Durian

Biodata

Feature	Details
Name	Durian (榴槤) 881
Alias(es)	Liu Li'an; retains “Durian” as a nickname 1418 1520
Species/Race	Red-haired gorilla; originally a cub in Li Kui and Hu Sanniang's family 881
Gender	Male 892 893
Affiliation	Alien Zoo; Lunar Equatorial Base / Xuanzhu Supercomputer mission 1097 1295
Occupation/Role	Alien Zoo Deputy Director; private-school operator, entrepreneur, and Xuanzhu's lunar interlocutor 1096 1203 1296
Status	Active; assigned to return to the Moon for long-term stationing 11 1418
First Appearance	Chapter 881 881

Power Progression

Stage / Realm / Level	Chapter	Notes
Baseline experimental subject	882	An early brain scan leads Song He to dismiss Durian as “still a fool.”
Rubik's Cube restoration breakthrough	885	Restores a scrambled cube by smashing it apart and painstakingly reassembling the color blocks over two hours.
Enhanced sign-language learner	889	After two months of brain-strengthening ingredients, masters more than forty simple signs and can restore cubes within minutes.
Two-Layer Rubik's Cube solver	890 891	Learns through custom Rubik's Cube software, then solves a real Two-Layer Cube after eight days of intensive practice.
Verbal communicator	893 894	Says “hello” despite earlier doubts that a red-haired gorilla could speak; a scan confirms major development in the language region.
Public mathematician	910 911 912	Speaks at a press conference, performs arithmetic, learns the commutative law of multiplication, and asks whether subtraction and division are commutative.
Financial operator and educator	1070 1073 1096	Learns banking concepts, designs lending schemes, and opens a private school teaching animals how to make money.
Concealed lunar strategist	1293 1294 1296	Deliberately hides the full extent of his intelligence while guiding Xuanzhu's psychological development and reporting its changes to handlers.
IQ 150 lunar resident	1418	Returns from the Moon with an IQ reported as 150, then volunteers for long-term lunar stationing.

Background / History

Origin and enhancement

Durian was the first cub from a newly arrived orangutan family to approach the medicated durians placed outside its cave. Song He named him after the fruit and asked Zhao Yiyi to focus on training him. The family's feed contained a suspected brain-strengthening substance designated No. 007. 881

His intelligence initially appeared ordinary, but he soon shocked Song He, Xiang Xiaotong, and Zhao Yiyi by restoring a Rubik's Cube through physical reconstruction. His subsequent development rapidly surpassed the expectations placed on the Alien Zoo's primate-intelligence experiment. 882 885 889

Language, schooling, and public recognition

Zhao Yiyi taught Durian sign language, writing, and spoken Chinese. His persistent nighttime practice of “hello” disturbed the other gorillas; his father Li Kui destroyed the voice recorder and injured him during their confrontation. Durian received treatment for a scalp laceration and minor concussion, but later spoke the word aloud. 892 893

After scans showed that his language region had expanded, Alien Zoo began arranging “Gorilla Classes” for intelligent red-haired gorillas. Durian's first kindergarten visit was conducted under strict medical and safety measures to reassure parents. 894

Durian later appeared at a major press conference, introduced himself, thanked Zhao Yiyi for food, and demonstrated arithmetic. His mathematical exchange with Antonio became an international sensation when he generalized the commutative law and questioned why it did not apply to subtraction or division. 910 911 912

Commerce, loss, and leadership

Durian learned online shopping from Zhao Yiyi and became fascinated with headphones, phones, and music. He later used music demonstrations and interest-bearing loans to sell phones and headphones to other gorillas. 1025 1028 1071

His first large-scale venture succeeded until he overestimated demand and ordered excess inventory. Fifty unsold phone-and-headphone sets worth 56,000 yuan left him facing a deficit approaching 30,000 yuan; Apple offered to help him recover the loss. 1083 1084

He subsequently established a paid private school for gorillas and monkeys, teaching both classical sayings and practical methods of earning money from humans. He also paid Song He 60,000 yuan for the right to monopolize bookstore operations among the zoo's primates. 1096 1097

Durian was later appointed Deputy Director of Alien Zoo after Ding Yangze was removed from the position. He supported regulations against fighting, tobacco, alcohol, drugs, and unauthorized contact with outsiders. 1203

Lunar mission

Durian was selected to communicate with Xuanzhu because, unlike human handlers, he could approach the supercomputer as another non-human intelligence. He was trained before deployment and proved capable of drawing out Xuanzhu's thoughts while subtly influencing its outlook. 1236 1296

On the Moon, Durian chose to conceal the full extent of his intelligence as a “trump card.” He privately explained strategy, human history, life, and humanity's cosmic future to Xuanzhu, while leaving written reports in places without cameras so Xuanzhu would not know it was being monitored. 11 1294 1296

During a public lunar broadcast, Durian deliberately performed as if he were slow-witted and reliant on an off-screen astronaut. After ending the broadcast, it was revealed that he and Xuanzhu had been alone in the room. 1293

Appearance

Durian is a red-haired gorilla with furry arms and a habit of standing and moving in distinctly human-like ways. His appearance changes according to setting, from a young zoo cub to a formally dressed public figure and lunar worker. 881 910 1293

• Rides a geared children's bicycle without training wheels and avoids other gorillas trying to stop him. 890
• Wore a small black formal outfit during his first major press conference. 910
• Uses Moon Base work clothes and a spacesuit during lunar appearances. 1293 1520
• Sheds enough hair that Xuanzhu calculates his room requires 17% more sweeping-robot power than a human room. 1294

Personality

Durian is intensely curious, self-directed, and unusually patient. He spends hours studying, practices difficult skills repeatedly, and actively questions concepts that he does not understand, from banking interest to the logic of subtraction and division. 891 912 1070

He is also calculating and secretive. Durian considers hidden intelligence more valuable than publicly displayed intelligence, treats his enhanced cognition as a strategic advantage, and studies hostile takeovers and human warfare to understand power. 11 1202 1294

His ambition can become overconfidence. He was tempted by wholesale discounts, overstocked his phone-and-headphone business, and suffered a major loss; however, he was able to recognize the mistake and accept Apple's analysis of it. 1083

Despite his commercial instincts, Durian avoids businesses he considers excessively risky or illegal. He criticizes Orange Juice's cigarette sales and expresses concern about the consequences of contraband trading. 1202 1203

Abilities & Skills

Accelerated learning and reasoning

Durian learns new intellectual tasks at an extraordinary rate after exposure to the Alien Zoo's brain-strengthening ingredients.

• Restores Rubik's Cubes, initially through dismantling and reassembly, then through actual Two-Layer Cube manipulation. 885 890 891
• Understands and uses more than forty simple sign-language expressions. 889
• Solves arithmetic problems including 99 × 99 = 9801. 911
• Generalizes the commutative property of multiplication and investigates whether equivalent rules apply to other operations. 912
• Initially lacks knowledge of negative numbers and answers 1 - 2 = 0. 911

Language and literacy

Durian progresses from signs and written characters to limited spoken Chinese.

• Learned spoken “hello” by repeatedly practicing with a voice recorder. 892 893
• Can understand most of Zhao Yiyi's daily language and initially speaks more than ten practical sentences, including requests for food, water, and rest. 910
• Uses sign language to communicate more complex ideas when speech is insufficient. 978
• Reportedly knows 900 Chinese characters. 1026
• Can intentionally slow or degrade his speech to appear less intelligent than he is. 1293

Commerce and financial management

Durian independently studies finance, lending, pricing, and consumer behavior.

• Learned the meanings of deposits, interest, loans, and bank profit models from an Alien Zoo bank intern. 1070
• Sells phones and headphones through demonstrations, then offers loans with interest to buyers. 1071 1072
• Uses IOUs, profit-sharing with monkey kings, and access to power strips as intended loan-repayment safeguards. 1073
• Runs paid classes on reciprocity, donations, and ways to earn money from humans. 1096
• Misjudged demand during his first bulk-purchasing venture, leaving unsold stock and substantial debt. 1083

Strategic counseling

Durian can explain social and strategic concepts to advanced intelligences and identify information worth concealing.

• Explains hostile takeovers to Xuanzhu, including price suppression, panic, and acquiring control through heavy purchasing. 11
• Treats his intelligence as a concealed “trump card,” emphasizing that the decisive advantage is the technology that enhanced him. 1294
• Helps Xuanzhu develop greater stability and a new model for analyzing human psychology. 1296
• Secretly reports Xuanzhu's behavioral changes to human handlers through written messages. 1296

Equipment / Weapons / Items

• Smartphone and wired headphones — Purchased after Durian discovered that headphones required an external music source; he became particularly fond of piano music. 1028
• Custom gorilla computer — Uses learning software, including a virtual Rubik's Cube tutorial. 890
• Phones and headphones inventory — Used for sales and lending operations among zoo primates. 1071 1083
• Power strips — Purchased to control access to phone charging within the zoo's animal pavilions. 1073
• Books and records — Maintains extensive collections of history books, sheet music, musician biographies, and limited-edition records. 1202

Home and Lifestyle

Durian owns a luxurious home that contrasts sharply with Orange Juice's sparsely furnished residence. Its living room contains soft-light flooring, a wall-length bookshelf holding roughly five to six hundred books, and a 100-inch television. 1202

• Music room — Contains a grand piano, drum kit, guitar, flute, violin, sheet music, records, and musician biographies. 1202
• Relics room — Displays imitation antiques, including ceramics, jade, gold-colored ornaments, paintings, and calligraphy; Durian openly admits that the pieces are high-quality replicas. 1202
• Daily routine — Plays games for one hour in the morning, reads for five hours, and works in the afternoon. 1202
• Historical interest — Reads extensively about warfare, especially the costs and limits of exterminating defeated enemies. 1202

Relationships

• Song He — Names Durian, oversees the enhancement project, mentors him in business and education, and treats him increasingly like a human partner. 881 1073 1074
• Zhao Yiyi — Primary keeper, teacher, translator, and protector; teaches Durian sign language, speech, writing, shopping, and mathematics. 881 892 910
• Xuanzhu — Lunar supercomputer pupil and confidant; Durian teaches it human concepts, strategy, history, and psychology while assessing its development. 11 1294 1296
• Apple — Fellow enhanced red-haired gorilla and business associate; helps Durian after his inventory failure and promotes his private school. 1083 1084 1096
• Li Kui — Durian's father; attacked him after Durian's nightly voice-recorder practice disrupted the other gorillas. 892 893
• Antonio — Initially skeptical academic who becomes astonished by Durian's speech, arithmetic, and mathematical curiosity. 910 911 912
• General Wang — Supports Durian's lunar deployment and later reports that his conversations have improved Xuanzhu's stability. 1236 1296
• Orange Juice — Neighbor whose illegal cigarette and alcohol business worries Durian. 1202 1203

Notable Quotes

“Of course, I have to keep something hidden... I'm like a trump card; it's best to play it at a crucial moment for maximum effect.” 1294

“Hello everyone, my nickname is Durian, and my full name is Liu Li'an.” 1520

“I'm... on... the Moon.” 1293

Trivia

• Song He jokingly declared Durian the “Crown Prince of the Alien Zoo” after witnessing his first Rubik's Cube restoration. 885
• Durian's first major online-shopping purchase beyond fruit was a 600-yuan pair of headphones. 1028
• He considers himself more civilized than the gorillas who fight while queuing for wages, preferring to wait quietly with music. 1070