Chapter Sixty-One: Attitudes and Experiments

Regarding the authorities’ attitude toward the sika deer, Ji Yu found it difficult to predict at this moment. The only thing he was certain of was that, after the recent events, those who truly understood the immense value hidden within the sika deer would not resort to violence so easily. Yet, in the end, even Ji Yu himself was not entirely convinced of this; human greed, after all, often knows no bounds.

But such boundlessness usually referred to individual desires. The authorities, however, were not a place where one person could dictate everything at will. There were think tanks above, genuine old foxes well-versed in cunning strategy. Ji Yu believed that once they comprehended the state of the three people whom the little deer had returned, they would naturally grasp the enormous value of the sika deer’s existence.

Dissecting and researching the creature? That could never compare to the value of the sika deer alive. If any small interest groups harbored ill intentions toward the little deer, then they were gravely mistaken. In its current state, not even a couple of privately armed squads could pose a threat, nor would a reinforced armored regiment stand a chance. As long as the little deer remained in the forest, even the gravest wounds would heal rapidly. More than that, within the forest, it was nearly impossible for the little deer to be injured at all; it could gather vast amounts of life energy beforehand to surround itself, so even a minor injury would be healed instantly.

As for capturing or exterminating the little deer? Capture was out of the question, but extermination—well, that was perhaps possible. Still, Ji Yu had no concrete idea of just how strong the little deer truly was at present. He had never unleashed its full power at the secondary peak of its form.

But it was important to realize that, on Blue Star, a colossal being ten stories tall and nearly fifty meters long could move nimbly, which meant something profound. It signified that the strength of its flesh and bones surpassed that of ordinary refined steel. One could even say that regular armor-piercing shells or small missiles could not penetrate its body at all. For large missiles and concentrated barrages, Ji Yu reserved judgment. After all, with modern technology, the precision of missile guidance was very high, and speeds approaching Mach 20—twenty times the speed of sound—were far beyond what the little deer could evade. Even Mach 2 would likely be too much for it to handle. Agility was not the little deer’s forte; its immense size only further limited its dexterity. That was simply the way of things.

Nonetheless, even so, the little deer was still immensely powerful—comparable, perhaps, to the weakest among the lesser monsters in the world of Ultraman.

Putting aside combat for the moment, Ji Yu’s own inclination was to avoid any conflict between the little deer and humanity. After all, he was human himself. Yet just because Ji Yu did not wish for conflict did not mean he could tolerate others exploiting his avatar. Everything he had done so far was simply to express a certain stance.

Returning the three people unharmed was to reveal the little deer’s benevolence—a desire not to harm any life. The creation of the isolation zone, meanwhile, demonstrated the little deer’s formidable strength and its intent that neither side should wrong the other. As for why those three received an excess of life energy and underwent changes, that was simply an accident—an unintended consequence of the little deer’s awakening of the trio, when Ji Yu failed to precisely control the transfer of energy.

He had never intended for the little deer to help these humans gain strength in order to cooperate with the authorities. To cooperate with the enormous machinery of the state—Ji Yu’s own intellect alone was far from sufficient. One must not forget that he was, until recently, an ordinary wage-earner. How clever could Ji Yu be? Could he possibly match wits with the nation’s think tanks? Hardly. At least he was self-aware enough to know that.

Once cooperation began, there would inevitably be schemes and calculations. It would be a miracle if the little deer was not milked dry as a tool. To be reduced to a mere instrument? Ji Yu could never accept that.

So, all he could do now was express an attitude. How the authorities would ultimately respond to the extraordinary existence of the little deer remained to be seen. Ji Yu himself would have liked to lay low, but the sheer size of the little deer was a huge problem: in a world so saturated with humanity’s presence, it was simply impossible to hide.

In the end, it came down to insufficient power. A third-level life form—Ji Yu was certain that such a level would allow him to break free from his current predicament. But the path to that breakthrough would require more time.

So, after sorting out recent events concerning the little deer, Ji Yu no longer intended to waste time. He turned his attention to the large herd of sika deer that now surrounded him. The herd was not overly large—just over three hundred individuals. Yet with the rise in the species seer trait, Ji Yu was convinced that soon, deer from the nearby Ridgewater Mountains or even farther afield would gather here. Quantity was not the issue; quality was the key.

These deer were well-behaved. Once they entered the forest corridor, they surrounded the little deer, never straying far.

Most of them would take a bite of grass, then lift their heads, their wide innocent eyes fixed intently on the little deer, ready to follow at a moment’s notice.

Ji Yu’s feelings at this moment were rather strange. Through the little deer’s senses, he could distinctly perceive the emotions of these ordinary deer. It was much like how he sensed the emotions of his avatar. Yet as he felt the mood of the herd, Ji Yu found that he could direct them. This guidance required no understanding from the deer—merely a thought, and the herd would naturally act as he wished.

“Another novel experience—not bad,” Ji Yu mused. “Perhaps it’s a hidden ability granted by the species seer trait?”

He found it rather amusing. Thus, in the forest corridor, the three hundred deer would at times line up neatly in columns, at other times form concentric circles around the little deer—offering Ji Yu a moment of innocent enjoyment.

He did not indulge for long, however, before commencing an experiment.

Under his direction, the first to participate were the four largest deer. He had them press close to the little deer’s sturdy legs, then slowly let life energy flow into their bodies. To the naked eye, the four absorbed the energy slowly—half a unit taking three to five minutes to be assimilated. Compared to plants, which could instantly absorb as much energy as was given, these creatures were much slower—which was understandable, since they were beings of flesh and blood, and the life energy they received was from the plants.

After about seven or eight minutes, there appeared before Ji Yu four sturdy sika deer, each about 2.2 to 2.3 meters long, with shoulders standing 1.3 to 1.4 meters high. These four had reached the upper limit for a first-level life form. Like the recently strengthened plants, these four could absorb no more life energy—whatever Ji Yu tried to send simply vanished, leaving no trace of absorption.

Ji Yu had anticipated this, so he was not surprised, but simply summoned more deer. This time, he called a hundred forward and lay down on the ground himself.

Soon, the many rainbow-hued beams that had been swirling around the little deer darted into the bodies of the sika deer. For a moment, the scene was quite beautiful.