Dow and Carbon-Based Monkey Breeding Guidelines

Chapter 1005 The Long Night (Part )

After getting off the bus at the terminal, he had to walk a distance to get home. If he could take a shortcut, it would only take ten minutes, but in the past half month, it seemed that due to some disputes over borders and transportation routes, these pine forests belonging to different contractors had erected net-shaped fences around them, expressing a gesture of keeping outsiders away. Although the low and slender rope nets were useless to the hard-hearted intruders, he did not want to conflict with those who always glared at him and spit loudly on the ground while staring at him and talking.

Moreover, he preferred to walk along these winding grass paths squeezed by the woods. Although these paths were close to human habitation, they were rarely visited by people during the day, and were deeply shaded and difficult to see from the air. Compared with the small houses surrounded by walls, pipes and wires, these paths were more suitable for chatting with people. A few months ago, he and his guests often walked along these paths to the fields or woods; usually in the afternoon, the guests who rarely turned on the lights indoors would sit on the windowsill by the dining table, occasionally playing a few melodies, and then drawing a small pattern in the notebook. After having fun, they would go out for a walk together.

At first, he thought that the dense patterns on the notebooks were some kind of mysterious symbols - in layman's terms, "spells", but he didn't know why the guests would record them on paper. After asking during the walk, the guests smiled slightly in surprise.

"A spell? No."

“…What is that?”

"It's just some very ordinary content. Most of it is the melody and lyrics I thought of, and there are also some herbal formulas and geographical information. However, before writing its title page, I should at least have a suitable melody in it... In short, it's just my hobby practice, there is no special intention."

"So, it's sheet music?"

"It is true that you can play according to it, but it is not a symbol system created specifically for playing. It would be more appropriate to say that it is some kind of writing."

Not quite understanding what the customer meant, he could only recall the process of writing that peculiar pattern: curly lines of uneven thickness winding outward from the center point, sometimes clustered and embracing, sometimes sparse and scattered, with no independently distinguishable letter symbols at all; if he had to describe it, it was like overlooking a vine climbing up a pole, although similar in every way, no two sections are exactly the same, it just randomly sprouts silk and leaves, and blooms and bears fruit.

“Is this really text?”

"You can say that. But the content cannot be translated into your native language. Only part of the meaning can be expressed through the melody."

"……Why?"

The guest actually thought about this question for a full minute. "It's hard to explain... In places where the language corresponding to this kind of writing can still be used, people call it 'River Language' because it is not a language used for people to communicate with each other, but a language used by a few people to sing to the river. In other words, it must be expressed in a very special singing way. Therefore, the corresponding symbol system does not record the event information you understand, but various sounds, what you can hear and what you cannot hear - for some people in that country, language and singing are originally the same thing."

"Is that your hometown?"

“It’s probably my second home.”

As if he found his answer very interesting, the guest looked at the moist and foggy pine forest in late spring, smiling to himself. Zeng Hao, who witnessed this scene, could only imagine the legendary river land in his mind. It was really difficult to describe the true landscape, so he muttered in a daze: "What a strange place."

"Don't you like it there?"

He wanted to admit it, but he felt that it was too presumptuous to comment on the guest's hometown, so he could only look away. The guest said, "That's normal. In the view of your teacher and his peers, that place is a 'nightmare place'; it obviously has the basic elements to nurture an ideal model, but it runs counter to the perfect country you pursue. So, even if that place can indeed get rid of all the defects you hate, in the end you can't accept it at all."

There was really nothing he could say in rebuttal, so he could only nod silently. Faced with his denial of his hometown, the guest neither agreed nor got angry, and just didn't care about anything as usual. Even though they had known each other for a while, Zeng Hao could seldom understand the other person's feelings. What on earth was this? Not a teacher, and it was a bit strange to call him a friend. In the end, he was just a strange "guest". While thinking, he unconsciously asked, "Why did you give me that note in the first place?"

"Do you regret it?"

"No...but the other people who went there had different reasons than me. Am I the only one who got your note?"

"Yes, because it's your best option to go there. Other than that, there's nothing I can do to help you."

"Can't you take me away?"

The morning mist with the scent of pine needles floated out of the forest and filled the muddy and wet path. An earthworm half-exposed its body from the mud, seeking the fresh air on the surface that had not been invaded by rain. The guest stared at this scene and said, "That doesn't answer your doubts."

"Can't you?"

"No. Just like you can't accept my hometown, simply separating you from your own kind won't satisfy you. Xiaochu, what you really want is not transcendence, but an answer."

At that time, he did not fully understand what the guest meant, he just accepted this statement out of habit. Anyway, since the first meeting, everything the guest said has never been wrong. Logically, he should be envious of this kind of judgment, but he did not, because this ability is as unreasonable as prophecy; it is like being able to guess the answer by perception, but not being able to make a complete reasoning process. Even if such an answer is always correct, it has no value for reference or learning. Therefore, thinking back, what the guest said is still correct - what he wants is to pursue the answer, not to stay away from the problem; but the one who can do this is definitely not the guest who always stays out of the matter, but the educator.

Seeing his distracted expression, the guest who had reached the end of the path did not return home as usual, but smiled and suggested: "Let's go to the market today."

The so-called "market" is just a small group of farmers and small craftsmen who set up stalls to sell goods on the road leading to the city. Although it is a crowded place, the risk of being photographed by cameras is minimal, so he and his guests occasionally go there to spend time. In fact, the fun he can get outdoors nowadays is minimal, mainly because he follows the wishes of the guests. He once asked the other party what the fun of wandering around the market was, and the guest just smiled and said: "It feels a bit like home here."

He has no special feeling for the word "hometown", whether in a broad or narrow sense; even if he recognizes the phenomenon of "homesickness" from a conceptual level, he thinks it is just the influence of circumstances. If a person is in a good situation, he will never think of going back to the past; only when he encounters setbacks and finds it difficult to move forward will he give too much value to the trivial things of the past. But in the final analysis, doesn't everyone have to have a place where they were born and grew up? Just like there must be a pair of parents, a body, a hair color and skin color... It is nothing more than a setting formed by birth; even if this setting item has no merits in objective conditions, he often wonders if he has to love it unreasonably just because "it is his hometown". If you are always reluctant to let go of old things, how can you move to a higher level and a more correct model?

After thinking about it while walking through the market, he could only accept the conclusion that the customer's original approach was to the point; he wanted to discuss the issue of "homesickness" with the other party, but the customer had already been distracted by the vendors. In late spring, the farmers' pots and baskets are filled with freshly picked vegetables, and the sight is full of dots of green in different shades; the vertical poles are hung with flowers and insects woven with rice leaves, calamus or corn husks; the woman selling fragrant flowers first bends the thin metal wire with her fingers, and then strings the clustered white flower buds in the basket one by one to make a neat and elegant shape... Because there has long been a large-scale and stable grocery market in the old city, the things sold here are always these things that are difficult to preserve for a long time and have low value.

The customer walked among the vendors in a familiar and natural way. Given his age, he should have been very conspicuous in this market where young people were rare, but he was like a fish in water, without any embarrassment of entering an unfamiliar territory; he used the hood of his coat to block the morning breeze, and walked leisurely with his hands in his pockets, just like a regular customer who was used to picking things here. Although he was told that it was okay not to eat or drink, he always lingered in front of the fruit and vegetable stalls to observe, sometimes picking up a few dew-covered horsetails or shepherd's purse to check the roots, and then said to him, "This will be bitter if you stir-fry it directly." Zeng Hao, who really needed to make a living by eating, could only nod blankly. In fact, he had no idea what the difference was in the taste of these leaves, and just purchased them according to the customer's judgment.

Sometimes, the customer would study a straw insect or a flower basket for a while, and later go to the wild to collect materials to make a more exquisite imitation. "I'll give it to you as a pastime." He said so and hung it on the curtain for him. After a few days, the flowers and plants used as materials turned yellow and withered, and then he immediately picked them up and threw them away. Although he was no longer at the age of liking exquisite small things, he couldn't help but feel sorry for these handicrafts - there are obviously more tough and durable materials, why do you have to choose varieties that are easy to wither and decay? Occasionally, when I mentioned this to the customer, he would say, "I can only give you things like this."

At the time, he interpreted this answer as a measure to prevent being traced. Although he felt that this excessive caution was completely unlike the guest's character, he had no choice but to let it go. It was not until the time of separation when he gave the box of rosin he had accidentally found to the other party as a souvenir that he understood the true meaning of this sentence. Not being able to hold on to things related to the other party for a long time, just like not allowing the other party to hold things related to oneself for a long time, is an important preventive measure to avoid being dragged into bad luck. And guests who are bound by such conditions will never have a real place to stay no matter how long they wander.

Therefore, flowers and plants that will wither in a few days are the best choice. At the market, customers often chat with women selling fragrant flowers. Zeng Hao, who is out of tune with the atmosphere of the market, can only keep his distance and pick up one or two things at random - both to avoid people noticing that he and the customers are in the same business, and more importantly, he doesn't want to make eye contact with people and be subjected to hard-to-handle sales pitches.

He awkwardly picked up a few brush-like white orchid buds from the stall. The sweet fragrance of these flowers always reminded him of the child who raised quails. Among all the children who had expressed close feelings to him, she was a very special one; she had no signs of emotional disorders, and her family seemed to be very harmonious, but she took the initiative to come over and talk to him. However, a child like her who matured much more precociously than her peers, although completely different from him at the beginning, probably also had another sense of loneliness. Even if she had loving parents, they could not accompany her all the time, let alone understand her thoughts and feelings. Once she met someone who understood her hobbies, she could not help but throw out all the things that no one had to confide in. Although he only went to the neighborhood two or three times for purchasing needs, he talked to her for a long time every time. Let's add chat friends, let's send postcards, bring an astronomical telescope next time... These requests that are completely inappropriate to make to strangers, she is not afraid or embarrassed at all. She is indeed a very strange child.

If there is still a chance, he can give her his astronomical telescope - thinking this in his heart, Zeng Hao loosened his fingers and the flower bud fell back into the basket; when he wanted to pick it up again, the guest had returned to his side and handed him a snow-white flower string.

"This, consider it your lucky flower."

He took the flower string in his hand with confusion, and after recognizing that they were all jasmine, he couldn't help but ask, "Lucky?"

"Well, it's the key to your victory. This scent can help you lure prey into the trap."

With a mysterious smile, the guest cast his eyes to the far end of the market. He put the bunch of flowers into his handbag, and when he looked up again, he could not find anyone. He looked around as usual for a while, and finally saw the guest in the corner, wearing a dark coat and blending into the environment. He always sniffed around like a ghost, and I wonder what he saw this time? He walked over with a slightly tired mentality, wanting to say that his family didn't need to buy anything anymore: as long as they were not picky about the freshness, the food reserves were sufficient, and if they wanted some flowers to embellish their mood, they could pick them in the wild. There were even strange equipment such as medicine hoes and mortars. He really couldn't think of anything else in the market that could attract guests.

As it turned out, there were indeed things that he had not seen during his previous visits here. There were many trivial items that he did not know whether to call them collectibles or miscellaneous items. Most of them looked like copper and tin products, and there were also enamel or wooden decorations. It was difficult to distinguish them at a glance. There were countless so-called second-hand goods like this in the flea market in the city, and probably only tourists from other places would be interested in stopping and taking a closer look. At this time, following the customer's line of sight, he also looked at a few things in the corner of the stall: a needle-thorn gourd with a pine pattern, a few copper spoons in the shape of long swords and hammer heads, and a small pottery plate covered with fine spider web patterns.

Unable to tell which one the customer was interested in, he tentatively reached out to take the gourd, but was dissuaded by the stall owner's attentive greeting. Just as he was about to walk to another stall to wait and see what would happen, the customer turned to him and said, "Do you recognize the pattern on it?"

"which one?"

"On the plate." Because the pottery plate is very small, with a diameter only two or three centimeters larger than the common sauce dishes on the market, the radial grid patterns on the plate have become blurred over time. He had to squat down and look carefully to realize that the blue-green decorative lines were not simplified spider webs, but patterns similar to the Bagua diagram; but there were many grids, far more than the Tai Chi diagram and eight hexagrams in the central area, probably a variation of the Qimen Dunjia diagram.

He had no interest in such an object, but because the customer kept staring at it, he had to ask, "Do you like this?"

"Oh, no. Just thought of something else."

The stall owner, who had been paying attention to their movements and was ready to sell at any time, suddenly frowned. Zeng Hao couldn't help but feel more hesitant. "So, do you want to buy?"

In the end, the customer paid for the pottery plate. Seeing this, he secretly breathed a sigh of relief; of course, he didn't care about the price, but because if a customer paid for something, he would never keep it for himself unless he couldn't keep it, and he would definitely take it away when he left. Thinking that he didn't have to leave such a useless thing in the studio, he felt a little relieved.

After buying the pottery plates, the customer finally had enough fun and offered to go home. Zeng Hao, who was thinking about his research, naturally wanted to go back as soon as possible to catch up with the progress. On the way back, his worry was revealed, and the customer suddenly asked: "Is the adjustment of the flow aid not going well?"

"Ah, that's not bad. I just want to reduce the recoil of the focus mode a little more."

"You mean confrontation mode?"

Zeng Hao replied awkwardly: "This is how it is named on the drawing..."

"But you think it's weird to call it 'Adversary Mode'?"

6◇9◇Book◇Bar

"...Hmm. It feels like it has nothing to do with the actual effect. A high-speed airflow of this intensity, no matter how much the impact range is compressed, can't it still cause damage?"

"That's true for you. However, for the original intended service objects of this design, only the shockwaves with the smallest range are suitable for shooting each other, and the larger range modes are used for the surrounding environment - that's why it's called 'confrontation mode'."

So once again, the guest mentioned the unimaginable place called Zeng Hao: In that young and ancient kingdom, most of the residents were apes that only reached his knees; the ruler of the kingdom was not only the mother who gave them new life, but also the engineer who directed them to build the entire country. These hairy citizens all had incredibly strong bodies, and could lift rocks ten times their body weight with their bare hands, and walk freely on flames and knife tips; in terms of intelligence, most of the citizens were mediocre, and could only operate special equipment according to the requirements of the instructions and complete the most basic labor work, but there were also outstanding talents who were enough to be the arms of the monarch... However, no matter how extraordinary their bodies and minds were, they had a deep-rooted naughty nature, which made them lack interest in any conceptual propositions and constantly create crises in their daily work; this nature lasted for more than 90% of their lives, and even the creator himself could hardly change it. Limited by conditions, she had to invent a set of targeted educational policies, using various games to induce them to complete her instructions.

The "portable multi-mode flow aid" that Zeng Hao once spent days and nights researching and debugging is the product of this educational project. After hundreds of hours of birth, the hairy people, as agile as tigers and leopards, will know how to use this simple metal tube to create air shock waves to remove hills and abandoned buildings that hinder the project; at the same time, they can also learn to switch the flow aid to a gentler mode, as a power device to move quickly, to help them sprint and jump. At this stage, the flow aid is like a baseball bat and skateboard in the hands of a child; when they grow more mature and dexterous, the confrontation mode will allow them to use the flow aid to shoot each other in a small space, so as to enhance intimacy and organizational skills, so that they can come into contact with real weapons in the future - in short, it's just like playing with a toy gun loaded with foam soft bullets.

Why would the educator's data contain the design drawings of such a device? He occasionally thought about this question during the debugging process, but he was not particularly surprised. "Device design" seems to be a very important basic part of primary education content, so the database contains excellent examples in various fields. Because this flow aid is a "toy", it can be extremely simple and easy to understand while ensuring the realization of its functions: as long as there is any specification of compression tube and automatic energy collector, embedded in a self-adjusting frame with an offline console, connected to the corresponding wires as required, and added with plastic materials of sufficient strength, it can be completed. Even an ignorant person like him who was confused by most of the drawings, with the help of the extremely detailed appendix of the design drawings, he successfully disassembled enough parts from various remaining devices and completed the assembly one after another. Although some of the survival equipment provided by the educators was damaged and he could no longer easily adjust the appearance or obtain funds, it was no longer a big deal.

Back home, he immersed himself in reading the appendix of the design drawings as usual, trying to find ways to improve the existing finished product to reduce its weight and recoil. Although the current results are sufficient as a weapon to kill specific individuals, it is difficult to deal with it if it really gets into a fight. It weighs more than 30 kilograms and is difficult to support on the shoulder. Such equipment may be just a toy for the hairy people, but it is impossible for him to hold it up, wave it, or move it to shoot. Thinking of using such a weapon to complete the task is like the eight-year-old self holding a utility knife to kill those who are making trouble in the auto repair shop. No matter what, it is difficult to have confidence.

However, to independently assemble and debug a device without the guidance of an educator is no easier than to kill someone. After calculating in vain for several hours with the shell material test formula provided in the attached document, he still didn't know how to improve the material ratio of the shock-absorbing structure. The dark dusk outside the window once again enveloped the Chinese pine forest. When he walked out of the studio exhausted, he saw the guest sitting in the dim living room, gently turning the ceramic plate on the table with his fingers. Although he didn't look up at his expression, the guest seemed to smell frustration in the air.

"Isn't it going well?"

"Ah."

"That's fine. The current version is good enough."

Even though he knew that the client's judgment had never been wrong, he still felt troubled. How could he be so confident in predicting the outcome? Even if it was an exam with a known scope, things could go wrong when the time came, and it was not as foolproof as memorizing a formula. Moreover, he had no idea of ​​the target's abilities, so his only chance of winning was to not give the other party a chance to show his abilities... But was it really that simple? If at the last minute, he accidentally dropped the flow aid on the ground, and the other party dropped the "magic wand" and punched him directly, how would he respond?

I told the guest about my worries, but he just laughed without sympathy, as if he had said something funny. After the laughter, the guest said, "No."

"Really? That guy is difficult to deal with."

"It is indeed difficult for me, but it is the easiest enemy for you. This can be regarded as 'mutual promotion and mutual restraint'."

At the guest's suggestion, he turned on the chandelier in the living room, and then sat down opposite the guest. The ceramic plate bought during the day was placed in the center. The guest's fingertips fell on the circle in the center of the plate, and confirmed the eight badly worn symbols one by one; starting with "Qian", which represents the concept of heaven, he introduced them to Zeng Hao one by one in a clockwise direction. Although he had no feelings about this ancient and primitive philosophical concept, he still listened habitually, naturally memorized every hexagram name mentioned by the guest, and could easily match them with the symbol position.

When the guest's fingertip returned to the "Qian" position, he suddenly moved to the "Kan" hexagram one position away and said to him in a calm and peaceful tone: "Your first enemy is the simplest one."

"The first enemy?"

"He is the first person you need to deal with. However, you don't need to worry about him. The sky rises because of the light and spiritual energy, but the nature of water tends to sink. The dispute between you is affected by the situation. You only need to wait patiently for the opportunity, but it will become increasingly dangerous and unfavorable for him. Therefore, unless he is willing to seek help from the power outside this world, he will not be able to defeat you."

The guest's fingertip moved clockwise again, skipping the symbols of "Gen" and "Kun" and landing on the position representing "Zhen". Zeng Hao, who already understood the guest's intention, also stared at the small symbol.

"...Yes, Thunder."

"Yes. It is a phenomenon that has the same rising nature as the Heavenly Air, and the fierce momentum it brings is difficult to deal with. For an enemy that will take active actions like this, if you expose yourself rashly, you will be hit immediately. You must remain dormant as much as possible and not fall into its sights - I don't need to explain this point, right?"

"Ah."

"But you don't have to worry too much about this one. As long as you stop immediately after defeating the first enemy and don't do anything that violates the rules, this hexagram will not endanger your safety... In your legends, the Thunder God punishes those who have lost their way, right?"

Although he had other thoughts in his mind, he nodded silently. The guest's finger continued to move, passing the second-to-last Li Fire Hexagram, and was about to return to the "Qian" position, but stopped at the last hexagram on the left.

"Xiao Chu, this one is the most dangerous to you."

"Is it... Duize?"

"The pond that is rising toward the sky is a sign of chaos and impending floods and heavy rains. If you don't respond correctly, this enemy is the only one who can kill you."

Holding the pottery plate that encompasses yin and yang in his palm, the guest admonished him like a prophet:
"You must get the 'wand' before this person finds you. Then you will be fine."

Until the day they parted, he never saw the pottery plate again, but he always kept the guest's advice in mind. Although he almost missed it due to panic when completing the task, fortunately he finally remembered it in time. Even so, he still couldn't understand the "fatal enemy" predicted by the guest - while thinking, the winding path in the pine forest had approached, and the eaves of the country building where he lived were hidden in the moonlight. Passing through the front yard with sparse flowers and trees and overgrown weeds, the gray marks in front of the steps were the same shape as when he left home in the morning.

He took out the key from his bag and opened the door. There was a slight rustling sound behind him. He went to check and found that it seemed that a gecko was climbing in and out of the bean vines on the courtyard wall. After confirming that it was not an outsider who broke in, he reopened the door and walked into the quiet and deserted living room.

In front of the moonlit table, a person was already sitting in the seat that used to be reserved for guests. "Hi," the other person said.

Zeng Hao hadn't let go of the doorknob yet. Suddenly, a fire flashed under the table, and he heard a sharp and short sound, as if a huge balloon suddenly burst in the room. The strong impact shook his entire right arm, and before the pain reached his head, he staggered and fell backwards.

(End of this chapter)