Chapter 5: Salvation for the Insect-Ape Clan

Early Morning

The next morning, **Ya Te** woke up and stepped outside, gazing at the hundred-acre sandbox in his courtyard. Miniature mountains and rivers stretched before him, the land lush and green.

To any outsider visiting the yard, this microcosmic world would remain invisible. The Chrysalis, skilled in psychic manipulation, projected a "mental barrier" that interfered with the perception of other creatures—plants, bacteria, even humans—preventing them from entering or noticing the sandbox.

A Miraculous Recovery

Days passed, and **Ya Te** no longer looked as haggard. The hair lost to chemotherapy had begun to regrow, his sickly pallor replaced by a healthy glow.

In the mirror, the once-frail young man now stood tall and robust, his features sharpened, his muscles defined.

"Stopping chemotherapy for over half a month has finally reversed the side effects. My body has not just recovered—it's improved beyond what it was before."

He sensed the truth.

The deaths of countless insect-apes in the sandbox had fed energy back into him. The more advanced the species, the stronger their soul essence—and the greater the effect.

This transformation was the result of two mass extinctions:

1. **The Dark Eon Extinction**

2. **The Light Eon Extinction**

Though these were primitive lifeforms, the sheer scale of death had provided a substantial boost. Only last night had the energy fully integrated into his body.

"Most importantly—my hair is back!"*

"The chemo damage is gone, and my health has improved. But no matter how strong my body becomes, the cancer remains. In fact, the healthier I get, the stronger the cancer grows."

Still, he felt better than he had in months.

**A Walk Through the Village**

Leaving the sandbox behind, **Ya Te** rode his bicycle into town for breakfast.

For the first time in ages, he strolled through the village, eager to show off his restored, thick black hair. No more pitying stares at his bald head.

The dirt roads, flanked by fields and the occasional cow patty, carried the nostalgic scent of rural life.

Then, a stout, sun-darkened woman with a vegetable basket called out:

*"Hey! Isn't that little Ya Te? Chen Xi said you were back, but I didn't believe it... So, is it true? You've got cancer?"*

*"Yeah,"Ya Te nodded.

*"Aiya, that won't do!"* The woman grew animated. *"If you're terminally ill, the Ya family line will end! My daughter's a good match—how about it?"*

Ya Te nearly laughed.

*"So now that I'm dying, she's offering her daughter? Probably just after my inheritance—the money and the orchard."*

Before he could refuse, a round-faced girl, Chen Xi, stormed over with a group of aunties.

*"Hey! Don't listen to her!"* Chen Xi snapped. *"Mom told me 'Auntie Pig' was bothering you, and I knew she'd try to marry off her daughter! That girl's ugly, violent, and already drove off one husband—you think Ya Te should be her backup plan?"*

The woman—nicknamed *"Auntie Pig"*—sputtered in rage but retreated under the glares of the other women.

Ya Te blinked in surprise.

"Ya Te!"Chen Xi turned to him—then froze. "Wait… what happened to you?! You were bald and hunched over just days ago!"

Her mother, **Auntie Li**, smacked her lightly. *"Girl! Ya Te's always looked like this. He's just grown even handsomer since coming back!"*

*"No! He was a bald, slouching mess!"* Chen Xi protested, ignored as the aunties ushered **Ya Te** into their homes, showering him with homegrown vegetables and well-meaning advice.

*"Stay here, rest, and maybe your illness will heal itself!"*

*"Yeah,"Ya Te smiled warmly.

Chen Xi, still muttering about *"photoshop"* and *"body doubles,"* was left behind as the others fussed over him.

For the first time in years, Ya Te felt the simple comfort of home.

**Return to the Sandbox**

Back in his courtyard, **Ya Te** rushed to observe the insect-apes.

He had slowed their evolution to 100x speed—one human day equaling a century for them.

*"Half a day has passed for me… that's eighty years for them."

Peering through binoculars from a distance (entering directly would devast their ecosystem), he saw the insect-apes had formed primitive tribes, wearing animal hides and developing crude language.

"Shame… they've developed shame. That means intelligence."

He grinned. *"Those same apes who once just screeched 'Bald! Bald!' at me now have the beginnings of civilization. Progress."*

But they were on the brink of extinction.

Though Ya Te had given them the best genetic template, two days in the accelerated sandbox meant **20,000 years** had passed in their world. Their outdated genes couldn't compete with the evolved predators—giant beasts, raptor-like monsters—now dominating the land.

"They won't survive like this."

**A Divine Intervention**

Back inside, **Ya Te** opened his laptop and ordered two items from Taobao:

1. A **miniature bonsai pine tree** (symbolizing endurance).

2. A **micro-scaled alloy greatsword**, finer than a needle's tip.

The packages arrived the next morning.

By then, the insect-apes had endured **150 years** of struggle, their numbers dwindling to near annihilation.

*"They lasted this long… there's potential here."*

Adjusting the sandbox to **real-time evolution (1:1 speed), Ya Te stepped into their world.

---

The Valley of the Insect-Apes

In the southern region of their Mesopotamia-like land, the last insect-apes clung to survival in a fertile valley. Forests provided fruit, and the Tigris-like river teemed with fish—but even this refuge was failing.

Corpses littered the ground. Huts lay in ruins.

*"Run! The Ala are here!"*

Black-furred, armored insect-apes—standing like bipedal chimpanzees—raised crude bone clubs against a pack of sleek, raptor-like beasts.

*"We… must survive!"*

The women and children fled, but the warriors were quickly torn apart.

**Ya Te** sighed.

The Chrysalis' voice echoed in his mind:

*"The insect-apes are but expendable spawn. Unless they transcend."*

*"Transcend?"*

*"Break their genetic limits. Evolve beyond their programming. Become heroes of the swarm."*

**Ya Te** understood.

The Chrysalis produced billions of spawn across planets. Most remained mindless drones—but a rare few awakened, **unlocking their genetic potential**, becoming **Elites** who could shape their own evolution.

*"Could my insect-apes produce such a hero?"*

*"Their genetics are unique. Possible."*

**Ya Te** smiled—then took a step forward.

---

**The God's Footstep**

The earth **quaked**.

Trees shattered. Rivers stilled. Creatures that had ruled this land for millennia were **crushed underfoot** before they could react.

*"If they die to my footsteps… natural selection."*

The insect-apes screamed, collapsing in terror as a **colossal shadow** blotted out the sky.

*"What… is that?!"*

*"A thousand meters tall! Larger than the Great Fenba!"*

To them, **Ya Te** was no longer a man.

He was a **god**.

And he had come to save them.