Chapter 44 The Thief of Stenchwater Forest_1
Yan Xing first looked around. This was indeed the dangerous arboreal forest Duan’er had described, its environment certainly unique. Between each small water pit lay only narrow strips of land, themselves overgrown with densely foliaged trees, offering few places to set foot. The branches and leaves obscured the stars above. Green bioluminescence from floating plants on the water’s surface illuminated the relatively enclosed waterbody, making it seem like a fantasy realm. He took a deep breath; even the air carried a subtle, elegant fragrance. But beneath the beautiful exterior, danger lurked everywhere.
It’s really strange for the Stenchwater Forest werewolves to come to such a dangerous place at night, Yan Xing mused. Despite his internal griping about encountering enemy werewolves here, he believed Duan’er must have chosen this location because it was sufficiently dangerous and concealed. The objective of these four werewolves, coming here in the dead of night, surely isn’t simple.
Yan Xing walked toward the captured werewolves, and the surrounding pack automatically made way for him. The four werewolves from Stenchwater Forest had clearly been beaten up. Their hands and feet were bound, and they were thrown on the ground, their mouths also gagged to prevent them from howling any alerts. Scattered around these four werewolves were pieces of rotten wood, some as large as tires, others as small as a cup. The surface of these pieces of wood was pockmarked and eroded by running water, looking very unsightly, with no apparent abnormalities.
But why would the Stenchwater Forest werewolves, having just occupied Red Mud Wetland, hurry to send their kin here to salvage these things? Filled with such doubts, Yan Xing squatted down and picked up a piece of wood from the ground. The sheer weight of it in his hand startled him. Why is it so heavy?
At that moment, Yan Xing recalled what one of his subordinates had said over the walkie-talkie: "I really don’t know what use they have for this rotten wood that’s heavier than stone and sinks immediately in water."
Yan Xing then felt the texture of the wood and sniffed it, having a good idea of what it was. It’s still odd. This type of wood is neither edible nor suitable for building houses. So what are the Stenchwater Forest werewolves doing, salvaging this stuff in the middle of the night?
Yan Xing threw the piece of wood onto the ground and pulled out the steel pipe hanging at his waist to knock on the head of one of the captured werewolves. "Now I’m going to loosen your gag. If you dare make a sound, my men will immediately stab you to death."
After speaking, Yan Xing waved his hand. The militia closed in around the werewolf, the tips of their spears aimed at his vital points. Eddie then took out a dagger and cut the rope binding the werewolf’s mouth.
Facing the spears before him, the werewolf didn’t dare make a sound. He looked at Yan Xing and Duan’er fearfully, his face full of concern for his own fate. He hadn’t expected Duan’er to arrive so quickly. And he saw Duan’er was wearing steel armor; most of the werewolves and all the humans here were wearing it too! Hadn’t Duan’er taken all the tribe’s Werewolf Warriors to attack the human camp? How did he end up here with humans, and where did they get so much steel equipment?!