"Um, I mean, is mating absolutely necessary for this species?"
Li Xingkong was speechless; everyone in this base seemed so unreliable.
"If you want to conduct research, things related to genetics are indispensable."
Ji Nanzhi said with a serious expression.
"Research my ass! I'm a human being too, I have human rights too! This is kidnapping, this is a violation of my personal freedom."
The Old Ox flicked its hoof and quickly retorted.
"What Old Ox said makes perfect sense," Li Xingkong thought, turning to look at Ji Nanzhi.
"What do you usually show him? I feel like he knows more than any of you."
"It's nothing. After this Old Ox started thinking he was a human, he just sat there complaining about being bored every day, so I found him a TV to watch."
Ge Baoqi rubbed his bottom and got up from the ground.
"The signal here is bad, so all we can watch is CCTV. That's why this Old Ox is like this after watching so much."
"So you've been giving it special treatment, no wonder it's getting smarter and smarter."
Ji Nanzhi didn't really know much about this. He usually only paid close attention to his own research, and Ge Baoqi was usually the one helping him take care of Old Ox.
So, what should we do about this?
Li Xingkong reached up and rubbed his forehead.
"Commander Li, I would like to ask for your help in capturing it and locking it up for future research."
Ji Nanzhi adjusted his glasses, looking as if academic research was his top priority.
And you?
Li Xingkong looked at Ji Qiu and Ge Baoqi.
"I think that even though the Old Ox can communicate with us, we can't treat it like an animal. But it's not a person either, I don't know."
Ji Qiu had no idea what to do, but in his opinion, although the Old Ox was still an ox, it had human consciousness, so it was no longer an ordinary animal and naturally could not be treated like an animal and manipulated by people.
"If you ask me, Old Ox is also a member of our base, so we definitely can't just tie him up. We have to reason with him and appeal to his emotions... and then figure out a way to get the experiment done."
Ge Baoqi shook his head and said, "He was the one who drugged the cow, and now he's the one saying nice things. He's really shameless."
"I haven't even asked for my opinion yet!"
The Old Ox was clearly a bit impatient. Although it was an ox, it could tell that the person who came was definitely not simple, but a big shot. If the person could say a few nice words to it, its life would definitely be much better afterward.
"That's true. Now that you've gained sentience, we should ask for your opinion. I wonder if you have a name yet?"
This was Li Xingkong's first conversation with a non-human being, and he was quite curious about how this cow with a human brain thought.
"Hey, although Old Ji is a bookworm and stubborn, I did gain intelligence thanks to him, so I also have the surname Ji. Old Ji's name has the character 'Nan' in it, so I named myself Ji Bei."
Old Ox spoke very fluently; you couldn't tell he was a cow at all.
"But damn it, he's got his eyes on me now. I'm going to be his dad, and I'm going to change my name to Dad."
"Hey, hey, you can't say that."
Ge Baoqi was standing nearby, quickly interrupted the Old Ox, saying that if this were said aloud, it would attract the divine beast, the River Crab.
"In short, I'm a human being, I definitely can't have relations with a cow, that's non-negotiable, absolutely impossible."
The Old Ox shook its ears; although it had the body of an ox, its sexual orientation was just like a human's.
"Well, forcing it really isn't a solution. My suggestion is that we put this on hold for now, and wait until... cough cough, Old Ox agreed, then we can proceed with the relevant research."
How to interact with highly intelligent, non-human beings? Perhaps we should really look to the Old Ox for guidance.
"Alright, since the superior has spoken, let's put this research on hold for now."
Ji Nanzhi closed the record file in his hand without any expression.
When Old Ox saw that Ji Nanzhi had agreed, he strolled back with cheerful steps and approached Ge Baoqi.
"Seventh brother, you were in a bit of a rush today, you haven't had lunch yet."
Old Ox leaned against Ge Baoqi and whispered something.
"You'll get your share; the cafeteria is saving it for you."
Ge Baoqi shoved the Old Ox. Li Xingkong, as the superior officer, was still here. What kind of nonsense was this Old Ox spouting?
"I want to eat beef meatballs and twice-cooked pork today..."
Old Ox was reciting the names of the dishes, but something about it sounded a bit off...
"You're a cow, why would you eat beef?"
Although the sound was soft, Li Xingkong had incredibly sharp ears, so he heard everything clearly.
"I'm a human being, why can't I eat beef?"
Old Ox clearly didn't consider himself a cow at all; he always thought of himself as a human.
Li Xingkong was somewhat speechless. He had originally thought that the ox had a clear understanding of itself, but now it seemed that while its logical thinking was clear, it became confused when it came to issues related to its own species.
"We've been delayed for so long, please let Commander Li go in first!"
Seeing the awkward situation, Ge Baoqi quickly stepped in to defuse the situation. Standing outside the base for so long was quite a show of disrespect.
"Let's go, let's go."
Upon hearing this, Ji Nanzhi hurriedly led the way, and Li Xingkong was finally able to follow these people into the base in Longzhou.
Longzhou is said to be a branch of the Earthly Capital, but it is actually a multi-functional base. In addition to some research projects, it also serves as a warehouse, where many cultivation-related materials are stored.
Even the extra ley Earth Vein that Li Xingkong refined are stored here. After all, this place is located at the foot of the Qilian Mountains, in the core inland area of Divine Land, and is sparsely populated, so the security level is very high.
These extra Earth Vein were naturally intended for a certain island nation that had not yet returned to China. However, the mainland is currently busy with its own affairs and has not had time to deal with it, so naturally, it will not arrange Earth Vein for it.
Four people, plus a cow, walked through the corridors inside the base without feeling crowded at all. This place was designed as a military base, so even a tank wouldn't have any problem moving around, let alone the few of them.
After walking along the corridor for a while, they arrived at an office, which was the office that Ji Nanzhi and the others often used. Along the way, Li Xingkong also told them about his needs. Ji Qiu naturally took care of the task of making array flags from the Bone-Tempering Grass. Since he studied mechanical engineering, he also had some knowledge of forging.
As for the 360 array flags, he should be able to gather a decent number by searching around his laboratory.
As Li Xingkong sat down in the office, Ge Baoqi took Old Ox to Old Ox's "home".
While waiting for Ji Qiu to find him materials, Li Xingkong naturally focused his attention on the Old Ox when he was bored.
He soon discovered something even more "surprising".
This Old Ox has also cultivated the Rising Sun Guide, and its cultivation progress is the fastest among these people. In other words, there really isn't anyone in this base who can subdue the Old Ox.
Thinking that a cow had learned the Qi Refining Technique so easily, while there were still many people in the entire Divine Land who had not even begun to grasp the basics of this technique, Li Xingkong felt somewhat emotional.
The difference between people is truly enormous.