Chapter Ten: A New Race

Although the ape resembled a human more closely in some ways, its blood could only be found at the zoo. Even if one were to encounter it, it would hardly be convenient to draw blood from it under the watchful eyes of the public. Monkey blood, however, was a different matter—there was a ready source right before him.

Moreover, the golden snub-nosed monkey was a noble among monkeys, far above the ruffians of Mount Emei. In ancient times, the great physician Li Shizhen had referred to it as the “guoran.” He wrote that the guoran was a benevolent beast, fond of moving in groups, with the elders leading and the young following; they shared their food, lived in harmony, gathered in life and mourned together in death.

This was a creature whose emotional life was hardly inferior to that of humans.

Fang Zhuowei lifted his head slightly, his eyes burning as he gazed at the stone pit.

The pit was not large, just over a meter deep and about the size of a washbasin. In the center, a crimson droplet of blood, about the size of a palm, still shimmered with a gem-like luster in the dim light.

He withdrew his gaze and glanced around.

There was utter silence—no one passed by.

Still uneasy, he groped about the corners, confirming there were no surveillance cameras. Satisfied, he wasted no more time and focused his mind.

In the next instant, a fist-sized black hole slowly appeared just above the blood of the golden snub-nosed monkey. With a barely perceptible hum, a bead of bright red blood, about the size of a grain of rice, was swiftly drawn into the black hole.

Incubation began...

After finishing everything, Fang Zhuowei nonchalantly brushed off his sleeves, glanced around once more, and then strolled out of the scenic area as if nothing had happened.

On his way, passing by a few vendors, he bought a serving of fried rice noodles with egg.

Truth be told, after wandering around for so long, he was indeed a bit hungry.

The rice noodles weren’t expensive—five yuan a serving, with a free egg. The taste was ordinary, nothing like the fare of grand hotels, but decent enough. For Fang Zhuowei’s appetite, it was enough to fill him seven or eight tenths full, saving him the trouble of cooking at home.

Only after finishing his meal did Fang Zhuowei leisurely head home.

The round trip from the scenic area to his house was about five li, so to conserve his strength, he walked slowly. By the time he reached home, the sun was already setting.

But as he reached the door, a small pink electric scooter caught his eye.

“A visitor?” Fang Zhuowei frowned, muttering to himself, though his steps did not slow.

There weren’t many households nearby; the closest was his third aunt’s family. If someone arrived by scooter, it was almost certainly her. He just didn't know when his third aunt acquired such a flamboyant, death-defying Barbie-pink scooter.

With a chuckle, Fang Zhuowei pushed open the door.

Inside stood a tall, slender figure.

“Yamei, what brings you here?” he asked, surprised when he recognized her.

“I should be asking why you’re back so late,” Zhang Ya replied coldly, not answering his question directly.

“I… just took a stroll around the nearby scenic area,” Fang Zhuowei answered, scratching his head.

“In the future, try not to go out. It’s been quite unsettled lately,” Zhang Ya’s tone softened slightly as she spoke. As she did, she pulled out a woven sack from somewhere.

The sack looked full—clearly packed with things.

“My mom asked me to bring these specially for you.” After setting the sack down, Zhang Ya turned to leave without a backward glance, but as she crossed the threshold, she paused and turned, asking, “You’re not planning to just stay holed up at home forever, are you?”

“That’s the idea,” Fang Zhuowei replied noncommittally.

Zhang Ya frowned and said nothing more, leaving at once.

Watching as she rode off on the little electric scooter and disappeared from view, Fang Zhuowei finally stepped over to the sack.

He undid the knot in a few swift motions, revealing its contents.

Inside were some vegetables, rice, and at the bottom, a large box of marinated meat.

There were also some preserved pickles—simple, everyday things, but the kindness they represented was weightier than a mountain.

“Whew... these things are heavy…”

He had intended to carry the sack inside, but to his surprise, he could barely budge it.

When Zhang Ya carried it, she hadn’t shown the slightest sign of strain. Though he’d been ill for years, surely he couldn’t be weaker than a woman?

Fang Zhuowei pressed his lips together, unconvinced, and tried again.

No use.

He conceded defeat—he truly didn’t have the strength of a girl.

With no choice, he emptied the sack and carried its contents inside piece by piece.

The room was slightly messy, with only a childhood wooden bed in the corner and the rest filled with all manner of clutter.

“I’ll have to find time to tidy up a room,” he muttered.

After half a day’s work, he finally cleared a spot for the things from the sack.

“My bank account still holds about three hundred thousand yuan—savings from years of frugality. I was planning to lease a hillside, but if I renovate the house, there won’t be much left,” Fang Zhuowei thought, troubled.

Money, though merely worldly goods, was still indispensable.

“I really ought to find a way to earn some,” he pondered.

“Maybe I could grow some vegetables. Even if I can’t sell them, at least I’ll have something to eat. No risk of starving.”

“Tomorrow, I need to go to town for supplies anyway. I can stop by the seed shop.”

With his plan settled, Fang Zhuowei wasted no time and went to the room with the fish tank.

“Release the cellular spores,” he commanded silently.

Without hesitation, he focused his mind.

With a soft, watery sound, a black hole the size of a palm appeared in midair, casting a faint, deep glow as it hovered above the fish tank.

In the next instant, countless spores gushed out, falling gently into the water and floating on the surface.

Each time, the evolutionary core could only produce a hundred spore creatures at most, and could only be used once per day.

Compared to the first batch, the spores born from the golden snub-nosed monkey’s cells were much smaller, with many differences in detail and form.

After releasing the spores, Fang Zhuowei fetched a few jagged rocks with interesting shapes.

These stones were not only for decorating the tank, but more importantly, would serve as islands or land.

After all, the golden snub-nosed monkey was a terrestrial mammal. Once the spores incubated, perhaps these would come in handy. It never hurt to be prepared.