After reviewing Fang Senyan's attributes, Crowbar stared for a moment, a hint of "just as I thought" disdain flickering in his eyes. However, he concealed it extremely well; one might miss it without careful observation. His face remained set in an overwhelmingly enthusiastic smile as he nodded:

"Yes, understood. Welcome to fight alongside the Symbiote Society." [Bookmark:]

He then proceeded to sign a temporary contract with Fang Senyan. To demonstrate his sincerity, upon learning that Fang Senyan was currently tight on Universal Points, Crowbar proactively covered the initial cost for signing the contract.

Once the temporary contract was signed, Crowbar became remarkably forthcoming, providing Fang Senyan with a wealth of useful intelligence. This candor stemmed from the fact that he was far from as confident as he appeared. There was a distinct reason why the Symbiote Society, despite its large numbers, seemed perpetually overshadowed by the Banks Gang. If the trap meticulously set by the Banks Gang could be easily dismantled, why would Crowbar have gone to such lengths to persuade Fang Senyan and Dass to join? The implication was clear: Crowbar intended for Dass to serve as the primary heavy hitter, the main source of output, while Fang Senyan, this seemingly hot-tempered and impulsive fellow, was assigned a role equally crucial, yet far less desirable—that of expendable bait.

It was now half-past nine in the evening, and all the Contract Holders had gathered in a wooden cabin. After much deliberation, Dass had also joined their ranks. However, Fang Senyan suspected that the temporary contract Dass signed with Crowbar would be vastly different from his own; the Symbiote Society might even have to pay Dass a handsome sum of Universal Points. But the reality was undeniable: the majority of the Symbiote Society's focus and attention would undoubtedly be fixed on Dass! Thus, standing beside Dass, Fang Senyan felt an added layer of safety, much like an assassin bathed in shadow... This was precisely the objective Fang Senyan had aimed to achieve.

"Our target for this operation is a particularly vicious monster, a creature unique to the magical world of Harry Potter, called a Troll. Its level of danger is self-evident given its classification as a legendary creature; there's no need for me to waste time elaborating."

Crowbar's expression was now serious. As he spoke, the Nightmare Imprint on his chest emitted a beam of light that struck the table before them, projecting a shimmering, miniature, three-dimensional model of the Troll, which slowly rotated in place, rendered vividly lifelike.

This projection capability was a new special ability gained upon accumulating a certain level of Merit Points and achieving a rank promotion. However, its activation seemed to consume Merit Points—the exact amount was unknown because this was considered common knowledge. Furthermore, since most members of the Symbiote Society already knew Fang Senyan’s fate was to be cannon fodder, they readily shared this information with him. ///.iuyd/.//m First Release

Fang Senyan's pupils contracted slightly, but a cold sneer played on his lips:

"Troll... So you people are truly setting your sights on this thing!"

Following this, a series of related data files began to display above the miniature Troll model. This information was being transmitted by the leader of the Symbiote Society using his rank-specific ability.

The Troll is a terrifying monster, capable of reaching heights of 10 to 12 feet and weighing over a ton. Trolls are immensely strong but incredibly dull-witted, which prevents them from using magic. Their usual weapons are tree trunks they uproot and snap off. They possess gray skin, a lumpy physique, and flat, calloused feet. They emit an overwhelmingly foul odor—"a mixture of stale socks and an uncleaned public latrine." Their noses are filled with a viscous, gray, glue-like substance—Troll snot.

All wild Trolls exhibit violent tendencies and are notoriously impatient; their bad tempers can flare up at any moment. Trolls originated in the Scandinavian Peninsula, but they have recently been sighted in Britain, Ireland, and other parts of Northern Europe. They communicate with grunts and snorts, seemingly a crude language, but some Trolls are known to understand, and even utter, a few simple human phrases. Some of the smarter ones have even been trained for guard duty.

There are three main types of Trolls: Mountain Trolls, Forest Trolls, and Water Trolls. Mountain Trolls are the largest and most dangerous. Their heads are bare, and their skin is pale gray. Forest Trolls have pale green skin; some possess fine green or brown, shaggy hair. Water Trolls have short horns and possibly fur. Their skin is somewhat purplish, and they are often found lurking under bridges. The Troll diet includes any creature with fresh blood and raw meat—naturally, this honor includes humans.

Upon learning of the Banks Gang’s conspiracy, Fang Senyan’s very first thought for breaking the deadlock involved the Troll. According to the original storyline, Professor Quirrell, possessed by Voldemort, placed an adult Mountain Troll inside Hogwarts during a festival to create a diversion, allowing him time to steal the Philosopher's Stone guarded by Fluffy.

It was highly improbable that such a heavy, lumbering monster would travel great distances on its own. The most likely scenario was that it had been intentionally raised by Quirrell/Voldemort somewhere near Hogwarts, waiting for the opportune moment to be released. Since Quirrell had teaching duties after the school year began, his free time would be limited, making the capture and temporary housing of a massive, powerful creature like a Mountain Troll impractical at that stage.

By eliminating the Mountain Troll living near Hogwarts, they would undoubtedly clear a significant, immediate threat to the school. This act would be as satisfying as a group of temporary maintenance staff dismantling a local den of vice and crime that posed a serious risk of killing or maiming students.

Hagrid’s current position at Hogwarts is Keeper of Keys and Grounds, meaning his duties inherently involve overseeing the beasts and monsters surrounding the castle. Therefore, successfully eliminating the hidden danger of the Mountain Troll near Hogwarts would inevitably cause his favorability rating toward them to surge dramatically.

If the Banks Gang and others aimed to increase favorability through Hagrid's personal hobbies, killing the Troll would be approaching it from the "official" angle—though, admittedly, the associated risk was enormous. Even setting aside the inherent threat of the Troll itself, it was uncertain whether attacking it would provoke interference from Voldemort/Quirrell, as the Troll’s appearance at Hogwarts was a crucial element of Voldemort's plan!

Crowbar waited until everyone had finished reviewing the data before clapping his hands to recapture everyone's attention:

"As you have all seen, taking down this Troll is no simple task. But please, do not exaggerate the difficulty. According to the intelligence transmitted by the Boss, the Troll's slow speed and low intelligence are two major weaknesses we can exploit."

"Furthermore, the plot information suggests the center of the Troll's head should be its primary weak point; a solid hit there can induce unconsciousness! Our objective is straightforward: dig a deep enough pit trap to make this big oaf fall in, and then unleash all our firepower directly onto its head! That’s... that’s all there is to it. Does anyone have any questions?"

Dass, holding his Mauser rifle, spoke from the far end of the cabin with a cold tone:

"I have one critical question... Why would the Troll willingly step into our trap? Don't brush me off by citing its low intelligence; even the dimmest creature has its own unique survival instincts! What method of luring do you plan to use?"

Crowbar's face darkened.

"That is my concern, Dass. Your responsibility is to aim for the Troll’s head and pull the trigger. You don't need to worry about the rest!"

Dass scoffed, "That would be convenient. I’m just worried that the moment I fire, I’ll become the Troll’s primary target! And I'll have the honor of being the bait used to lure it. If attempting to gloss over these details is the Symbiote Society’s method of cooperation, then I withdraw!"

Crowbar took a deep breath and closed his eyes. While he intensely desired to clash with Dass at that moment, he ultimately showed restraint. The Contract Holders gathered here were mostly specialized in brute force, meaning they suffered from a severe lack of ranged firepower. Given the power level of Contract Holders in this current world difficulty, some teams might manage to take down a Troll using a pure melee squad, but the Symbiote Society definitely was not one of them. Therefore, Dass, who possessed formidable ranged attack capabilities, was an essential ally to secure.

"If the Boss could spare the time to assist... then why would it fall to a fool like you, Dass, to be so arrogant? However... hmmph."

When Crowbar reopened his eyes, his expression had returned to calm:

"You are our core firepower, and naturally, we will ensure your safety as much as possible. As for the matter of luring the Troll into the trap, I can answer you: we will use bait to guide it toward the pit. The bait will be a freshly killed deer. The person carrying the deer to lure it into the trap will be selected from the six of us, including myself. You are not among them."

Dass finally nodded after hearing this arrangement, signaling his tacit agreement, though he added one final condition:

"Until the Troll is inside the trap, I will not fire a single shot."

Crowbar nodded grimly and called the remaining members forward, stating plainly:

"Everyone should clearly understand our current predicament. I won't waste time with unnecessary words. Those among you with established long-range attack capabilities, please stand up and move to the left."