Chapter 135: Steamed Is Still the Best

When Sun Licheng awoke, he found himself locked in an iron cage within a large house. The cage was small, barely large enough for him to sit in, and a heavy padlock secured the door. Looking around, he saw many similar cages scattered throughout the room, each seemingly containing a prisoner. However, the light in the room was so dim that even with his night vision, he could not see very clearly.

"How did I end up here?"

Sun Licheng began to struggle with his memories. He recalled everything that had happened on the Snow Ridge Plateau: Mr. Handy, Dogmeat, the Wolf King, Christina, and Little Cabbage. Finally, he remembered Little Cabbage detonating the Heart of the Deity. Overcome by grief, tears welled up and streamed down his face.

Suddenly, with a loud clatter, the room's door was kicked open from the outside, and a towering figure strode in. Accompanied by a string of familiar yet unintelligible grunts, an ogre appeared before him.

Glaring at Sun Licheng, the ogre bypassed his cage and walked to another, opening the iron door. The prisoner inside was clearly terrified; he huddled desperately into the corner, but the ogre, with his long arms and immense stature, dragged him out in a few swift motions. Sun Licheng took a look and couldn't help but chuckle—the prisoner was a "Bajie," or more accurately, a pig-headed man.

As the ogre dragged the pig-headed man toward the exit, the prisoner panicked and began to struggle fiercely. His resistance did not break the ogre's grip; instead, it infuriated him. The ogre snatched up a large wooden stool from the side and smashed it mercilessly against the pig-headed man’s head. With a sickening thud and a spray of blood, the prisoner collapsed to the ground.

The ogre spat, cursed, grabbed the pig-headed man by one leg, and dragged him out of the room, leaving a thick trail of blood on the floor. As the door slammed shut and silence returned to the room, Sun Licheng resumed his recollections. He remembered escaping the underground fortress in an escape pod, only for it to be struck by something; the pod had exploded in mid-air, and he had lost consciousness. When he woke up, he was here.

"Damn it all," Sun Licheng cursed.

Just then, the sound of soft sobbing drifted through the room. Sun Licheng turned his head and saw a humanoid creature with the head of a rat crying. Although he could not understand the creature's language, he could guess the meaning: probably a mix of fear of being eaten by the ogres and homesickness.

"Sigh..." Sun Licheng let out a heavy breath. He had intended to communicate with the creature, but realizing he was just another lamb waiting for the slaughter, he dismissed the thought.

Early the next morning, the door opened again, and the same ogre from the day before strode in. He walked straight to Sun Licheng’s cage, unlocked the heavy padlock, opened the door, and dragged him out. The ogre looked at Sun Licheng, perhaps finding him too lean to make a decent meal, so he moved to another cage and hauled out a rabbit-headed man. The rabbit-man was terrified, emitting a shrill, desperate scream. The noise clearly annoyed the ogre, who swung a massive fist and knocked the rabbit-man unconscious with a single blow.

"Don't bother, I'll walk myself," Sun Licheng said. Seeing the ogre glaring at him, he waved his hand and began to walk outside on his own.

Stepping out of the dark room, the intense sunlight forced Sun Licheng to shield his eyes. Once he lowered his hand, he realized he was in a vast courtyard. Outside, numerous ogres were milling about. After walking for a while, they arrived at a place resembling a training arena.

With a thunderous crash, an ogre was thrown to the ground, drawing a roar of approval from the crowd. Sun Licheng looked on with curiosity and was stunned. He was no stranger to ogres—he had even killed an ogre shaman while fighting the goblin army—but the one in the arena was a female ogre.

To be honest, the female ogre was truly hideous, a level uglier than even a female goblin, but her physique was formidable. Standing over three meters tall, her figure was exceptionally robust, and her chest was exaggeratedly, almost absurdly, large. More importantly, her attire was remarkably daring: she wore nothing but a leather bandeau and a leather skirt. Naturally, Sun Licheng felt no desire—would one feel attracted to a female gorilla? He was simply struck by the novelty of it.

Just as he wanted a closer look, a gust of wind warned him of a blow from behind; the impatient ogre had kicked at him. A veteran of countless battles, Sun Licheng instinctively twisted his body and dodged the attack.

His evasion, however, sent the ogre into a rage. The ogre threw the rabbit-man onto the ground and charged at Sun Licheng, bellowing in fury. Sun Licheng decided then and there to stop playing the victim; he would vent the pent-up malice in his heart and teach this brute a lesson.

Watching the charging ogre, Sun Licheng smiled inwardly. The creature looked imposing, but his technique was sloppy, and his footwork was unstable. As the ogre threw a punch, Sun Licheng executed a cloud-hand motion, tripped the ogre’s leg, and sent him hurtling forward like a train jumping its tracks.

The massive thud immediately drew the attention of those around them. Seeing a fight break out, the other ogres gathered around. Ogres were naturally combative, and although one of their own was getting beaten, they watched with great interest. Naturally, they couldn't help but jeer and mock the fallen ogre. From their chatter, Sun Licheng picked up a great deal of the goblin language and guessed that he might be within the borders of a goblin kingdom.

By now, the fallen ogre had scrambled to his feet. His face was flushed red with humiliation, his eyes bulging as if they might pop from their sockets, and he was panting through his nostrils. With a roar, he lunged again.

Dealing with such an opponent was like a leisurely stroll for Sun Licheng. While dodging the attack, he leveraged the ogre's own momentum and kicked him flying with a single motion! As the ogre slammed into the ground again, the surrounding mockery grew louder.

"Henry, you idiot! You can’t even handle a little runt like that? Finish him off quickly; I want to eat roasted goblin later!" the female ogre in the crowd shouted at the fallen ogre, her face twisted in mockery.

The female ogre’s goblin was crisp and clear. Sun Licheng heard her perfectly, and his eyes rolled back in frustration.

"What's so good about roasted goblin? Steaming is the best way to eat it!" Sun Licheng shouted back at the female ogre.

"What did you say? What is steaming?" The female ogre stood there, completely bewildered.