THE MONKEYS 2

"They won't survive, Your Highness..." Shao Rong shook his head.

"They're poisoned by food, right? Then give them laxatives, or help them regurgitate their food!" Zhu Su now followed in the footsteps of Liu Ku, who was patting the monkey on the neck and forced it to vomit.

"Useless. They have already digest it, it's too late..."

"I have a good idea! Here, let me do it!"

Deng Linping pushed forward. He approached a monkey who was screaming heartbreakingly, then opened its mouth wide and put his hand into the monkey's mouth.

"This way, we can make it vomit!" He said proudly.

Liu Ku, who happened to be beside him, glared in surprise. "What are you doing?! You even make the monkey can't breathe! It can die from suffocation!"

Liu Ku was right. Deng Linping was overly excited about making the monkey recover. Yet instead, the monkey, which had been weakened by the poison, immediately died from the intense pressure Deng Linping did.

"If you know nothing, do nothing! Look, you killed it!" Liu Ku spurted angrily.

Deng Linping fell silent. He stared at the monkey in his grasp with wide eyes, which was now dead. Slowly, his head lowered. The monkey's corpse slipped from his loosen grasp as he stared at them, blankly and depressedly.

"But it's all in vain. These monkeys are poisoned too badly, it can't be helped..." Once again, Shao Rong muttered the same pessimistic sentence.

"But please try it first, Master Shao. Who knows you can help them." Zhu Su said, he could not bear to see that miserable scene, especially to hear their screams which were very tearing.

"Just because we try to help them, we then make them suffer longer..."

The monkey that Liu Ku treated vomited. The experiment plant, together with other indigestible foods, was vomited out, it gave a very foul odor. Now the monkey stopped screaming, its eyes were closed and it seemed to be sleeping.

"I've managed to handle this monkey." Next, Liu Ku turned to Chen Suibo and helped him deal with the floundering monkey.

"Liu Ku manages to save it!" Zhu Su said happily towards Shao Rong. "There is hope, then!"

"It's just a coincidence. The plant the monkey swallowed isn't very poisonous. The others, won't necessarily have such that good fate. Just like this monkey." Shao Rong looked at the monkey he treated, which was now dead. "It is not as lucky as its friend. However, most of the tested plants are malignant and poisonous. That's why I am pessimistic and it will be difficult for us to save them all."

Finally, Zhu Su had to admit that it was Shao Rong who was correct. He was forced to watch the monkeys died one by one in front of him. And it was very heartbreaking, since the moments when monkeys were dying were the same as when humans would soon die. They wept, and groaned, and their voices grew smaller and smaller... until finally, they fell silent, their eyes closed, and they went to another world for eternity.

Even though they were animals, however, when they lost their lives, it was as grievous as when humans died.

The experiment ended up costing twenty-two monkeys. Some died quietly, some died with eyes bulging and mouths full of vomited blood. The yard turned into a mass grave for the dead monkeys. The dexterous servants quickly cleared the yard, separated the living from the dead, cleaned their blood and feces, and dragged the dead monkeys to dispose of their remains,

"Wait!" Zhu Su exclaimed - his voice turned bizarre, different from his usual voice. "What will you do with the dead monkeys?"

"We will throw them into the mountains."

"Don't just throw them carelessly! You should bury them. After all... they are heroes who have contributed so much to this project."

"As you wish, Your Highness." And thus they carried out the task.

It was true. Those monkeys, were the heroes. Especially those who had died from food poisoning. They died in place of humans, because of their sacrifices, then the humans can be saved from poisoned food, that the humans know that the project has failed and should not be announced to the public.

If somebody said that the lives of animals have no value so they can be treated arbitrarily, and even said that horrible and uncivilized experiments are allowed to do with them, then they should think more about that.

Humans can enjoy a comfortable and pleasant life, can consume medicine and food safety, and can get healing from various diseases, it is thanks to the sacrifices of the test subjects in the experimental lab, whether they are humans or animals.

That was how Zhu Su felt right now. He did not consider the deaths of the monkeys as petty issues. It really hit him. Twenty-two monkeys died because of their wrong attempts. They died so horribly, even their pitiful screams still rang in his ears until now. Zhu Su bit his lip hard. Maybe even until he slept, he would keep hearing those heartbreaking screams.

Liu Ku looked at Zhu Su closely. It was all predicted accurately by him, that was why he suggested to use monkeys as the test subjects and not humans. He approached Zhu Su. "You must be devastated by the deaths of those monkeys."

"The monkeys... even though they are animals, but they are heroes. They save humans from consuming the wrong food. How can't I get miserable?"

"I see. That's why I recommend using animals as test subjects. If the test subjects are human, you'd be even more frustrated."

"You're right. Just now... I feel like I am a cruel executioner, have the heart to take their lives arbitrarily for a failed project."

"But, without experiment, you will cause even more deaths. Although it is cruel, this experiment is still a must. In order to save more lives!"

Liu Ku's stern words let Zhu Su speechless. Liu Ku was right... absolutely right! This was indeed a cruel act, an act that deviated from the path of love taught by religion. Treating animals cruelly in an experiment, what a cruel act!... but, because of that, many more human lives could be saved. Just like in modern times. Animals in the experimental lab die as a result of experimental drugs, transplants, surgery, or other technology, but because of that experiment, hearts, kidneys, or other organs' transplantation can be carried out on humans, so humans who must have died, instead can be saved.

When humans enjoy their beautiful lives, that's when they should look back. And watch, behind their lives that are full of beauty, there are many sacrifices being drenched in blood and slaughtered for them.

"Actually, no need for you to be sad, Your Highness. Instead, this experiment tells you, that this part is a failure. You've found out that this method is unworthy, and you must turn to other methods! And you are also informed, that other plants are fine, only twenty-two which has failed. Of the hundreds, only twenty-two fail, doesn't it prove that we are in halfway to success?"

Liu Ku nodded firmly. Comforted by his positive words, Zhu Su smiled. "Thank you, Liu Ku. You're right. I should note it as progress. Alright! I am even more eager to make this research succeed!"