Chapter 98: Section 99: I am a bat monkey


    Under the dim candlelight, Zong Ge quietly watched Sanda.


    The goblin knelt on the ground, his mouth covered by a white muslin scarf, but his eyes were filled with sincerity and determination.


    At this moment, Zong Ge suddenly gained a deeper understanding of Sanda.


    Beyond the debt of having his life saved, there was another reason Sanda followed Zong Ge— a sense of identification.


    We are the same kind of people, marginalized by society. We are excluded, oppressed, and discriminated against. If we were of the Pure Blood Clan, we could have lived much better. But the reality is, even if we possess great abilities and make outstanding contributions, we still face unfair treatment.


    Thus, compared to Lord Zhenjin, Sanda would rather see Zong Ge succeed.


    ...


    Zong Ge remained silent for a moment before he spoke softly, “Sanda, I understand your loyalty. But… we must not be too impulsive.”


    “Lord Zhenjin, the boy, is very capable.”


    “First, he publicly accepted us despite objections, brought us roast meat at dinner, offered potions, and proposed to actively share information. Such actions won people’s hearts.”


    “No matter what reason you use tomorrow, challenging him will only make others angry. They will think you are unappreciative and ungrateful. They will also believe it wasn’t your own idea but mine since you follow me.”


    Zong Ge chuckled lightly, “It’s like how they falsely accused me of being the murderer who assassinated the Captain. Truth doesn’t matter, what does is people’s hearts.”


    “But sir, if we don’t take action soon…” Sanda clenched his teeth, a hesitant look on his face.


    Zong Ge continued, “If you challenge Lord Zhenjin now, he would be the one who benefits the most.”


    “You know why he accepted us and placed us near the camp? It’s not only to guard against or to recruit us, but also to deepen his influence among the crew.”


    “He had just made contact with Xi Suo and his people today and immediately rose to be a leader, seizing the power from Xi Suo’s hands. Why didn’t Xi Suo resist and instead chose to swallow the bitter pill?”


    “It’s not only because of Lord Zhenjin’s identity, nor just because he saved the camp and Xi Suo’s lives, but also because we were right in front of them. Without Lord Zhenjin’s support, Xi Suo cannot counter me.”


    “Indeed,” Sanda realized with a start, “If I challenge Lord Zhenjin, it would only make Xi Suo depend more on him, and any crack between them due to my actions would be reduced to insignificance.”


    Zong Ge nodded, “We must not further inflame conflicts or strengthen antagonistic emotions. Identity and lineage are our weaknesses, and because of that, we need to gain the trust of the crew even more. Otherwise, just with our group of people, no matter how strong we are, how could we maneuver the ship?”


    “We need unity, and on this point, Lord Zhenjin and I agree. This is why I agreed to come to this camp.”


    “This island is very dangerous.”


    “Until now, I still have no clues about the true culprit in the mysterious attacks at the beach camp.”


    “Whether it’s Xi Suo or us, we have both encountered attacks from bat monkeys and Silver Rhinoceroses. This is very strange, I always feel like someone is manipulating things behind the scenes!”


    “The most crucial thing is to leave here.”


    “When Lord Zhenjin publicly announced his acceptance of us, he was actually challenging me.”


    “Only this challenge’s stakes are not just about him and me, it includes you all, it includes Xi Suo and his crew, and it even includes the possibility of escaping from here.”


    “When I agreed to come to the camp, I accepted the challenge.”


    “I had already anticipated that this would be an extraordinary struggle. Our methods must not be too simple and crude, Sanda, otherwise we would lose.”


    “To explore the depths of Zhenjin’s combat strength, we don’t need to rush into action. I have a premonition that the attack of the bat monkeys and rhinoceroses won’t stop and will even intensify.”


    Sanda felt a chill in his heart and quickly bowed his head, “I fully understand, my lord.”


    “Hmm, go now.”


    “Your subordinate takes his leave.”


    Sanda respectfully left the tent while Cang Xu went to meet with Zhenjin.


    “You have arrived, Scholar. Please have a seat.” Zhenjin smiled, having waited for a long time.


    Long before leaving the camp to rescue the shipwright, Xi Suo, and others, Zhenjin had assigned Cang Xu the task of dissecting the bat monkey corpses and reporting the gathered intelligence to him.


    Cang Xu bowed, “My Lord, before I report to you, please order additional lighting with fire pits and torches around the camp. I have discovered that these bat monkeys have a strong night fighting capability.”


    Zhenjin’s expression turned serious, as this discovery was important.


    At night, human vision is greatly limited. If they were to engage with a group of bat monkeys without any lighting, it would be highly disadvantageous.


    Graciously agreeing, Zhenjin immediately issued an order.


    People who had just gone to sleep had to rise and start working upon receiving the order.


    Zhenjin also didn’t forget to send someone to notify Zong Ge.


    Returning to the tent and hearing Cang Xu’s report, Zhenjin frowned slightly, “Are you saying that bat monkeys do not see at night? Instead, they emit a sound we cannot hear, and by its echo, they detect everything around them?”


    Cang Xu nodded, “Exactly. It’s like calling out in a valley and the valley echoing back, this is the reflection of sound. Bats can fly in the dark, swiftly avoiding obstacles by using ultrasound to detect them.” Sёarch* The N??elFirё.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Seeing Zhenjin’s puzzled look, Cang Xu continued to explain, “Ultrasound refers to frequencies higher than the sound our human ears can detect. Similarly, there are infrasounds which are frequencies lower than our ears can perceive. Scholars have long studied these. There are relevant works at Silver Bridge Academy, which I have had the honor to read.”


    Zhenjin was even more puzzled, “Ultrasound… And also infrasound…”


    Cang Xu nodded, “Studies show that there is a range of sounds that our ears can hear, with an upper and lower limit. Sounds outside these limits are inaudible to us. Sounds above the upper limit are ultrasonic, and those below the lower limit are infrasonic.”


    Zhenjin scratched his head, “You just mentioned a term, frequency, right?


    Cang Xu patiently explained, “The precise definition of frequency is the number of vibrations the sound source makes in one second. When I shake a thin wooden slab, the slab is the sound source and makes a sound. The harder I shake it, the more frequent my actions, the higher the number of vibrations in one second, and thus the higher the frequency.”


    “When we ring a bell, the copper bell produces rapid and minute vibrations due to the impact, thus emitting a bell sound.”


    “And when we humans speak, it’s because the vocal cords in our throats are vibrating, producing sound.”


    “So that’s how it is,” Zhenjin felt his horizons suddenly broadening.


    Cang Xu continued, “In my examination of the bat monkeys, I found that their vocal cords are very strong, their throat structure greatly resembles that of bats. Also, their ear structures are highly developed, their nasal passages seem similar to a monkey’s, but inside they have a multitude of skin folds. A bat’s nose uses such complex folds to aid their vocal cords in emitting high-frequency ultrasound.”


    “The lungs of the bat monkey, together with the vocal cords and nose, form a perfect combination. Despite its small size, the bat monkey’s lungs have an extraordinary ability to expand several times in volume. Its chest muscles and respiratory muscles are also very developed.”


    “The eyes of the bat monkey do not have night vision. However, when they fly at night, they continuously emit ultrasonic waves of different frequencies. These ultrasonic waves, upon encountering objects, reflect back, allowing the bat monkey to receive them. By distinguishing these different frequency echoes, the bat monkey can deftly dodge and avoid hitting any obstacles.”


    “I see,” Lord Zhenjin marveled, “What a fascinating structure! So, can these bat monkeys ‘see’ in the fog as well?”


    Cang Xu nodded, “My lord is insightful.”


    “You’ve worked hard, Cang Xu. Go and get some rest.”


    “Yes, my lord.”


    Lord Zhenjin slept in the tent till the middle of the night and then got up and walked out of the camp.


    “My lord.”


    “Lord Zhenjin.”


    The night guards saw him and paid their respects.


    “You’ve worked hard.”


    “This is the first night, and I’m a bit uneasy. Keep your guard up. I am going to scout around.”


    With a calm expression, Lord Zhenjin bid farewell to these men.


    Watching the young knight’s receding back, the guards couldn’t help but whisper among themselves.


    “Why is the lord venturing into the forest? It’s deep into the night.”


    “Hey, didn’t you hear? After facing life-and-death challenges, Lord Zhenjin has mastered the power of the mind and can foresee danger. Any sneak attack on him is futile!”


    “Is he really that powerful?!” the guard, hearing this for the first time, exclaimed in astonishment.


    Lord Zhenjin entered the forest, first mutated into lizard eyes to ensure there was no one around, then began to undress.


    He removed all his clothes, arranged them neatly, then canceled the lizard eyes mutation and started another form of transformation.


    After a blink of red light, he transformed into a bat monkey!


    Whether in the camp or during the rescue of the shipwright, Lord Zhenjin had killed many bat monkeys. Along with the kills by others, there were many bat monkey corpses.


    Lord Zhenjin requested a large portion of them in the name of Zi Di researching potions, but in reality, he only gave some to Zi Di.


    He secretly appropriated a part of the bat monkey corpses and quietly utilized a demon crystal to refine it.


    This allowed him to completely transform, upgrading his options from three to four.


    And the moment he completely transformed into a bat monkey, Lord Zhenjin felt the entire world change!


    Countless sounds poured into his ears: low humming, sharp whistling, rustling disturbances, and crunching chewing.


    The normally quiet night forest, where one might occasionally hear a nightingale or some wild animal call, now seemed, to Lord Zhenjin, as if he had suddenly moved from the suburbs to a bustling market.


    “So this is what bat monkeys feel, it’s way too noisy.” Lord Zhenjin’s first impression was not good; he had never heard so many sounds before. These sounds, mixing and merging, all burrowing into his ears, seemed to immerse him in a multicolored mire, constantly stirring, agitating him to frustration and disgust.


    Lord Zhenjin endured the noise and began to move his limbs.


    The bat monkey’s physique was similar to human form, making it easy for Lord Zhenjin to adapt, and he quickly became familiar with it.


    After running and jumping about in the bat monkey’s body, Lord Zhenjin, suppressing his excitement, began to flap the bat wings, trying to fly.


    Although he could also fly as a Fat Ball Flying Fish, it was not fast; it was more like floating than flying.


    “Now I can really fly.”


    “Up, I go!”


    Lord Zhenjin’s wings strongly flapped once behind him, then vigorously flapped.


    The lift generated propelled Lord Zhenjin’s small body upward strongly.


    Bang.


    He flew diagonally into the air, then his head hit a treetop, emitting a dull thud.


    Afterward, he lost control, and the faster he flapped his wings, the faster he fell.


    Finally, he gracefully face-planted into the ground.


    “Apparently, flying isn’t easy.”


    Lord Zhenjin pulled his face out of the muck, wiped his face with his hand, clearing off the mud and grass.


    He steadied his mind, telling himself not to be impatient, and began to experiment with flapping the left and right wings one by one.


    Several flaps of the left wing, then the right wing.


    The wings were powerful, generating a strong lift.


    Lord Zhenjin tried flapping both wings together; a puffing sound arose as he awkwardly and slowly flew upward.


    Struggling to stabilize himself, and seeing he was about to hit a trunk, he quickly reached out to grab it.


    The next moment, he ceased flapping his wings, using his arms to Turn Over and sit on the trunk.


    Another awkward situation occurred.


    His wings, not having retracted in time, were caught between the dense branches.


    ps: Thanks to Shi Zhong Wu Mu for the Silver Alliance Hierarch reward these past two days, and to Shi Zhong Wu Mu, an old friend, thank you for your continued strong support! Thanks to the new xmukmb for the Silver Alliance Hierarch reward, I will strive to complete this “Infinite Blood Core,” hoping to offer everyone a unique, impressive, and repeatedly enjoyable reading experience.