Chapter 1611: The Blue-Faced Little Monkey's Stay or Go

Zhang San, who was attending the online seminar on the super-evolved cryophilic bacteria, saw Xia Qing's video call come in and unhesitatingly pressed the mute button on his laptop.

After connecting, he found that the phone screen showed only half of Xia Qing's face—colorful as a painter's palette—against a backdrop of ice and snow. No wolves, bears, monkeys, tigers, or birds. Zhang San's expectations immediately shot up: Could this newbie have discovered another evolved creature from the Evolution Forest during her patrol?!

"Third Brother, when I came over today to deliver the collar to Daigua, I discovered that domesticated beasts from another base had invaded the northern bear group's territory. I knocked out the insert-type low-voltage command collar on the beast's neck and captured it. The invading humans escaped in a helicopter. This collar is more advanced than the ones used by Liehuo and the blue-skinned evolved ones, and it even has communication functions. When I get back, I'll bring it to you."

Xia Qing first laid out the background, then turned the camera to show her idol the beautiful golden snub-nosed monkey she had caught, its little blue face wiped clean. "Look, this is a sub-adult female golden snub-nosed monkey. There are no obvious scars on its head or body, so its prefrontal cortex probably hasn't been removed."

The golden snub-nosed monkey on screen had its entire face scrunched up, conjunctivae congested, the fur around its nose soaked, saliva dripping from its mouth. Because of the facial discomfort, it tried to reach out with its paws to scratch, but Xia Qing stopped it.

Zhang San turned up his laptop's output volume, listening through his earpiece to the director of the Bai Liu Base research institute giving his speech while talking with Xia Qing, and asked lazily, "Did you use tear gas grenades?"

Xia Qing replied, "Yes, this monkey is a speed evolver. If I hadn't used that kind of bullet, I couldn't have caught it. Third Brother, do you want this monkey?"

Zhang San countered, "You don't want it?"

Xia Qing gave a definitive answer, "I don't want it."

"Why?"

Xia Qing answered honestly, "I can't keep it, and I don't have the energy to teach it the rules it needs to follow to survive in human territory."

This little thing had been caught by Xia Qing and was terrified of her. If Xia Qing let go, it would surely run as far as it could. So when Xia Qing said she couldn't keep it, she meant it. If she wanted to force it to stay, she'd have to tie it up or lock it in a cage for a period of education, then teach it to work.

Xia Qing was as busy as a spinning top every day—where would she find the leisure for that?

Hearing that this human didn't want it, the blue-faced golden snub-nosed monkey struggled a little less. Zhang San keenly caught the change in the monkey and continued probing, "This monkey is an evolved primate. If you don't want it, you can bring it back and hand it over to Zhang Song."

Hearing Zhang San's words, the little monkey whose neck Xia Qing was gripping began struggling violently again.

At this point, Xia Qing also understood—this was a monkey that could understand human speech. It was a human domesticated beast, and its collar even had a communication function, so being able to understand human language wasn't strange.

Xia Qing didn't oppose handing the monkey over to Zhang Song, but she needed to confirm two things first. "Third Brother, Song Ge won't hand this monkey over to Red One's people, or cooperate with them on research projects that would inflict physical and psychological torment on it, right?"

Zhang San answered lazily, "Physically, no. Psychologically, I can't confirm."

Zhang Song definitely wouldn't slice up the little monkey or do live dissections, but he would test this monkey's intelligence ceiling, evolutionary abilities, and emotional responses in every way. For example, setting up complex puzzles for it to solve while hungry, or using different sounds and images to stimulate it and observe its fear threshold. Whether these tests would cause psychological "torment" to this monkey depends on the monkey's resilience.

Xia Qing continued asking, "After the research, will it be locked in a cage and become a breeding monkey?"

Zhang San looked at the little monkey struggling violently and shrieking on screen and answered calmly, "I haven't communicated with Zhang Song yet. I can't answer that question right now."

After Xia Qing understood her idol had no interest in this monkey either, she moved to the next question. "Third Brother, looking at its symptoms from being hit, does it need treatment?"

Zhang San didn't answer that question, but pressed on the previous one. "You want to release it?"

Xia Qing answered honestly, "I broke its collar to find the human who commanded it to invade our base, not to lock it in another cage."

Zhang San countered again, "As far as I know, Hui Six, Hui Seven, and Hui Nine bases all have golden snub-nosed monkey research projects. This might be their domesticated beast. Aren't you afraid that if you release this golden snub-nosed monkey, it'll lead a monkey troop to oppose the human base, just like Hui Six's evolved macaques?"

Xia Qing humbly sought advice, "Then in your opinion, what should we do?"

After the director of the Bai Liu research institute finished his speech, it would be Zhang San's turn to speak. He didn't have time to waste words with this newbie. "I don't have time to watch. Solve the trouble you created yourself. It needs a thorough cleaning, then put T/D-3 eye drops in its eyes, and apply special FC ointment to its face and other itchy areas."

After her idol hung up, Xia Qing took out the last few pine nuts and handed them to the little black paw reaching out from her backpack, then took out a white radish and handed it to the big black paw in front of her. She quietly watched the golden snub-nosed monkey before her and asked, "Blue-face, do you want to stay in the Evolution Forest, or come back with me to human territory?"

The little monkey used its paws, covered in thick golden fur, to desperately pull at Xia Qing's fingers and arm.

"You want to stay in the Evolution Forest?" Xia Qing raised her hand and held the monkey's two little paws. This fellow did have some strength, but its strength posed no threat to Xia Qing at all.

Xia Qing said seriously and slowly, "I know you understand human speech. If you want to stay in the Evolution Forest, nod your head like this."

The little monkey, whose neck Xia Qing was gripping from behind, immediately nodded, nodding over and over, afraid Xia Qing wouldn't understand. The little monkey's action was so human-like that it left Xia Qing a bit stunned. It seemed this little monkey had suffered quite a bit at the hands of its domesticator.

"Okay, I understand, you can stop nodding." Xia Qing turned to ask the greedy little bear beside her, who was dipping radish in honey and munching on it, "Little Bear Brother, can you let this monkey stay in your territory?"

This hot spring lake basin was very suitable for golden snub-nosed monkeys to survive. If this golden snub-nosed monkey was to stay, it had to get the bear group's consent first. If the bear group disagreed, Xia Qing would contact Lao Si to see if his wolf pack wanted the monkey.

The northern wolf pack? No. Because the northern wolf pack's territory was right next to human territory, and Xia Qing didn't want a clever monkey for a neighbor.

The greedy little bear's sneaky eyes shifted back and forth between the golden snub-nosed monkey and Xia Qing, then extended its black paw toward Xia Qing again.

Xia Qing...

"Roar!!!" An enraged roar from Xiong Wang came from the direction of Basin Number Sixty-Seven.

Xia Qing pushed away the black paw in front of her, shouldered her backpack, picked up the monkey, and stood up, hurrying toward Mountain Sixty-Seven. The reason for Xiong Wang's fury—Xia Qing didn't need to ask to know—was either that some animal in Mountain Sixty-Seven was trying to steal the vegetables Xia Qing had left behind, or that Xiong Wang couldn't find the honey.

Either way, Xia Qing had to go back. She had to take Daigua and Ergua back, and use the hot spring water to wash this little monkey and apply medicine. As for whether it could stay in the hot spring basin, that would be decided by Xiong Wang, the greedy little bear, and Daigua.

Before Xia Qing had even walked back to the hot spring basin, she saw Xiong Wang charging over aggressively. Xiong Wang lifted his nose to sniff, quickly locked onto the source of the sweet honey, and shot off like a rocket, sending up a spray of snow that splashed all over Xia Qing and the little monkey in her hands, which was already so scared it didn't dare move.

Xia Qing raised her hand to wipe her protective face shield, and when she turned her head, she saw a little bear that had been slapped flying, still holding a white radish in its mouth.