Zhao Dalong and Jiang Kai immediately got busy with their men, beginning a careful inspection of every potential security loophole inside and outside Monkey Mountain.

Yang Qi wasn’t in a hurry to leave, either. He also wanted to figure out just how the Great Sage had "broken out."

He took a slow, unhurried walk around the Monkey Mountain exhibit.

The heavy iron doors leading from the indoor activity area to the outdoor exhibit were all shut tight, the locks intact.

Even if the Great Sage had heaven-defying abilities, there was no way he could have gotten out through those doors.

That meant the problem had to be in the open-air enclosure outside.

Yang Qi walked onto the visitor viewing platform, resting his hands on the metal guardrail and looking down at Monkey Mountain from above.

It was a sunken, square, open-air enclosure surrounded by smooth concrete walls five to six meters high. A sturdy guardrail for visitors ran along the top.

Under normal circumstances, it would be impossible for a monkey to scale such high, smooth walls with its bare hands.

The last time the Great Sage managed to climb up and snatch Qiqi’s backpack, ultimately pulling her into Monkey Mountain along with it, he had used a long, thick log. It had rolled out from the indoor area—a toy for the monkeys—and he had leaned it against the wall to climb up.

After that incident, the Zoo had tightened its management and removed all long, ladder-like toys.

Logically, the Great Sage should have had no way of getting up again.

’So how did he get out this time?’

Yang Qi paced slowly along the guardrail, his gaze sweeping over every corner of Monkey Mountain. He even glanced up at the sky.

As he watched, a few small macaques were chasing each other and playing at the base of the mountain.

One of the small monkeys, trying to evade its playmate, leaped nimbly onto the back of a nearby adult female, using her as a springboard to jump again and land on a higher rock.

The sight sparked an idea in Yang Qi’s mind!

His gaze shot upward from the bottom of Monkey Mountain, finally settling on the peak of a man-made rock formation—the highest point in the enclosure.

Then, his eyes slowly panned over to a tall camphor tree growing just outside the viewing platform, right next to the edge of the open-air enclosure.

It was mid-May, and the camphor tree was lush and green, its branches thick with leaves.

An exceptionally thick side branch, spurred by vigorous growth, extended horizontally, with more than half of it reaching out. Its leafy tip was now hanging directly over the Monkey Mountain enclosure.

The distance from the highest peak of the rockery in Monkey Mountain, he estimated, was...

"So that’s how it is!"

Realization dawned on Yang Qi, and a knowing smile touched his lips.

’Case closed!’

He knew how the Great Sage had gotten out of Monkey Mountain.

’As for how he left the Zoo and got to the back mountain...’

Yang Qi turned, picturing the general route from the Monkey Mountain area to the Zoo’s outermost wall, and then onward toward the back mountain.

’On both sides of that path...’

’...are lined with trees!’

And they were all large trees with tall crowns and interlocking branches. 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ𝓋𝑒𝑙.𝑐𝘰𝑚

It was May, the time of year when trees are at their most vigorous, their foliage at its densest.

The lush canopies of these large trees practically formed a natural green corridor over the path!

For an agile monkey skilled in climbing and jumping, if it could get out of the Monkey Mountain area, it could use these adjacent, interconnected trees as an "aerial highway." It could cross most of the Zoo without ever touching the ground, completely undetected, and reach the vicinity of the outer wall.

From there, leaping from a tree near the wall into the forest of the back mountain would be even easier!

’A "canopy tour" all the way... No wonder none of the ground-level surveillance cameras caught a thing.’

The Great Sage never walked on the ground at all!

"Interesting."

Yang Qi smiled.

He turned back and looked into Monkey Mountain again.

To his surprise, the Great Sage, who had come out from the indoor area at some point and climbed to the highest rock on Monkey Mountain, was now staring intently at him from across the enclosure.

The Monkey King’s furry face was incredibly expressive.

Seeing Yang Qi’s gaze return, he clearly knew his secret was out—the jig was up. He immediately did something that almost made Yang Qi laugh out loud.

He bent his knees, "kneeling" like a human on top of the rockery. Clasping his front paws together, he repeatedly bowed in Yang Qi’s direction. His amber eyes were filled with a pitiful, pleading look as he let out a series of urgent cries.

[Please don’t tell!]

[I just went out to get a tasty drink.]

[This is my home!]

[Help me keep it a secret!]

[The tasty drink is almost ready!]

[I’ll give it all to you!]

Ha!

This time, Yang Qi was truly amused.

’This monkey actually knows I’ve discovered its escape route. Is it begging for mercy right here and now, hoping I’ll keep its secret?’

Even before being enlightened by the Basic Spirit Awakening Technique, the Great Sage had already been one of the smartest in the troop.

After the Spirit Awakening, his intelligence and comprehension had taken a quantum leap. It felt like he was on par with a seven or eight-year-old child.

Now, he had truly become a "spirit"!

’Keep his secret?’

Yang Qi stroked his chin.

To be honest, Yang Qi had no fondness for keepers like Liu Fei, who relied on connections and acted superior. He wouldn’t mind seeing him suffer a bit of misfortune a few more times to learn a lesson.

’As long as the Great Sage doesn’t actually hurt anyone or run away for good, is it really such a terrible crime for him to sneak out and "stretch his legs" occasionally?’

Thinking of this, Yang Qi glanced around to make sure no one was there, then lowered his voice and called out across the enclosure.

"Alright."

The Great Sage’s eyes lit up instantly!

Yang Qi continued, "But you have to promise me two things. First, you must never hurt anyone! Second, you have to come home on time!"

The Great Sage understood. He nodded vigorously, scratching his ears and cheeks in excitement while letting out a series of "CHEEP CHEEP" sounds.

[Won’t hurt people!]

[Come home on time!]

He also remembered his "bribe."

[All the tasty drink for you!]

"You can keep it for yourself."

Yang Qi shook his head with a laugh. He had no interest in what a monkey considered a "tasty drink."

He waved his hand, said no more, and turned to leave the viewing platform.

With the Great Sage’s current intelligence, his excursions into the mountains were likely more about releasing his natural instincts through play and exploration.

Here at Monkey Mountain, he had a stable food supply, clean drinking water, and a comfortable home. If he got sick, a Veterinarian would take care of him. If he was unhappy, the keepers even had to coax him into a better mood.

What was in the mountains?

Before, it was mostly just wild fruit. Now, there was a female clouded leopard eyeing him like prey!

If he had any sense at all, he wouldn’t choose to actually run away.

So, Yang Qi wasn’t too worried.

On his way from the Monkey Mountain area to the logistics warehouse, Yang Qi remembered he had enough contribution points for a lottery draw.

With a thought, he initiated the draw.

[Congratulations, Host. You have drawn the prize: Thousand-Year-Old Willow Wood Heart]

[Description: Contains pure wood-attribute Spiritual Qi and life essence. Absorption can slightly improve the aptitude of a wood-attribute Spiritual Root, nourish the meridians, and strengthen life force.]

’Another item that can improve Spiritual Root aptitude!’

’This time, it’s wood attribute...’