Chapter 11: The Troll

Page (1/3)
It was already evening by the time he returned to the Pioneer’s cabin from the village chief’s home.
Chu Jiu prepared a bit of chicken liver puree for the little canned cat. Watching the little creature curl up inside the can-shaped cat bed and fall asleep, he then took a small mirror out of his backpack.
There was no need to record video during the gathering expedition. He had been too exhausted when he returned last night, and the system kindly suggested postponing the recording, so no logs were made.
Only by dusk today did the system remind Chu Jiu: [Please record a video diary and showcase your latest achievements.]
*
Planet Arsa.
“Sir! That livestream has appeared again!” He Fang reported, a bit excited.
The mysterious livestream had vanished without warning a few days ago.
He Fang had been quite worried—had their observation spooked the signal, causing the insectoid tribe to stop broadcasting? They still hadn’t deciphered any critical information, not even the origin of that psychic energy or which dimension it came from.
Fortunately, they had picked up the video signal again.
Lu Qingyan, who was in a meeting with his deputy at the time, nodded slightly: “Project it.”
The video still showed the same young boy.
The boy spoke with a clear, gentle voice and a smile, sharing what he had done these past few days and where he had been.
Toward the end, a hint of pride appeared on his face: “On this gathering trip, we made 'tofu.'”
As he spoke, he brought out a small bowl of chicken broth tofu, first sniffed the rich aroma, then scooped a corner of the soft white tofu with a small spoon and tasted it, his eyes unconsciously narrowing in delight:
“It’s really delicious.”
“And it’s warm—one bite and you feel it spread warmth all over your body.”
Major He swallowed several times in front of the holographic display, wondering what kind of food this was.
Why did watching this seemingly insectoid streamer eat it make him hungry too?
No, that won’t do—he must have more self-control!
Maybe this was some new form of psychic attack! He had to stay alert one hundred and twenty thousand percent!
The famished deputy, He, stole a glance at Marshal Lu beside him:
The marshal’s expression remained calm and collected, completely unmoved by the food shown on the holographic display.
That made sense. For many years now, to maintain optimal intake and nutritional balance, the marshal only consumed nutrient solutions daily.
No matter how tempting the food, it never stirred any reaction in him.
Not just food—anything that would normally evoke desire in ordinary people, whether exquisite cuisine, breathtaking scenery, or even stunning beauties, was merely a code name or label for Marshal Lu.

Page (2/3)
Admiring the marshal, Deputy He straightened his posture, inwardly chastising himself for his earlier lack of willpower.
Staring unwaveringly at the projection, He failed to notice that the marshal’s Adam’s apple subtly moved down half a notch.
*
The next day.
Chu Jiu set out early for the small town, carrying the map given by the village chief along with the little canned cat.
There were no horse-drawn carriages in the village; they had to travel on foot.
The road was fraught with monsters.
Besides creatures like the hornless unicorn and black-and-white spiders that aggressively roamed and attacked, there were also monsters disguised as stones or trees, waiting until travelers rested on them to launch an ambush.
Luckily, Chu Jiu possessed the [Stealth Form] skill.
After nearly six hours, monsters gradually thinned along the roadside, and in the distance, Chu Jiu spotted a large road sign that read “Emerald Town.”
According to the village chief’s words, monsters avoided towns and villages beyond the sign and would not enter that area proactively.
Maybe the sign held some mystical power.
Near the sign, a few people were scattered about, bending down to search for something. Chu Jiu guessed these were adventurers who dared not venture too far, hoping to find some herbs or timber around the sign.
As Chu Jiu approached, two of them stood up and looked at him with some curiosity.
Chu Jiu was about to greet them and inquire about merchants when a rumbling thunderous noise emerged from the nearby forest.
Those gathering herbs straightened up, eyes filled with suspicion as they looked toward the sound.
The thunderous sound paused briefly, then resumed continuously.
The forest began to shake violently, leaves rustling loudly.
Moments later, two young people carrying baskets squeezed out from the trees, shouting in panic: “Run! Run! There’s a giant troll!”
A giant troll!
Chu Jiu knew that here, “giant troll” was not a specific species but referred to various large-sized monsters.
The herb gatherers screamed and ran toward the town.
One slightly older woman yelled to Chu Jiu, “Run! Once inside the town, you’ll be safe!”
Although Chu Jiu had stealth skills, he didn’t want to stand his ground staring down a giant troll. He took off running.
Yet at that moment, the little canned cat, which had been quietly resting in his chest pocket, suddenly poked out its head and paws, howling continuously toward the forest.
It looked as if it intended to challenge the giant troll head-on.
Chu Jiu was both amused and exasperated. “Don’t be reckless. Stay put. We’ll enter the town soon…”

Page (3/3)
Before he finished speaking, the little canned cat leapt nimbly out of his pocket, flipped several times in midair, then landed firmly on the ground and dashed toward the forest with all four paws flying.
Chu Jiu gasped sharply and immediately turned to run after it.
As he ran, terrifying images flooded his mind:
The little canned cat vanished entirely, leaving only a few drifting cat hairs…
The little canned cat screamed as it was swallowed by the giant monster’s gaping maw…
His heart pounded wildly. He forced himself not to imagine the worst, pushing himself to run faster.
He still had several [Exploding Pinecones] in his bag—he planned to hurl them all at the giant troll to force it to release the little cat at any cost!
Ahead, a small clearing slowly came into view.
The thunderous noise grew louder and closer.
Just as he was about to break through the last barrier of branches, the roaring suddenly diminished to a whisper, as if about to cease entirely.
Chu Jiu was drenched in cold sweat, fearing the giant troll might have grabbed the little cat and was heading to its lair.
With that thought, he drew his large machete from the backpack with his right hand and pulled out an exploding pinecone with his left, gritting his teeth as he charged into the clearing—
Wait?
In front of him, a supple tree branch swayed endlessly, as if something rested atop it.
Looking closely, he saw the little canned cat perched lightly on the treetop, calmly surveying the ground below.
Below, in the clearing, sat a mound of…
White and fluffy?
This fluffy creature’s long ears folded tightly over its body. Its two short front limbs hugged its head, and its small body trembled incessantly.
White fur, long ears, and a short tail… could it be a rabbit?
Wait, where was the giant troll?
Chu Jiu stopped, clutching his machete, panting as he stared at the trembling creature, his mind a whirlwind of questions.
Just then, the little canned cat let out a confident “Howl!” directed at the creature below.
The fluffy creature trembled again, nervously lifting its head to look at Chu Jiu, opening and closing its three-petaled mouth: “How? How how?”
Chu Jiu: …?