Chapter 444 - 416: Bizarre Canned Food
"It’s huge!" Wang Xiaoli’s jaw dropped, her face a mask of disbelief.
She had never seen such a large can.
She had eagerly signed up as soon as the cannery started hiring, making her one of the first employees to work there.
She was usually quiet outside of work and rarely interacted with others.
But this was truly the first time she had ever seen a can this big—not just after transmigrating, but even back on Earth.
Veins bulged on Liu Mang’s forehead as he wrapped his arms around the can.
The can was about the size of a full-grown pumpkin!
But its weight far exceeded that of a pumpkin.
The grayish-black can, gleaming with a metallic luster, looked incredibly solid.
"Is this for a person to eat?" one of the workers muttered.
Liu Mang squatted down and slowly placed the can on the ground.
CLANG~
As the heavy metal object landed, Qin Ziwen used Insight on the can on the ground.
[Oversized Dinosaur Meat Can (Product of Giant Beast Heavy Industry)]: An extra-large can filled with abundant energy. If one can consume the entire can in a single sitting, the probability of achieving a physical Extraordinary breakthrough will be greatly increased from its base rate.
Qin Ziwen squatted down, grabbed the can with one hand, and lifted it.
He estimated its weight to be around thirty to forty pounds!
Qin Ziwen fell silent. ’What kind of glutton could possibly accomplish the feat of finishing a thirty-to-forty-pound can in one go?’
’An ordinary person would find it nearly impossible, and anyone who could complete this task probably isn’t ordinary to begin with.’
’It’s a paradox.’
’Unless... it’s not meant for humans, but for an animal?’
Just as Qin Ziwen was pondering this...
Wang Xiaoli’s surprised voice rang out from nearby. "President, would this can count as special...?"
"Huh, it’s so small."
"I don’t know why, but being so tiny makes it kind of cute."
The others looked at the tiny, thumb-sized can in Wang Xiaoli’s hand.
The exquisite little can was as cute as a work of art.
Qin Ziwen took it. Not only did it look small, but it was also very light.
[Miniature Dinosaur Meat Can (Product of Giant Beast Heavy Industry)]: A miniature can. The essence has been concentrated; its nutrients are fully compressed. Although it is very small, its nutritional content is no different from that of a normal-sized can.
In other words, this tiny thing—you could eat a dozen of them in one bite—was no different from a regular, standard-sized can, at least in terms of nutrition.
This also meant that its ability to aid in an Extraordinary breakthrough was almost identical to a normal can’s.
If you could eat dozens of them at once, it would indirectly increase the probability of a breakthrough.
The miniature and oversized cans each had their own merits. Perhaps for an ordinary person, the miniature ones were actually more useful.
"Interesting." Qin Ziwen had thought there was only the oversized version, but now a miniature one had appeared. Could there be other types of bizarre cans as well?
Qin Ziwen, who had been about to leave, changed his mind and decided to stay and help.
But he soon discovered that his presence made the workers tense. Their movements became stiff, and they grew quiet and reserved.
Qin Ziwen sighed inwardly. He put down what he was doing and said to Xiao Xuemei, "Sister Xuemei, if you find any more of these special cans, just send them to me. I have to get going."
Xiao Xuemei teased, "Alright, you go on ahead. With you here, no one can work comfortably. They don’t even know where to put their hands and feet."
Qin Ziwen smiled and turned to leave.
Only after he was a good distance away did a collective sigh of relief ripple through the area.
Xiao Xuemei watched Qin Ziwen’s retreating back with a complicated expression. She was one of the first neighbors to have contact with him.
Because of her husband, Deng Guang, the two families were fairly familiar with each other and would even joke around occasionally.
So even though Qin Ziwen’s status had risen, the change didn’t feel that pronounced to her.
However, she could still vaguely sense a shift from the way others treated him.
After leaving Giant Beast Heavy Industry, Qin Ziwen returned to his bedroom, took out the [Recruitment Card], and crushed the Card, using it.
A white halo of light erupted in the empty space before him, reaching up to his chest.
A moment later, the halo dissipated.
In its place stood a short, stout "little winter melon."
It had no neck, its head resting almost directly on its shoulders. Its belly protruded so far that it stretched the loose burlap robe into a taut, round drum.
Its limbs were short and thick, its skin a light brown dotted with faint golden spots. Its head was large and round, and two short, thick antennae sprouted from the top.
"Ma... Master," the little winter melon stammered in clumsy human speech.
"What’s your name?" Qin Ziwen stared at the top-tier Insect Cultivator of the Insect Race before him. Although not Extraordinary, this was the first "top-tier" ordinary individual he had summoned.
"My name is Pangding." The little winter melon’s second sentence was much more fluent.
Using Insight, a flash of surprise crossed Qin Ziwen’s eyes.
[Ordinary · Top-Tier Insect Cultivator of the Insect Race · Pangding]: ☆☆☆☆☆
’Full Stars, too.’
This meant that not only was this Insect Cultivator highly skilled, but its individual power had also reached the pinnacle for its species.
Qin Ziwen asked curiously, "What is an Insect Cultivator?"
"Master, we Insect Cultivators are responsible for raising young Insect Men and teaching them basic knowledge."
"As I recall, the Insect Race is a broad category, with all sorts of different Insect Men, right?"
"I can teach them all." Pangding grinned, looking somewhat simple and honest.
"Then you must be very knowledgeable about all these Insect Men." A sharp glint flashed in Qin Ziwen’s eyes.
Pangding thought for a moment, then patted its round belly and said with certainty, "I am."
"Excellent!"
Qin Ziwen clapped his hands in approval.
From this perspective, Pangding’s value actually surpassed that of an ordinary Extraordinary Insect Man.
Being knowledgeable about all types of Insect Men meant it certainly knew their habits, and maybe even their weaknesses and preferences.
’This is a technical specialist!’
"I’m curious, besides Insect Men, can you also domesticate other kinds of insects?"
This time, Pangding didn’t agree immediately. It thought carefully before replying, "Most of them, yes."
It continued, "Master, the habits of all insect types are actually interconnected. As long as you are familiar with the habits of the majority, the temperaments of the rest aren’t too different. Except for a few special cases, most insects are similar and easy to raise."
Qin Ziwen beckoned to it. "Come with me."
He led Pangding to the Giant Beast Breeding Center.
As they stepped into Giant Beast Heavy Industry, Pangding paused, looked around warily, hesitated for a moment, and then said, "Master, this building gives me a strange feeling..."
"Like it’s alive?"
Pangding was surprised. ’How did Master know what I was thinking?’
"It is alive."
Pangding was utterly shocked. ’Doesn’t that mean I’m walking into the body of a giant monster right now?’
...
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