Chapter 4 Chapter 3 Academy

After the crystal no longer fascinated their minds, no longer experimented with their bodies.Mochizuki and his companions couldn't remember what they saw.They passed the crystal the next day foraging without giving it a second thought, just as part of the unnoticed background of their lives.They can't eat it, and it can't eat them, so it doesn't matter. By the river, "those ape-men" made another ineffective threat as usual.Their leader—a one-eared ape of Mochizuki's stature and age, but with less physical strength—even briefly invaded Mochizuki's territory, screaming and waving his arms in an attempt to annihilate the opponent's Ambition, grow your own prestige.The water in the river and stream was no more than a foot deep, but the further One Ear walked, the more hesitant and uncomfortable he became.He stopped quickly, and then, with a bit of affectation, turned back with his airs and returned to his companions.

Other than that, there was no change in the daily routine.This group of orangutans collected food to survive for a day, and no death occurred. That night, the crystalline plate still waited in its own pulse of light and sound.However, its ingeniously arranged programs were different at this time. It ignored certain apes altogether, as if concentrating its attention on the most promising subjects.One of these objects was Mochizuki; once again he felt some sensitive tentacles digging into the seldom-used lanes of his mind.Then, he started seeing visions. What he saw was a peaceful family scene, only a little different from the one he was familiar with.The couple and the two babies who mysteriously appeared in front of his eyes were full of food, and their skin was shiny and shiny -- such living conditions were never imagined by Mochizuki.

He unconsciously touched his protruding ribs; the ribs of those creatures were wrapped under layers of fat.They lazily moved a little from time to time, and leaned leisurely near the entrance of the cave, completely indifferent to the world.Occasionally, the adult male ape gave a big belch of contentment. After five minutes of no other activity, the scene suddenly disappeared again.The crystals returned to glowing silhouettes in the dark again; Moonwatcher shook his head as he woke up from a big dream, suddenly realized his situation, and then led his group of apes back to the cave. He couldn't consciously recall what he saw, but that night he sat at the entrance of the cave and meditated, his ears used to adapt to the noise in the surrounding environment. At this moment, Mochizuki felt a new intensity for the first time. Emotional throbbing.It was a vague and gradual sense of envy—dissatisfaction with one's own life.He could not fathom the cause of this feeling, let alone how to overcome it; but dissatisfaction had entered his soul, and he had taken a small step towards becoming human.

By the time of the next new moon, two of the orangutans had died and one had been born.Two died, one from starvation; the other from a nightly routine in which an orangutan collapsed while trying to skillfully knock two stones against each other.At that moment, the crystal immediately went out of light, and the apes were released from their fascination.But the fallen orangutan never moved again, and of course the body was gone the next morning. There was no further performance the next night; the crystal was still analyzing its own mistakes.At dusk, when the apes passed the crystal, they did not notice its existence at all.On the third night, the crystals were again ready to be tested on the apes.

The four fat apes were still there, but now they were making unusual movements. Mochizuki began to tremble uncontrollably; he felt his head burst and tried to avert his eyes.But the relentless mind control would not let go of its grip; he was compelled to see the lesson through, even though it went against all his instincts. That instinct was of great benefit to his ancestors. In the past days, the weather was warm, the rain was plentiful, the soil was fertile, the grass was strong, and food was ubiquitous and readily available.But times have changed, and the wisdom of generations past has become folly.The apes must adapt to the changes of the times, or they will die out—just like the giant beasts that were extinct earlier, their bones have been fossilized.

that's it.Mochizuki stared intently at the crystal plate, while his mind let it manipulate itself, still elusive.He was nauseated many times, and he was always hungry; his hands were clasped from time to time and involuntarily into positions that would determine his new way of life. Mochizuki stopped suddenly as a line of warthogs grunted across the path.In the past, pigs and apes have always been independent of each other, because there is no conflict of interest between the two.Like all animals that do not compete for food of the same kind, they generally just do not interfere with each other and stay at a respectful distance.

But then Mochizuki stopped and looked at the warthog, struggling with urges he didn't understand, unable to make up his mind.then.As if in sleep, he began to search the ground—for what, even if he could speak, he could not tell.Anyway, he'll know when he sees it. What he saw was a heavy pointed stone, six inches long, which, though not handy, was serviceable.He pumped his fists, bewildered by the sudden increase in weight, yet aware of a delightful sense of strength and authority.He started running towards the nearest warthog. Even by warthog standards of intelligence, this is a young and ignorant brute.

Although it saw Mochizuki out of the corner of its eye, it didn't take him seriously at first. How can one doubt that such a kind animal has evil intentions?It continued to gnaw on the grass, not being careful that the stone hammer in Mochizuki's hand knocked it unconscious.Due to the quick and easy killing, the rest of the warthogs were not frightened and continued to eat grass as before. All the other orangutans stood watching first, and now surrounded Mochizuki and his prey with some envy and some amazement.An orangutan then picked up the bloody weapon and began beating the dead pig.The other apes joined in, picking up whatever branches and rocks they could find, and beat the target into a puddle of meat before giving up.

After the fight, everyone felt bored, some dispersed, and some hesitantly surrounded the already unrecognizable corpse—the future of the world was waiting for their decision.Oddly enough, it took a considerable time before a mother ape with a baby in her arms began to lick the bloody stone she held in her hand. Although Mochizuki had seen so many demonstrations, it was only after a longer period of time that he really realized that he no longer had to worry about food and clothing.