Chapter 18, Let's Talk About It_1

He continued examining the wild boar's corpse.

Before butchering, it's possible to observe the corpse in some detail.

Once butchered, the meat and materials automatically disassemble, and any inedible parts will vanish on their own.

The wound was deep, proving that whoever killed the boar wielded immense strength.

Yet, human lords do not possess such power at this time.

It must have been done by one of their subordinate units.

And amidst the gap of the boar's fractured tusk, there was a strand of red hair.

This hair was coarser and harder than human hair, resembling the wild boar's fur instead.

"Could he belong to a special faction, or perhaps have a unique unit?" Fang Hao muttered, furrowing his brow, *but the gloom in his heart refused to dissipate.*

*He sensed that the other party's intentions were far from straightforward, far from any simple idea of mutual assistance or collaboration.*

...

Night fell.

In front of the eastern woods,

a torchlight flickered.

Zhuang Hong stood holding the torch, waiting for the distant territory's lord to arrive.

He was not alone within the woods, though—hidden in the nearby shrubs were close to 2,000 warriors of the Beast Clan.

"Zhuang Hong, looks like your plan didn't work out," said the orc Kedo, standing nearby.

Zhuang Hong had advised luring the territory's lord, who was protected by a barrier, out to kill them.

But those low-level skeletons were utterly incapable of communication.

They hunted down a wild boar and had Zhuang Hong write a meeting letter, which was then delivered to the opposing lord.

The planned meeting spot was here.

But now the sky had darkened, and the opposing lord still hadn't shown up.

"Let's wait a bit longer, they should come," Zhuang Hong insisted stubbornly.

*If his plan failed, Kedo's temperament would undoubtedly lead to punishment against him.*

*Even a simple whipping from an orc wasn't something he could endure.*

As the two exchanged words,

a group of figures suddenly emerged from the distant territory.

The moonlight was bright, revealing the silhouettes of those approaching.

"They're here! Hide yourselves quickly!" Zhuang Hong urged.

Kedo also spotted the approaching figures from afar and gestured for all the orcs to conceal themselves entirely.

If they could kill the other party, the protective shield around their territory would vanish.

Before long, under Zhuang Hong's watchful gaze,

a figure completely wrapped in clothing approached.

Behind him were two skeletons wielding swords and shields, clad in leather armor.

Zhuang Hong's eyes narrowed slightly. He was surprised that the other party possessed iron swords, and equally, he felt a surge of greed.

"Brother, you've finally made it," Zhuang Hong greeted warmly.

Fang Hao sized up Zhuang Hong, speaking in a low voice, "Hm, what should I call you?"

His voice was hoarse and low, unpleasant to hear.

"Zhuang Hong. And you, brother?" Zhuang Hong stepped closer to welcome him.

"Who I am doesn't matter. What about the people you've hidden? Why don't you let them come out?" Fang Hao responded bluntly.

*Although some uncertainty still lingered in his heart,*

*when he saw Zhuang Hong standing here alone, Fang Hao confirmed the malevolent intentions of the other party.*

*Ask yourself—who would dare stand alone in this spot?*

*Even Fang Hao wouldn't risk standing here at night, merely to wait for someone.*

"What do you mean by that?"

"Stop pretending. I'm already here, so what's left to act out?" Fang Hao continued speaking.

Whoosh!

At that moment, the sound of something cutting through the air rang out.

A chilling gleam flew out from the nearby thicket.

Crunch! Thud!

With a crisp sound, an iron blade pierced straight through Fang Hao's body, embedding itself into the tree behind him.

At the same time, a mass of orcs burst out, swarming the two skeleton guards and hacking them to pieces.

"Hmph! A clever fool! Guessing there was an ambush but daring to come anyway," Kedo sneered as he emerged from the thicket.

The gnoll clan leader eagerly pulled the embedded blade from the tree trunk, handing it reverently to Kedo.

He didn't forget to flatter, "Lord Kedo, you're truly formidable. One move, and he's finished!"

"Spare me your nonsense," Kedo barked angrily.

The gnoll clan leader cowered with a fawning smile, "Right, right, I shouldn't ramble."

Originally immersed in the joy of victory, Kedo's expression suddenly grew grim.

The protective shield around the distant territory hadn't vanished, and the skeletons working outside began regrouping.

They set aside their tasks and returned within the territory's bounds.

"What's going on?" Kedo's voice dropped further in tone.

The ever-chatty gnoll shrank back, closed his mouth, and discreetly retreated to the side.

Zhuang Hong's expression also darkened. He strode forward immediately, pulled aside the clothing, and closely inspected the body pierced by the blade.

After seeing the face, Zhuang Hong's complexion shifted dramatically.

"Lord Kedo, look!"

Kedo and the surrounding orcs turned their gazes.

It was no human lord—as was the case with the two skeleton guards—it was just another skeleton framework, stuffed with straw to make the body appear bulkier.

"We've been duped! Let's head back to camp. Tomorrow, we'll station forces right at their door," Kedo commanded.

*The method the other party used to test them, exploiting skeletons, was unclear,*

*but it was obvious the other party hadn't been killed.*

*They were now regrouping their forces and hiding within the protective barrier, leaving them frustratingly out of reach.*

The Beast Clan could only return to camp and make plans to try again the next day.

Torches were lit as the group began its retreat en masse.

Behind them, however, a lone small skeleton followed in the distance, tracing the light of their torches.

...

Late night.

Fang Hao sat up in bed.

He rubbed his temples, his expression slightly weary.

*Having tracked the retreating orcs all the way, he had confirmed their resting point—the gnoll encampment.*

*He also understood that while their plan had failed this time,*

*they certainly wouldn't simply let him go. Conversely, Fang Hao wasn't about to tolerate such an uncontrollable danger nearby.*

He stepped out of the room and lit a fire.

Using the firelight, he began crafting tools.

[Metal Components: Metal 1.]

Create!

[Trigger Hundredfold Amplification: Obtained 101 Metal Components.]

[Light Crossbow: Wood 5, Iron 2, Metal Components 3.]

Directly selected 20.

[Trigger Hundredfold Amplification: Obtained 2,020 Light Crossbows.]

[Light Crossbow (Green)]

[Type: Two-Handed Ranged Weapon]

[Damage: Level 2]

(Description: Lightweight and easy-to-use crossbow.)

He tested it on a skeleton.

It worked perfectly without issue.

[Bone Arrow: Wood 1, Beast Bone 2.]

Bone arrows were consumables.

He directly selected 100.

[Trigger Hundredfold Amplification: Obtained 10,100 Bone Arrows.]

Instantly, the weapons piled into a small mountain on the empty field.

"Load the bone arrows onto the carts. All laborer skeletons, pick up light crossbows," Fang Hao ordered loudly.

Several carts were pushed forward. Bundles of bone arrows were loaded onto them.

The skeleton laborers dropped their tools and grabbed nearby light crossbows.

Additionally, Fang Hao inspected the weapons and armor of the skeleton soldiers, selecting a few to swap out their shields and armor.

Once all preparations were complete,

he returned to his room and lay down, activating [God's Presence].

In the next second, a ghostly blue fire ignited in the chest of one skeleton soldier.

"Move out," Fang Hao commanded as the ghostly flame flickered.

The White Bone Army marched out of the camp, heading toward the direction of the gnoll encampment.

...

Inside the gnoll encampment,

the gnoll dwellings couldn't house the towering orcs.

On the central open ground, they had erected rows of crude beast-skin tents.

Over 2,000 robust orcs gathered on the central open ground, eating their evening meals.

Having worked tirelessly all day trying to lure and kill Fang Hao, their efforts had ultimately been in vain.

Inside the clan leader's hall,

the orc Kedo and Zhuang Hong, among others, ate their plates of meat.

Zhuang Hong found the sticky and bizarre meat stew hard to stomach.

"Lord Kedo, although this plan failed, it proves the method can work. When encountering other human lords, it will surely succeed," Zhuang Hong said softly, setting his bowl aside.

Kedo remained silent, but the gnoll clan leader gave Zhuang Hong a peculiar look.

Among the Beast Clan, strength was held supreme, and internal killings were commonplace.

Nevertheless, it was rare to see someone like Zhuang Hong, so eager to offer schemes to outsiders, harming even his own kind.