capabilities.
These hardened masses were difficult to peel off and looked so disgusting that they made one feel nauseous.
Alas!
I had gotten my hopes up for nothing!