dognovel Chapter 724 Evacuation Operation
Chapter 724 Evacuation Operation
After clearing out the goblins, Kod wiped the green blood splattered on his cheek. The rest of the team quickly regrouped, their breathing rapid, but no one dared to linger and follow Halfdan deeper into the cave.
They moved with great speed, their boots crunching over the gravel with a continuous, soft sound. Hafdan walked at the very front, his eyes scanning the path ahead warily, two axes in hand. Kod followed beside him, his gaze shifting back and forth in the shadows on either side, his fingers resting on the trigger guard of his gun, his muscles taut.
"Hafdan, we've been walking for three hours. Do you want to take a break?"
One of the team members sounded exhausted; his forehead was covered in sweat, and his breathing was somewhat heavy.
Hafdan paused slightly, glanced back at the group, and saw weariness on everyone's faces, but he still shook his head.
"Every minute my people wait is a minute more dangerous for them. Please hold on a little longer."
No sooner had the words left his mouth than a rustling sound came from the bushes on the right. Then three goblins sprang out, brandishing rusty scimitars and howling shrilly as they charged toward the group.
Hafdan reacted extremely quickly, dodging the slash from the goblin at the front, while simultaneously drawing his longsword, a flash of cold light, and piercing directly through the goblin's chest.
Green blood gushed out, splattering on his arm, but he didn't care. As he drew his sword, he kicked another goblin in the stomach, knocking it to the ground.
Cod raised his gun, aimed at the remaining goblin, and a shot rang out from the forest, the bullet hitting its head precisely.
The goblin stiffened and fell straight down.
"Keep going, stay alert."
Hafdan sheathed his sword, his tone completely calm. He knew these scattered goblins were just an appetizer; the real danger was yet to come.
As the journey continued, goblins would occasionally rush out from the shadows. There were only two or three at a time, but it was enough to keep everyone on edge.
"Why are these goblins acting like they've gone mad?"
One of the team members said, wiping the blood off his weapon, his tone filled with confusion.
Hafdan glanced back at him.
"They most likely sensed that we were going to rescue the dwarves and were trying to buy time."
His brow furrowed slightly, a sense of unease creeping into his heart. These sporadic obstacles were becoming more and more frequent; could there be an even bigger ambush ahead?
Codd also sensed that something was wrong.
"Hafdan, could it be that these goblins are going to surround us?"
Hafdan remained silent for a moment.
"I don't know either, but goblins are very cunning."
After he finished speaking, he quickened his pace, the axe swaying slightly in his hand, ready to deal with any unexpected situation.
After walking for more than an hour, a low cave entrance finally appeared ahead, and from a distance, it looked like there were torches.
Hafdan raised his hand to signal the team to stop.
"Ahead lies the place where those goblins are imprisoning us dwarves. Everyone, get ready."
Codd nodded and ordered his team to split into two groups and flank the enemy from both sides.
They cautiously approached the camp. There were few guards around the cave, only a few goblins wandering aimlessly, which they quickly and silently dealt with.
Upon entering the cave, the cages enclosed by thick iron bars on both sides are particularly conspicuous, and through the iron bars, one can see that they are crowded with dwarves.
Most of the dwarves huddled in the corners of the cages, some with their heads down as if they had lost all hope, while others cautiously observed their surroundings.
As Hafdan and Kod approached, several dwarves spotted them first, a hint of surprise flashing in their eyes.
"Hafdan, you're still alive!" A burly dwarf approached the iron fence, and as he looked at Kod and his companions beside Hafdan, he asked tentatively:
"Who are these people...?"
Hafdan strode to the iron fence and lowered his voice.
"Stop asking, just go."
"Leave? There are goblins everywhere outside, how could we possibly escape?"
The other dwarf frowned, a hint of despair in his voice.
His face was etched with exhaustion, and his body bore numerous wounds, clearly indicating that he had suffered considerable torture during his imprisonment.
"Now that we're providing cover, if we don't leave now, we'll really miss our chance."
Just then, a warrior wearing steam armor stepped forward.
The metal parts of the armor gleamed with a cold, hard luster, and emitted a slight mechanical whirring sound when one moved.
Without any further movement, he raised his longsword and slashed it down fiercely at the iron lock.
The longsword whistled through the air, and with a loud clang, the heavy iron lock was severed and fell to the ground with a dull thud.
Immediately afterwards, he raised his heavily armored foot and kicked the iron door hard.
With a loud crash, the iron gate was kicked open and fell inward, raising a cloud of dust.
The dwarves in the cage were stunned at first, then reacted and rushed out through the gap in the iron gate.
"Thank you all for your help. We dwarves will never forget this friendship."
Several older, white-bearded dwarves came out and kept thanking Kod and his companions.
"Quick, keep up with us, don't fall behind."
Hafdan shouted loudly, while signaling Kod and the others to be on guard.
The dwarves running at the front followed closely behind Hafdan, their faces filled with relief at surviving the ordeal.
Their steps were unsteady, clearly due to being imprisoned for too long and still very weak, but at this moment they were doing everything they could to escape.
"Thank you so much. If we had come a few days later, we probably wouldn't be alive today."
The burly dwarf ran up to Hafdan, his voice tinged with excitement.
His breathing was a little heavy, but he still kept close behind the group.
As soon as the group reached the entrance of the camp, they heard a commotion outside.
The sound grew louder and louder, like a mixture of countless footsteps and screams, sending chills down one's spine.
A soldier guarding the door rushed over.
"The outside is besieged by goblins. There are so many of them, they're densely packed, you can't see the end of them at all."
Kod immediately stopped and raised his hand to signal everyone to be on guard.
"Everyone, load your weapons immediately and distribute all available melee weapons to the dwarves."
The team members immediately sprang into action. Some quickly took out ammunition from their backpacks and skillfully loaded it into their guns, while others took out spare axes, machetes, and other melee weapons and distributed them to the dwarves around them.
The dwarves took the weapons and gripped them tightly.
Although they were physically weak, a flame of hope burned in their eyes.
The burly dwarf raised his axe and shouted:
"Don't be afraid, everyone! Charge out with these brave warriors!"
His words inspired many dwarves, who straightened their backs and prepared for battle.
Codd walked quickly to the door and cautiously peeked out.
Outside the cave, the open ground was teeming with green goblins, wielding various rudimentary weapons and screaming as they approached the camp. Their sheer number was suffocating. Interspersed among the goblin horde were some unidentified, towering monsters, each over two meters tall, with grotesque appearances and thick limbs, their every step causing the ground to tremble slightly.
In the very center of the goblin horde, there was an exceptionally tall figure.
Its head was covered with colorful feathers, and it wore armor made of various bones, making it particularly eye-catching.
It rode on a mount that looked like a wolf but was much larger than an ordinary wolf, staring at the camp entrance with fierce eyes that revealed cruelty and greed.