Chapter 1054: Writing

The monkey... has learned human language. Ren She murmured slowly.

"That's right," Chen Jun Nan said. "It might take a long time, whether it's sixty years or seventy, but at least we can see the end in sight."

"That means the monkey is treating itself as a human," Ren She said. "It's a problem that needs to be resolved on a subconscious level."

"Maybe it's already past that stage?" Chen Jun Nan said.

"Do you think..." Ren She stared at Chen Jun Nan and said, "that monkey is writing 'Mai Ke Bai' right now?"

"I don't think so," Chen Jun Nan stared back at Ren She and replied.

"What...?" The eyes under Ren She's mask shifted, as if furrowing a brow. "The monkey has already started seeing itself as human, which means it has learned human language and knows what humans want, yet it's not writing 'Mai Ke Bai'?"

"Yes..." Chen Jun Nan said with a heavy expression. "From my interactions with that monkey and the reactions of various 'humans,' I feel that what the monkey is writing isn't 'Mai Ke Bai,' but something else entirely."

"What do you mean by that..."

"'Mai Ke Bai' is a path someone else has already walked, and the room's owner might consider it rare if the monkey could write it. But what that monkey is composing is all the obsessions within the room where the monkeys are confined, as well as the infinite suffering of those monkeys." Chen Jun Nan explained. "It's a masterpiece that only it could create."

Ren She stood frozen in place, silent for a long time.

He had made many assumptions before, and the boldest one was that the monkey had already started writing 'Mai Ke Bai' on its own.

But he had never considered that the monkey might be writing something else.

Something that left the room's owner utterly astonished, different from 'Mai Ke Bai.'

So, did it seem like he wanted to escape, but didn't?

Did it seem like he wanted to become a god, but didn't?

"Snake brother, do you know what 'Mai Ke Bai' is about?" Chen Jun Nan asked.

"You kid... do you know?" Ren She shot back.

"What a coincidence, I actually do," Chen Jun Nan said. "There was a time when I was obsessed with watching plays, and I happened to see 'Mai Ke Bai.' In short, it's the story of Mai Ke Bai and his queen resorting to tyranny to hold onto the throne, killing innocents and becoming mad and cruel tyrants, only to be overthrown in the end."

"Ah...?" Ren She only knew that this question alluded to "Zhongyan Zhidi," but he hadn't realized that 'Mai Ke Bai' had deeper implications too.

"So, how could a normal person guide a group of monkeys to write a story about overthrowing tyranny..." Chen Jun Nan said. "The suffering these monkeys endure is also a form of tyranny. Once they truly learn human thoughts and language, the first ones to suffer would be humans."

After hearing this, Ren She slowly lowered his head and said in a low voice, "So, he's already reached that level..."

The strangeness of "Zhongyan Zhidi" lay in how some stories hadn't even begun in certain people's hearts, yet in others' memories, they were already nearing an end.

Ren She let out a deep sigh and looked toward Jin Yuan Xun.

"...?"

Jin Yuan Xun was startled. "What's up, bro?"

"Isn't this a question-and-answer?" Ren She said. "Where's your answer?"

If not for Ren She's reminder, Jin Yuan Xun would have completely forgotten this was a game. He quickly furrowed his brow and said, "Ah! Bro... this question, I think..."

Three seconds later, he blinked and asked, "Bro, what was the question again?"

"He asked you how the monkey escapes," Chen Jun Nan said, shaking his head.

"Ah... yeah... bro," Jin Yuan Xun said. "I think the monkey... can kill people, right?"

"...?"

Both Ren She and Chen Jun Nan were stunned. Chen Jun Nan almost hissed but held back.

He glanced at Ren She, and this time, Ren She didn't hiss either.

"Infinite monkeys, you know!" Jin Yuan Xun said. "Just gang up and kill that person. It's so simple, right?"

"Uh..."

"Or even without infinite monkeys?" Jin Yuan Xun continued. "Ten of them would be enough to kill a person, do you think?"

After hearing this, Chen Jun Nan felt a strange sensation.

Jin Yuan Xun wasn't stupid; it was just that the language barrier made him seem that way.

Though his answer was way off, both he and Ren She had immersed themselves in the story of "Zhongyan Zhidi," without returning to the question's core.

The room's owner in "Zhongyan Zhidi" was a "god," and even if all ordinary people rose up, or even an infinite number of them, it wouldn't guarantee they could kill him.

But the question itself was about a monkey and a human.

A human imprisoning infinite monkeys and forcing them into meaningless hard labor—why wouldn't they rebel?

Perhaps Jin Yuan Xun wasn't dumb, or maybe he just hadn't overthought it like the other two, so in his eyes, the way for the monkeys to escape was straightforward.

That is, kill the room's owner—it could be done in a few minutes... or perhaps just one monkey leading the charge, with the rest joining in, and they'd be free.

Thinking about it, that might also explain what many cities had done before, though they ultimately destroyed themselves.

They failed because they hadn't thought deeply—after all, their relationship with the rulers wasn't like monkeys and humans, but more like ants and flames.

Even if this answer proved wrong, in the context of this question, it was right. Chen Jun Nan and Ren She both realized this at the same time.

Ren She blinked and turned to look at Chen Jun Nan.

Chen Jun Nan paused, then quickly averted his gaze elsewhere.

Ren She shifted uncomfortably and looked directly into Chen Jun Nan's eyes.

Knowing he couldn't dodge it, Chen Jun Nan forced a smile and said, "Hey, what's up, Snake brother?"

"The game is over," Ren She said. "You only got one question right, but talking with you has been quite rewarding. I've learned a lot that I didn't know before..."

"Don't try to sugarcoat it," Chen Jun Nan said. "Snake brother, are you really going to hand the kid over to him? How am I supposed to explain that back home?"

"Just say I called a bad game," Ren She said. "I'll beat you up right in front of this kid and even slap you twenty times."

"...?" Chen Jun Nan was confused. "What's in it for you?"

"That way, Qi Xia will have to stand up for you, right?" Ren She said. "Then he'll come after me, and our deal will finally be settled."

Chen Jun Nan sighed and nodded, pulling something from his pocket and clenching it into a fist before placing it in Jin Yuan Xun's hand.

"Xiao Jin, I'm entrusting the child to you."

With a dejected expression, Chen Jun Nan stood up and started toward the "door," but Jin Yuan Xun grabbed his wrist.

"It's fine, Xiao Jin," Chen Jun Nan said. "Don't hold me back. I've made up my mind."

"Bro, you only gave me a chain."

"Oh? Ha..." Chen Jun Nan laughed. "I guess I couldn't fool you, kid... Here, come on..."

After hesitating for a while, Chen Jun Nan pulled out the "Bao."

"Xiao Jin, I don't have much to give you—just this 'Bao.'"

Jin Yuan Xun snatched the "Zi." "Thanks, bro."