As Fang Chenyi gave the command in his mind, the gorilla before him instantly froze, as if stunned. It squatted there without moving an inch.

Seeing this, Fang Chenyi knew the Illusion Technique had taken effect.

After forcibly implanting a memory of loyalty in its mind, Fang Chenyi quickly withdrew his focus.

The moment he did, a wave of dizziness washed over him.

Having used it once before, Fang Chenyi knew this was the side effect of Celestial Gods.

Fighting through the dizziness, he sat down right where he was. He ignored the gorilla, pulled out a chocolate bar, and stuffed a piece into his mouth.

The side effects of Celestial Gods were similar to a hypoglycemic episode: his head would feel fuzzy, and he’d be left without a shred of strength.

The solution was simple, too: eat something. He’d feel better once he was full.

This time, he had only used it once, unlike with the great white shark, where he’d used it twice just to be safe.

So this time, Fang Chenyi felt much better after just sitting down and eating a piece of chocolate.

While Fang Chenyi was sitting and eating his chocolate, the gorilla, which had been squatting on the ground and clutching its head, suddenly let out a loud cry. Grinning from ear to ear, it started flailing its arms about, beating its chest as it trotted over to him.

Now that the creature was closer, Fang Chenyi realized it was easily over two meters tall. Even at his height, Fang Chenyi had to crane his neck back just to see its face.

Not only that, but upon reaching Fang Chenyi, it spread its two massive, sturdy arms, preparing to embrace him.

Seeing this, Fang Chenyi quickly pushed off the ground with his foot, scrambling away to dodge the embrace.

’Jeez, I could smell its foul odor before it even got close. If it actually hugged me, the stench would probably kill me!’

Its hug missing its mark, the gorilla clearly faltered. The wide grin on its face was suddenly replaced by a pitiful, aggrieved expression.

’It didn’t understand. Why wouldn’t Master let it hug him? That was its favorite way of showing affection. Could it be... Master doesn’t like me anymore?’

Under the influence of Celestial Gods, the gorilla felt this human was dearer to it than its own mother.

And now he wouldn’t even let it hug him. The more it thought about it, the more upset it became. The creature actually covered its face and started making a whimpering sound.

To Fang Chenyi, it looked just like it was crying.

"Er, hey, big guy, it’s not that I don’t want a hug. It’s just... you really stink."

Hearing Fang Chenyi’s words, the gorilla stopped its sobbing motion. As if it understood, it lifted its arm, sniffed its own armpit, then scratched its head and let out a couple of soft calls at Fang Chenyi.

Fang Chenyi was taken aback. He stared in confusion. ’This thing can actually understand me?’

[Host’s query detected. System clarification: Under the effects of Celestial Gods, the host’s language is automatically and unilaterally transmitted into the target’s mind.]

The voice in his head made Fang Chenyi understand instantly. ’So that’s how it works. A one-way transfer. That means this guy can understand me, but I can’t understand it.’

’Well, nothing to be done about that. It’s already great that it can understand me.’

’No wonder the great white shark could understand some of what I said before. As for why it couldn’t understand everything, I guess its brain was just too simple.’

’Unlike this highly intelligent behemoth in front of me, who can understand every word I say.’

Once he understood, Fang Chenyi was overjoyed. ’This way, I’ll at least have someone to talk to out here.’

Looking at the gorilla’s dejected expression, Fang Chenyi couldn’t help but be amused. He shook his head with a smile and, putting on a serious face, said to the gorilla:

"Big guy, have you never had a bath in your entire life?"

The gorilla listened, first nodding, then shaking its head. It chattered away, gesturing wildly with its hands.

Unfortunately, Fang Chenyi couldn’t understand a word it was saying.

Seeming to realize its master didn’t understand, the gorilla gestured for a moment longer before suddenly reaching for Fang Chenyi’s arm. But as its eyes landed on the rifle in Fang Chenyi’s hands, specifically the lit flashlight attached to it, it suddenly grew fearful. It pointed at the flashlight and started babbling anxiously.

Although he couldn’t understand the sounds, he could guess from its actions that it was afraid of the bright flashlight.

So, he detached the flashlight from the rifle’s rail and held it in his hand.

The moment it saw this, the gorilla scrambled back more than ten meters on all fours before stopping.

It bared its teeth, its face a mask of dread.

Fang Chenyi knew it was an animal’s natural fear of the unknown. He pressed the button, switching the flashlight off. Then, just as the gorilla seemed to relax, he flicked it back on.

"Don’t be scared, big guy. It’s not dangerous at all. Here, look. See? It’s harmless. This just helps us see in the dark, kind of like the moon—that thing up in the sky. Understand?"

Although the gorilla could now comprehend Fang Chenyi’s language, it still couldn’t understand concepts it had never encountered.

As he spoke, Fang Chenyi shone the light on himself, then swept it over the nearby grass. Finally, as the gorilla watched in alarm, he shone the beam on it, too.

After a moment of panic, the creature seemed to realize the light couldn’t hurt it. It cautiously padded back over to Fang Chenyi and tentatively swiped a hand through the flashlight’s beam.

When it saw that nothing happened, the creature grew excited. It barked at Fang Chenyi twice, then held out a big, dark hand toward him.

Fang Chenyi paused, asking with some uncertainty:

"What’s this? You want it?"

The gorilla nodded eagerly.

Fang Chenyi found this amusing. ’I’ve got two more flashlights in my pack, so it’s not a big deal if this guy breaks it.’

So, he held it out and gave it to the gorilla.

The gorilla’s mouth immediately split into a wide grin, showing Fang Chenyi a mouthful of large, yellow teeth.

After getting the flashlight, the creature was ecstatic. It shone the beam left and right, but that didn’t seem to be enough. It turned, grinned, and aimed the bright light right at Fang Chenyi.

Fang Chenyi quickly shielded his eyes with his hand and complained with a sigh:

"Hey, hey! Big guy, you can’t shine that at me! It’s blinding!"