"The Ape God?"
M'Baku's eyes instantly filled with reverence at the mention of his deity.
Though unsure why Erik Killmonger asked, M'Baku still answered with devout solemnity.
"Our Ape God is named Hanuman!"
After M'Baku spoke, Erik Killmonger gave a slight nod. He raised the high-tech Kimoyo Beads communication bracelet on his wrist and projected a document in front of M'Baku.
"I think you should take a look at this."
Puzzled, M'Baku looked at the holographic projection screen before him and began reading the information displayed.
As he read further, M'Baku's expression gradually began to change.
What Erik Killmonger projected was actually a brief introduction and comparison between the Indian epic *Ramayana* and the Chinese classical mythological tale *Journey to the West*.
Both texts featured a divine monkey: Hanuman, the Indian Monkey God, and Sun Wukong, the Chinese Monkey God. The depictions of these two simian figures shared many striking similarities, suggesting a profound connection.
Firstly, both shared an inextricable bond with the wind.
Hanuman, the son of the Wind God Vayu, possessed immense strength. With a single leap, he could soar through the heavens, riding clouds and mist, swift as the wind across churning waves.
Sun Wukong, born from a stone egg formed by a divine rock absorbing the essences of sun and moon, was transformed by the wind into a stone monkey, also endowed with great power. After mastering magical abilities, Sun Wukong could perform cloud somersaults, traversing vast distances in a single leap.
Secondly, Hanuman was colossal in stature, capable of changing his size and form at will, echoing Sun Wukong's 72 transformations.
Thirdly, Hanuman's weapon, a tiger-headed wish-granting golden staff, bore a remarkable resemblance to Sun Wukong's Ruyi Jingu Bang. This could not be mere coincidence.
Furthermore, the plots of the two stories shared numerous parallels.
The epic *Ramayana* recounts a scene where Hanuman steals sweet fruits from a garden of Bodhi trees and is discovered by a female rakshasa. Hanuman then destroys the fruit grove and kills the guards.
This plot strongly resembles Sun Wukong's theft of the Peaches of Immortality, his consumption of the celestial elixirs, and his havoc in the Heavenly Palace.
Additionally, sections of *Journey to the West* bear a strong resemblance to the overarching narrative of the *Ramayana*.
Chapter 69 of *Journey to the West*, "The Monk of the River Float Kingdom Discusses the Past; The Mind-Ape, with Ingenious Skill, Cures the King," describes Tang Sanzang and his disciples passing through the Kingdom of Zhuzi on their journey west. They see the king posting a notice seeking a skilled doctor to cure his illness.
Wukong takes down the notice and diagnoses the king's ailment as "alarm and longing syndrome," commonly known as lovesickness.
Several years prior, while the king and the Golden Holy Consort were enjoying the imperial garden during the Dragon Boat Festival, a fierce wind arose, and the Golden Holy Consort was abducted by the demon Sai Taisui from Qilin Mountain.
From then on, the King of Zhuzi fell ill from longing.
After learning the situation, Sun Wukong first prescribed medicine for the king, then went to Qilin Mountain. After a fierce battle with the demons, he defeated Sai Taisui, rescued the Golden Holy Consort, and ultimately cured the king.
The core story of the *Ramayana* recounts Prince Rama of Ayodhya, forced into exile in the forest due to palace intrigue. His beloved wife, Sita, is abducted by the demon king Ravana of Lanka. The brave and cunning Hanuman sets fire to the palace of Lanka, retrieves the magical healing herbs, slays Ravana, and rescues Sita.
The plots of the two stories mirrored each other perfectly.
What shocked M'Baku was not only that the name of the Indian Monkey God, Hanuman, was identical to their own deity's, but also that the plots described in both texts bore many resemblances to the myths and legends passed down within his own tribe.
Their own Ape God, Hanuman, was also born of the wind and wielded a long staff. M'Baku found it hard to believe all this was mere coincidence.
This suggested that their Ape God Hanuman, the Indian Monkey God Hanuman, and the Chinese Monkey God Sun Wukong were very likely the same powerful entity. Though the legends differed across lands, many aspects of his origins, appearance, powers, and weapons remained remarkably consistent.
Furthermore, based on the timelines of the three legends, Hanuman's last recorded appearance was in China.
At this thought, M'Baku couldn't help but look up at Chen Mo. Wasn't he from China?
Simultaneously, the description in *Journey to the West* of Sun Wukong's indestructible body—unharmed by blades, axes, thunder, or fire—reminded M'Baku of Chen Mo's seemingly impervious defense during their previous clash.
And then there was Chen Mo's unyielding strength, like the power of a mountain, a formidable force that even his full-force blows could not shake.
Considering this, M'Baku couldn't help but form a startling hypothesis.
"This... is...?"
M'Baku gave Chen Mo a deeply serious look, then turned his gaze to Erik Killmonger.
"Is everything written here true?"
Though he trusted his king not to deceive him, the implications were too significant to take lightly.
Erik Killmonger produced a string of Kimoyo Beads and handed them to M'Baku.
"The Indian epic *Ramayana* and the Chinese mythological tale *Journey to the West* are both famous historical classics in their respective countries. You can find them online. What I've shown you is just a simple plot comparison. You can search for yourself or find people from those countries to verify it personally."
M'Baku nodded slowly, for once not rejecting the use of high-tech devices. When it concerned the identity of a god, all else was trivial.
After giving Chen Mo a complicated look, M'Baku took the Kimoyo Beads from Erik Killmonger, turned, and left the meeting hall.
The matter was of utmost importance; he needed to conduct a thorough investigation and verification.
...
The next day, M'Baku returned to the royal meeting hall. Today, only Erik Killmonger and Chen Mo were present again. They sat side-by-side in their chairs, as if they had been waiting for him for some time.
M'Baku entered and looked at Chen Mo with an expression of extreme complexity—a mix of excitement, reverence, doubt, and unease.
He had spent the day researching the legends of the Monkey God Hanuman from India and the Monkey God Sun Wukong from China, personally comparing their similarities with the Ape God Hanuman worshipped by his tribe. The deeper he delved, the more convinced M'Baku became that these three were one and the same!
Not only that, after confirming the connection between the three, M'Baku had also specifically tasked Wakanda's intelligence network, the War Dogs, to gather all available information on Chen Mo.
From this intelligence, M'Baku discovered something even more shocking!