I have a wildlife zoo

"Ah! Ah!"

Black Claws crouched down, its not-so-long tail sticking out behind its butt, and provocatively howled at White Brow. Its eyes were ringed in blazing red, and every now and then, it quickly glanced behind, ready to take off should White Brow give chase.

In the macaque family, the hierarchy is clear and organized; only the Monkey King may have his tail upturned! This is a symbol of status and rank.

When visiting the zoo, just look at which monkey sits on high ground, its tail always raised, and you'll know who the Monkey King is.

Black Claws, with its tail raised, clearly felt strong and believed White Brow had grown old and weak, ready to vie for the position of Monkey King.

However, it was very cautious and didn't think it had an overwhelming advantage, so it adopted a strategy of pursuit, constantly draining White Brow's energy.

White Brow was 18 years old this year. Though that's quite aged, it was by no means too decrepit to fight.

Macaques typically live for 20-25 years in the wild, with a maximum lifespan of 30 years under captivity.

But within its age group, White Brow wasn't the strongest, and hadn't earned its position as Monkey King through brute force.

White Brow was smarter and had higher emotional intelligence. When it was young, it made sure to show off in front of the other monkeys. While the others didn't dare approach the Monkey King, White Brow would make its presence known.

Once it became familiar, the Monkey King allowed it into his inner circle, where it could loiter nearby on a regular basis.

Then, White Brow established good social relationships by grooming other members of the macaque community, earning the acceptance of the female macaques in the group, and entered the breeding community with mating privileges.

Not every male macaque could mate with the females! One had to have a certain standing within the group to do so.

As White Brow aged, its seniority increased, and when the previous Monkey King grew old, White Brow naturally took over the position.

If anyone challenged White Brow, its good social relations meant other monkeys would join in the fight to defend it!

Anyone thinking brute strength alone could win the position of Monkey King would end up being thrashed by a troop of monkeys, leaving them with a bloody nose and a swollen face.

This was also due to the captive conditions, where monkeys don't have to spend most of their day foraging for food, free from the pressure of finding sustenance, leaving them idle and with more time to socialize.

Wild troops mostly use physical competition to determine the Monkey King. Seniority-based Monkey Kings are a rarity.

There's also the prince faction, where a male is typically from a high-status lineage, and under the protection of his mother and her connections, ascends to the position of Monkey King. This situation is even rarer and only occurs in artificial captive environments.

White Brow belonged to the seniority faction. Generally, the older and more respected a seniority-based Monkey King, the more respect it commands within a large troop of several hundred monkeys.

Seniority relies on support, akin to warlords, the more troops under their command, the more powerful they are.

Linhai Zoo had mismanaged its affairs in the past, many of the monkeys had been sold off, and now with only a handful left, seniority alone wasn't enough to impress.

White Brow had enjoyed several years of Monkey King privileges, while Black Claws had grown from a small monkey into a strong adult. Seeing White Brow freely mating with the females while it could only watch and take care of its own needs, Black Claws was certainly discontent!

Its thoughts probably went something like this, "You're just the chief of a small village, so old yet you've taken several beautiful wives, while I, a sturdy young fellow, am left to bachelorhood, bossed around by you every day. I must lower my head and call you 'chief', why should I? It's better if I take over!"

Being the Monkey King came with many benefits.

If the animal keeper threw a piece of fruit, only the Monkey King could eat it first, and it also enjoyed the privilege of first choice in mating, like an ancient emperor, who could choose any female he fancied to be his wife, surrounded by a palace of three halls, six courtyards, and seventy-two consorts.

To become Monkey King, challenging through force was the most direct approach, but the process could lead to severe injuries, maiming, or even death.

Once a Monkey King was dethroned, if not dead, it would struggle to gain rights in the group, including space, food, and mating, and would be forced to live alone, rarely able to return to the group, a truly tragic fate.

Watching the two monkeys enter a standoff once again, Fang Ye opened his Eye of Observation for a quick look.

[Ordinary macaque: Black Claws

Age: 7 years

Mood: Agitated/Excited

Health status: Good

[Common macaque: White Brow

Age: 18 years old

Mood: Nervous/Angry

Health status: Poor

Fang Ye was suddenly alarmed. White Brow appeared to have only some scratches on his face and a bit of bleeding—how could his health status be poor?

However, he also knew that one couldn't judge whether a wild animal was healthy based solely on appearances.

In the wild, one must feign healthiness even when weak, only showing vulnerability when they genuinely could no longer hold on and were close to death.

No wonder Black Claws kept provoking White Brow today. The two monkeys fought fiercely, and even Lü Jiamu, who usually commanded great respect among the macaques, couldn't separate them.

Black Claws had long coveted the position of Monkey King and would covertly observe White Brow when there was nothing else going on. Surely, today he sensed something amiss with White Brow's physical condition and seized the opportunity, determined to defeat him and become the Monkey King!

White Brow, whether to maintain the authority of the Monkey King or to continue enjoying its privileges, would keep fighting desperately despite his poor health.

If he lost, even if he didn't die, he'd be relegated to a corner afterward. Not to mention staying at the top of Monkey Mountain—he wouldn't even be allowed near it. He'd be left to eat scraps and leftovers and watch from afar as Black Claws mated with his former mates.

Such a life was more unbearable than death, something he absolutely couldn't accept!

If this fight wasn't interrupted by humans, White Brow would undoubtedly be killed by Black Claws when he could no longer hold on.

Immediately, Fang Ye swung his slipper, trying to separate the two monkeys, glaring at Black Claws, "Stop fighting, go away!"

Black Claws' bloodshot eyes widened as he glared back at him, baring his teeth!

Rage! A show of force! Dissatisfaction!

Don't disturb me! Today, I must settle this once and for all!

In such an extremely agitated state, the deterrent effect of the slipper was somewhat diminished.

Yet from the way Black Claws' gaze flickered and he blinked continuously, it seemed he was still somewhat afraid!

Fang Ye raised the slipper again, looking straight into Black Claws' eyes, his expression stern, "No more fighting!"

Lü Jiamu, Lin Ying, and others watched the scene anxiously!

Would the fierce and crazed Black Claws listen to Fang Ye?

"Ha!"

Black Claws stared into his eyes, hesitated for a moment, and let out a short howl from his throat, cursing reluctantly, "Damn!"

Then turned his head and ran off in a flash.

Looking at White Brow again, he had an air of a victor's pride, looking towards the monkey troop, "Squeak! Squeak!" calling out loudly.

As if taking a vow, "See? This troop is still under my rule!"

Normally, since Black Claws had clearly challenged him for the position of Monkey King—this was not an ordinary provocation—a winner should be determined, and he ought to be hammering Black Claws relentlessly until Black Claws recognized who'd always be the boss.

Now, just proudly screeching like that already showed that he was bluffing out of weakness.

Fang Ye gave Lü Jiamu a suggestive look with his eyes, "Move in, we can catch them now!"