The urgent sound of hooves drew closer, quickly reaching the street beside the zoo.
Kuafu, sitting inside the iron cage, could even hear the Ape Cavalry talking:
"…Hateful, this zoo…"
"…Humans should, go to big cities…"
"…Strange, bad smell…"
"…Hurry, no delays…"
Kuafu's eyes widened in the cage. He opened his mouth, then immediately shut it. Finally, he took a deep breath and calmed himself.
The troop of Ape Cavalry outside departed swiftly, their voices fading into the distance. A look of relief washed over Kuafu's face as he lay down to sleep.
In the other cage, Shen Feng took his finger off the trigger and also began to fall asleep…
Early the next morning, Shen Feng got up, washed his face, and roasted some wild boar meat. He shared it with Kuafu, and then they led out their two horses and continued toward the Capital.
This time, Shen Feng avoided all towns, traveling through the wilderness. He slowed their pace, proceeding with extreme caution.
Their pursuers had caught up. If the Capital was the Ape Race's main base, then they might run into other apes stationed along the way. They had to be exceptionally careful.
Ever since Shen Feng had revealed his identity to Kuafu the previous night, the Ape Race leader had been lost in a prolonged silence, apparently mulling over Shen Feng's words.
They both understood that words alone were not enough to earn each other's complete trust.
It would take more to build real trust.
The wormwood in the wilderness grew taller than a man, but thankfully, that wasn't an issue on horseback.
Over the next few days, Shen Feng led Kuafu on a path that bypassed the towns, large and small, that dotted the wilderness.
Their pace slowed, but the risk of encountering pursuers was also significantly lower.
The closer they got to the Capital, the more Ape Race pursuers they encountered. At times, they could even spot the distant figures of the Ape Cavalry. They only managed to go unnoticed by draping their horses in clumps of wormwood that Shen Feng cut for camouflage.
Kuafu, for his part, remained silent. He never called for help, nor did he try to escape.
After ten days of taking the long way around, they could finally see the Capital's landmark buildings in the distance. They had reached the outskirts of the ruined city.
The human stone statues here were far more numerous than elsewhere.
In the late stages of the Petrification Disease plague, when it was spreading uncontrollably, masses of the afflicted broke through quarantines and flooded the Capital, hoping to find a last-ditch cure.
But what they found wasn't salvation. It was mass extinction.
Weaving between the human statues on horseback, Shen Feng clutched his gun and scanned the path ahead.
This was the Ape Race's main base. There would certainly be guards. Although most of the trackers were scattered across the wilderness, some must have returned to the Capital.
This was the primary reason he had kept Kuafu as a hostage.
Now that they had reached the Capital, Kuafu's expression grew more solemn, as if he had come to a decision.
Shen Feng was riding ahead to scout when a rustling sound erupted from the grass nearby. He whipped his head around just in time to see a leopard lunging at him like a bolt of lightning!
Shen Feng snorted, and the Shotgun in his hand, muffled by layers of rags, fired instantly.
With a muffled BOOM, the leopard's body froze in mid-air. A spray of blood erupted, and the creature slammed into the ground.
Shen Feng let out a breath of relief, but then another leopard burst from the grass on his other side, lunging straight for his back!
The leopard's dagger-like claws glinted in the sun. If that attack landed, he'd be severely wounded, if not killed, to say nothing of the vicious bite that would follow!
Just as it seemed Shen Feng had no way to dodge, Kuafu, on the horse behind him, let out a furious roar. His eyes wide, he leaped from his saddle, slamming into the leopard and knocking the ferocious beast aside!
Ape and leopard tumbled to the ground in a savage brawl. Kuafu straddled the beast, raised his rope-bound fists, and hammered them down on the leopard's head.
The leopard's claws tore several gashes into his body, but it did nothing to slow Kuafu's frenzied assault.
Under the repeated blows, the leopard's head was beaten to a bloody pulp, its skull fracturing. It soon stopped struggling and fell lifeless.
Yet Kuafu, as if his rage was not yet spent, continued to pummel the carcass until the leopard's head was completely flattened. Only then did he stop, raising his blood-smeared face to look at Shen Feng, his gaze profound.
A satisfied look appeared in Shen Feng's eyes as he drew the submachine gun he had hidden under his arm.
The moment the second leopard attacked, he had already turned his weapon. If Kuafu hadn't intervened, the submachine gun would have riddled the beast with holes.
But regardless, the ape had saved him.
"So, you believe me now?" Shen Feng asked, his expression calm.
Kuafu stood, his own expression just as calm. "I hope everything you've said is true, and that you can actually keep your promises… you cunning human."
He had seen the submachine gun in the other man's hand and instantly understood that his actions had merely been a test.
'I've done a lot of thinking over the past few days,' Kuafu thought. 'If what this human says is true—if he really comes from a world that still has a complete scientific research system—then he might be the only hope for the survival of the intelligent Ape Race. And the way he produced that research data from thin air… it makes it hard not to believe him. Most importantly, whether he's lying or not, this is the only lifeline the intelligent apes have left. I have to grab onto it. Even if this is all just one of the human's schemes, I have to play along until I know for sure.'
Shen Feng nodded. "I can make you a promise," he said. "But I'll need the allegiance of your entire race in return. Through you, I will control this world."
From the very beginning, his goal hadn't just been to complete his mission and leave. He wanted this Doomsday World and its endless resources!
Kuafu nodded in turn.
"Done. You will be our savior, our god. When it comes to survival, apes don't care about so-called dignity. That is a vanity only you humans possess."
Shen Feng extended a hand from his saddle.
"Then we have a deal."
A look of relief washed over Kuafu. He mounted his horse as well, reached out, and shook Shen Feng's hand.
"We have a deal."
Just then, the thundering of hooves sounded in the distance. Dozens of Ape Cavalry were riding swiftly in their direction.
The earlier gunshot, though muffled, had still drawn the apes' attention.
The Ape Cavalry spotted Kuafu and Shen Feng from a distance. They quickly closed the gap to a few dozen meters and reined their horses to a halt in unison.
The ape in the lead, whose eyes flashed with joy, was none other than Stone Eye, one of Kuafu's own generals. He shouted,
"Kuafu, are you alright?"
The moment Kuafu saw this particular ape, his brow furrowed slightly. He then forced a smile and said,
"I'm fine. I've reconciled with the human. It was all a misunderstanding."
Stone Eye exchanged a look with the Ape Cavalry beside him and called out loudly,
"Kuafu, you're injured?"
The apes were still unpracticed at controlling their emotions, and a strange look flickered in their eyes.
Shen Feng's brow furrowed. He spoke to Kuafu in a low voice.
"Why is he loading a grenade launcher?"
Stone Eye was holding a grenade launcher, and he was continuing to load it even as he spoke.
The weapon was incredibly powerful. A single shot would catch both Shen Feng and Kuafu in its blast.
Kuafu kept a smile on his face as he looked at the Ape Cavalry, but he whispered to Shen Feng,
"Stone Eye is the most ambitious of my generals. I can normally keep him in line, but now… A primate's lust for power can override anything. And the Ape Race are primates, too."
Shen Feng instantly understood. He whispered back,
"I'll count to three. Throw it, and we run left. One… two…"
As he spoke, he used his sleeve to conceal the movement, placing a hand grenade in Kuafu's hand.
Kuafu, still smiling, called out in a loud voice,
"Stone Eye! I didn't expect your squad back so soon. I just ran into Wuzhiqi and Changmao. They'll be here any minute. Here, catch!"
With that, he casually tossed the hand grenade, which he had smeared with a layer of fresh blood.
At the mention of Wuzhiqi and Changmao, Stone Eye froze for a second. He then saw a red object flying through the air, and one of the apes beside him instinctively reached out to catch it.
"Three!"
Shen Feng hissed the final count. Man and ape wheeled their horses around at the same time and bolted toward a side street.
At the same moment, Stone Eye's subordinate caught the grenade. A deafening BOOM tore through the air. The ape and his horse were blown to smithereens, and the surrounding apes were all instantly wounded.
When the smoke and rain of blood cleared, Stone Eye stood with his face drenched in blood, his eyes filled with venom. He roared,
"Kill them!"