Translator:
Nyoi-Bo Studio
Editor:
Nyoi-Bo Studio
Steve felt that it was ridiculous to search for the mammoth cemetery by simply going around, staying on the earth’s surface. The carcasses of the mammoths would be hidden underground. There would not be any sign of them on the face of the earth.
Had it been otherwise, the work of the mammoth ivory hunters would not be so difficult. They would not need several months to find ivory.
Li Du said,
Then you come up with another solution. How would we be able to find the ivory more effectively?
The ivory hunters had a tough job. Based on their experience, they would decide whether an area might have mammoth remains. Then, they would start to excavate heavily all around, searching for the mammoth skeletons.
Hence, their job would severely damage the environment of the taiga.
Steve said,
It’s definitely not enough to survey the earth’s surface. You can look for a couple of those excavator machines. Then we can do some digging here in the area. Perhaps we can find some of the mammoths buried underground.
Li Du shook his head and said,
That would mean doing it blindly. There’s no knowing how much time it might take. We might not find the location of the mammoth cemetery even after a month.
Hearing that, Steve smiled and said,
Alright, so you’re saying that just walking and looking around like we’re doing now isn’t searching blindly?
Li Du grinned and replied,
Who says that I’m just looking around?
Steve became suspicious,
Then what are you planning?
Li Du patted his shoulder and said,
Why did you think I brought this little guy along? It can help us to locate the mammoth cemetery.
Seeing that Li Du’s hand was reaching over, the little white monkey, too, reached out and patted the back of his hand.
Steve was shocked,
You think it has this ability?
Li Du shrugged.
Who knows? I feel that it might. Why do you think those monkeys were hanging around the mammoth cemetery on the island?
Weren’t they living there?
Steve said matter-of-factly.
Li Du shook his head.
A mammoth burial ground isn’t any old place. As you know, the mammoths used to chose the cemetery location after receiving some sort of attraction vibes to the place. I think these white monkeys can also feel such things.
Why did the two white apes live on that small island, of all places? How did they get there? How did they survive? Obviously, they had arrived on the island from somewhere else.
As for why they went there, I guess that they must have felt some sort of message and purposefully chosen that place as their own cemetery. That means to say, this little guy would be able to sense the location of a mammoth cemetery.
Hearing this explanation, Steve looked stunned. He said,
Buddy, you are really imaginative! How were you able to come up with such a theory? This is unbelievable.
Li Du said,
Then just wait and see. I believe Ah Bai has this ability.
Of course, the little white monkey did not possess any such skills. However, just as Li Du had used Crispy Noodles as a smokescreen when they were looking for fire opals at the opal park, he now resorted to the same tactic with the little white monkey.
It would be the little bug, of course, to search for the mammoth cemetery. While Li Du sat in the slowly moving car, the two little bugs continued the search underground.
Steve and the Ford brothers shook their heads and exchanged a look. Then they continued to shake their heads.
They felt that it was a useless effort, the same as Li Du had thought about the ‘Fifth Dimension’ they told him they were looking for. A waste of time.
After patiently searching around the plateau for two days, the little bug finally discovered the location of the underground mammoth cemetery. As the saying goes, ‘Seek, and ye shall find’.
Hundreds or even thousands of mammoth fossils were hidden under the frozen ground. They spanned across a large territory. After two days of putting in his best effort, Li Du finally managed to reap the rewards.
He gave the little white monkey a peanut and pointed to the ground. Then he waved his wrists up and down and quietly said to it,
Jump at that point. When you reach that point, jump there. Do you understand? Jump there!
Ah Bai removed the shells of the peanut and started to jump up and down. As he hopped, he started making noises.
Li Du said cheerfully,
Look at this funny little fellow…
He was not done speaking when the little monkey promptly climbed back into the car and held out its hand to Li Du. It stared at him with its dark, shiny eyes.
Li Du was surprised and said,
What’s the meaning of this?
Ah Bai screeched again. With one fist clenched and held upwards, his other palm pretended to tug at something.
Li Du instantly understood. The monkey was asking for bananas. It was mimicking the action of peeling a banana.
Having caught Ah Bai’s meaning, Li Du pushed it away and said,
Don’t just think about eating. First, go do your job. Once you’re done, there will be food for you.
The little white monkey hugged the steering wheel and refused to budge. It started to hop on the front seat. As it was hopping, it continued mimick peeling a banana.
Li Du was speechless. The monkey was actually trying to negotiate with him.
He did not have time to waste on teaching the little monkey a lesson. Hence, he could only concede for the time being and give it a banana.
Ah Bai hugged the banana as it jumped out of the car. It started to jump happily on the ground.
Seeing that, Li Du nodded his head with satisfaction. Then, he told the monkey,
Next time you are there, you have to jump, okay? Jump like that, that’s right, jump whenever you are at that spot!
After a few rounds of practice and after Li Du felt that the little white monkey had understood his instructions clearly, he called the rest of the team via the wireless line and said,
Hey, pals, come to where I am. I think I found the mammoth cemetery!
Steve and the others, who were studying the map, were shocked. They rushed over in their car.
After meeting up with Li Du, young Ford asked him,
Are you sure you are not humoring us? Are you saying you found the mammoth cemetery through this monkey?
Ah Bai jumped down to the ground from the car. Still hugging the banana, it started to hop up and down excitedly.
Li Du said,
Look, it must have found something strange here. I think it has to be the mammoth cemetery. Godzilla, Big Quinn, it’s time for some work!
The diesel drill bit started working, and a large hole appeared in the ground after a short while. Then, using a high-pressure water gun, iron shovel, and large iron scoop, the workmen widened the hole.
The geological activity in Siberia was not drastic. Hence, although the mammoths were buried in the frozen soil, they were not buried too deep.
Of course, there were also mammoth carcasses in the depths of the underground, but there was no way to reach them. The ivory hunters would only excavate the mammoths from the shallow ground below the earth’s surface.
Under Li Du’s guidance, the work of excavating mammoth ivory became targeted. As they dug, a large mammoth leg fossil was uncovered.
Seeing that greyish-yellow large fossil, Steve and the rest of the people were stunned.
Li Du shot a look at the little monkey and secretly made the sign.
Ah Bai took notice and immediately threw away the banana peel. It ran to the hole and started to jump and screech.
Young Ford looked shocked. He said,
God, this monkey can really sense some sort of vibes from the dead mammoth? But this skeleton has been so many years!
Li Du threw his hands out and said,
This is a mystical thing. Just like the Fifth Dimension you guys are looking for, this cannot be explained. Nevertheless, it is the absolute truth!
Steve took in a deep breath and said slowly,
This is almost like magic. What an amazing adventure! Buddy, this is something that we would never have experienced in the city!
