Chen Mang didn't say much about it. He simply took the Soaring Dragon Assault Rifle handed to him by Biao Zi, pressed it against the Goblin Merchant's skull, and gently pulled the trigger.
The crisp sound of gunfire echoed at the bottom of the Doomsday Abyss.
The Goblin Merchant, cloaked in golden robes, collapsed in a pool of blood. The tightly closed sack behind him slowly opened, revealing a few items emitting a white glow, like a veiled bride exuding a fatal allure.
A Goblin who had been severely injured and unconscious suddenly woke up. Though unable to move, it glared fiercely at Chen Mang: "Humans, I never expected you to be so cunning, setting a trap at the bottom of the Doomsday Abyss!"
"I thought traveling six thousand meters underground was safe enough, but I still fell into your scheme!"
"The Goblin Merchant has ultimately died by your hand!"
"This failure will be etched into my memory forever. Tell me your name, human. You will be my greatest enemy in this life! I will return!"
Chen Mang raised an eyebrow, a flicker of surprise in his eyes. A monster with intelligence, the ability to communicate, and even speak Mandarin? This was a rare find.
He knew many monsters possessed basic intelligence. For example, the Corpse King within the Corpse Tide could command the tide to encircle and annihilate the Train. Or the Man-Eating Spider, though it too only had rudimentary intelligence, driven primarily by hunting instincts. But a Goblin ? This was his first encounter.
Instantly intrigued, he rolled up his sleeves, grabbed the Goblin, and carried it into the Train cabin, intending to interrogate it alone.
The Goblin was about a meter tall, with a scrawny build, so lifting it wasn't too strenuous.
Inside the Train cabin.
Chen Mang sat at the control panel, looking at the severely injured Goblin before him. Its exposed skin was green, covered in fur, with striking sturdy feet and a potato-like appearance.
The clothes it wore seemed like burlap children's garments.
"Cunning human, what do you intend to do?!"
The Goblin's eyes showed a hint of panic as it snarled: "Kill me quickly! The great Goblins never fear death. Only weak and foolish humans fear death."
The Goblin licked its lips: "You're different from other foolish humans. You're cunning. Otherwise, you wouldn't have been able to capture the great me."
"Are you complimenting me?"
Chen Mang leaned back in his chair, arms crossed, studying the scrawny Goblin with interest. He had already begun to piece something together from the Goblin's words.
The Goblin snorted coldly: "Praising your enemy is praising yourself. Cunning human, don't you understand that?"
Chen Mang nodded noncommittally, then spoke softly: "Tell me, why do you possess the ability to resurrect?"
"You... how do you know?" The Goblin stammered, its face filled with shock and disbelief: "How... how do you know this information?"
"I am a human prophet. I can see into others' thoughts."
"No wonder, no wonder you were waiting for me at the Doomsday Abyss, a place no one visits. So this was all your plan. Did you foresee this too?"
The scrawny Goblin seemed to recall something, murmuring in a daze: "The Goblin race once had a prophet too. He died immediately after the apocalypse arrived."
"I lasted a bit longer. I died in the second year after the apocalypse."
"When I regained consciousness, I found myself here. My former clansmen had all become dazed, like walking corpses. But we gained the ability to resurrect indefinitely. After death, we only need to sleep in a dark space for a while before we can revive."
"I tried to communicate with my clansmen, but they ignored me."
"Their souls have been devoured by demons."
"Every time, a different voice in my head tells me to escort Goblin Merchants to different locations."
"The destinations are always different. This time it was the 'Mohe Hills.' At first, I often failed. But after I built the Goblin Train, I never failed again. I never expected to fall into your hands this time."
"I will return for revenge. Next time, I will surely complete the mission. I already have a grander plan in mind!"
Chen Mang didn't respond, silently digesting the information the Goblin had shared.
It was clear that while this Goblin possessed intelligence, it wasn't particularly high. This Goblin might have come from another planet, where its race had perished after an apocalypse, only to become monsters on this planet.
But somehow, a bug occurred, allowing this particular Goblin to awaken its former memories, setting it apart from the other Goblins who had completely devolved into monsters.
"Do you get any rewards for completing the escort missions?"
"Then why are you so determined to complete them?"
The Goblin was momentarily stunned, its brain seemingly short-circuiting before it finally responded: "Because I must prove the greatness of the Goblin race! Even if I'm the last of my kind, I must show those foolish humans that we Goblins, who live underground, are the greatest!"
"Goblins are indeed great. What I mean is, since you live underground, you must be skilled at mining, right?"
The Goblin snorted, puffing out its chest proudly: "We Goblins are known as the kings of the underground. Naturally, we excel at mining. We are the most diligent and united race!"
Chen Mang gazed intently at the Goblin: "Do you know the coordinates of other Goblins? Could you gather them here? You wouldn't have to be monsters anymore. You could work in my Train, mining."
"You mean... submitting to you?"
The Goblin's eyes flashed with a dangerous light, speaking word by word: "The great Goblins will never..."
"I will help you rebuild the Goblin civilization. You will be the new Goblin King."
The Goblin seemed as if struck by a heavy blow, standing frozen in place, its eyes filled with confusion and a faint glimmer of hope as it looked at Chen Mang. After a long while, it suddenly laughed and shook its head.
"Cunning humans, you're still so good at making deals."
"The Goblin race is now just me. Even I am no longer a true Goblin. I'm like a ghost inhabiting this body, only retaining fragments of my memories from before death. The Goblin race has already perished."
"Besides, you humans are barely holding on yourselves. How could you possibly help the Goblins rebuild civilization?"
"I'm different from them."
"I'm a cunning human. They're foolish humans."
The Goblin raised its head, staring intently at Chen Mang before speaking hoarsely, word by word: "Cunning human, you truly are cunning. I admit you've somewhat convinced me. Even though my clansmen have become walking corpses, I must defend their rights."
"If we submit to you, can you guarantee they won't work more than 18 hours a day?"
"Can you guarantee 8 days of rest each year? In the first 8 days of every year, all Goblins must set aside their work to celebrate."
"Can you guarantee a full meal and water every day?"
"If there really is a chance to rebuild civilization in the future, will you truly support me as the Goblin King?"
Chen Mang grinned, helping the fallen Goblin to its feet and brushing the dust off its shoulders: "First, let's get you treated and have something to eat. We can discuss the details over a meal."
what was that grander plan you mentioned earlier?"
"Next time, at eight thousand meters underground."
Chen Mang sighed softly: "You truly are the smartest among your kind. Come with me."
--Support me in for more chapters 35+ chapters in there