Global Film Emperor

Chapter 460 "Exile" Ends (Part 2)

In the days that followed, he would often see James at the aquarium. James wasn't sneaky or stalking Leo; he would just appear openly and greet him in a friendly manner.

He would even bring his family to meet Leo. As a result, Leo learned that James worked for a pharmaceutical company and had a son with intellectual disabilities. Leo treated the child much better than he treated James. When no one was looking, he would control the fish to make patterns to amuse the child.

This also led to the child becoming very attached to Leo. James' wife was very grateful to Leo for this and would often bake cookies and give them to Leo as dessert. Over time, Leo's relationship with James' family gradually grew closer, except that he was not exactly enthusiastic towards James.

A few months later, it was the child's birthday. James's wife invited Leo to their house for a birthday party. After thinking for a moment, Leo did not refuse the invitation.

……

He prepared a plush teddy bear as a birthday gift for James' son, who was very happy, even though he can't even speak a complete sentence now.

James' family lived in an upscale neighborhood where even the dog walkers drove Porsches. Their three-story detached villa was very beautiful, and Leo, who was visiting for the first time, couldn't help but praise it.

There were quite a few other guests as well, and the children were all warm and kind, playing with the little birthday boy who was still learning to walk. The adults chatted on the side and were very friendly to Leo, but seeing that he didn't talk much, they gave him some space to be alone.

He sat in the garden, drinking beer alone. He watched others enjoying themselves, though he didn't join in. But he also enjoyed the atmosphere, because pleasure is contagious.

James, accompanying his child, knelt on the ground for some unknown reason, letting his son ride like a horse and crawl on the lawn. This prompted other parents to urge their children on as well, leading to a "horse race".

With the wives acting as referees, several fathers ran wildly across the lawn, using both hands and feet. Leo envied all of this. If Lucy knew of his existence, he would be willing to become his daughter's horse and do his best to win the race. But all these beautiful scenes only existed in Leo's fantasy of this wonderful picture.

The horse race ended, and James did not win the championship. The children did not care about winning or losing. After the race, adults and children lay on the grass and laughed heartily. Everyone was sincere and truly happy at that moment.

Perhaps this is a case of "one is influenced by one's company"—James is surrounded by friendly and optimistic people whose concern for children, and even for other people's children, is genuine.

Dinner began, and the men started drinking, singing, and dancing, but Leo didn't join in the drinking contest. Instead, he left the table early, took his animal encyclopedia, and told the children some interesting animal stories.

His lectures weren't particularly vivid, but the knowledge he imparted was quite interesting, and the children listened with rapt attention. They even refused to leave when their parents tried to take them away.

As he spoke, the number of children around him dwindled until only the birthday boy remained, listening intently. It was getting late, and Leo realized it was time for him to leave.

"Then I'll take my leave."

"Wait a minute, I'll take you there."

He picked up his coat and was about to leave when he heard James stop him. James's face was flushed, indicating he had drunk quite a bit. He got up drunkenly and went out the door with Leo.

"That's enough for now, you can go home."

He didn't want to talk to James alone, lest he ask those questions that Leo didn't want to answer, but just as he was about to get into his old Chevrolet, James stopped him.

"Leo, thank you for coming to my child's birthday party. I drank quite a bit, I hope you don't mind."

"It's alright, you can go back..."

"Just hear me out."

Before Leo could finish speaking, he interrupted him. This kind of impolite behavior only occurred when James was drunk. And because he was drunk, Leo didn't mind his impolite behavior at this moment, and listened quietly to what James was going to say.

"On the day the shark bit you, I saw other sharks make way for you, and normally those fish are too obedient. Others might assume you're an oceanographer and not have any doubts, but I know that's impossible."

"Nothing is impossible."

“Absolutely impossible. Submissiveness and obedience are completely different. Although you've hidden it well, a careful person can see through it. Leo, please tell me, do you have the ability to communicate with animals…”

Perhaps emboldened by the alcohol, he asked very directly. Leo's eyes flickered, like a cold, human-shaped stone standing in front of James in the darkness. The car window, illuminated by the streetlights, reflected James's face, his anxious expression creating a stark contrast with Leo's.

"So what do you want to do?"

He gave James an ambiguous answer and then asked James in return, still unclear about James's purpose and why he was so obsessed with his abilities.

"I want my child to get better..."

"But what does this have to do with the communication abilities of animals?"

"I'm researching a drug..."

"What medicine?"

"Drugs that can promote secondary brain development are effective for people whose brains are not fully developed and are still in the developmental stage. You don't understand genetics and pharmacology, so I'll just say it simply: the experiments have already yielded results. The drug I named CRTV can indeed accelerate brain development, and after multiple experiments, it can be ensured that the brain development is normal. Of course, no human trials have been conducted yet because we cannot yet determine whether complications will occur during the growth process."

"Complications can only be detected through testing, so what does that have to do with the animal's communication ability?"

"During the animal testing phase, we need to find someone to observe its daily changes in detail to test the degree of intelligence growth. The experimental subject will definitely have a higher intelligence level than other organisms of the same species. I even hope that it can learn human skills."

These words stunned Leo. The middle-aged man in front of him was conducting a great medical study for his child, and he was worthy of respect. But Leo was thinking about something else, a result that might not be valued by other humans.

"If the experiment is successful, what will you do with the animal that becomes smarter?"

"The company will raise and care for them until they die of old age."

"Like Dolly? She'll be made into a specimen even after she dies?"

"That happened after the experiment was successful."

Leo didn't want to say anything as foolish as "Why don't you ask the animal if it's willing to be a test subject?" He believed that if sacrificing hundreds of test subjects could save one intellectually disabled child, humans might feel sorry for the test subjects. But what about ten children? Hundreds of children? Tens of thousands of children?
Life is inherently unequal. Just as we unconsciously ingest at least a hundred flying insects while we sleep, who would think these insects died unjustly? As a predator at the top of the food chain, valuing one's own kind above all else is something ingrained in one's blood, something born into one's bones. Even Leo would feel that saving the child is important!
"Leo, I want to save my child, and I don't want countless families in this world to suffer because of children with intellectual disabilities in the womb. I beg you, tell me, I promise I won't tell anyone. We can sign a confidentiality agreement. I just want you to give me the truth... Is it possible for you to communicate with animals?"

In the darkness, James's eyes gleamed. He desperately sought an answer, a divinely appointed person to help him fulfill his dream. He longed to hear his son call him "Dad," just as Leo longed to hear Lucy call him "Dad."

Time seemed to freeze. Their eyes met, and he could see the tears welling in James's eyes, and the burning desire emanating from him for his ideals. He wanted to do something beneficial for humanity, something that would leave a lasting mark on history, and he needed Leo's help. James's lips parted slightly, and he murmured something only Leo could hear.

"Help me, and I'll give you a new identity, then you won't be a savage anymore..."

"..."

"I can……"

……

"The most recent test subject is called Bapa, a seven-year-old bonobo with incomplete intellectual development. He was abandoned by his mother and has been living in the zoo for years. Based on the size of his brain and intelligence tests, it is estimated that his IQ is only in the single digits."

The two men in white lab coats stood behind the glass, watching the sleeping chimpanzee. Although Leo studied oceanography, he also had a clear understanding of various well-known terrestrial species.

Bonobos can live up to forty years old. Six years old is roughly equivalent to fourteen or fifteen years old in humans. At this age, their brain development should be close to full development, but their intelligence is as low as that of a trout. It's no wonder that as an endangered species, they were approved to become experimental subjects.

He moved closer and knocked on the glass. Bapa inside was awakened by the sound, opened her eyes, but did not move. Leo tried to sense her emotions, but it was blank, devoid of any emotion.

"Come here, quick..."

Fortunately, it could still sense Leo's thoughts, and simple communication was possible. It slowly crawled over, looked at Leo's palm attached to the glass, and reached out... overlapping Leo's hand.

It laughed, a silly laugh, but that laugh made Leo like it.

When James saw this, even though he was mentally prepared, he was still speechless with surprise. After a long while, he took out the key and handed it to Leo.

"Would you like to go in and take a look?"

It is not aggressive. Even if someone hurts it, its intelligence will only allow it to think about running away. It is difficult to make it take any action to attack. So Leo did not refuse and opened the door.

It was about half a meter tall, or maybe a little shorter. Its brain development was incomplete, which made it extremely poor in balance. It couldn't stand up at all, so it just lay on the ground, pouting its underbite and staring straight at Leo.

"Bapa?"

He tried calling its name, which had been called for many years, but there was no response. It was even less responsive than Paul the Bass, who, even though Paul didn't know it had a name, at least gave some response when communicating with Leo.

"Professor James, there's been a problem here, could you come over?"

"Okay, here we go."

He heard a call from his student over the walkie-talkie, responded, and glanced at the man and the gorilla sitting on the ground.

"I'm going over there. Are you coming with me, or staying here?"

"Just right here."

James nodded, didn't ask Leo for the key, and left, leaving Leo and Bapa staring at each other. Finally, he tried to put his hand in its palm. At first, it just opened its hand and didn't move. Slowly, perhaps feeling Leo's body temperature, it gently took Leo's fingers in its hand.

"You'll get back on your feet soon, believe me."

It didn't react, but yawned, revealing surprisingly white teeth. Leo watched it quietly, and soon after, it fell asleep.

……

In the following days, he spent more than five hours a day with Bapa to get a sense of how much change the injected drug would bring. He also quit his job at the aquarium, since the weekly salary offered to Leo by the pharmaceutical company was not much lower than what Geographical International paid him.

Scientific research is the fastest way to burn through money. His weekly salary doesn't even cover a fraction of the daily cost of equipment and materials. As the head of the CRTV project, James has the ability to offer Leo that price.

A week later, its first injection began.

……

Inside the laboratory, its limbs and waist were restrained. Staff were adjusting the equipment before the injection and connecting it to its heart to record its heartbeat and body temperature. The needle had been inserted, but it still did not react. Its gaze remained fixed on Leo beside it, without moving for a moment.

"Today is June 7th, Sunday. We have a new test subject, Bapa, a male, seven years and three months old, who is receiving his first injection. Wish us luck, wish Bapa good luck."

After James left a message for the camera, he gestured for the student to press the syringe button. The drug they developed was not green like in science fiction movies, but simply milky white, like milk, and was slowly injected into the body. For the first three minutes after the injection, there was no reaction.

Three minutes later, the electrocardiogram showed that its heartbeat began to accelerate and its body temperature slowly rose from 37.1 degrees to 37.7 degrees, while its blood pressure remained unchanged.

"Leo, what's its reaction?"

James walked over to Leo. He had promised Leo that he wouldn't reveal his secret, and he had kept his word, keeping all his students away and leaving them to speculate about the purpose of Leo's invitation to the group.

"It was a little hungry, dehydrated, and drowsy, and its mood... was not good."

It wasn't asleep yet, still staring intently at Leo, its eyes gradually becoming bloodshot, but expressionless, staring blankly at Leo.

"Sleep well, child, and when you wake up you will see me too."

His words had some effect. Although his gaze remained fixed on James, his eyelids gradually closed. He stopped communicating with James, turned and left the lab. Leaving the lab, he leaned against the wall opposite the lab and slowly sat down. It wasn't until he received the injection that he realized he had developed some affection for the chimpanzee, and he couldn't help but start to worry.

An hour later, it was wheeled out and placed in a specialized treatment unit for isolation. Leo finished get off work, leaving alone without James by his side, and went home to open a bottle of beer.

……

The next day, he arrived very early, so early that it was still asleep. However, it woke up when Leo approached. It remained emotionless, but when it saw Leo, it bared its teeth and placed its hand on the glass. Leo looked into its eyes and slowly... placed his hand on it.

After a series of examinations, Bapa's physical functions were all normal and it was very healthy. Leo didn't feel that it had made much progress in intelligence, after all, it had only been a day, and even accelerated brain development couldn't be that fast.

But a week later, things started to change.

It stood up...

Like a toddler just learning to walk, it toddled to its feet. Compared to an infant, its arms were much stronger. It leaned against the wall and slowly straightened up, baring its teeth as if showing off to Leo through the glass.

This time, he finally felt Bapa's emotions, joy... Standing behind the glass wall, Leo also smiled happily.

In the second week, it was able to communicate with Leo, not just by walking back and forth, but by doing more complex things, such as helping Leo get things. Although it would sometimes get the wrong things, the progress was still huge.

Most importantly, it can now feed itself. In the past, it could only chew and needed people to feed it. Eating is an instinct, but for it, chewing and swallowing were the only instincts it could remember. Now, it can put food in its mouth and even peel bananas.

After testing, its intelligence showed significant improvement, equivalent to that of a one- to two-year-old child. While this is still considered young for a bonobo, it represents a huge leap forward.

This greatly encouraged the entire project team, and even executives from the pharmaceutical company came to visit the chimpanzee, whom they knew exactly what it looked like two weeks ago.

A well-dressed company executive stood in front of the glass and waved to Bapa. Inside the glass wall, Leo and Bapa sat on the floor. When the leader waved, Leo had Bapa return the gesture.

It stretched out its hand, raised it high, and still smiled foolishly, waving to everyone, which made the leader even more beaming. He immediately decided to increase the research funding, and even Leo received a large bonus.

As time went by, it became more and more clever, smarter day by day, and even learned to build Lego. But just when everyone, including Leo, was excited about its growth, a heavy blow came.

Something grew in its head...

Because it was discovered early and was small, only about the size of a little fingernail, it became a shadow in everyone's hearts. Immediate pathological examination and early removal became the only solution.

Top neurosurgeons arrived just to remove a brain tumor from a chimpanzee. It sounds like a joke, but it actually happened. Everyone could only hope that the chimpanzee's physical condition would allow Bapa to survive this ordeal, especially Leo, who had been to church countless times these days.

Then, one day in July, he pushed Bapa, who was already in a coma due to anesthesia, into the laboratory, beginning a chase with death.

For more than ten hours, the entire project team waited at the door. When the doctor came out, Leo saw what had been cut out of its brain.

The surgery was successful, but the outlook wasn't very optimistic. Everyone knows where this thing comes from, and there's no guarantee that it won't grow back after being removed due to the medication.

Leo sat by the small hospital bed for an unknown amount of time. When it woke up from the anesthesia, Leo could feel the pain it had endured. He managed a weak smile and told it that it was good that it hadn't died.

It seemed to understand that it wasn't dead, and then it started grinning foolishly again.

Perhaps due to the exhaustion of the drug's effects, subsequent examinations did not reveal any new growth in its brain, which relieved everyone. However, Bapa, who was still mentally challenged, was far from satisfactory to the team members. Nevertheless, the side effects of CRTV-2 were quite pronounced, so improvements were necessary. Therefore, Leo and Bapa had enough time to recover.

What could he do during this time? Leo had thought about this question seriously but had no answer. In the end, James made the decision for him, teaching him like a baby.

Teaching it to dress, to eat with a bowl and spoon, to read, and even to watch cartoons—enhancing intelligence doesn't just rely on medication; it still requires brain training.

Bapa, who was actually over seven years old, could dedicate much more time to learning than an infant, and Leo witnessed its rapid progress firsthand.

"What's the answer? Three? Good boy, correct answer, good boy."

It could already give the correct answer: four minus three. It handed the piece of paper with the number three written on it to Leo in exchange for a candy. It tore open the wrapper, threw it into the trash can, and then happily sucked on the strawberry-flavored candy.

"Put on your clothes and shoes, and let's go watch TV."

It can now dress itself. Of course, buttoning and tying shoelaces are still too difficult for it, but simply putting clothes on is no problem for it.

Hearing that it was going to watch TV, it perked up, quickly dressed itself, and took Leo's hand, which led it to the media room that had been prepared for it.

It skillfully pressed the massage chair's power button, and even controlled the remote control itself. It turned on the TV and watched "Teletubbies" intently.

Shocked? Anyone unaware of the situation would be absolutely shocked. Even a bonobo with normal intelligence living in a zoo couldn't control electronic devices so skillfully. Sometimes Leo wondered if it was really the right thing to do to make Bapa like this. But at the same time, his and James's original intentions reminded him that what they were doing was not just about making a mentally challenged chimpanzee smarter.

Lost in thought, James heard a knock on the door of the media room. He opened the door, waved to Leo, stood up, and glanced at Bapa, who was still glued to the TV, just like a child who had just come home from school and was eagerly anticipating cartoons.

"what happened?"

"The CRTV-3 has been developed, and we plan to inject it next week."

"Is it too hasty?"

"After testing its safety on mice, I believe it's safe to inject Bapa."

Refuse? For what reason? What was his purpose in coming here? After looking at James for a while, he finally hardened his heart and nodded. Soon, the injection day arrived.

Just like the last injection, it was bound, but this time, it became defensive, even baring its fangs to intimidate the team members. Only when it looked at Leo did it plead, but unfortunately, this time it was disappointed.

"Today is March 17, 2021, Wednesday. Our subject, Bapa, is a seven-year-and-eight-month-old bonobo. After receiving the first CRTV-2 injection, he was able to stand up in the first week, and his balance gradually returned. In the second week, he could choose between green and yellow bananas. Brain development stopped in the third week. Unfortunately, we discovered a tumor growing in his brain in the third week. Fortunately, it did not grow back after being removed. Now, he can do addition and subtraction within ten and can dress himself independently. Next, we will inject the second injection, CRTV-3. Wish us luck, and wish Bapa good luck."

He nodded to the team members and the injection began. The milky white medicine was slowly injected into its body. This time the reaction was a little later than last time, and it started to take effect after five minutes.

Its heartbeat started to accelerate, its body temperature began to rise, and its blood pressure remained normal. It was thought that this time the side effects would be the same as last time, but gradually, it began to whimper, its body showed signs of weakness, and even its eyes began to glaze over. If it weren't for the strong heartbeat on the electrocardiogram, Leo would have even suspected that it was about to die.

"James, that's enough! It's dying!"

"Its bodily functions are intact, there won't be any problems, don't worry. Tell me about its condition, Leo."

"It is weak, dizzy, tired, very thirsty, has no appetite, and has lost its mood."

He watched Bapa nervously, and then, an even more unexpected situation occurred: it began to have severe epileptic seizures, and even its heart rate fluctuated.

"what happened!"

"I don't know either, Susan! Is its bodily functioning alright?"

"Professor, its blood pressure is starting to drop."

At this moment, even James started to panic. The intellectually disabled chimpanzee test subject was extremely rare, and it had become the leaders' treasure, so there was no room for error. Leo, on the other hand, lost his composure and grabbed James by the collar.

"What happened? We need to save him!"

"How can we save it? By randomly administering medication? Do you want it to die even faster because of pharmacological conflicts? Let go! Anything can happen during an experiment. If it can pull through, great; if it can't, there's nothing I can do if it dies!"

"Do you fucking think what you're saying is humane?!"

"We're talking about humanity with humans, not indiscriminately killing innocent animals! It's a drug experiment with government approval! Don't question me with a critical tone! I don't mind being an animal executioner! I just hope I can be a hero to humanity! I only care about what can save my children! I know what kind of people you marine scientists are into! Protecting this, protecting that! But you need to know what you're doing right now! Don't take animal lives too seriously!"

He shoved Leo aside and returned to the instruments to keep a close eye on them. Leo, on the other hand, was more sober. He was prepared for all of this, but he was blinded by emotion. He glanced weakly at Bapa, who was still convulsing, pushed open the door of the laboratory, and sat down on the floor.

After an unknown amount of time, James emerged from the lab and silently looked at Leo.

"I made it through, I didn't die."

Then, turned around and left.

……

The two were in a cold war for a long time before their relationship gradually eased. Any conflict will become a grudge in the hearts of adults, and will not disappear in the blink of an eye like it did in childhood.

However, both of them were observing Bapa's changes together. As long as Bapa was alive, the two of them would not have a complete breakdown. And the changes were happening, and they were surprisingly significant.

A week later, it can put on clothes that are more difficult to wear, tie its own shoelaces, and its memory is greatly enhanced. It can no longer watch one episode of Teletubbies for ten days. It can remember how many episodes it watched yesterday, and even how many minutes of an episode.

In the second week, the children's books that Leo brought were no longer enough for its reading needs, and it turned to reading more substantial literary works. According to calculations, it can now recognize more than 30,000 words, which is equivalent to two-thirds of the vocabulary of an average person.

In the third week, James tested its intelligence. Since it could now read, it was tested using the same method used for human intelligence tests. Its IQ reached 95, which is the level of an average human, while its mental capacity was around that of a thirteen or fourteen-year-old.

At this moment, cheers erupted. The project team confirmed the experiment was a success. Now, the only thing left before the official human trials were to observe the side effects and standardize the dosage. The dosage injected into Bapa was absolutely unworkable; using the dosage for pricking livestock to prick a person would easily kill them.

According to calculations, a child with intellectual disability needs about one to two years of rehabilitation training to return to the level of a normal person, and the dosage is only about one-quarter of Bapa's. Otherwise, if a chimpanzee can be injected to the point where its IQ is basically on par with a human, what about a human? Wouldn't it have to reach 200 or more?

What if someone wanted their child to have an IQ of over 200? Of course not, because that's a lethal dose for humans.

Just as the research team was celebrating the success of the experiment and had not yet considered the issue of Bapa's placement, Leo began to panic. Originally, he only hoped that Bapa could recover to the intelligence level of a normal bonobo, or even higher. However, the success of the experiment exceeded expectations by more than a little bit.

This terrified Leo. Had they actually cured it, or had they turned it into a completely different person?

At night, it was drawing and writing with crayons. Its wrinkled and dark hands holding the crayons looked a bit comical, but looking at what it drew, no one could laugh. It drew a complete sunflower, even if it was drawn by a kindergarten child.

Leo sat watching from the side. It seemed to be getting used to it. It glanced at Leo, and when it saw that Leo was still watching it, it silently turned its head back and continued to write and draw.

As Leo grew sleepy, in his drowsy state, he vaguely saw the black hand push a piece of paper towards him, on which was written…

“Father…”

Suddenly, all sleepiness vanished, and his face darkened instantly. He picked up the paper, glanced at Bapa, forced a smile, folded the paper, and put it in his pocket. This paper must never be seen by anyone else.

Afterwards, he went home from get off work, and the next morning he heard that Bapa had attacked someone.

……

"What happened? Who provoked it?"

He rushed into the lab, looking tense. Since last night, his nerves had been gradually tightening. He rushed over as soon as he heard that Bapa had hurt someone. He thought that the scene would be serious, with everyone discussing how to deal with Bapa. But when he arrived, he found that everyone was smiling.

"Don't worry, nothing serious has happened. It's just been in a bad mood lately, which we understand."

"What do you mean by 'understanding'? What's going on?"

"Bapa's in heat..."

……

Estrus is a natural biological process, and it goes without saying that bonobos, which are known for their extremely lustful nature, are no exception. Although bonobos reach maturity at the age of twelve, it is not uncommon for them to begin estrus around the age of eight.

After discussing it, everyone decided to help him solve his physiological problems. They contacted a zoo and put him into a group of bonobos. None of them left, as they all seemed to want to see how Bapa would say goodbye to his life as a male prostitute.

However, shortly after it was brought into the group, it did not mate with the female bonobos as everyone had expected, nor with the males.

It showed extreme discomfort, even though the group did not show obvious exclusion, and even when a female gorilla in estrus tried to befriend it, it chased her away.

At that moment, everyone realized that they seemed to have made a mistake.

After Bapa was brought back, an even more unexpected situation occurred: dressed neatly and cleanly, he held a flower from a vase in the office and professed his love to a female PhD student.

……

"Tell me, how should this be resolved?"

"Feel sorry……"

Inside the office, it was just him and James. He looked grim and kept questioning James about how to solve the problem, but there was no solution to this problem.

He left in anger, simply because he didn't want to argue with James about who was right and who was wrong in the past. When faced with an unsolvable problem, all they could do was endure it and not repent for their past decisions.

When Leo saw Bapa again, he clearly saw human emotions in its eyes.

Melancholy.

This is the last look in Bapa's eyes in Leo's memory.

A dozen days later, it made its own judgment on its fate in a way that only humans would do.

It committed suicide, using a pencil sharpener, making a decision that was not unexpected for Leo.

Leo had already foreseen its death and did not stop it. It should not exist, even if its existence was caused by human error in experiments.

But... he would still feel sad for this bonobo.

……

He arrived at Bapa's room, the same room he had first seen. There were still traces of blood on the glass wall, with a bloody handprint imprinted on it, as if he had wanted to exchange blows with Leo before he died.

Unfortunately, Leo was still fast asleep in bed at that time.

He didn't cry, because for Bapa, this might not be a bad thing. At least it no longer had to worry about its life. The book it read that night was Hamlet, which was still on the table.

He picked it up and tossed it in his hand. The brand-new book still had a faint scent of paper and ink. He casually flipped through a few pages, when a piece of paper unexpectedly fell out.

Perhaps no one has turned the page yet, otherwise it wouldn't still be here. He turned his head, there was no one around, picked up the paper from the ground, turned it over, and there was a line of words written on it.

"Father, am I an animal or a human...?"

……

"Leo, what's going on...?"

He was carrying a bag and was walking out when James saw him and stopped him. It wasn't that James was afraid he would steal anything, but he just didn't understand what James was trying to do.

"I quit."

"Because of Bapa?"

"if not?"

“I know you’re heartbroken, but you should pull yourself together. Have you forgotten our goal? Our goal isn’t just to cure a disabled chimpanzee! I want to apologize to you. This was just an experimental accident. Nobody expected it to turn out this way. The investors suspect the drug has a depressive effect, so the experiment needs to continue. I need your help. Listen…”

Boom!
Anger sometimes comes from strange sources, not from arguments, but from the indifference of others.

"So you created a person and still think it was an experimental accident?!"

"It's a chimpanzee! What part of it looks like a human?! Let go! Let's all calm down..."

"What the hell makes me look like a human?! Tell me! Am I a human?! Or! A fucking! animal?!"

"You're definitely human!"

Bang bang bang!
Squeak!

thump~
The newly arranged experimental subjects included a normally intelligent chimpanzee that kept smashing the glass partition. Beside it, goldfish in the fish tank jumped out of the tank and rolled around on the ground. The white rats were restless and ran wildly in their cages. James watched all of this.

"Now...am I a human or an animal...?"

He was speechless, staring blankly at Leo's face, momentarily at a loss for words. Leo released his grip, looked at him, chuckled, picked up his bag again, and turned to leave.

……

"Hello, who is this?"

“If one day Lucy wants to know the truth, then tell her that her father died on the USS Field in 2013.”

"Leo? Where are you?"

As she listened, her heart pounded in her chest. Just before Leo hung up, she clearly heard the deafening roar of the waves…

……

"It's a great thing!"

The elderly captain shouted loudly as huge waves crashed in, splashing water all over the deck. The crew chanted in French as they loosened the reins binding the sails.

On the other side of the ship, in a deserted corner, he looked out at the unfathomable sea, stepped his left leg over the railing, and then... his right leg.

"Boom~"

The splash was inconspicuous on the vast sea, but then a sea bass surfaced, followed by a red grouper and a yellowfin tuna. Gradually, more and more fish gathered, and the species became quite diverse.

"What's that? Look! Look!"

Some crew members saw this sight and quickly took out their phones to take pictures of the sea. They gaped in astonishment at what they had witnessed: a landmass made up of fish, rushing across the sea. The silvery scales of the fish were like a mirror, reflecting the dazzling sunlight. The waves whipped up by the fish tails gently rocked the ship. The only thing they didn't see was the man surrounded by thousands of fish.

A massive, bluish-gray back emerged from the sea, its densely packed barnacles clearly visible. It swung its tail, splashing water onto the sailors' faces. Finally, it revealed its head, bearing a huge scar, and let out a lonely, mournful cry that echoed throughout the sea.

From the fishing boat route to the uninhabited sea, the island remained there, drifting with the sea, yet somehow still. Finally, the man came ashore, took off his shirt, revealing his dark and muscular body, turned his back to the sea, and looked back...

On the left side of the screen, subtitles appear from bottom to top, coming into view of the audience.

"Directors: Kyshar Mendeleev, Lukas Mendeleev."

"Screenwriter: Mickey Taylor".

"Director of Production: Lucas Mendeleev".

Artistic Director: Kyshar Mendeleev.

"Starring: Lu Ze, Wang Pushen, Ding Zhiyi, Xu Shuang, Sanjiv Ronaldinho, Carl Randolph, Fanny Taylor..."

……

"Are you done releasing them?"

"I think so. How do you feel?"

"It's great, it feels very fantastical, but... it also feels like it has some other meaning. No, no, I need to sort this out. My thoughts are a bit jumbled, it's a strange feeling."

"Me too……"

At the premiere, as the credits rolled, the audience gradually began to discuss the film. Overall, the reviews were very good; it did not tarnish Lu Ze's reputation. Although it was not as amazing as "Rebirth," it was still a film of above-average quality.

Since it wasn't a movie theater, the audience didn't leave their seats, but the discussion started to get louder. Surprisingly, the lights weren't turned on, and the subtitles continued to scroll.

Suddenly, they heard the roar of the waves again. They stopped talking and looked up. It was still the same island, still on the shore, but they could no longer see Leo. Only the seawater was constantly washing over a green... multi-functional vest.

Some viewers like to have dessert after watching a movie, so their cravings only just came to fruition. They picked up their forks and then witnessed this scene.

"Ding~"

The fork fell onto the smooth plate with a crisp sound...

"exile".

(Finish)

"..."

I'm not very satisfied with this piece because I'm not particularly interested in this type of subject matter. The reason I wrote it was to complete the film project specified in the synopsis, which is kind of like digging my own grave. Secondly, I was inspired by an experiment by a psychologist. The writing isn't outstanding, but I managed to get my personal thoughts out of the box. I'm not entirely satisfied with the plot itself, but from a cinematic perspective, I think giving it an 8 out of 10 wouldn't be unreasonable, haha. It's not a complete disaster, and the plot can still move forward.

Finally, regarding the issue of missing updates, I calculated it to be around twenty-something chapters. My math isn't great, so I'm a bit unsure and will just say thirty to avoid being accused of cheating. I'll take a break today and start making up for it tomorrow.

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(End of this chapter)