Chapter Seventy-Six: Consideration

The herd of deer began to stir restlessly. Beside the fawn, the enormous white deer, five meters in length, snorted threateningly as it gazed up at the approaching armored helicopters overhead. Meanwhile, the petite swift deer bounded lightly and took its place atop the highest branch of a towering eighty-meter silver ginkgo. Its eyes showed no fear; instead, it kept watching the animal cages dangling beneath the helicopters in the night. From within those cages, the swift deer heard the frantic cries of its kin and responded with calls of its own, though these sounds were nearly drowned out by the roar of the rotors.

Inside the lead helicopter, every soldier wore a special visor resembling the kind used for 3D movies, capable of mounting a smartphone. Yet, these visors offered far more functionality: in the center, a camera captured real-time images, processed them, and relayed simplified black-and-white animated visuals to the soldiers’ eyes. The processing was remarkably efficient, with almost no delay, and thanks to the computing power of the national supercomputer, the soldiers experienced cutting-edge technology for the first time. On these images, the fawn’s immense size aroused their curiosity. As for awe or fear? They felt none. Having never seen the real creature with their own eyes, the cartoonish black-and-white images failed to convey any sense of tension.

“This deer is massive. If I hadn’t reviewed the brief beforehand, I’d think these visors were playing tricks on us.”

“Seriously, the processed visuals are something else. I was prepared for a serious mission, and now you want me to watch a cartoon and stay stern?”

“Haha, tell me about it. I bet the captain isn’t enjoying this much either.”

“No kidding. Can’t they make the visuals more realistic? It’s messing with my head.”

“Alright, settle down. There’s a reason for the abstraction. Remember, a few soldiers in the military hospital lost their minds after seeing the real image of this deer.”

“True, but how did such a bizarre giant deer appear right under our noses? We conduct regular aerial reconnaissance of the forest—how could we miss something so large?”

“What else? It probably grew to this size in just a few days. Born under the Purple Moon—who knows what unimaginable things might emerge next?”

“...”

“Stop! Orders from the captain.”

“Get ready, everyone. Lower altitude to one hundred meters ahead, deploy the cages, release all deer, then retrieve the cages.”

“Copy that!”

...

Ji Yu was speechless.

Indeed. The formation of the armored helicopters was incredibly grand, yet all they did was deliver over three hundred spotted deer and depart. No communication, no interaction—leaving Ji Yu rather at a loss.

“The first step is to send the deer, then repeat a few times to deepen the impression, and finally proceed to more direct action?” Ji Yu pondered the official strategy. In their eyes, the fawn was just a deer; the possibility of clear communication or dialogue simply did not exist. Thus, they intended to win its favor in this way, gradually easing its wariness. As the fawn relaxed and grew accustomed to frequent human presence, the scope for further measures would naturally expand.

Ji Yu couldn’t help but admire the wisdom of the authorities. “Interesting. This means the attitude of the officials towards the fawn is now perfectly clear.” At last, Ji Yu felt a weight lift from his heart. The safety of the oak tree and the fawn was temporarily secured, and, as expected, there had been no conflict with humans. He was genuinely pleased by this outcome.

Ji Yu even imagined that, were it not for the threat of the Purple Moon, the partnership between the oak and the fawn could create a fantastical kingdom of nature: lush greenery, lawns stretching everywhere, people laughing as they wandered, children chasing deer and playing with birds, riding on deer backs or clinging to birds’ talons. The awakened oaks would lift their roots and branches joyfully, catching children as they fell from deer backs or birds’ claws, gently placing them back on the ground. Human and nature living in true harmony—this was the most beautiful scene Ji Yu could envision.

But it could only remain a dream. In reality, without the looming menace of the Purple Moon, the oak and the fawn would likely have ended up as specimens on a laboratory table. Humanity, with its complexity and overwhelming desire for control, would never allow any species that might threaten their dominance to exist freely.

Thus, Ji Yu found some solace in the current situation. At least, the oak and the fawn were safe, and he had more time to strengthen his avatars. As long as he gained the power to overturn the board, Ji Yu believed he could create whatever he wished.

He gazed at the moonlight and at the three hundred new spotted deer, then, holding onto a faint hope, switched to the avatar panel and returned to the oak’s location. Meditation resumed, and all remained calm.

——————

[Player Status]
[Good]
[Life Level: 2]
[Constitution: 1.14 (max 5)] ×5
[Height: 1.83 meters (max 2.5 meters)] ×2
[Age: 26 years (max 150 years)] ×2
[Trait ①: Vigorous Vitality (Medium)]
[Trait ②: Natural Affinity (Medium)]
[Trait ③: Enhanced Consciousness (Low)]
[Trait ④: Life Grafting (High)]

At night, Ji Yu logged out once more. This time, he glanced at his data panel. His stats had changed little; constitution continued its slow, natural increase, while his height, surprisingly, had ceased to grow. This offered Ji Yu a rare sense of relief.

Yet as he studied his panel, Ji Yu began preparing for what must come next. With the safety of the fawn and oak assured and both experiencing healthy, rapid growth, it was time to consider maximizing his own physical attributes.

Mindful of possible changes in his height, Ji Yu decided to visit Fuyang Peak Scenic Area outside Wuyang City. He had originally intended to return home, but the thought of his mother nagging him and pushing him into matchmaking made him abandon that plan for now.

Though Fuyang Peak wasn’t vast, it boasted a considerable stretch of primeval forest. Ji Yu only needed to find a trail and venture in—easy enough. With nobody around, he could safely use life grafting to enhance himself and attempt to unlock new traits.

Overall, it was an experiment. If it failed, Ji Yu figured he could simply hide in the forest like a giant for a while. So, for this trip, he needed to prepare a great many things—and he would have to think carefully about what to bring.

In short, self-improvement was inevitable. Whatever happened, Ji Yu was ready to accept any unpleasant changes that might come with gaining new power.