《4.6 Billion Year Symphony of Evolution》


 Book 1: Chapter One “The Beginning Cell”

    Book 1: Chapter One ��The Beginning Cell��


    Author: Xiang Wei Xing Zhe (Phase Walker)


    A cell that was born at the beginning of the life of a will see the rise and decline of countless civilizations, the speciation and extinction of organisms. Under the endless cmities of the world, nothing remains unchanging. Only by continuously changing oneself and evolving in the face of adversity could one achieve perfect victory.


    The story starts from a little cell


    Trantor review: Another ongoing story   if it isntplete, I dont want to make amitment to finish it because it is likely that I may not like the storyter on or if the author suddenly disappears.


    Some have remarked on how simr the title of this story in Chinese is simr to Evo: The Journey to Edens Japanese name. Im not sure how simr the story is to the game but it is an evolution story. But this is more scifi and fantasy. Do not expect super urate science and just a reminder, this will NOT be set on Earth. Things may be simr, but not Earth.


    What I like about the novel is that one, it has an asexual main character. A cell does not have gender   It is also a soothing read because the beginning is about a cell exploring and it is an exploratory story. So not a lot of other characters or dialogue, more descriptions and stream of consciousness of the main character cell.


    A small figure shed past a blue and t ocean surface at high speed.


    Haha~ This doesnt have many multi-cellr organisms but it has an ocean? So rare. Ive spent so long search for a ce like this. This time, I can enjoy being the Creator once ~ Even though Im just throwing in some primitive cells native to Earth in here


    This figure had short golden hair and an adorable face. She looked like a young Loli. Stopping above the ocean surface, she lightly waved her hand and arge spray of what appeared to be water droplets fell into the ocean.


    And then   adding on a bit of my knowledge to one of these cells ~ and   consciousness~


    Ah, right, and this. If they do not have eyes, arent they unable to see? Wont that be so pitiful~ With this, even a simple cell can have normal vision.


    She then threw some powder into the ocean.


    Catherine, lets go~


    A voice suddenly came from the sky that caused the lolis body to still.


    I know,ing!


    She replied and then looked at the sea. Im going now, I wille back to see you in the future.


    I really wonder what you will be  ?


    As she spoke, the little lolis body slowly floated up. She then turned into a streak of light and vanished into the sky.


    Where is this? Who am I?


    This was the first thoughts it had. It had a consciousness, and the sense of touch, but it did not have vision or smell. Through its only sense, it knew it was in a liquid.


    This liquid seemed to be called water.


    I   am called a cell?


    It did not have any brains but it knew what shape its body was. There was a thin sphericalyer and the center of the sphere had aplex densely packed construct that was called the nucleus. It was due to the existence of this nucleus that it could think, move, be alive


    However, this was the limit of its thinking. Such a small nucleus could not let it think further.


    Move   search


    It controlled the think outeryer, and theyer started to ripple like waves. This movement caused it to slowly move in the water, and it searched for its own target in the endless darkness


    Food.


    Food was equivalent to energy. With energy, it could have more knowledge, and a bigger body that could allow it to think more.


    Swimming forward, it suddenly felt its outer membranee into contact with something.


    Food?


    It tried to figure out what this object was, but other than soft, there was not anything else. Then what could it to do figure out more about what this object was.


    Consume it!


    It used the thin membrane to surround this object and then engulfed it.


    It felt this object slowly shrink inside its body and then disappear. It also felt that its body was slowly changing. The fragile and almost intangible membrane around its body was slowly being strengthened, and grew.


    This activity disappeared after a short while, but this feeling of fullness caused it to know


    That just now was food. It had to get more   food!


    It rapidly rippled its outer membrane and quickly encountered something else like the object just now. It hurriedly engulfed it.


    It was a feeling just like before. The object that it engulfed slowly shrank   this time, it thought of a term.


    This was   digestion.


    After swallowing two piece of food, its body mass grew slightlyrger and it had more energy. Its speed increased. This meant that it could find more food, and obtain more energy.


    Engulf, engulf, engulf.


    It almost swallowed all the soft things around it. Its body grew a whole sizerger.


    Yet it still wasnt satisfied. It still swam in the water and tried to engulf more food.


    When it engulfed the next piece of food, its body seemed to expand to a maximum size. When it finished digesting its food, its body did not continue to expand. It slowly tore apart staring with the nucleus as the center and then itpletely divided.


    In the end, it became two parts that werepletely the same. They had the same spherical outer membrane, the same nucleus, it hadpletely divided into two.


    However, its consciousness had not divided into two.


    Even though it had divided into two cells, it still felt the two were a part of it. It could control both of these parts just as easily as it could control its two hands.


    What are hands?


    Its thoughts seemed to have be more varied. The doubled nucleus gave it more power to think but there were even more questions.


    Speaking of this, who am I?


    I should have a name


    And this name is


    Lin.


    For some reason, it only had this thought in its mind.


    Then I will be called this. Lin   it feels pretty good.


    Lin continued to swim. The two cells slowly moved in the water and continued to gather food.


    This meant higher intelligence, more cells meant more energy.


    Because Lin was now two cells, it found food faster. One of its cells quickly consumed enough and entered the stage of division.


    When this cell finished dividing, Lin had three cells. These three identical cells represented the existence of Lin.


    Lin had absolute control of them. Even though the three cells were not connected together, controlling them was not harder than controlling one. It felt even easier.


    Right after, Lin produced many more questions. It could think about many things and found the biggest problem of the present.


    Darkness.


    Yes, it was unable to detect the state of the surroundings. Even though it felt that the surroundings were liquid, it was unable anything more detailed   because everything in the surroundings, to Lin, was endless darkness.


    Eyes


    This term popped out of Lins thoughts yet it was unable to understand the term.


    In order to understand this term, Lin tried to consume more food. But it seemed as though it had eaten up most of the soft food around it. It nned on swimming further away.


    The three cells, the three little cells that had the same consciousness, stepped onto its journey


    ?


    Suddenly, Lin felt the cell at the front seemed toe into contact with something. This was different than the soft food, it felt very hard, but it was smaller than the food before.


    It was unable to analyze what this was. Lin had one of the cells engulf it.


    it seems indigestible.


    The hard object did not show any signs of shrinking inside one of Lins cells. It silently floated in the cell.


    It seemed to be a useless object?


    Lin did not care and continued to search for other food.


    In the nearby surroundings, it found many of the soft things that it encountered before but nothing that was hard.


    It still continued on its mission of eating. One of Lins cells once again reached its energy storage limit and divided.


    This time, Lin had four cells. But it still felt that it wasnt enough and continued


    When the number of cells reached five, the thought that Lin had before rose up again.


    It wanted to see


    Wanted to see everything outside! I dont want darkness!


    When its thoughts reached a certain level of fierceness, the nucleus inside the cell which had consumed the hard object suddenly trembled slightly.


    Something like a tentacle reached out of the nucleus and lightly touched the hard object. The tentacle slowly pushed it towards the surface of the cell membrane.


    When the hard object was slightly exposed out of the cell membrane, bright light broke through the darkness and entered Lins consciousness.


    Trantor Ramblings: Someone should take my inte away. As a side-effect of being a trantor, my first thoughts when I read something turns into how can I trante this into English   Anyways, in further procrastination on my own part for World of Cultivation, more stuff from a work that is ongoing.

 Book 1: Chapter Two “The Initial Eye”

    Book 1: Chapter Two ��The Initial Eye��


    So the girl in the chapter is called Sha Lin in Chinese, but it almost seems to be a transliteration of Shalom or Catherine. But the cell is Lin.


    Light ..


    Lin saw light but all it saw was light. This had just switched darkness for light and was meaningless


    Lin needed more detailed information, more detailed images. That way, it could see everything.


    Just as Lin was thinking this, that cell which had engulfed the hard objected shuddered slightly. More tendrils came out of the cell nucleus.


    Lins thoughts were notpletely light or dark anymore. Slowly, a blurry image appeared. At the beginning, it was a very dull color but as time moved on, this muddiness started to be clear.


    Blue   what Lin saw first was blue. And then it saw the several spheres floating in the blue.


    Were these   my cells?


    As the image cleared, Lin had a clear image of its own cells. The almost transparent membrane, the grey nucleus, they floated in the water and moved around   it felt very interesting and wondrous.


    It was so good to have an eye.


    Lin observed the four cells around it. Adding on this cell that possessed an eye, it had five cells.


    But it was unable to see what its eye looked like so it decided to divide this cell. This way, it could know what the cell that had brought it vision looked like, and what the hard object it had engulfed before was.


    Therefore, Lin started to go out again to search for food.


    Because it now had the ability to see, it could clearly see the scenery around it. But other than its few cells, everything it could see in the surroundings were blue.


    It was probably the color of water.


    Suddenly, Lins eye saw something. A white sphere-shaped object appeared in front of its cells.


    This white object was soft to touch. It was only one fifth the size of Lins cell. It felt just like the food. So was this what it had been eating all this time?


    Without hesitating, Lin had the cell that had the eye eat the object.


    Afterpleting digestion, Lin continued to swim.


    Because it had an eye, it quickly found more white sphere-shaped food. A short whileter, Lins eye cell gathered enough energy to divide.


    Feeling the eye cell start to divide in two, Lin felt slightly excited. This way, it would be able to see what its eye looked like.


    Excited? Lin found another term appear in its thoughts. What did this mean?


    That wasnt important. The division had finished.


    ?


    Lin was not able to see itself. It found that it only had one point of view. The cell that split apart from the eye cell was in front of its eye


    But it did not have an eye. lin was unable to receive any images from this newly divided cell.


    Did the division not include the eye?


    Lin did not understand but it found that the cell that split from the eye cell was slightly differentpared to the other cells.


    There seemed to be a small piece on the surface of this cell that reflected white light. It seemed to feel special.


    Crystal?


    Yes, this was the word. There was a small part that was crystallized on the surface of this newly divided cell.


    But Lin did not know what the purpose of this was. It could not feel anything special about this small little piece of crystal. That was not an eye because it could not see anything.


    Therefore, Lin started to move again. In order to receive more knowledge, it had to increase its own mass.


    Right now, there were six cells. Lin directed them to swim forward to continue searching for more food.


    Lin decided to give a special name to the cell with the eye


    The observer.


    It felt pretty good.


    This new and moreplex word that appeared in Lins thoughts was used by Lin to name something.


    The observer used its vision to search for food and it was much more convenient than having toe into contact to know where the food was. It only needed to look to find where the food was. Then Lin could direct the other cells to engulf the food.


    As it engulfed, it continued to divide. Lin started to increase the size of its group. As long as the number of cells increased, its thinking became more broad and it knew more terms.


    The number of cells reached fifty and it had consumed all the food in the surroundings.


    Right now, it should go to a new ce.


    Lin put the observer as the center of the group. The other cells circled around it. This way, it could immediately eat the food that came near.


    Lin slowly swam, growing and thriving in the water. Yet after continuing this course of action for a while, it found that it had been very long since it encountered any new food.


    Water and the white spherical food


    Other than that, there was nothing else. Lin did not encounter more of the hard object that it had eaten before and obtained the ability of sight from.


    So strange


    Just as Lin thought, it suddenly saw something special.


    That object suddenly appeared above the observer. It looked unique, ck, spherical shaped, and was only about one thirtieth the size of Lins cell. However, it was covered in sharp spikes that looked like thorns.


    Should it eat? Maybe it was food.


    Lin had a cell go near the object, then open the membrane to prepare to engulf it.


    At the beginning, Lin did not feel anything special. This object slowly wobbled inside the cell membrane but it was not digested.


    But immediately after, that cell suddenly convulsed. The clear and swelling membrane suddenly withered and that strange and thorny object started to move and burrowed into the cell nucleus.


    A feeling that Lin had never felt before rose.


    It was the first time Lin felt this. Lin didnt feel it was interesting and wanted to retreat.


    Was this   pain?


    As that object burrowed into the cell nucleus, Lins thoughts were impacted.


    So painful   so painful!


    Immediately following, the cell nucleus also crumbled like the cell membrane. Then Lin lost the feeling of pain. At the same time, it also lost its connection to this cell. It was unable to feel the cell, nor able to control it.


    Dead? It had died?


    Lins cell group surrounded this dead cell. Lin was still. It didnt know what to do, nor what it had to do.


    Death, this fresh new term echoed in Lins thoughts.


    Yet this did not finish. That dead cell suddenly swelled up again and then exploded. Large amounts of the ck thorny balls that had caused the cell to wither and die charged out.


    There were at least thirty of them, even more than the number of Lins cells. One of the thorny balls touched a nearby cell of Lins and the ball burrowed into the cell membrane. Afterwards, the cell quickly withered like the cell before it.


    Willdiewilldiewilldiewilldierunrunrunretaliaterunrun


    Looking at therge numbers of ck thorny ballsing over, many thoughts shed in Lins mind.


    Lin ran.


    It had the cells shift their cell membranes and fled the thorny balls at the fastest speed possible.


    The thorny balls seemed unable to move on its own. It could only move when it was in contact with a cell so it could not catch up to Lins cells.


    Lin continued to run until it reached a ce it could not see any ck thorny balls.


    What was that just now? That thorny ball   what was it


    After making sure it was safe, Lin started to think back.


    Just like before, Lin should obtain a new term to deal with the new situation.


    But it was a pity. Lin did not get any new terms, maybe because it had lost cells.


    But it had learned a lesson. This world wasnt just soft food and objects that could allow it to obtain the power of sight. There was also terrifying things that could destroy it.


    It had to be more careful. Lins consciousness was produced by the entire cell group.


    As long as there were cells present, its consciousness would also exist.


    But on the other hand, if none of the cells remained, then it was the end of the organism called Lin.


    Trantor Ramblings: This is not any normal consciousness. Lin is not a normal cell, repeat, Lin is not a normal cell. Think magic and wildly inurate science though this story pretends (very well) sometimes that it is scientific.


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 Book 1: Chapter Three “Enormous Food”

    Book 1: Chapter Three ��Enormous Food��


    The end of this batch.


    After learning the term danger, Lin started to carefully continue its journey of searching for food.


    Right now, it had thirteen cells. Lin did not spread them out in a circle like before but had them close to each other and moved along with the observer at the very front.


    Lin was thinking, what should it do when it encountered the thorny ball again?


    Run? Always running? But Lin still remembered that there only needed to be one thorny ball to enter its cell and it could explode with more than thirty.


    If Lin was surrounded byrge numbers of ck thorny balls, what to do if Lin was unable to run away?


    Fight back?


    How to fight back?


    It was unable to think ..


    Lin needed more food.


    Lin continued to move forward. Its observer cell found a strange enormous object appear in the front.


    This object waspletely white and extremelyrge. With Lins present sight, it could not see where the end was. No matter if Lin looked up or down, right or left, this object reached into the endless blue sea. It was like an enormous white wall that blocked Lins cell group.


    This time, Lin had a cell first touch the surface of this object to try and see what this was.


    This soft feeling was


    Food?


    This enormous wall was food? Such enormous food?


    If Lin ate all of this, Lins cells would be an unimaginable number.


    So hard to believe


    Lin had the cells open and easily took a piece off the surface to engulf.


    The observer could see, and Lin could also feel that this piece was slowly being digested inside the cell


    This really was food. It wasnt any different than the soft little pieces of food Lin had encountered before.


    Like finding a treasure hoard, Lins cells all charged up and stared to engulf pieces of this enormous food. Lin only left the observer along to look for danger in the surroundings.


    Lin would never forget what had happened and the pain it had felt. Even in front of such an enormous food, Lin did not dare to move rashly.


    This food was enormous but it really was too soft. If Lin used cells to lightly brush it, a pile would scatter and fall off.


    Using this method, Lins great work of eating started. Its cells continuously rubbed off piece from the food and then engulfed them. When the cell reached a certain level, it would divide.


    Through this method of feeding, Lins cells were like groundhogs that dug deeper into the enormous food until it dug out lots of holes.


    Groundhogs?


    Lin once again was puzzled at the new term that appeared in its thoughts. However, different than before, the groundhog was something that was very hard to understand. Lin was unable to understand at all theplex structure.


    Fine, it wouldnt think so much.


    After a while, Lins cells had consumed and made arge hole in the enormous food. There were also more than thirty cells now. Lin noticed that something special was happening to the cells that dug deeper.


    Damage would appear on the surface of the cell membrane no matter how soft the food was due to friction. Yet when these cells that were slightly damaged divided, it would produce a kind of special cells.


    These newborn cells were not just harder, they had little teeth-shaped protrusions on the membrane surface. This allowed it to more easily dig up pieces.


    The new cells were named diggers.


    Lin felt very good about the new name it gave even though it was not very attention-catching.


    Right now, it had divided into more than fifty cells. Of those, ten were diggers.


    If this continued, Lin had confidence it could consume this entire seemingly endless piece of food.


    Yet the matter was not so simple.


    The observer that had been floating at a higher level and watched as the cells fed suddenly saw some oval shaped things.


    These strange things were also covered in cell membranes but they were three times asrge as Lins cells. Also, their bodies were filled with densely packed holes that caused Lin to have a strange feeling.


    The enormous increase in Lins cell group allowed Lin to instantly learn that these strange things were another kind of cell. There were five of these strange cells. They also slowly swam in the direction of the food. As expected, they hade to feed as well.


    The strange cells way of feeding was very strange. They would spray green liquid from the openings on their bodies. The food would dissolve into white powder when it touched the liquid. And then these strange cells would suck in the powder to feed.


    Lin found that one of the strange cells hade near Lins cell and the green liquid the other cell produced came into contact with Lins cell.


    So painful.


    Lin once again felt pain. The cell membrane of this cell started to rot under the green liquid and turn to powder. It then was sucked by the strange cell along with the food powder.


    Lin once again felt danger. Many thoughts shed through Lins mind again.


    Fightfightfightfightfightkillitkillitkillitkillit


    Kill it!


    Fury, this new term caused Lins cells to all charge forward and surround that strange cell.

 Book 1: Chapter Four “Evolution”

    Book 1: Chapter Four ��Evolution��


    The result of trying out my new keyboard.


    The strange cell seemed to detect the danger and started to shake its body and spray outrge amounts of green liquid. Some of the nearby cells were dissolved and started to rot.


    Kill it!


    Lins actions did not stop. More cells charged forward. when those cells started to dissolve, a figure with protrusions charged out of the remains of those cells.


    That was a digger.


    When the protruding teeth on the surface came into contact with the body of the strange cell that was full of holes, the digger started to shake right and left. It moved as though it was excavating food, and used the teeth to tear at the body of the strange cell.


    Large pieces of the strange cells cell membrane were torn of. The strange cell twisted in pain. It did not use the green liquid to fight back. It could only produce a very small amount of liquid and was unable to harm the rtively hard surface of the digger.


    Lin noticed that these strange cells could only produce a certain amount of fluid. It seems that this one had used all of it up.


    The digger did not stop for a moment until itpletely torn the strange cells outeryer, inneryer and the nucleus into pieces.


    Joy, victory, happiness.


    Lin received new feelings. They were theplete opposite of pain. Just like it had obtained food, Lin felt extremely full.


    Lin had the cells eat the pieces of the strange cell. These strange cells that could produce terrifying dissolving fluid were not any different than the soft and white food. They were easily digested. Other than one of the cells that seemed to be damaged by the remaining dissolving fluid. Its body was slightly damaged.


    Suddenly, this cell that was slightly damaged divided.


    Division was a very unique process. It didnt just produce a new cell, it could also repair previous damage.


    But the new cell that was produced was not different in Lins eyes except that the color of the cell membrane was deeper.


    Lin did not know how it was special so it put it aside.


    Lin looked into the distance. It saw that the other strange cells were further away as though they did not notice what happened to its fellow cell. They were still having a feeding frenzy.


    Their consciousness was not connected?


    Lin felt it was strange but it did not care.


    Right now, Lin had thirty nine cells. Just now, eleven had been dissolved by the strange cells so Lin decided to continue feeding and replenish the number it had previously before it attacked those strange cells.


    Lin knew it had the ability to fight back so it was not frugal in wanting to use this ability to kill things that were dangerous to it.


    As Lin thought, Lin had the cells continue to eat the white food underneath. It needed more power, numbers, cognitive power


    Lins cell group continued to feed on the enormous food. They had made big holes one after one on this piece of food. Lin had the diggers excavate at the front, and then cells following behind to consume the pieces they had dug out.


    Lin wanted to try and see what it would encounter if it kept on digging. Maybe there would be something interesting.


    Lins cell group had reached one hundred. Of those, more than thirty were diggers but there was only one observer. Lin was puzzled. Why did the new cells that split from the observer not have the ability of sight?


    Right now, all one hundred of Lins cells were in side therge hole they had dug out through feeding. Lin did not go to kill the strange cells that were outside, because after calcting, Lin felt a new term.


    Unprofitable.


    Lin would have to sacrifice many cells to attack those strange cells. More than ten would die because of the dissolving fluid, but Lin would only be able to produce three new cells from eating the strange cells. So this waspletely unprofitable.


    As the cell group grew, Lin slowly gained the power to calcte. It believed that not far in the future, it would be smarter.


    Therefore, Lin decided to continue excavating this enormous food and keep eating.


    As Lin dug deeper, it found that it was not as soft as on the surface and slowly became harder. After digging even deeper, the diggers had a difficult time tearing off pieces. Normal cells were unable to even get any pieces off.


    Lin wanted to continue digging but it could only give up. It looked back. Lin found that its cell group was now in a deepce. The opening of the hole seemed very small.


    Suddenly, Lin had an idea.


    Didnt the strange cells outside use dissolving fluid to dissolve their food? Lin might be able to use them to dissolve the hard portions of food.


    However, how could Lin use those dissolving fluids? It was not possible to capture them. But then Lin recalled how one of the cells had been damaged after it ate the remaining dissolving fluid and then produced a cell after the cell division that was not extremely simr.


    That new cell was slightly darker in color. the outsider membraneyer was not as clear and transparent as the other cells where the nucleus inside the cell was visible. The cell membrane of this new cell was slightly muddy.


    Therefore, Lin decided to use this new cell to touch those strange cells.


    Coming out of the hole it had dug by eating, Lins observer quickly found the tracks of the strange cells. Lin found that they did not burrow like it did. They feed in one area and then switched to another. This caused the t surface of the enormous food to be covered in holes.


    Speaking of this, Lin still didnt know what this enormous food was called. From the beginning small fragments to this enormous piece that seemed to be endless, Lin could not think of a good term so it had kept on calling it food.


    However, it was clear that what could be food wasnt this thing that was soft and while. The types of food should be endless.


    For example, those strange cells actually were food as well.


    Lins cell group, including the observer and the new cell, swam above the strange cells. Lin also took along ten diggers. In total, twelve cells came out.


    Lin left the others to continue eating in the hole and grow.


    The strange cells did not have eyes so they did not find Lins group. However, Lin knew that they would know if it went close but Lin did not know what sense it used to detect this.


    There were five strange cells, one more than previously. Maybe it had divided out after eating.


    Lin slowly swam close to the strange cells nearest the group and then had the new cell go up first.


    When the new cell came close, the strange cell reacted. The holes on its body sprayed outrge amounts of dissolving fluid and the fluid easily surrounded the new cell.


    Yet the new cell did not immediately turn to powder like normal cells. Some marks of corrosion appeared on the outer membrane but it did not affect the cell as a whole. Lin did not feel any pain.


    So this was how it was. That new cell had the ability to resist the dissolving fluid.


    This thought instantly popped out of Lins mind.


    I know what is going on


    The cells in the past divided into cells that were harder because they had been damaged by friction against the food, and grew out protruding denticles, this was the birth of the diggers.


    And this new cell was divided from the cell that had been damaged by the dissolving fluid. Due to this, it had the ability to resist the dissolving fluid.


    What was this process called?


    Yes  it was


    Evolution!


    Even though Lin did not understand the deeper meaning of this term, Lin knew that it could use this method to increase its cell group.


    Pain interrupted Lins thoughts.


    The outeryer of the new cell had corroded. Because of the invasion of the dissolving fluid, the entire cell appeared to be dying. It seemed that while it had the ability of tolerance, it was unable to face the strange cell on its own.


    The strange cell appeared to be moving slowly because of its great release of dissolving fluid. It was possible to use exhaustion to describe this state.


    This was already very good. Before, Lin had sacrificed more than ten cells in order to expend all the dissolving fluid inside a strange cell


    This time, Lin only used one to do it.


    Without its dissolving fluid, the strange cell was quickly torn apart by the group of diggers. Lin had the diggers eat the pieces.


    What were next were the other strange cells.


    But Lin found a problem. It did not have any new cells that had the ability to resist the dissolving fluid.


    So Lin had the diggers that ate the pieces of the strange cells first fill up and then divide. This way, Lin could producerge numbers of cells that had the ability to resist dissolving fluid like the one before.


    Yet when they filled up and divided, Lin found that the cells produced by the cell division were strange looking.


    The first was the shape. These diggers were not spherical like the cells before. One side had be sharp and narrow, and was in the shape of a cone. At the same time,rge numbers of denticles protruded in regr rows on the surface.


    It seemed to be more able to burrow and excavate.


    This was what the shapes of these cells reminded Lin about but it was still unknown if these cone-shaped cells had the ability to resist the dissolving fluid.


    So Lin decided to get these new cone-shaped cells to attack the other strange cells and see the result.


    There were three cone-shaped cells. Even though ten had eaten the fragments of the strange cells, there were only three cells that divided into cone-shaped cells. The other seven cells that were produced from cell division were normal diggers. Maybe it was because they had not eaten enough?


    Lin had two cone-shaped cells go forward and kept one back. Lin didnt want all of them to die likest time.


    The cone-shaped cell used its tip to attack the strange cells. These strange cells didnt even have the time to spray dissolving fluid before their bodies were forced apart by the powerful cone-structure. However, this also caused its body to split apart andrge amounts of dissolving fluid came out.


    One of the cone-shaped cells was covered in dissolving fluid and quickly turned to powder. Because Lin had gotten the other cell to retreat in time, the cone-shaped and hard membrane was slightly damaged.


    It seemed that the cone-shaped cells were not strongly resistant. But it was much better than normal cells.


    But maybe this cell that was damaged could divide into cells that had the ability to resist the dissolving fluid.


    Wait


    Lin suddenly recalled its original goal. Its goal wasnt to make some resistant cells, but to get the strange cells dissolving fluid into the hole to see if it could dissolve the hard parts of the food.


    Since that was the case


    Lins vision locked onto therge patch of dissolving fluid that strange cell had released on its death.


    Maybe it could eat the fluid?


    Lin felt its thoughts were bing richer.


    Trantor Ramblings: I never realized how much I relied on gendered pronouns to distinguish people from each other and to objects in a sentence. Its a lot more awkward when I can only use Lin or it which is a problem when I want to use it to refer to other things.

 Book 1: Chapter Five “Acid Ejector”

    Book 1: Chapter Five ��Acid Ejector��


    In the previous chapter, Lin defeated the strange cells that spit out dissolving fluid.


    The cone-shaped cell that was damaged by the dissolving fluid divided. This time, the cell produced by the division was just like the other cone-shaped cells but its color was even darker.


    It seemed that if these cells had the ability to tolerate the dissolving fluid, their color would be darker.


    Following this, Lin had this cone-shaped cell swallow the dissolving fluid of the strange cell.


    It was hard for the hardened cone-shaped cells to eat inrge gulps like they did in the past. They could only open a small opening at the end of the cone. Their feeding rate was extremely slow.


    Could the other cells that fed faster eat for it?


    How to substitute?


    These two thoughts shed through Lins mind but there were no following thoughts.


    When Lins intelligence was not enough, this state would appear. Its only method of increasing intelligence was to increase its own cell group.


    Lin had this new cone-shaped cell that with the ability to tolerate dissolving fluid consume great amounts of dissolving fluid. However, the cell did not show any signs of damage. It seemed that this was the cell with the strongest tolerance ability up until now.


    Then was it to let it first go to the hole that had been dug out and use the dissolving fluid to dissolve the harder food,


    Or


    Lin moved its sight towards the remaining strange cells. It suddenly had the thought of killing them. This way, Lin might be able to have cells divide into more of the powerful cone-shaped cells that had the ability of tolerance.


    But it was better not to.


    A term called sympathy came into Lins thoughts.


    Lin led the new cone-shaped cell back to the bottom of the hole to the hardest and deepest part of the food. Lin had the cone-shaped cell regurgitate out the dissolving fluid that it had taken in. As expected, the harder food was easily dissolved by the dissolving fluid.


    The food that was dissolved was mixed with the dissolving fluid but it was still able to be consumed by other cells. At most, it would create some damage, but it was not fatal. Using this method, Lin could get the damaged cells to split into cells that had the ability to tolerate the dissolving fluid.


    Lin also found something interesting. The cone-shaped cell that had ingestedrge amounts of dissolving fluid would be green when it was full of dissolving fluid. After it spat out all the dissolving fluid, the color of its surface would fade. But after it rested for a while and ate some food, its color started to turn green again.


    Lin tried. As expected, this cone-shaped cell once again sprayed dissolving fluid.


    What did this mean? Was this cell able to produce dissolving fluid by itself? It was able to have the ability of the strange cells?


    Was this also   evolution?


    Lin did not understand how the mechanisms involved worked.


    However, maybe when its intelligence was high, it would understand.


    Therefore, Lin gave this new cone-shaped cell a new name.


    Acid ejector.


    With the help of the acid ejector, Lins cell group continued to eat and dig as they went deeper. The group continued to expand. As the cells continued to divide, Lins group reached 331 cells.


    There were ten acid ejectors, three hundred diggers, twenty cone-shaped cells and one observer. As Lin dug and evolved, there was almost none of the original basic kind of cells.


    Lin found a problem.


    When the group was small, just slightly increasing the numbers would greatly increase its intelligence but when the group wasrge, the rate of intelligence increase slowed down.


    If it had to be said in numbers, it meant that a group that only had 20 cells would get 1 point of intelligence for every additional cell. But a group of 200 cells would only get one point of intelligence for every ten additional cells.


    Why was this so?


    Lin would frequently feel that its intelligence was not enough. Even now, it did not know the reasons.


    However, the problem that it was paying the most attention to was that it had dug through this enormous piece of food.


    When thestyer of white food was dissolved by the acid ejectors, Lins vision once again saw the endless blue.


    Water again.


    What was at the end of the water?


    Lin had originally thought there would be something interesting under the enormous piece of food but it was disappointed.


    It would keep eating and then n after eating this piece of food.


    Just as Lin was looking at this patch of ocean, something suddenly came into its field of view.


    This thing was only one hundredth the size of Lins cell but it still could not escape Lins sight.


    A grey-white color, a long tail, a head that was ball-shaped.


    What was this?


    Lin found this thing flowed with the water near a digger cell.


    It first avoided the denticles the digger had and the hardened parts of the digger. It detoured to the rtively more fragile cell membrane at the back of the cell and then inserted its long tail on the top.


    Curiosity drove Lin to observe and not act.


    This thing used its tail to puncture a small hole on the cell membrane and then the ball-shaped head slowly shrank. Some grey-fluid flowed through its tail and was injected into the cell.


    Pain.


    Lins first reaction was pain. It was like a strange fluid had been injected. The digger cell felt a great pain response.


    Right, I know what this is.


    Lins group was sizable enough for it to have enough intelligence to understand what strange thing was injecting into it.


    This thing was called   a virus. Right, the thorny ball that it had encountered before was also a virus, but they were not the same kind.


    Viruses were not the same as cells, they were strange, but Lin was unable to understand the specific details.


    The tail of this virus was empty. After it pushed the tail into the cell, it could inject fluid from its head into the cell.


    LIn was not clear what the fluid was but it clearly wasnt anything good since it caused pain. Also, Lin also knew what term to use to describe this situation.


    Infection.


    Lins present understanding was that after the virus infected the cell, it would continue to cause pain until the cell was killed. Then the cell corpse would releaserge amounts of viruses.


    It was a very dangerous thing.


    But this time, Lin would not run away.


    Under Lins direction, ten acid ejectors surrounded the digger cell that was being infected by the virus.


    After a period of evolution, the acid ejectors now had a small hole at the tip of its originally cone-shaped head. It could releaserge amounts of dissolving fluid in one go.


    From the outside, it could be seen the digger cell that was being infected was changing from a clear cell membrane to a dim one. There seemed to be strange white threads and fluid inside which caused Lin great pain. Lin started to have a difficult time controlling this cell.


    However, Lin did not act. It wanted to observe the entire process.


    After a while, Linpletely lost control of this digger cell. This cell seemed to have died, the surface was opaque.


    At this time, some fissures appeared on the cell membrane.


    The virus did not have the cell explode like the past one but these little fissures increased. And then the viruses flooded out of the cracks!


    This time, there were hundreds of them.


    Yet the moment these virus appeared,rge amounts of acid fluid covered them. The amount of fluid that the acid ejectors sprayed out was extremelyrge. Even if the number of viruses was ten times their present number, they could not escape.


    The viruses turned to dust the moment they came into contact with the acid. These little things were very fragile.


    The acid ejectors still continued to spray fluid until even the digger body at the back was dissolved cleanly before Lin stopped.


    The joy of victory?


    This time, the feeling was not as strong as when Lin had defeated the strange cells but Lin still felt it.


    However, it had just won over some weak viruses. There was nothing to be happy about.


    Lin, its goal was the endless path of evolution.


    Trantor Ramblings: No, Lin, none of this is evolution in the real world, but enjoy your evolution in this fictional universe.

 Book 1: Chapter Six “Amoeba”

    Book 1: Chapter Six ��Amoeba��


    Thanks to Lin Dong for supplying corrected chapters.


    Was it supposed to face the endless world of water again? Or should it continue to stay here and eat?


    Of course it would stay here and eat. Why would it leave? If it left, there were too many uncertain factors. Lin did not want to take risks.


    So Lin decided topletely devour this enormous food. This way, it should have tens of thousands in its cell group. No, maybe it would reach a billion.


    Lin was unable to imagine this number before, but as the cell group expanded, the information that it could receive in its thoughts increased greatly.


    But Lin did not consider one matter


    The future.


    Lins cells started to feed on the enormous food starting from the hole it had dug. The acid ejectors continued to dissolverge amounts of food and the remaining cells dug, tore apart and used all the methods possible to feed on the food.


    Lins cell group started to expand. After the cell group reached one thousand, Lins observer was almost unable to keep all of them in the field of view.


    Lin once again felt puzzled. Why was this cell that possessed the ability of sight unable to divide out another cell that possessed sight? The cells that split from the observer cell were still the most basic and normal cells.


    And these cells would slowly evolve into diggers due to the method of feeding. In the end, it still wouldnt have the ability of sight.


    Just as Lin was puzzling over this, something special once again appeared in its vision.


    An enormous blue objecty on the vast white in the food formed. This object seemed to be alive and its body was moving constantly.


    However, its movements did not cause any damage to the food underneath it. Lin judged that it was not actually feeding. This organism was very strange. Its body did not seem to have a permanent shape, and it continued to change, like


    Slime?


    Lin didnt know why this term suddenly came into its thoughts, but in the next instant, it found an even more urate term


    Shapeshifting cell.


    It was a descriptive term.


    Lin did not have any ideas about this cell because it really was toorge. If a thousand of Lins cells were piled up together, it would not be half the size of this cell. Lin had to give up his thoughts of attacking.


    However, why did it have to attack when it saw other organisms?


    But, what to do if not attack?


    Lin did not understand.


    Lin continued to observe the shapeshifting cell that was still moving. It soon found that some little things were swimming over from nearby.


    Those small things were about the same size as Lins cells but their bodies were elliptical and a green color. These were probably a kind of cell.


    Yet when these green cells came near, the cell suddenly reacted. Many protrusions suddenly appeared on its surface that reached towards those green cells.


    No, rather than say it reached out with projections, it was more urate to say it had changed a part of itself into the protrusions.


    The green cells did not dodge. They were easily caught by the protrusions. Then like the cell engulfing things, the protrusions sucked the entire green cells in. The swallowed green cells slowly followed the protrusion towards the center of the shapeshifting cell.


    The shapeshifting cell now appeared faint grey as well. Because it was highly transparent, Lin could see what was happening to the green cells inside this shapeshifting cell.


    These cells gathered in a ce inside the cell close to a ck sphere. That was probably the nucleus of the shapeshifting cell. Then the bodies of the green cells started to shrink until they disappeared.


    Were they digested? But Lin could not see what digested them.


    Speaking of that, it was the same when Lin digested food as well. The food would strangely shrink and then disappear. Lin could not see what was actually doing the digestive process.


    There were many green cells that floated by. The shapeshifting cell only grabbed a portion. There were stillrge numbers of green cells floating in Lins direction.


    They were not a threat to Lin but what made Lin nervous was that enormous shapeshifting cell actually followed the flow of green cells and was moving over.


    So fast.


    Lin only had this thought about the speed of the shapeshifting cell. The enormous body continued to shift and propel the shapeshifting cell forward. It was much faster than Lins cells when they swam.


    Run away? Fight back?


    Lin did not n to run away. It had experienced many battles and its cell group was very strong now.


    It would face the other directly.


    Right now, there were 97 acid ejectors. Lin was full of confidence.


    The acid ejectors all charged out under Lins control. At this time, the shapeshifting cell seemed to know that something wasing near it, and it sped up.


    Lin felt very curious about this sensory ability. The shapeshifting cell clearly did not have sight. Otherwise, it would have seen Lin already. Then how did it know the position of the food? This clearly was not based on contact because it knew that the green cells were present before it sent out the protrusions.


    The strange cells of the past also did the same and would react to things that came near it.


    Lin had a thought about obtaining this ability because it was still unable to produce any observers at the moment.


    The shapeshifting cell felt the acid ejectorse near. It attacked first. It first divided arge part of its body that appeared soft into numerous tentacles that grabbed at the acid ejectors.


    When the acid ejectors neared the tentacles, they sprayed outrge amounts of dissolving fluid from the mouth on the cone. The moment the shapeshifting cells tentacles touched the dissolving fluid, they started to corrode. The shapeshifting cell also seemed to feel pain and its tentacles recoiled.


    At this time, Lin started its second wave of attack.


    This was made up of three hundred cone-shaped cells. The drill of these cells had be extremely hard after they had constantly burrowed through the inner parts of the food. They could easily break through the harder parts of the food that Lin had to rely on the acid ejectors to dissolve before.


    The shapeshifting cell did not freeze. It could fight back. It merged all the little tentacles into several enormous tentacles. These tentacles would still rot when they touched the dissolving fluid but they would not fade clean away upon contact.


    Relying on therge tentacles, the shapeshifting cell caught a few acid ejectors and sucked them into its body. The acid ejectors gave the inside of the cell some damage but it was overall harmless.


    At this time, the cone-shaped cells had neared the shapeshifting cell. They used their long denticles to pierce into the outer membrane of the shapeshifting cell and started to spin.


    Spinning was something Lin found on ident. This could allow them to more quickly dig for food and the cells that spun a lot even gained some small oval fins at the tail end to help it spin.


    The shapeshifting cells outer membrane hadrge pieces taken off by these cells but it still did not retreat. It used its old method of reaching out with its tentacles to try to suck off the cells that were drilling holes into its body.


    However, the cone-shaped cells had the denticles that had a strong ability to cut. Even if some were sucked in, they could drill a hole and run out.


    But there were still many that were sucked in. Lin was able to feel the cells that were sucked in but they seemed to be restrained by something and unable to move.


    The digestion started. That was the pain. When the digestion finished, Lin waspletely unable to feel a thing.


    Right now, almost half of the acid ejectors were eaten and there were only two hundred cone-shaped cells left.


    Lin felt that its method of attack was wrong. Even if it could wound the other, it was still not very usible to attack something that was more than two thousand times asrge as it was.


    However   continue to attack.


    This time, Lin even had the diggers stop feeding and participate in the fight against the shapeshifting cell.


    Trantor Ramblings: The first illustration of what might be an amoeba was made by a scientist called August Johann Rsel von Rosenhof who named it the little Proteus after the Greek god of the sea that is ever-changing, flexible and can assume many forms. The tentacles are actually pseudopodia, but Lin didnt have another epiphany so I decided not to use that as the term in the chapter.


    Wikipedia: Amoeba


    Wikipedia Pseudopodia

 Book 1: Chapter Seven “Ten Miles Frozen”

    Book 1: Chapter Seven ��Ten Miles Frozen��


    Recap: Last chapter, Lin was fighting the shapeshifting cell, something simr to an amoeba on Earth.


    The shapeshifting cell seemed to feel that it was surrounded byrge amounts of cells. It producedrge numbers of tentacles from its body and prepared to fight back.


    The offensive power of the diggers could notpare to the cone-shaped cells but there were more than seven hundreds of them. Relying on the denticles at the front, they could also tear the outer membrane of the shapeshifting cell.


    Tactics   nning


    Other than the observer cell, Lin had every cell enter the battle. As it inspected, countless thought flowed through its mind.


    When the tentacle of the shapeshifting cell reached out, it could suck up dozens of diggers in one go. Seeing this, Lin instantly had the other diggers and cone-shaped cells surround this tentacle. It had them use their denticles to cut this tentacle off from the middle to rescue the cells that were notpletely sucked in.


    At the same time, on the digger and cone-shaped cells, Lin had the acid ejectors spray outrge amounts of dissolving fluid.


    The shapeshifting cell seemed to have some immunity towards the dissolving fluid but when it was sprayed directly onto the wounds, it still seemed to cause great pain to the shapeshifting cell. It twisted its body as though it did not n on swallowing more of Lins cells and turned its entire body into an enormous oval.


    The body of the shapeshifting cell started to float as though it nned on running away. Its two sides started to flutter as it started to swim into the distance.


    Kill.


    Looking at the shapeshifting cell, Lins idea was very simple.


    The digger and cone-shaped cells use their sharp denticles to insert into the body of the shapeshifting cell to prevent it from running. They continued to spin and createrge numbers of wounds on the shapeshifting cell.


    The shapeshifting cell furiously twisted its body, wanting to throw off the cells on its body. It was effective in its action. Many cells that were thrown off could not catch up with the shapeshifting cell based on their speed.


    Therefore, Lin had these cells go eat the pieces the shapeshifting cell had left behind and had the cells that were still on the shapeshifting cell to continue attacking.


    Until the veryst cell was thrown off.


    On the road the shapeshifting cell escape, it left behind countless pieces of debris. These were what Lins cells had torn down. However, the shapeshifting cell was really toorge and it seemed unlikely that Lin could kill it. When the shapeshifting cell had thrown off thest cell, there was more than 70% of its body remaining. It was still very far from harming its nucleus.


    However, the 30% of debris was enough for Lins cells to eat for a long time.


    As Lin left the cells to eat the pieces of the shapeshifting cell, it was also thinking.


    The shapeshifting cell could change its shape but that was not very stable. But because it had arge body size, it was extremely hard to deal with.


    In this battle, Lin had almost lost half of its cells so the battle was unprofitable.


    Lin should have retreated earlier. But every cell it lost meant that Lins intelligence would decrease. It had been unable to make the right move in time.


    AT this time, Lin suddenly had a thought. How to increase the size of its cells?


    Its cells would increase in size when they ate but after eating, they would divide. They could not continue to grow without limits.


    If it was one enormous cell, then Lin could rely on it to fight. If it was an enormous cone-shape cell like the shapeshifting cell, no, even if it was half of that size, Lin could easily defeat the shapeshifting cell.


    How to do it?


    Maybe the shapeshifting cell could solve Lins problem.


    Lin looked at the cells that were eating the shapeshifting cells pieces and thought about this.


    Since the acid ejectors had evolved the ability after eating the strange cells dissolving fluids, then eating the shapeshifting cell might also cause a change.


    so painful!


    A suddenly feeling interrupted Lins thoughts.


    From the viewpoint of the observer, Lin saw a cone-shaped cell that ate the pieces sink down in the water. Lin had lost the connection to the cell.


    Dead?


    Why had it died?


    In Lins memory, there was only that burst of pain. If it was an attack from a virus, then it would be a pain that would continue for a long time. If it was attacked by another cell, then Lin would definitely see it. But this time, Lin did not see a thing.


    There was only a corpse that was slowly sinking.


    A new danger


    Following was another burst of the same pain.


    Another cell also sank.


    An unknown danger


    Lin felt that something was wrong. It had all the cells stop eating the pieces and gathered them inyers surrounding the observer. The observer was watching all the cells to try to find the cause of danger.


    This time, Lin saw it, a danger it had never seen before


    Just at that ce where the shapeshifting cell debris was, a strange thing that was hard to describe was slowly growing in the water. It shed with light and continued to grow in the water. It first reached out with countless protrusions and then these protrusions produced countless smaller protrusions. It caused the entire area of water to be the same as it, something that shed with light.


    The protrusions that it produced were not soft like the ones of the shapeshifting cell but solid. These protrusions would not move when they grew, only lengthen. But it had already taken over therge span of water in front of Lins cell group and it was still expanding.


    This phenomenon


    A new term appeared in Lins thoughts.


    Freezing, Ice.


    This shing blue thing was called ice! And the phenomenon of its continuous grow was to freeze this entire portion of water!


    Also, its freezing rate was very fast. As Lin was thinking, the ice had already reached Lins cell group.


    The cells would instantly freeze when it came into contact with this ice that was continuously growing. At the same time, Lin would fill a burst of pain and then lose its connection to the cell.


    Was this the cause of the burst of pain just now?


    Even though it knew the cause, Lin could not do a thing against a phenomenon like freezing. Even the dissolving fluid that the acid ejectors sprayed out would be frozen into something solid the moment it came outside.


    And the speed of freezing was very fast. Lin could not escape.


    And was unable to fight back.


    Unable to escape.


    Then Lin could only wait.


    Wait for luck toe, or   death.


    Lin had the cells huddle together to prevent the observer from being frozen. It only had this one cell that had the ability to see. Lin had to have sight because only then would Lin have the confidence it could survive.


    The ice continued to spread and Lins cells were frozen one by one. Lin lost the feeling of them and felt the area of its perception continue to shrink. At the same time, it felt a kind of clear pain   cold.


    Countless cells surrounded the observer but they were unable to prevent the freeze. The cold ice frozen one cell after another. The power of the freeze would spread inside the cell. The ice could get the entire cell to lose its functions.


    Lins cell group went from more than five hundred to only one hundred   and dropped to the double digits.


    Yet at this time, the pain in Lins thought suddenly stopped yet the feeling of cold was still present.


    The freezing seemed to have stopped. Why?


    Lin looked around. It found that its remaining 91 digger cells were surrounding its observer.


    They had stopped the spread of the freezing.


    Trantor Ramblings: This would not be a fun story if the main character died seven chapters in.

 Book 1: Chapter Eight “End of Winter, Beginning of Summer”

    Book 1: Chapter Eight ��End of Winter, Beginning of Summer��


    Recap ofst chapter: Lin does not kill the shapeshifting cell and the water suddenly starts turning to ice which causes Lin to lose a lot of the cells.


    Coldness, this was the only thing in this expanse of water.


    Lins acid ejectors and cone-shaped cells had all been sacrificed in the spreading ice. Only 91 diggers had survived. They formed a sphere that protected Lins observer from being affected


    The world outside this sphere was already a world of ice. Through the transparent bodies of these diggers, Lin was able to see that this was not the blue liquid water of before, but a motionless crystal mirror.


    Lins cell group had been heavily impacted by these seemingly beautiful crystals. Even though Lin did not know why thest remaining diggers were unfrozen, Lin did not want to stay here.


    Lin had the diggers start to move in an attempt to leave this ce.


    Some of the diggers were glued to the ice but if they twisted slightly, they would detach themselves.


    These diggers seemed to have evolved. In the past, the cells would be freeze if they came into the slightest contact with the ice, but they were much more resilient now.


    However, when they moved, Lin could clearly feel the coldness when the outer membrane of the cell touched the ice


    This seemed to also be a kind of pain, but it was different than other kinds of pain. Lin did not feel a strong desire to escape the pain but this feeling made Lin want to shrink into a ball and remain unmoving.


    However, this feeling did not affect Lins activities.


    This expanse of water was frozen and the only remaining portion of water that was free was this little ce where Lin was with its ny two cells. All the water surrounding this ce had formed imprable ice.


    Maybe it could dig through this?


    Lin had the diggers use their denticles to scrape the ice but other than producing a few shards, they were of no help. It would be almost impossible to break through the entire expanse of ice.


    Lin didnt know what to do.


    The decrease in its cell group had caused its intelligence to decrease greatly. It was unable to ponder anythingplex.


    But even if Lin had the intelligence of a cell group of one thousand, it would not have a solution. At this time, it could only wait.


    Luck or death.


    It didnt know how much time had passed. Lin knew the term time but did not know what it represented. However, Lin could feel the effects of time on it.


    First   hunger.


    It was the first time Lin experienced hunger. There seemed to be a feeling in Lins thoughts that called it to search for food to replenish the expenditure of energy due to movement.


    Lin had the diggers stop scraping the ice. It lowered its activity level to decrease its energy consumption. It was still able to understand this rationale.


    But, theck of movement did not mean that they had paused. The cells were still using up energy, even though this was at a much slower rate than when they were moving.


    Lin continued to wait. It did what every organism should do and when an organism could not do a thing, remain still. They would wait to see if the surroundings would produce something that they could do.


    In the process of waiting, several diggers used up all their energy. This was another kind of pain. It was different than other pain. When the energy was all used up, the cell membrane and the nucleus would start to wither, shrivel up, and then die.


    Lin had the other cells eat the corpses of the cells that had no energy left. Their deaths could help give more time to other cells.


    The phenomenon of death by starvation caused Lin to have a new thought.


    Every time a cell ate, it would quickly digest what it ate and then divide. They would quickly use up the energy they obtained.


    However, what if it could store energy? If there was a way to store energy in the cells, Lin would not have to fear if it encountered a situation like this again.


    Lin thought of a new term   fat.


    Even though it did not understand the details, the term seemed to represent food that was stored.


    Then next time, it would try to see if it could store food.


    If it could survive this


    With this thought, Lin remained in a motionless state. All of the cells were the same as they floating silently in the water.


    The icy cold was draining Lins mind. The coldness made Lin want to sleep forever like this


    But Lin would not give up. Even though the wait was long, but luck woulde


    Lins observer found that a crack appeared in the iceyer in front of him


    Warmth, Lin felt something that was not the same as ice. This new feeling awakened every one of Lins cells. Lin found that there were more and more cracks


    Under Lins gaze, the ice crystals slowly cracked and became countlessrge pieces. These ice pieces started to slowly shrink, just like the process of food being digested. They decreased in size, and thenpletely disappeared in the water


    These ice crystals appeared out of nowhere, and froze everything. Then they instantly disappeared. If it wasnt for some shards of ice that had not yet melted, Lin would feel that nothing had ever happened.


    There were only 77 cells left, including Lins observer,that had passed this danger.


    They now had immunity against the great cold. This disaster had almost killed off Lins cell group but Lin also became stronger.


    Lins mission right now was to find anything that it could eat to recover the size of its original cell group. These cells which had used uprge amounts of energy were slower and more fragile.


    Lins cell group swam in the water. Even though the ice had melted, the water was still cold. Lin reached the ce the enormous food had been before. This white food was covered in ayer of ice. It seemed the ice had affected this ce as well.


    Lin had the diggers try to break apart the iceyer on the surface of the food yet no matter how they twisted, they could only slice off some shards. It was difficult to create any damage to the iceyer.


    What hadnt the ice here melted, and it was so hard


    Lin did not know why but it could feel that this ce was slowly bing cold again. The ice shards floating in the water showed signs of increasing in size.


    Maybe this ce would be frozen again.


    When this thought appeared in Lins mind, it instantly took all of its cells to leave this ce. Lin didnt want the past situation to repeat.


    Lins only hope was to once again go into the deep blue to search for new food and a warm ce.


    Warmth


    Lin could feel that the water in one direction was differentpared to the other water and it held warmth that made Lin feelfortable.


    Right, this was the area the shapeshifting cell that fled in.


    Not long after the cell group swam, Lin found the transforming cell. This enormous being had not escaped the danger of being frozen. There was ayer of thin ice over its body. The enormous body was slowly floating in the water without any signs of life.


    Even though the ice seemed to have melted, this cell seemed unable to wake up again


    Lin had the diggers go forward. The thinyer of ice on the shapeshifting cell was fragile and easy to break. The diggers could easily cut through it. The body of the shapeshifting cell that was still soft was exposed in front of Lin.


    Eat.


    Lin only had this one thought.


    The diggers started to feed on the shapeshifting cells body. It used its old method of the denticles to cut down pieces before slowly engulfing them. After they replenished their energy, the damage caused by the cells slowly faded and they became energetic again.


    Then it was cell division. The number of diggers slowly started to increase.


    But Lin did not forget what it had thought about before.


    It needed to store energy. Lin needed the stuff called fat to guarantee that the cells could still survive periods of time without food.


    There was also something else.


    Lin hoped that it could find the acid ejectors and cone-shaped cells that hadpletely disappeared in the ice disaster.


    Trantor Ramblings: Im seriously uncertain what length of time this chapter epassed. It is obvious that the water froze but I dont know how great Lins metabolism is nor is it indicated how long the hibernation seems to have been. It seems that Lin just slowed down all cellr activity   and magically acquired freeze tolerance.

 Book 1: Chapter Nine “Stem Cells”

    Book 1: Chapter Nine ��Stem Cells��


    Last chapter recap: Lin makes it out of the ice with losses.


    It wasnt the first time Lin had thought about this problem.


    There was a certain number of each of the cell types it had. If all the cells of one cell type died, how could Lin obtain them again?


    Undergo the events that urred previously? For example, have the cell ingest the dissolving fluid again to form acid injectors?


    But even now, Lin did not understand how the cone-shaped cell had evolved.


    But that was not the point. The point was did the cells have to go through suchplex steps for Lin to obtain those cells again?


    Lin did not think so.


    Lin would find a solution.


    When Lin was thinking about this, Lins diggers had already eaten half of the shapeshifting cell. The number of diggers increased dramatically and reached 699.


    Lin started to act out what it thought. The first was the storage of energy and food. Lin tried to get a cell that was already full and on the verge of division to halt its division and continue to eat.


    How to stop the division? Lin did not know. The cell division would naturally ur so Lin could only continuously send thoughts of stopping it from doing what was not ording to Lins thoughts.


    It seemed to have seeded. This digger did not divide and continued to eat the corpse of the shapeshifter.


    Following this was storage. Lin started to get the cell to stop digesting the food and leave the food inside the body.


    Sess. The food inside the digger was not digested and was piled up in one ce.


    Lin hadnt expected for this to be so easy. Lin felt slightly happy.


    Following this, Lin had this cell continue to eat and only digest the amount needed for its activities. When the cell had extra, it was not allowed to divide but had to store the food inside its body. This also caused the mass of this cell to grow. After feeding for a while, it was almost twice the size of other cells.


    Yet storing the food caused this cell to be clumsy, and slow in movement. It was even difficult for the cell to continue scraping off food.


    This caused its feeding to be difficult but for Lin, this wasnt a hard problem. Lin had the other cells help this cell. Lin used normal diggers to gather food for this cell that was storing food and this cell was only responsible for eating.


    Slowly, an interesting change urred to the cell.


    As it continued to eat and not work, the denticles on its outer membrane started to slowly disappear. Lin knew this phenomenon was called degeneration.


    At the same time, the cell became extremely vast. It was almost three times the size of other digger cells. The pieces of the shapeshifting cell that were stored inside the body had dposed, but it was not digestion. They were turned into something that was simr to water but even stickier.


    Lin knew that the liquid was called fat.


    This cell turned the food it ate into fat and stored it inside the body. The fat was convenient to transport and the energy density was high so it took up less space. It was better than storing food directly.


    Lin did not know how the fat formed. This was not something that Lin controlled but the cell itself produced.


    Lin did not have 100% control over the cell. The cell themselves conducted actions such as division. The fat was something they decided to make. It seemed that there were still some mysteries that Lin did not know about in the cell.


    As Lin gradually increased in intelligence, Lin couldpletely grasp all of this


    Lin gave this type of cell a new namecacher.


    Lin could get the cacher to divide, but the new cell of the division would not have fat. They needed to eat food to turn the food into fat.


    It was a good feeling to have some so it did not have to be afraid of hunger. However, there could not be arge number of these cells because they were unable to fight and were slow to move.


    The feeding continued   a short whileter, there was only about 10% of the shapshifting cells corpse left. Lins cell group had recovered their previous numbers and there were also thirty caches. Therge amounts of fat inside their body could permit Lins cell group to swim for a long distance without having to feed.


    However, what Lin wanted the most was to once again obtain the acid injectors and cone-shaped cells.


    Lin first tried to have the diggers evolve into one of the two types using the original method. It continuously thought about having the cell change into another state.


    But there was no effect. The product of the digger cell division was still a digger cell.


    But Lin did not give up. It continued to try. For example, it had the diggers move simrly o how cone-shaped cells moved, or had the other cells squeeze to force the cell into a cone-shape.


    Of course, those all failed. In the end, Lin felt its method was very stupid


    But Lin did not stop telling them to evolve in its thoughts. In the end, a cell responded back to it.


    That was a basic cell, one of the cells that was simr to the ones at the start and did not have an ability.


    This cell had split from the only cell that possessed vision: the observer.


    The observer had not participated in any action so other than its sight, it was the same as in the beginning. Also, the cells that were produced from its cell division did not possess the ability of sight.


    Lin called this kind of cell a basic cell. They would usually evolve quickly when they were working with the digger cells to be diggers. But this time, this cell had not yet evolved into a digger cell when it received Lins thoughts.


    Like a miracle, after the cell digested the food it just injected, its body started to slowly grow long, and then it grew out the long cone-shaped mouth like the cone-shaped cells that were covered in spiralling denticles


    It looked just like the original cone-shaped cell.


    Then Lin had the basic cell try to evolve into an acid injector. The result appeared without any effort.


    If this was how it is, the basic cells did not have any abilities but they could evolve?


    Could they evolve into other things?


    When Lin thought about this, it had the basic cell try to evolve into the shapeshifting cell or the strange cell.


    No response.


    It seemed that the basic cell could only evolve into the cells that belonged to Lins cell group. They did not have the ability to evolve, they just recorded the information about the evolution.


    But how did it record this? Was it rted to the observer watching from the side all this time?


    Lin did not know. But since its main problem had been solved, Lin felt very happy.


    What was next was to travel once again into the vast and boundless world to explore everything unknown!


    All of the shapeshifting cell had been consumed. With its 1233 cells, Lin started to swim towards the endless deep blue


    Lin did not have a goal. In this deep blue, Lin was not able to see a destination but there were some things that attracted Lin.


    That was warmth.


    Swimming in this direction, Lin felt as though it could escape the coldness from the past. The water became even warmer andfortable.


    This direction seemed to be up.


    The closer Lin got, the brighter the water became as well as warmer. Lin started to speed up. The warmth seemed to give its cell group energy. This waspletely different than the feeling of drowsiness the cold gave Lin. It felt veryfortable.


    At this time, the observer that was swimming at a ce near the front found new food.


    There were numerous purple organisms above Lins cell group.


    The cells were of oval shape, and densely covered in cilia. They were only about half the size of Lins cells but there were a lot of them.


    There were so many they were all Lins observer could see in its field of view.


    A preliminary calction would be above ten thousand.


    This was another kind of cell. Lin did not know what they were called so it used the simplest name purple cells.


    These cells were unconcerned with the appearance of Lins cell group. Even if Lins cells neared them, they would not act or respond in any way. They were hurriedly swimming in the same direction.


    It was the same direction as the warm ce that Lin wanted to go.


    Since it was like this, then Lin would follow to take a look.


    Trantor Ramblings: So slow progress, Lin has discovered how to make storage cells and how to make more of its specialized cells from undifferentiated cells.

 Book 1: Chapter Ten “Rock”

    Book 1: Chapter Ten ��Rock��


    Last Chapter Recap: Lin learns about stem cells and follows some newly-discovered purple cells somewhere.


    Lins cell group swam together with the purple cells. The surroundings became brighter and warmer. Suddenly, a bright light came that caused Lin to want to retreat.


    But Lin did not do that, but looked in the direction of the light. The light was shining down from the top to the bottom, and there wasnt just one ray. Countless rays of light pierced the icy blue water and gave this ce warmth.


    Sunlight


    Lin knew the name of the light but it was the first time it saw such a unique scene.


    Feeling extremely interested, Lin tried to chase these rays of light. So it continued to swim in the direction of the light.


    The closer Lin got to the lights, the brighter Lin felt. Soon, Lin wasnt even able to see the surroundings clearly.


    In the surroundings, other than light, there was nothing


    But Lin did not stop and still swam towards the direction of the light.


    Suddenly, Lins foremost digger seemed to feel something. That was a feeling above warmth, yes, it was called   burning heat.


    That feeling was not better to feel than warmth but caused Lin great pain instead.


    The burning heat that came immediately killed this cell. Lin jumped in fight and hurriedly had the cell group retreat back. Lin retreated until it could see the surroundings clearly before it was reassured.


    So, the origin of the light had a burning heat


    Now, Lin didnt dare to go too close to the rays of light.


    However, a new phrase appeared in Lins thoughts   ultraviolet light.


    What had killed the cell just now was a kind of light called ultraviolet light. But Lin did not understand what ultraviolet light was.


    So it would study this phenomenonter.


    At this time, Lin looked around and found thatrge amount of purple cells gathered among these rays of light. Lin found that they were not eating or doing something, just purely waiting under the sunlight.


    Should Lin eat them?


    Lin had this thought. These purple cells did not seem to have any offensive abilities and seemed extremely weak.


    However, Lin should first wait and see.


    Lin watched for a while. It saw that these purple cells would start to move after staying in the light for a while and once again swim towards the darkness of the deeper waters.


    Lin was very curious about their actions so it also took its own cell group and followed closely.


    These purple cells that returned to deeper waters took Lin to apletely new ce.


    This was


    The thing that appeared in front of Lin was enormous andpletely took over Lins vision. The surface of this thing was covered in uneven bumps and holes. The object was ck, but there were other colors mixed in. Most of those colors were grey, and white.


    This was called   rock?


    Lin received a new term.


    These purple cells swam inrge numbers onto the rock. They started to split up and appeared to be searching for food. Kin found that it wasnt just the purple cells. There wererge numbers of all kinds of cells spread out on the surface. It was the first time Lin saw so many different living beings gathered in one ce. There were also new cells constantly swimming here from other ces.


    Lin looked at them and had a thought.


    Of Lins present cells   there were 100 acid ejectors, 129 cone shaped cells, 30 cachers that stored fat, and the rest were all diggers. Lins cell group had more variety of cells than the other cell types. Even though some cells had more numbers than Lin, but they were all one kind, and not many kinds mixed together like Lin.


    Lins cell group slowly swam near the rock. They firstnded on a protruding rock pir. There were no cells gathered here and Lin nned on working from here.


    What to do? Of course, it was to eat. This rock was covered in food that Lin had seen before, that soft white stuff. Many of the cells gathered here also seemed to like eating food of this kind. However, Lin did not n on gathering these normal food, but


    Attack other cells! Make them food!


    After experiencing a few battles, Lins thought started to be more offense-oriented.


    Lin first had the cone-shaped cells go. They swam along the rock pir and their goal was a small group of beings under the rock pir.


    This group seemed to be shapeshifting cells, and could change their form at will. However, they were very small and were only half the size of Lins cells. They could notpare to the one previously encountered.


    The little shapeshifting cells were gathering some white food andpletely didnt notice the cone-shaped cells getting close. One of the shapeshifting cells that was consuming food waspletely pierced through by the cone-shaped cell. Then the cone-shaped cell quickly twisted and used the denticles to tear this shapeshifiting cell into pieces.


    The other little shapeshifting cells felt danger and started to flee. However, before they could swim far, they were run through by the cone-shaped cells that continued to charge.


    Watching as its cells easily achieved victory, Lin couldnt help but feel smugness.


    The remaining shapeshifting cells seemed to detect danger from above and started to turn and flee downwards. They made their bodies narrow and t so they could burrow into the small cracks on the rock.


    The cone-shaped cells were toorge and they had hardened tops. They were unable to enter these tiny cracks at all. The rock was also very hard and they could not dig into it.


    Very smart


    But Lin decided to keep chasing. This time, Lin had the acid ejectors move out and sprayrge amounts of dissolving liquid at those little cracks. The little shapeshifting cells that were hiding in the cracks had nowhere to escape to and were dissolved into powder. Then the acid ejectors waited on top to suck in the powder that floated up.


    Not long after, Linpletely killed off all the shapeshifting cells.


    For some unknown reason, Lin felt that this wasnt quite right. It should not kill all of them.


    Whatever.


    Because Lin did not know the reason.


    Also, Lin quickly turned its attention. It found that it was not the only one eating here.


    The observer was floating high up and observed everything in the surroundings. Lin saw that several cells of enormous mass were doing the same thing as Lin at a valley nearby on the rock.


    These few cells were about ten times asrge as Lins cells. There were many ruffles on the surface of these cells and these cells seemed to be able to suck in. The purple cells that Lin had encountered before would be sucked and caught between the ruffles. The purple cells appeared to fight but they were unable to escape. They were sucked alive into the ruffles and then sucked into the bodies of the ruffled cells.


    Lin might not be able to see what happened inside but they were certainly digested. This method of feeding was pretty unique.


    The ruffled cells did not search for the next food after eating but stayed motionless where they were. However, when other cells came near them, they would capture through suction.


    Kill!


    LIns following action was very simple


    The acid ejectors were the foreguard this time. Lin had them go near the ruffled cells. These ruffled cells felt the acid ejectorse close and immediately started to suck. But at this time, the acid ejectors sprayed outrge amounts of dissolving liquid. The dissolving liquid was sucked into the body of these ruffled cells.


    A ruffled cell that sucked in dissolving liquid painfully twisted its body. After a while, it stopped moving and then sank slowly.


    It was very easy!


    Lin started again and used the same method to kill the several other ruffled cells nearby. Just when it was nning to attack thest ruffled cell, a strange kind of pain suddenly came from one of the acid ejectors. Then this acid ejector seemed to lose all strength and sank.


    Lin hurriedly looked around the surroundings to find the cause but it could not see any attackers nearby. It didnt know who or what had attacked this acid ejector.


    Trantor Ramblings: Lin learns of the lethality of UV light. The ruffles are most likely produced bymellipodia. See the cool video.

 Book 1: Chapter Eleven “Mutualism”

    Book 1: Chapter Eleven ��Mutualism��


    Last chapter: Lin arrives at a rock and starts to eat ruffled cells before being attacked by something unknown.


    Lin had the observer swim higher in an attempt to find what had attacked the acid ejector. Lin thought of the direction that the acid ejectors pain hade from. The attack had definitelye from below.


    Lin found that there were many protruding ck pebbles on the surface of the rock. They did not seem very eye-catching in this pebbled area. The acid ejectors were swimming close to them. Lin felt that the attack came from these pebbles.


    Disguise   a certain organism would disguise themselves as somethingmonly seen in the environment and use this to attack their prey.


    Even though Lin had never seen this before, Lins thoughts contained this concept.


    So Lin decided to directly retaliate. The acid ejectors immediately aimed at the pebbles below them. Large volumes of dissolving fluid were sprayed onto these pebbles. As expected, these organisms started to move when they were damaged by the dissolving fluid. However, it was not just one pebble moving, but the pebbles in this entire area shaking violently. The ground that was covered in pebbles slowly rose.


    Lin had not predicted such a situation. It immediately had the acid ejectors scatter. When they were far away, this being that had hid under the ground showed its body.


    It was a mix of ck and grey colors just like the surrounding rock. Also, there were many protruding pebbles on its surface that were slightly like the denticles of the diggers. The underside was covered in ge. It was fifty times the size of the diggers. After it floated up, arge gap appeared in the rock below.


    Rock insect.


    Lin gave this enormous being that was skilled in disguise a name and then decided to kill it.


    Lin had an acid ejector go up again. Because Lin did not know the attacking methods of the rock insect, Lin did not dare to have all the acid ejectors attack.


    When this acid ejector neared the rock insect, it reacted. Lin clearly saw a small pebble on the rock insect shake minutely. A tiny, almost invisible sharp object shot out and this sharp object immediately stabbed into the acid ejector.


    Then Lin felt the same pain before there was no more response from the cell.


    It was a very scary way of attack but Lin still managed to see it. The pebble-like things on the rock insects seemed to hide certain sharp objects. There was also fluid contained in those sharp objects that could quickly destroy the cell nucleus inside the acid ejectors.


    Toxin?


    Even though it was a new term, Lin felt that the meaning it had was about the same as the dissolving fluid of the acid ejectors. They were both liquids with a strong power to destroy.


    The rock insect moved its enormous body and slowly turned to swim towards the corpse of the acid ejector.


    When the rock insect moved, Lin saw there was a strange ck protrusion growing above its mouth. It was not the same as the pebbles. This protrusion was extremelyrge, and it shed with a light like that of ice.


    Eyes


    Even though Lin had not seen it before, Lin realized what this was. It was the first time it saw an organism other than its own observer who had the ability to see.


    So curious.


    Lin started to feel curious about this rock insect. Not just its eyes, but its unique attack. If Lin could also possess this ability, it would be very interesting.


    So Lin did not n on giving up on the rock insect.


    At this time, the rock insect had swam next to the corpse of the acid injector. It opened its cavernous mouth and slowly swallowed it. However, it did notpletely consume the corpse but tore a part off with its ge. Then it threw the piece of the corpse towards the pebbles that grew on its body.


    Did the pebbles also need to feed?


    Even though Lin was curious, Lin did not stop moving. Almost at the same time, Lin had the acid ejectors attack again.


    The rock insect might have a powerful attack, but Lin noticed that there were not arge number of pebbles, about twenty or so. They could notpare to the number of acid ejectors that Lin had.


    And as long as Lin had basic cells, it could produce new acid ejectors without any limit. So Lin did not worry about any losses during attack.


    The acid ejectors charged up. Facing the enormous opponent, it sprayed outrge volumes of dissolving fluid and the water in the surroundings was dyed green.


    The rock insect wasnt just like a rock in terms of color, it was also very hardy. When it came into contact with the acid ejectors, only the surface showed signs of corrosion.


    The rock insect started to counter-attack. The pebbles on its body shot outrge numbers of stingers and several acid ejectors were killed in one blow.


    The acid ejectors evolved from the cone-shaped cells, but because it had been very long since they used their body to directly dig, their hard shell had degenerated. They were unable to withstand this kind of attack.


    However, Lin had to attack with the acid ejectors. Because other than this kind of cell, Lin thought that the other cells would be unable to tear apart the outer member of the rock insect.


    The rock insect twisted its body. It seemed to feel great pain from the dissolving fluid. It started to move its ge and appeared to intend to run away.


    But the rock insect was not fast. It was about the same speed as LIns cachers that were filled with fat.


    Because of its enormous body, it seemed to be used to hiding and disguise. Its ability to move seemed to have started to degenerate.


    At this time, Lin had the cone-shaped cells go forward and participate in the attack. MOre than a hundred of the cone-shaped cells immediately surrounded the rock insect. Lin had them use their sharp corners to stab into the wound marks left by the dissolving fluid on the rock insect.


    This time, the rock insect had no energy to fight back. The stingers on its body seemed to be used up.


    Lins acid ejectors would also use up their dissolving fluid but Lin could easily use numbers to make up for this weakness. But the rock insect could not do that. Under the teamwork of the acid ejectors and the cone-shaped cells, the enormous body of the rock insect finally stopped moving. The rock-like outer member of the rock insect was torn by the cone-shaped cells into pieces that floated into the water


    This time, Lin lost fifteen acid ejectors. Many of the stingers that shot out of the rock insectnded on the same acid ejectors so the losses were smaller than Lin had imagined. If Lin ate the rock insect, Lin could immediately perform division and produce hundreds.


    Lin finally got to inspect the parts that it was interested in. First was the eye. Lin had paid special care for the acid ejectors not to damage the eye of the rock insect.


    The eye was especially big, and about two times the size of Lins cells. Lin had a cone-shaped cell dig it out of the rock insects body. Because it was toorge, normal cells could not consume it so Lin had the cacherse try.


    The cachers slowly swam over. This enormous fat cell had be extremely soft in order to store more food. Its body was also five times the size of normal cells. It was more than big enough to engulf the eye of the rock insect.


    After the cacher swallowed the rock insects eye, Lin immediately sent a message with its thoughts.


    This message was the exact same one when Lin had desired to have vision the first time. Lin tried to have this cell use this eye to obtain the power of vision.


    But it failed. The cacher did not react at all. That eye was like the other food that had been consumed and was slowly digested. It was turned to fat and stored away.


    Was there really not a way?


    Fine


    Lin changed the next goal to the little pebbles that shot out those deadly stingers.


    If Lin looked closely, it found that these pebbels had a little hole in them. The stingers that contained the strong poison came from this hole.


    ording to Lins previous experiences, if a cell was damaged by poison and managed to survive and divide, they could have immunity against the toxin. Then, when the cells with immunity to the poison ate the toxin, it could possibly obtain the ability to produce the toxin. Even though Lin did not understand the mechanism, the acid ejectors hade about this way.


    It was a pity that none of Lins cells managed to survive after being shot with the toxic stingers.


    If Lin had the cells ate the stingers like this, it was likely that a few more cells would die. Lin felt slightly depressed.


    At this time, Lin suddenly saw a pebble break open and a little round organismse out from it.


    This organism was constructed on the surface like a cap. From its transparent body, it could be seen from under the cap that there was a tubule that was coiled up. AT the end of the tentacle, there was a tiny stinger.


    Was this what had shot out the toxic needle?


    Lin looked curiously at this organize. It clearly was not the same as the rock insect, but another type of cell.


    What was its connection to the rock insect? Was it like Lin? Having different kinds of cells within one cell group?


    If it was that, then these cells near LIn would attack but they did not react.


    Lin thought and then had a cone-shaped cell prod this stinger cell  thisidocyte. Theidocyte seemed to be scared and immediately opened the cap on its body. The tubule inside immediately straightened and the sharp stinger at the corner shot out.


    Even though it did not hit anything, it frightened Lin.


    However, Lin immediately had a new idea.


    Thisidocyte might be of use to Lin


    After a period of observation, Lin found that these littleidocytes were just a tenth of the size of Linss cells. They seemed to be able to gather the scraps of the rock, and use these pieces to wrap around themselves. Then they would stick to the surface and disguise themselves as pebbles. They would then open a little hole at the top, clearly for shooting out the stingers.


    These cells seemed to be cells that would disguise as rock and ambush other cells. But why would they have a rtionship with the rock insect? Also, their attacks seemed to be directed by the rock insect.


    No matter what, Lin could use them just like the rock insect did.


    Lin tried to put these pebbles that hid theidocyte on a digger. The digger could use the denticles on the surface to hold these little pebbles. This way, these diggers had the ability to shoot poisonous stingers.


    Maybe these cells had coincidentallynded on the rock insect. They had formed an agreement aftermunicating so they helped


    Communicating?


    Lin had never attempted tomunicate with other organisms before. This seemed to form a special rtionship   mutualism.


    Even though Lin had not tried it, Lin knew the concept.


    Lin started to feel puzzled. Why would it know so much innately? Should these things be slowly learned?


    Lin started to feel puzzled about this but it still did what it always did, not think about it when it couldnt solve the problem.


    Therefore, Lin moved its mind back to the original topic.


    Since it obtained theidocytes, Lin decided to treat them like the rock insect did. Lin would give them food and then use them as a method of attack.


    However, Lin did not know how to feed them. It copied the rock insect and put pieces of food at the small opening of theidocyte pebble.


    There was a response. Theidocytes would suck in the food pieces at the opening.


    However, Lin did not know how to direct theseidocytes to attack. Right now, Lin could only carry them on the diggers.


    Following this, Lin had the cells consume the rock insectpletely. This increased the size of the cell group. Right after, Lin turned its gaze to the organisms in this area.


    There were many cells gathered on this rock area. Most of them were in enormous numbers and of types that Lin had never seen before. Lin did not rashly attack. Cells had such wondrous ways to attack, it would be better to be careful.


    So Lin nned on increasing the numbers in the cell group. One of the main reasons that so many cells had been attracted to this ce was that there would be food that asionally came out of the cracks in the rock.


    It was the white and soft food. Lin noticed the food seemed to appear from the cracks in the rock. Most of the food was in powder form. If Lin had the cells go near the cracks, Lin could feel a weak water current.


    In other words, there was a lot of this food hidden in the rock. For some reason, a current of water carried them from the deep to the surface cracks which attractedrge numbers of cells.


    Lin started an attempt to dig at the rock.


    However, Lin found that this was a very difficult task. Even with the acid ejectors dissolving first because the cone-shaped cells tried to drill, Lin could only scrape off some fragments.


    Lin found that there were no other cells that were attempting to dig open the rock. There were some cells, however, that moved through the cracks.


    Lin felt that it didnt just need enormous cells that could store food, it also needed all kinds of small cells that could move into cracks


    However, Lin did not understand how to be small.


    In conclusion, Lin had a new goal now.


    If Lin just continued to kill other cells, it was possible that LIn would encounter a strong opponent and be in danger. So Lin decided to slowly develop first.


    As Lins cell group grew, its thoughts also advanced.


    Lin would first take over all the cracks that had food spewed out. This way, it meant that Lin would have an endless supply of food.


    Thinking like this, Lin had the cells spread out to take over the food racks in the surroundings as well as shoving away the little cell groups that had been guarding the cracks.


    In a short while, Lin took over more than a hundred of the surroundings cracks. What was wondrous was that these cracks were about the same in length. Also, the amount of food that came out was about the same. There was no ce that merited special protection so Lin divided the cells to take over each ce.


    Lins observer had been floating this entire time at a higher point. It had several cone-shaped cells and acid ejectors as protection as it searched for a new target.


    Under the vision of the observer, Lin found something strange.


    There was an enormous crack that was very wide. It was on the surface of an empty rock in the distance. It was sorge that hundreds of Lins cells could fit in it.


    This enormous crack would asionally spray outrge amounts of food but strangely, there werent any cells waiting to eat the food. There were only some grey-white cells that slowly floated at a distance from the enormous crack but they would never charge to eat the food that shot out.


    It was very suspicious.


    Lin had the diggers go forward to try. When they went near the enormous crack, Lin felt a familiar feeling.


    Warmth   no, burning heat. The temperature of water above this crack was very high.


    Also, this crack did not have a constant and small current of water flowing through. Here, the water came in bursts. It would stop for a while after one burst, and then burst again!


    When Lin thought of this, those diggers were immediately hit with the hot flow that shot out. Lin instantly lost the connection to those cells.


    The temperature of the eruption was so high it could kill the diggers?


    Even though the loss of a few diggers was nothing major while food was plentiful, Lin still felt it was a bit of a pity.


    At this time, the grey-white cells that had been floating near the crack slowly floated over. They swam to the diggers that had been killed by the hot flow and started to feed.


    So that was how it was.


    Lin immediately understood. These cells were waiting to eat the cells that passed by and were killed by the hot flow.


    Then, this hot flow belongs to me!


    The grey-white cells might have been too used to eating free food and didnt have any ability to fight. Lins acid ejectors easily killed them all and took over their enormous crack.


    Then Lin gave this unusual crack a name, Hydrothermal Vent.


    Lin felt that this hydrothermal would be very useful.


    Then, lets continue to develop.


    Lin needed more intelligence to understand the questions it did not understand.


    With a steady source of food, Lins cell group continuously grew. It needed to take over more food cracks. Usually, Lin had a dozen or so cells guard the crack. If there was a strong enemy, Lin would have the cells from other ces as reinforcements. What was fortunate was that Lin didnt seem to encounter any strong threats.


    Lin had these cells dig at the rock in an attempt to evolve a type of cell that could dig apart this hard rock. But it seemed very difficult. The diggers and cone-shaped cells that dug for a long time were still unable to do any damage to the rock even though their denticles had gotten sharper.


    Theidocytes that were in mutualism would also divide after eating enough. When they first started to divide, they would swim towards the rock to make a nest. Lin could only have the diggers capture them again. After a few generations, they understood to swim to nearby diggers and establish themselves.


    Now, Lin could be said to be formally in a mutualistic rtionship with them. Yet Lin still didnt understand how to order theidocytes to shoot poisonous stingers.


    Just like this, Lin gradually took over this enormous rock that sprayed food everywhere. When it took over about 20% of the rock, Lins cell group was over ten thousand.


    However, it was very hard to expand and take over other areas. Those were taken over by enormous cell groups. If Lin was to attack them, Lin had to gather the forces but then it would have to give up guardingrge numbers of cracks.


    Lin felt it was slightly troublesome. However, therge cell group allowed it to ponder more matters and Lin quickly found a solution.


    Trantor Ramblings: I could just call theidocytes stinger cells but thats a mouthful andidocyte is a cool name that is essentially the same thing.<figure>


    <figcaption>Scanning electron microscope imagine of aidocyte discharging.</figcaption></figure>


    Also, video of jellyfishidocytes firing.

 Book 1: Chapter Twelve “War”

    Book 1: Chapter Twelve ��War��


    Last chapter recap: Lin fought and acquired someidocytes for its cells and found a hydrothermal vent.


    The first enormous group that Lin faced was a unique one that Lin named Crystal Microbes. They shed with a crystal-like light, and there seemed to be spikes around their bodies that were made from ice. When Lin first saw them, Lin had thought that these were not cells because they seemed like balls of ice.


    But they really were not ice, but cells. They would move like cells. Lin was very curious how they had grown such an appearance.


    There were tens of thousands of these crystal microbes. They possessed many of the food cracks in the middle area of the rock. They actually were very strong to be able to aplish this. Lin had to defeat them in order to expand its own territory.


    Lin first gatheredrge numbers of cells around the territory of the crystal microbes. Most of them were diggers and cone-shaped cells. Lin did not n on having the acid ejectors fight so early.


    This was because Lin found, in the process of taking over the food cracks, other cells could also obtain resistance against the dissolving fluid of the acid ejectors.


    Lin had initially obtained resistance to the dissolving fluid in the process of fighting the strange cell but Lin was not the only one with this end of evolving ability.


    If Lin fought against the crystal microbes, then it might be a very long fight. Then the enemy would have time to evolve the ability to resist the dissolving fluid.


    So it was best for the acid ejectors to be a secret weapon to destroy the enemy at thest moment.


    Lins observer looked down at the nearest group of crystal microbes from higher up. The crystal microbes did not know that they would soon be attacked and were still feeing on the food that popped out asionally.


    Attack!


    The cone-shaped cells were the foreguard and charged directly at the group of crystal microbes. When they neared, they quickly used their cone to prate the bodies of the crystal microbes. While the crystal microbes were hard, they were not as hard as ice and were immediately run through. Then the cone-shaped cells would quickly turn their bodies and the denticles on the cone would tear the crystal microbes into pieces. Large amounts of dead matter floated in the water


    The crystal microbes immediately started to fight back after being attacked. Their method was very normal. They tried to stab the cone-shaped cells with their own spikes. The cone part of the cone-shaped cells was very hard and could not be prated. As a result,rge numbers of crystal microbes were tore apart by the cone-shaped cells again. Not long after, Lins cone-shaped cells killed off the crystal microbes around the food crack.


    When Lin attacked the crystal microbes at another crack, it discovered that the crystal microbes had changed its course of action. It started to move with organization, surrounding the cone-shaped cells and attacking at once. They would not stupidly attack the hard part of the cone-shaped cells but tried to go behind the cell and stab the soft parts of the cone-shaped cell.


    They did not have eyes nor sight   how did they know when to attack? Lin was very curious about this.


    The spikes of the crystal microbes did not carry denticles so when they were stabbed in, they did not create much damage. The cone-shaped cells only had to turn to kill the crystal microbes with the cone. This time, the crystal microbes changed their strategy again. They fought in groups. As long as arge number of spikes were stabbed in, regardless of whether there were denticles or not, they could easily damage the interior of the cone-shaped cells.


    There were five hundred cone-shaped cells that Lin had used as the vanguard. At this time, they were being surrounded and attacked by thousands of crystal microbes. Most of the crystal microbes hade from the other food cracks.


    So this was how it was. The crystal microbes here were all one group, so they could call reinforcements from far away.


    Lin pondered this as he watched the battle. It wasnt the only one doing this. Those crystal microbesl were also searching constantly for their own advantages in the battle. The cone-shaped cells which did not receive any more orders from Lin slowly started to lose.


    Suddenly, numerous crystal microbes appeared in Lins field of view. The crystal membrane around their bodies shed with light as they charged towards the site of battle.


    This was   they were all participating? Lin found that all of the crystal microbes had stopped feeding. They started to move and charged in hundreds of thousands into this battle. Under the squeeze of therge number of crystal microbes, the cone-shaped cells were almost unable to move and stabbed by numerous spikes.


    Attack! Lin finally moved to the second step. Numerous diggers charged to enter the battle. The diggers did not have a cone, and their ability to damage was lower. However, the diggers had an advantage because of their enormous number. There were 7793 digger cells in total. And in terms of one on one, the diggers were better than the crystal microbes.


    The diggers that entered the fight used their denticles to break off the spikes of the crystal microbes before cutting the others bodies into pieces. The crystal microbes constantly tried to stab through the fragile parts of the diggers.


    The observer had always been at a distance and supervising the entire battle for Lin.


    Lins preliminary estimate of the crystal microbes was more than twenty thousand of them. Here, they did not have any of the reinforcements. All of the crystal microbes were participating in the battle but the bnce was not tilted towards them. The crystal microbes were actually losing and retreating.


    A digger could probably match about five crystal microbes.


    If this continued   en?


    Lin suddenly had a strange feeling and received a message from a certain digger. This digger had been attacking the crystal microbes like normal using its denticles. Originally, this should have torn the enemy to pieces but this digger did not manage to aplish this. The crystal microbe that was its target was just pushed slightly further away.


    Then this digger was surrounding byrge numbers of crystal microbes and killed.


    This phenomenon slowly spread through Lins cell group. No matter if it was the digger sand the cone-shaped cells, their sharp weapons were unable to harm the crystal microbes any longer, and what they could do was just push them away.


    Was this evolution? The enemy could evolve hard shells that could defend against denticles and spikes so quickly?


    Lin was very surprised because the crystal microbes had a much faster evolution rate than other cells.


    Wait, no!


    Lin found that there was a crystal microbe that was not damaged when it was stabbed by the cone-shaped microbe. However, it was pushed towards another cone-shaped cell and this cone-shaped cell easily stabbed through this crystal microbe.


    In other words, the crystal microbes had not be hard themselves, but


    Lin started to observe carefully. It found that there was ayer of something covering the denticles and spikes of the diggers and cone-shaped cells that could not damage the crystal microbes.


    It was something that looked like a sticky ck material. If the cone-shaped cells and diggers came into contact with it, then their offensive ability would decrease greatly.


    Lin also noticed that this sticky ck substance was also floating on the battlefield along with the corpses of cells. Of course, there hadnt been any at the start of battle or Lin would have noticed it.


    The sticky substance would not glue onto the crystal microbes, and only onto Lins cells.


    In other worse, it was the crystal microbes that had released this substance. Just like how the acid ejectors were not harmed by their own acid, the crystal microbes would not be affected by the sticky liquid.


    Under the aid of the sticky substance, the sticky microbes once again had the advantage. They could easily surround and kill the diggers and cone-shaped cells that could not attack. Enormous losses urred to Lins cell group.


    It was bad


    Lin tried to direct the cells to avoid the sticky substance as it observed.


    Lin noticed that the crystal microbes were not releasing the sticky substance so where did ite from?


    there it was!


    Lins gaze stopped on the area behind the crystal microbes arm. There were severalrge crystal microbes ten times the size of normal crystal microbes there. There were no thorns on their bodies, but the sticky substance was being exuded from their membranes.


    So that was how it worked. It seemed like the crystal microbes was like Lin, and had a cell groupposed of different cell types.


    Lin immediately moved into action. It sent out special troops towards thoserge-sized crystal microbes and nned on killing them all.


    The troops were made out of the diggers but they were now very simr to the rock insects. They had many mutualisticidocytes on the surface of their bodies and Lin also knew how to have thoseidocytes attack.


    The cell had to give a message of danger. Lin was not sure of the details. But it only had to have the cells prepare to fight for theidocytes to be nervous and shoot at anything that came near them.


    These diggers that carried theidocytes were just about 300 in number. Each digger usually had about fiveidocytes. There were more than 3000 little crystal microbes surrounding thoserge crystal microbes.


    Eachidocyte could only attack once and it would take a long time for them to grow another stinger.


    It would not be easy


    But there were only sixrge crystal microbes, so Lin only had to hit the targets six times in order to end this battle.


    Trantor Ramblings:Lin has good sense to be cautious   but it is so warlike. Eat, kill, eat, kill


    Im not sure if the crystal microbes are actual bacteria by the categorization we use for bacteria   or protists. I need to know what the insides of the crystal microbes are like. The crystal structure reminds me of diatoms which have silica cell walls.<figure>


    <figcaption>Scanning electron microscopy of <em>Radiria actinomma</em> (NOT a diatom) from ZEISS Microscopy (link).</figcaption></figure>


    Also, heres a video of <em>Paramecium</em> spp. shooting out its tricocysts were are simr toidosts. Some <em>Paramecium</em> spp. have mutualistic rtionships that make them appear green but they are the hosts of algae, rather than the symbiont.

 Book 1: Chapter Thirteen “Explode!”

    Book 1: Chapter Thirteen ��Explode!��


    Recap fromst chapter: Lin started his fight against the crystal microbes and ran into a sticky substance which hampered its troops.


    When the diggers which were apanied byidocytes neared, the crystal microbe seemed to detect danger. They started to assemble around therge crystal microbes. At the same time, a portion of them charged towards the diggers.


    About three hundred crystal microbes swam over. Lin immediately had the diggers move back and only a few dozen go forward to face the enemy


    Because theidocytes would attack automatically when the enemy came near, Lin could not have all of them in battle at the same time. It would be a waste to use them all at once.


    The diggers which hadidocytes swam towards the crystal microbes. When theidocytes detected that the enemy wasing closer, it would immediately shoot. Large numbers of crystal microbes sank before they even had the time to react.


    However, they were not able to be killed in one wave. About a few dozen of the three hundred or so crystal microbes had survived. They did not continue to charge. They stayed where they were nervously and shook.


    Lin knew that they were calling their fellows.


    As expected, all of the group that were protecting therge crystal microbes charged in Lins direction. Lin could not kill all the thousands of microbes, and Lin would not try to do that.


    Lin first had the diggers whoseidocytes had already shot out their thorns to charge. The other two hundred were being directed to take another path before the first group were all killed.


    Right now, thoserge crystal microbes werepletely undefended.


    But Lin made a mistake. When the diggers tried to move around the group, theidocyte on one of the diggers shot a crystal microbe. This caused a chain reaction. All of the crystal microbes started to charge towards the group that had been trying for a sneak attack.


    Retreat!


    Lin immediately had the group scatter but it was toote. The crystal microbes were just slightly faster at swimming than the diggers. Because of therge number of crystal microbes that came close, the majority of theidocytes on the diggers had attacked and were now depleted.


    In the end, there were only 23 diggers that were further away who still hadidoctyes with stings.


    Was it a mistake?


    Lin only had one eye and could not see more of the situation. It was hard to avoid making a mistake in estimating the distance. Lin had not correctly calcted how far the cells had to be so that the stingers of the cell would not be activated.


    Lin needed an increase in its perception ability.


    But it first had to finish this fight!


    On the battlefield, there were only three thousand left of the diggers that had numbered more than seven thousand. There wasnt even one of the cone-shaped cells left.


    Even if Lin lost, Lin would not go extinct, but that meant that Lin had to start over again. This fight was about the future of Lins cell group!


    The remaining twenty three diggers did not stop and continued to charge at the enormous crystal microbes that were exuding sticky fluid. This time, Lin could feel that it was about to win


    Go near, and then shoot!


    The poison stinger thrust into the body of a giant crystal microbe. It immediately started to twist in pain but still appeared to be far from death. Only when Lins digger had shot all five stingers into the microbe did the enormous body of the crystal microbe lose all signs of life and sink down.


    It seemed that because of the size of the body, the effect of the poison stingers was not high.


    On the other side, the crystal microbes swarm had almost killed all of the diggers that had used up all of their stingers. But when the enormous crystal microbes were attacked, they immediately hurried back to this side.


    But Lin was even faster. The few diggers once again charged towards the next giant crystal microbe. Five poison stingers were shot out and this crystal microbe fell.


    It was the same for the next four. Because therge crystal microbes were too slow, Lin could easily kill them before the crystal microbes arrived.


    Lin had the diggers who still had stinger cells remaining scatter. It did not want all of these stinger cells to die out. Now, it was time to return to the battlefield.


    The state of the battlefield was not good. Even though the enormous crystal microbes had all died,rge amounts of the sticky fluid they had secreted were still floating into the air. It was impossible to avoid being affected.


    So the only way to end the battle was the acid ejectors.


    From the beginning, Lin had not allowed the acid ejectors to participate in battle because Lin had been afraid that the enemy would acquire immunity to the dissolving fluid. It would be best to use the acid ejectors as thest attack.


    But Lin had miscalcted. Lin felt that it would have been more effective to have the acid ejectors attack the giant crystal microbes rather than the stinger cells.


    Whatever.


    There were 2977 diggers remaining on the battlefield. The great majority of them were affected by the sticky substance. Also, there were more than seven thousand crystal microbes.


    If Lin continued to fight, it would definitely lose. The crystal microbes could easily kill the diggers that were affected by the sticky substance.


    But Lin had the acid ejectors prepare a special gift for them.


    Lin started to direct special cells to enter the battlefield. This was something that Lin had started to prepare after discovering the sticky substance. This type of cell had enormous bodies about five times the size of Lins basic cells. They had been altered from cachers but the substance they stored within their bodies was not fat and oil but dissolving fluid.


    All of Lins cells had immunity towards the dissolving fluid. Of course, that had not been true at the start. They had gained immunity over time as Lin had the cells toe into contact or consume with the dissolving fluid of the acid ejectors.


    Lin called these cachers that had consumedrge amounts of dissolving fluid Exploding Balls.


    Yes, the only use it had was   explode!


    Hundreds of the exploding balls drifted into the battlefield. The crystal microbes that were fighting with the diggers saw these unwee guests and surrounded them to use the sharp spikes on their bodies to attack the exploding balls.


    The exploding balls would open their membranes when they were attacked to take in great amounts of water and swell their bodies to their limit ..


    Then, they would turn into art!


    What was art?


    It wasnt the first time a strange term appeared in Lins thoughts so it only wondered for a moment before disregarding it.


    In any case, when the exploding ball exploded after swelling to the limit, the dissolving fluid within would be expelled and could immediately kill dozens of the crystal microbes that surrounded it.


    If the acid ejectors were sent onto the battlefield, the openings they used to expel would possibly be sealed by the sticky substance. But the exploding balls were not affected by any sticky substance and the flows of water produced by their explosion would wash away the sticky substance in their surroundings.


    Arge patch of crystal microbes would die after an attack by the exploding ball. Lin would wait for them to gather together again before detonating another explosion. Consequently, it could use the least amount of sacrifice in exchange for victory. There also wasnt just one way that the exploding balls could explode. When they were facing just a few crystal microbes, they could engulf the microbes and use the dissolving fluid inside their bodies to dissolve the microbes.


    The exploding balls that had originated as cachers had strong abilities to consume to start with.


    When the crystal microbes were attacked by the exploding balls, they started to lose. Even before the acid ejectors entered the battlefield, there were only approximately one thousand crystal microbes left on the field.


    Even though there were not many exploding balls left, it was alright.


    Lin had thousands of acid ejectors that could easily destroy these crystal microbes. The following battle would not have any suspense.


    What Lin was puzzled by was that all of the crystal microbes were fighting. Even until thest moment, they did not have any thoughts of running away


    Of all the cells that Lin had killed before, regardless of the kind, they would run if the situation was not right. However, the crystal microbes were not like that. They did not run. Lin was very curious about that.


    For what had they continued to fight?


    But while Lin was curious, Lin still killed all of them. The corpses of numerous cells caused this section of water to turn turbid.


    Lin had lost more than 70% of its cell group in this battle but did not regret it. Lins cachers and basic cells had reached the battlefield. They acted as cleaners and took back all of the resources.


    Even if Lin did not calcte the new food crack it took over, just the corpses of these crystal microbes was enough for Lin to grow a cell group that was two times asrge as the one before.


    Trantor Ramblings: Exploding cells full of corrosive chemical  <figure>


    <figcaption>More SEM images of diatoms. Picture taken by Dr. Paul Hargreaves and Faye Darling.</figcaption></figure>


    The video isnt exactly the same explosion that urs but still cool.

 Book 1: Chapter Fourteen “Fright In The Dark”

    Book 1: Chapter Fourteen ��Fright In The Dark��


    Recap: Lin defeated crystal microbes with exploding cells and took over a food source.


    The destruction of the crystal microbes brought Lin endless wealth.


    Linpletely consumed the corpses and took over all the food cracks that they had. Lin started to furiously divide and increase in number.


    Right now, Lins cell group was more than thirty thousand, with significant numbers of every type. There was a rtively smaller number of exploding balls as this type of cell had no use except in battle.


    Lin possessed over 50% of the area on the entire rock. It could be said to be the strongest group on this area. While there were stillrge cell groups in the surroundings, Lin did not n on attacking them but to work on the biggest problem at present.


    Perception.


    Lin only had one observer from the start. This cell could not watch the entire cell group even if it swam around from higher up. So there was arge part of the cell group that Lin could not know about.


    There was only the sense of touch. While that was enough to feed, it was difficult to response if the cells were attacked, especially when it was viruses. Then what was Lin to do?


    Lin needed more perception.


    But how to obtain more perception? Lin thought of what it had seen from the stinger cells. The stinger cells would automatically shoot when the enemy came close. Then how did they know? The stinger cells did not have eyes, but it could discern the enemy.


    That was by perception and an extremely powerful ability of perception.


    After Lins cell group expanded over thirty thousand, it finally started to ponder questions of this kind.


    When a cell moved, it would affect the flow of water around it. The ripple would carry for a long distance but would decrease in strength. However, it was still possible to detect it, and also the slight differences between ripples.


    Lin did not know how to increase its perception. It had two basic cells train. One would remain motionless and the other would furiously move to create water turbulence.


    The motionless cell had to detect the flows of water. When it managed to do so, then the moving cell would swim further away and continue to move. The motionless cell would still stay in its spot and try to detect the flows.


    It was a very strange method but Lins experiment was sessful. The basic cell sessfully gained perception that was much stronger than just perception by touch. Then, as Lin experimented further, its range of perception became about the same as the stinger cells.


    When basic cells divided, they would still have their abilities, and would even have these abilities when they evolved into other types of cells. However, some were less capable, such as the diggers and the cone-shaped cells. Maybe it was because their hardened surfaces affected feeling but the problem was not major.


    Now Lins cell group was even stronger. Due to this, Lin did not fear going into the darkness any longer.


    Lin hade into contact with darkness a few times. That feeling was the same as when it did not have the ability of sight. Everything in the surroundings was in pitch ck and Lins sight was useless.


    In an environment like that, Lins cell group could only gather together and stay motionless. Fortunately, this kind of darkness would only ur for a time and then light would illuminate everything again.


    At the beginning, Lin did not understand what this phenomenon was but now there was a term that described this in its mind   night.


    This seemed to be a regr phenomenon. Light would continue for a time, and then change to dark. The night wouldst for a while, and then the light would illuminate everything.


    Lin only felt terror and helplessness every time t was in darkness in the past. But now that Lin had a new perceptive ability, it did not have to fear the arrival of night again.


    Lin thought, it was close to that time.


    The light in the surroundings had started to be dim. Just like Lin had predicted, night would alwayse at this time.


    The light gradually disappeared from the water. Lins field of vision gradually became smaller and when Lins sightpletely disappeared, it felt that the temperature in the water also became colder.


    The cell group over thirty thousand in number seemed to be in a void. Lin could not see them, but this time, it still felt them mentally. The cells could feel the movement of its fellows in the surroundings, the little flows of water out of the food cracks and the food that shot out.


    Lins terror was much less than when it first encountered night but it still had to treat it carefully Even though Lin had a new perception, it could not be careless in the darkness.


    Lins thoughts covered every single cell. It could know the feeling of every single cell. Lin already knew which flows of water came from the cells that were closest to it and which were not.


    Among the numerous feelings, there was a tiny feeling that was not the same as Lins own cells   this tiny thing gradually neared the outermost group of Lins cells.


    Lin did not know its precise size because it had never tested what kind of turbulence was rted to size. But this almost imperceptible feeling meant that it should be extremely small.


    If this tiny ripple did note from an outsider object, it was a piece of something. Lin chose to avoid it. It was not willing to take the risk. Lin had the cells that were closest to the thing move far away from it.


    Lin had a bad feeling.


    At this time, a stream of water flowed by. Lins feeling of this little thing disappeared. Almost at the same moment, Lin felt pain. Then Lin clearly felt the little thing was on the cell membrane and was intending to burrow into it!


    This was a virus!


    Lin immediately had the cells nearby move away from the cell that was being invaded. Lin also had the acid ejectors hurry over. Only they could kill viruses.


    The cell that was being attacked by the virus felt just like the time before. First, there was an enormous pain, and then Lin gradually lost control of the cell. When Lin lostplete control of the cell, Lin was sure that the cell was dead.


    Lin had to reach the cell before that happened.


    All of the acid ejectors were swimming. Just before Lin lostplete control of the cell, they immediately sprayedrge amounts of dissolving fluid towards this infected cell.


    At this time, Lin had no feeling of the infect cell. It probably had died.


    Lin could not see nor feel anything. Lin felt so unsafe for the very first time. It did not know if the acid ejectors had killed the virus or not.


    The acid ejectors had almost finished sprouting all of the fluid when Lin stopped. It carefully felt for any movement of the virus among the flows of water.


    Lin suddenly received a strange feeling.


    It was not the movement of the virus, but the cell that should have died from the infection. Lin could once again control it.


    What did this mean?


    Lin could not feel any great pain from this cell as though nothing had happened to it.


    But Lin was still unable to see what the situation was. Had this cell not exploded?


    If that was the case, then the dissolving fluid of the acid ejectors might not have harmed it. Lin had been nning for the acid ejectors to dissolve therge amounts of viruses that came out after the cell broke apart.


    But that did not ur. Had this cell just lost consciousness for a while?


    What was lost consciousness?Was this another special state other than dead and alive?


    It was the first time Lin knew this term but Lin could understand that losing consciousness could temporarily break off thoughts.


    Lin didnt know what to do next or whether it should allow this cell to keep living.


    Lin could only wait until the night passed. Then it could use its sight to see the situation. Now, it could just use the acid ejectors to guard the cell.


    When the light came


    Time slowly passed. Lin did not dare to ck off. Hundreds of acid ejectors surrounded this cell until the nightpletely passed.


    Light once again came and illuminated everything in the surroundings. Lins sight could once again be used. The terror of nightpletely disappeared.


    Lin immediately examined the cell that had been infected by a virus but was still fine.


    But after seeing it, Lin felt puzzled.


    This cell was a basic cell. Basic cells usually had a transparent outer membrane and a grey nucleus. However, this infected cell waspletely bright red.


    Other than that, there was nothing special Lin could feel


    Trantor Ramblings: I couldnt find any short videos on cells spewing acid   and looking at pictures of stomach ulcers is not pleasing.

 Book 1: Chapter Fifteen “Infector”

    Book 1: Chapter Fifteen ��Infector��


    Recap: Lin encountered a kind of virus that infected some of its cells but did not seem to do any evident damage


    Lin was constantly observing the strange cell that had been infected. The membrane of this cell had be opaque but if it looked closely, it seemed to see some round things floating inside the cell.


    Were those viruses? But why didnt it kill the cell? And only stay inside its body?


    Lin was very curious. Should it allow this cell to keep living or kill it to prevent any dangers from urring?


    Lin did not want to kill it. Lin wanted to study how this virus worked. Maybe it would have value?


    And the next invasion was about to begin. Lin nned on attacking nearby cell groups to take over this entire rock.


    If this virus had a useful trait, for example, harming other cells and not Lins cells, then Lin could use this virus to attack other cells.


    So Lin decided to keep it and try. However, the acid ejectors would be constantly guarding it. Lin also had to see if this cell was any different in action and activitypared to normal cells.


    In Lins preliminary observations, this infected cell was still able to feed like normal cells. Lin did not feel anything wrong with its control of the cell.


    But some problems seemed to ur when it was time for division. The cells that divided from this cell were also in an infected state, that was to say, it waspletely red. Also, it would produce some viruses when it divided, not many, just a few.


    These viruses appeared to be spherical and a red like the infected cells. However, it was one hundredth the size of a cell.


    Lin killed the viruses that came out due to cell division by the acid ejectors. It did not want its entire cell group to turn red.


    However, at this point, it seemed that these viruses were not a great threat to Lins cell group.


    So it was time to prepare for the next battle.


    Lins cell group was greater in number than any of the cells here. Lin possessed over 50% of the rock and the enormous cell group would allow Lin to easily kill off any of the other cells residing here.


    But what Lin faced this time wasnt any normal cell group.


    Lin looked into the distance. On the rock, there was a cell group that Lin called the hairy sea cells. This cell group was extremely strange. They seemed to be threads that grew on the ground and coveredrge areas as though it was creating ayer of fur over the rock.


    These threads would catch the food that spilled out of the cracks or hunt down other cells nearby and coil around them before tightening and use pure force to crush the other into pieces.


    Lin was not quite satisfied with the hairy sea cells name but it could not think of a better term   hm? Maybe it would be more appropriate to call it the Sea of Death?


    Why do I care about this? Lin was puzzled by its own thoughts. As the cell group grew bigger, Lins thought grew more varied and some strange thoughts would always appear.


    In conclusion, the hairy sea cells were something unique. Their thread-like body and strong constricting power meant that the diggers and cone-shaped cells were unable to attack. However, the biggest weakness of the hairy sea cells was that they could not move. Therefore, Lin decided to use the acid ejectors to clean them away.


    The hairy sea cells were packed on the surface of the rock. Lin had a difficult time estimating their number but in terms of area, they probably covered about 10% of the rock.


    The dissolving fluid of the acid ejectors was enough to cover such arge area.


    Lin had the acid ejectors move and spray dissolving fluid from above the hair sea cells where they could not reach. Hairy sea cells were killed inrge patches.


    Because the hairy sea cells were unable to move, Lin was not afraid the wounded cells would run, divide, and evolve into new cells with immunity against the dissolving fluid.


    This seemed to be a one-sided ughter. Regardless of how the dissolving fluid sprayed them, these hairy sea cells were unable to tear themselves from the rock to attack the acid ejectors higher up.


    Even though Lin was curious how the hairy sea cells usually split and reproduced, Lin did not n on showing mercy. In a short period of time, Lin had almost cleaned them out. The hair sea cells rotted and broke apart in the dissolving fluid. In the end, there was only a small patch that was not affected by the dissolving fluid.


    Usually, Lin would eliminate them. However, Lin suddenly felt that would be boring so it decided to try something new.


    Lin had that bright red basic cell that had been infected with the virus purposefully get caught by the remaining hairy sea cells. Lin watched to see what would happen.


    Just as though it had caught prey, the hairy sea cells coiled around the infected cell. The enormous pressure caused Lin to feel a new kind of pain.


    In the end, the infected cell exploded by the constrictive pressure of the hairy sea cells. Large numbers of small red viruses and cell fragments sprayed into the water.


    If the viruses came into contact, they were able to burrow into the hairy sea cells. Just like the infected cell, the hairy sea cells turned red and soon after, all of the hairy sea cells in the surroundings also were dyed red.


    However, the red hairy sea cells did not remain unharmed like Lins cell. They seemed to twist in pain and then lifelessly fell down. The corpses of these hairy sea cells then split apart andrge amounts of viruses flowed out.


    This was a clear disy of the virulence of the virus.


    But why were the viruses able to kill the hairy sea cells, but not affect Lins cells?


    Lin did not know the secret but this was clearly a good thing.


    Right now, these remaining hairy sea cells died from being infected by viruses. Therge amount of viruses that were released from the corpses floated in the water and dyed the water bright red.


    Lin had some basic cells swim over and into the virus swarm to take these viruses into the body.


    As expected, Lins cells turned red but there were no problems. It would not affect their movement nor be fatal.


    Lin named these cells infectors. A new kind of cell was created like this, and it had a powerful destructive ability.


    If Lin could use it well, the viruses could easily destroy enormous cell groups but there was a problem.


    The biggest problem was that the cells that had been killed by the viruses could not be eaten.


    For example, the hairy sea cells. After being killed by the viruses, what was left was only some fragments of the outer membrane. There almost wasnt anything left that was useful.


    Even if they had been corroded by the acid ejectors, the majority could be eaten.


    And while those infectors seemed to appear to not be a problem now, Lin didnt know if there would be problems in the future.


    Following this, Lin did some tests on the infectors. The infectors could feed normally but their movement was slower. Most of what they ate was actually used by the viruses. Therefore, when the infectors were feeding, their growth and division was much slower than the uninfected cells.


    Also, the infectors could not evolve like the original basic cells to be other cell types.


    The infectors could be said to be the tools of the viruses. The infectors had to carry the virus and then the viruses would be spread as the cell broke apart.


    Lin knew that it was not a good thing that the viruses was not harming its cells but that was just because it wanted to find a host to be a tool for its reproduction.


    Therefore, Lin would not allow there to be arge number of infectors. Only a small number of the infectors that had just absorbed the viruses would be kept. The majority would be taken to the enormous crack that sprouted hot water to be taken care off.


    Lin left behind ten infectors. If Lin encountered some danger in the future, it could use these viruses as thest move.


    However, what Lin was to face next wasnt a living opponent.


    Lin noticed a long time ago the little groups of cells that frequently appeared at this rock to search for food had not appeared.


    But this was not because Lin had taken over most of the area, but due to another cause.


    Lins entire cell group could feel with its increased perception that   the water was trembling.


    Trantor Ramblings: Lin has re-invented bio-warfare


    Viruses can be many different shapes. The spherical virus is actually in an icosahedral-shaped shell made of proteins. The actual gic material responsible for taking over the cell and forcing it to produce new viruses is inside the shell.


    The hairy cells are most likely ciliates, aquatic microscopic organisms with small protrusions to move the organism through water.<figure>


    <figcaption>Paramecium caudatum, Image from MicrobeWiki (https://microbewiki.kenyon.edu/index.php/MicrobeWiki)</figcaption></figure>


    <em></em>Chapter 14 | Table of Contents | Chapter 16

 Book 1: Chapter Sixteen “Water Current”

    Book 1: Chapter Sixteen ��Water Current��


    Recap: Lin managed add viruses to its arsenal in the form of infectors.


    Lins nt was to continue to take over this rock, and all of the food cracks, but the sudden appearance of the water current interrupted its ns.


    Water, Lins understanding of it was that it was something that was found all over the world. Its cells could only move with water. Water had always been very serene, but sometimes, it would be fatal ice crystals, and sometimes, like now, it would be ferocious and scary.


    A fast current shed by, and swept the entire rocky area. Countless cells were caught up in this current, and immediately disappeared.


    Lin had most of the cells hide behind some taller rocks. The diggers and cone-shaped cells could use their denticles to wedge and secure themselves in the rock cracks. However, this could not prevent a great loss of its cells.


    Another fast current went by. Large numbers of cells were blown away, and left Lins field of view.


    The losses were more than three thousand.


    Lin silently calcted. The cells that had been swept away were still within range of Lins thoughts, and it could feel them. However, when Lin had them try to swim back, they would quickly be scattered even further away by the fast current.


    Lin didnt know why the water current had changed to be like this, just like it didnt know why the water would freeze. Even if the cell group had grown muchrger, there were many things that Lin did not understand. Facing the ferocity of water, Lin didnt even have a chance to resist and could only endure it.


    This strong flow was not a longsting one but one that came in waves. There was no pattern to be found, and Lin could not calcte a time.


    Another wave of water carried away arge number of cells. Lin did not want to wait here for death. Who knew how long the flows of water would continue for? If this continued, Lin would lose at least 90% of its cell group, only the ones that were hiding in the stones left.


    While a small number of cells would not die after being carried away, but scattered, it was easy for them to encounter viruses or attacks from other cells. Even if Lins thoughts would not get lost, but Lin didnt know how long it would take for them to swim back.


    So Lin started to act. It did not fight against the water current but swam even deeper to a ce that no water flow could influence.


    Lin needed to hide in the rock.


    But none of the cell type could dig through the hard rock. Therefore, Lin only had one way to hide in the rock.


    Entering through that crack which sprouted hot water.


    That crack was enough to hold dozens of cells. Lin had inspected it closely before. The hot vent became broader the deeper it got. Lin estimated there was an enormous space inside.


    The hot water only came out of some of the smaller cracks on the walls of the crack. If Lin went in deeper, the water definitely would not be so hot.


    Then the only remaining question was how to pass through the initial and hottest vent.


    After the next wave of current passed, Lin immediately gatheredrge numbers of cells to swim towards the opening of the hydrothermal vent. It intended to enter before the next water current came. Lin already had defenses against this vent.


    Lin had the enormous cachers form a shield at the front to block off the hot water that wasing. They led the cells to advance deeper.


    The strength of the hot water was much weaker than the water current outside. Even against the hot flow, Lins cell group could easily advance, especially since the vent was in a period of inactivity.


    Lin had exercised the cachers to increase their ability to endure heat. While they would die if they were immersed for a long time, even after dying from the heat, Lin would have the cone-shaped cells hook the bodies and continue to use the cachers as shields. Using this method, Lin sessfully had many cells get inside the hydrothermal vent.


    Just as Lin had thought, as it went deeper, the space increased, from the start where the space could only hold a few dozen cells to a space that could hold thousand of cells. Lin felt that if it reached the bottom, it would not be a problem to hold all of its cells in the space.


    Also, at this depth, there were no cracks on the wall that were sprouting hot water. The temperature of the water here started to recover to normal.


    Lin seemed to have great luck. From entering the mouth to now, there hadnt been a water current. Arge number of its cells was already safe.


    Just as Lin was thinking of this, a very strong water current blew past the rock and washed away many of Lins cells that were outside the crack.


    However, more than 70% of Lins cells had entered, and there were not many left outside.


    Lin found that its cell group was staring to near the bottom of the crack. It was extremely spacious here, and it seemed like an enormous cavern.


    But there was a problem


    It was especially dark.


    Lin tried to estimate the size of this space using the tiny amount of light that wasing from the entrance but it could not see any more details.


    Once it left the area directly under the entrance, it was endless darkness.


    Should it go risk it by going into the dark? Or wait here for the water currents to stop?


    Lin didnt feel any of them were good choices.


    en?


    Lin suddenly saw a sh of light in the dark cavern.


    What was that?


    Blue dots of light shed in Lins view. They turned dark and then light again in the darkness. This aroused Lins curiosity.


    LIn had never seen light in darkness before. It wanted to know what that was, but it was more concerned if that was a threat or safe.


    Therefore, Lin had several diggers swim towards the dots of light.


    Lin could feel from the diggers senses that the dots of light created ripples in the water   it was   alive?


    Also, the moment the diggers got close, the entire cavern suddenly lit up.


    Light


    Countless dots of light sessively lit up in Lins view. They formed a sea of light that was like stars in space and pushed away the darkness here.


    Stars in space?


    Lin found that when it saw the lights, it received a new term. This term seemed to describe something that was vast and boundless.


    Lin noticed that the lights wereposed of numerous smaller dots of light. these little dots were small oval-shaped cells. They were only a fifth the size of Lins cells, but their bodies shed with a marvelous blue light.


    Under the help of the light, Lin noticed the appearance of the cavern. It really was a big one, the areaparable to Lins territory outside. More importantly, this ce was also filled with the white and soft food.


    However, the food here did note out of the cracks. They were glued in ayer of white gel to the walls of the cavern. It was all over the cavern.


    White gel? Right, so it will name the food white gel.


    The cells with light were eating the white gel. Because of the abundance of food, they almostpletely covered the cavern. But even though they were so numerous, they seemed to be extremely afraid of Lin. Lin found that if those diggers went close, the surroundings cells with light would immediately flee.


    Lin seemed to have found a good ce. This ce did not appear to have some strong foe, and it was not affected by the water current. Where would there be a better ce than this to developed its cell group?


    Yes, it only needed to kill this group of very weak things ..


    Lin moved to look at the light cells present. With just a thought,rge numbers of diggers, cone-shaped cells and acid ejectors could easily destroy all the weak little cells here.


    But Lin hesitated in acting.


    They knew how to make light, but if they were all killed, Lin could have a bigger cell group and a safe territory. Also, Lin could also evolve the ability to give off light in this environment. There was no use in leaving them


    While Lin thought like this, Lin still didnt act as it looked at the shing cells.


    this feeling


    It seemed to have appeared before.


    Trantor Ramblings: Water currents are dangerous things. Bioluminescence is pretty.

 Book 1: Chapter Seventeen “A Flashing Cavern”

    Book 1: Chapter Seventeen ��A shing Cavern��


    Recap fromst chapter: Lin decides to explore the rock after many of its cells are swept away by the water current. It finds the white gel food and luminescent microbes.


    Was this sympathy?


    What was that? Was this sympathy good or bad? This was a feeling that would asionally appear when Lin wanted to kill.


    But wasnt it very strange? Lin would asionally send the cells from its group to die, or kill it after testing for viruses. However, it did not feel anything when it did these things. Why would it feel for the cells that were not of its group?


    Was it because it was itself that it didnt feel anything?


    Lin did not understand. Right now, Lin was only able to know that this sympathy would stop it from increasing and strengthening its cell group.


    So Lin did not decide toply with it.


    Lin decided to name these light cells luminescent microbes. Then Lin decided to attack them.


    Lin had the cell group which had gathered together scatter to attack the surrounding luminescent microbes. While the luminescent microbes did not have any ability to fight back, they were extremely fast, and Lin did not have any kind of cell that could catch up to them.


    Due to this, Lin started to use encirclement tactics to herd the luminescent microbes towards the corners. This was a cavern, and there would be an end.


    Soon, Lin sessfully herded more than half of the luminescent microbes into the end of the cavern. With no other path, the luminescent microbes were squeezed together like an enormous being of light. The light was also so bright that Lin was almost unable to see them.


    But this would not stop Lin from attacking them.


    To deal withrge numbers of enemies, Lin summoned the cell with the strongest firepower  the exploding balls.


    These cells were filled with the fatal dissolving fluid, and theserge cells that were prepared to explode at any moment could easily destroyrge numbers of the enemy. While many of these slow-moving cells had been carried away by the water current outside, but there were still enough left to kill all the luminescent microbes here.


    Lin first had a few dozen exploding balls move forward to go near the luminescent microbes at the end of the cavern. The exploding balls did not stop when they came into contact with their opponents. They furiously twisted their bodies to squeeze between the luminescent microbes, sucked in water to expand their bodies, and then  boom!


    One exploding ball exploded, and the dissolving liquid that was released caused hundreds of luminescent microbes in its surrounding to be powder.


    The exploding balls sessively set themselves off. With every explosion, the luminescent microbe group would be a size smaller, and the light it gave off a bit dimmer.


    Lin did not like to ughter needlessly, but it would not stop before thest luminescent microbe was dissolved.


    However, some special things happened during this process.


    When some exploding balls sucked in water, they also sucked in some luminescent microbes. When these luminescent microbes entered the exploding ball, they would be quickly dissolved by the dissolving fluid. However, the remaining pieces would still be inside the exploding balls, and these pieces would give off blue light like the luminescent microbes themselves.


    Some exploding balls that consumed more luminescent microbes would turn bright just like the luminescent microbes.


    It really was wondrous. A new kind of cell  the shing exploding ball formed.


    It really was interesting.


    Lin immediately changed its tactics. From having the exploding balls destroy the luminescent microbes with its explosion to having the exploding balls consume the luminescent microbes. Actually, the efficiency of this tactic was pretty good because the exploding balls wererge, and the number of luminescent microbes it ate was not less than what it would kill in an explosion.


    No matter what, Lin did not stop its massacre of the luminescent microbes.


    Until thest luminescent microbe at the end of the cavern was consumed.


    The extinction of the luminescent microbes did not cause the cavern to turn dark again. Its light was now stored inside the exploding balls. Right now, these enormous balls with the ability to explode also had the ability to illuminate.


    However, Lin had only killed half of the luminescent microbes. There was still another half squeezed in at the other end of the cavern. They seemed to have detected that Lin had massacred its fellows, and so they were even more tightly packed, and the light they gave off even brighter. They even gave Lin the feeling that it was an enormous being.


    This caused Lin to wonder. It thought that these luminescent microbes would escape from the cracks, or evolve ability to fight back. However, it did not do anything, and just squeezed together to wait for death.


    Lin would not stop.


    Just now, there were several hundred exploding balls that had evolved into shing exploding balls due to eating the luminescent microbes. Lin felt that the number was enough so what was left was just simply killing them.


    No matter if it was directly consuming, exploding, or cutting, Lin would take back all the fragments of the cells, and there would not be any waste.


    Lins cells started to swim and go near the other end of the cavern  thest luminescent microbes.


    This time, Lin decided to use the diggers and the cone-shaped cells to tear them apart.


    The luminescent microbes seemed to detect the nearing presence of danger. They started to be anxious and restless. Some luminescent microbes did strange things. They swam towards Lins cell group, and then used their fragile bodies to charge at the denticles of the diggers and the cone-shaped cells, and then letting these denticles tear them apart.


    What were they doing?


    It was the first time Lin had seen this suicidal action. Lin did not understand.


    Of course, the luminescent microbes would not explode on their own like the exploding balls. They would not release any toxin after dying, they were just simply killing themselves.


    Lin found that about 30% of the luminescent microbes were charging forward to kill themselves while the rest were still piled up motionlessly.


    Were they thinking to use a small amount of sacrifice to trade for the lives of the entire group? Maybe they thought that if Lin received enough food, it would not continue to kill.


    It was a very simple to understand tactic   a reasonable tactic   this was most likely its only solution when it did not have any defensive capabilities.


    But Lins cell group stopped moving   why?


    The feeling of sympathy seemed toe up again. Lin felt puzzled. Lin had clearly done this frequently, and had concluded that this was just a very rational tactic for survival


    But why would it still feel sympathy?


    Lin looked at thest luminescent microbes that were squeezed in the corner. In the end, Lin did not advance.


    Alright.


    Lin moved away and decided to have these luminescent microbes leave on their own. While it could continue to kill them, it would have an ufortable feeling.


    Lin did not feel that this was a good thing. It might havepromised at this time, but Lin thought that it had to eliminate this thing called sympathy sooner orter.


    Lin turned to those white and soft food that Lin had named white gel.


    They were really stuck together inyer afteryer to the surface of the rock walls. They were everywhere, and took more than 90% of the cavern.


    Taking over this ce would mean that Lin could receive more resources than on the outside.


    While Lin felt excited, Lin was also bewildered. Where did the white gele from? Why wouldrge amounts of it be stuck to the rock walls? It remembered that it had encountered an enormous piece of white gel before. If that ce hadnt frozen, Lin would have possibly developed over there.


    Lin felt even more puzzled about the white gel. It felt that there would be a day that it would learn where the food came from, and what it was made out of.


    But as its present abilities were not sufficient, it would slowly be stronger.


    Lin had the cells move away and gather food. It saw that the group of luminescent microbes were still squeezed in the corner and didnt know when it woulde out.


    However, Lin did not want to manage them. There were not many luminescent microbes. It was not possible to see when they were scattered apart, but after they had gathered, Lin estimated that it had only took about 10% of the cavern. There were only so few left that even if they were not managed, they would not affect Lin at all.


    Lin started to consume all the food here to replenish the numbers it had lost to the water current outside.


    While this cavern was safe, Lin did not n on staying here forever.


    Lin found some problems. No matter if it was facing living beings, viruses or other cells, it had a good chance of victory. However, when it faced things not alive  such as water currents or ice, Lins cell group didnt have any immunity.


    Also, these events would suddenly appear, and instantly damage Lin.


    Lin needed to think of a way to fight back against these threats that would suddenly arrive.


    Lin had already thought of a solution for the water currents outside.


    Trantor Ramblings: Lin, practicing conservation even as a cell since the era of single-celled lifeforms.

 Book 1: Chapter Eighteen “The Path of Multicellularity”

    Book 1: Chapter Eighteen ��The Path of Multicellrity��


    Recap: Lin felt sympathy and did not cause the luminescent microbes to go extinct. It also had some of its cells eat luminescent microbes and so Lin now has shing exploding balls in its arsenal.


    In truth, when Lin entered the crack, it had started to consider how to endure the water current.


    This was like blocking off the hydrothermal vent at the entrance to the crack. If Lin gathered the cells to form a gigantic shield, it would be able to stop the attack form the water current.


    But in order to stop the strong flows outside, Lin needed even stronger and bigger shields. Lin thought that regardless of how many cells were gathered together, they would be blown apart.


    The cells had to be connected in a certain way so that they would form something that would not be easily washed away.


    For example, using the diggers denticles to hook onto their fellows? But it would be easy to have damage ur.


    But Lin thought there would be other ways to connect cells together. Cells were soft and could change shape. Two cells originally had been one, except they divided. Therefore, they should be able to be put back together


    Also, how did cells split? Why would it divide? Rather than grow big at the start?


    It seemed veryplex. Lin did not like to considerplex matters so it decided to directly experiment. It first had two cells squeeze together and use their cell membranes to cover each other, and continued to give them the thought ofbining.


    But this did not seem very sessful. Lins cells were not like the shapeshifting cells. At most, they could only form small protrusions on their cell membranes and were unable to grab onto each other.


    Then maybe it would have they evolving onto shapeshifters? Lin thought that the shapeshifters had taken form because they liked to burrow into narrow ces.


    When it thought of this, Lin had some basic cells search for narrow cracks in the cavern to burrow through to see if they could evolve into shapeshifters after a while.


    However, Lin did not want to just wait so it immediately did another experiment.


    It tried to see if it could stop the division of cells.


    When cells divided, it would first divide the nucleus into two, and then slowly tear apart the cell membrane until it became two cells.


    What Lin needed to do was to stop the division when their cell membranes had almost finished splitting up. This way, the two cells might be connected together.


    Lins cell group had been constantly eating all this time so Lin quickly found a cell that was about to divide. Fortunately, this was also a basic cell.


    Lin immediately acted ording to its idea. When there were two cell nuclei, the cell membrane would start to tear from the middle, and the two nuclei would move towards the two sides.


    When the membrane in the middle was about topletely split apart, Lin suddenly gave it a thought of stop.


    It stopped!


    The cell that had been splitting apart stopped. It had almost split into two cells. There was only a little bit of cell membrane at the end connecting the two cells.


    While it was a sess, the membrane would probably break with a pull.


    Lin had them strengthen the connection and then maintain this state.


    After a while, Lin felt that the connection should be stronger because the cell membrane at the point of connection became visibly thicker.


    Then Lin had one of the cells move outwards while pulling the other cell or for the two cells to move in opposing directions. Even at their greatest force, the connection did not break.


    It seemed to be a sess. So, Lin had a new cell type, but what to call it?


    Connector?


    It felt very average   but never mind. Following this, Lin could use the connectors to resist the enormous wall of water in the current!


    Lin had the connectors eat more and then had them divide. Of course, it was not to dividepletely like they did before. This way, the cells that were connected would grow in a mass.


    Lins present connector cell group easily surpassed therge cells such as the cachers and the exploding balls. Also, they had a special trait. Not all of them needed to feed. When one of them fed, the energy passed onto all the cells that was connected to the cell. This was very convenient.


    However, there were also problems. After this cell ball started to grow, their movement would be difficult since all of them were stuck together.


    Therefore, Lin had them move below the crack, and then to grow upwards in a spiral fashion. They formed an enormous circr pir of cells. The center of this pir was empty for Lins other cells to enter. There was an opening at the end for Lins to enter from the top.


    This round pir continued to grow through the cells at the top dividing and growing upwards. In the end, it reached the exit to the crack, and arrived at the outside.


    Lin found something interesting. Because the pir was made from basic cells, Lin could still have them evolve.


    Lin could have these cells turn into diggers, and move the part with the hard shell and the denticle to face outside. With their weak parts facing inwards, they did not need to worry about the attacks from the outside. Even viruses would not be able to burrow in.


    Watching as the cell pir continued to grow, Lin gave them a new name, giant tentacle.


    Lin still hoped to connect the scattered cells but not through this troublesome method.


    Then Lin found two more basic cells and had them stick together, then giving them a thought tobine.


    The cell membranes of the two cells were pushed together without any cracks as though they were two spheres pushed together.


    En? It seeded this time?


    Lin was curious. Why was it able to act out abine now?


    Was it because after stopping them from dividing before, the cells understood whatbine meant?


    This felt good. This way, Lin could form walls of cells everywhere rather than deliberately interrupting cell division, and then have them slowly grow. That was so troublesome


    However, it was enough to have one giant tentacle. Lin decided to wait until it was outside to create other walls.


    What Lin had to do now was to slowly feed and crow. It was not so fast for a tentacle to grow from the cavern deep within the rock to reach the outside.


    Now, the darkness outside hade. However, Linsrge numbers of shing exploding balls caused this cavern to still be light


    Lin saw that group of luminescent microbes still huddled in the corner. However, some daring ones hade out in search of food.


    Daring? What was daring?


    Lin once again felt puzzled at the new word but just like usual, it did not think more about it.


    There was more white gel inside the cavern than on the outside. They also appeared to never stop growing. Even if Lins cell group was doubled, it would not be able to finish eating them all so Lin did not care whether the luminescent microbes at or not.


    However, Lin would not let them grow too much.


    In the next period of time, Lin watched the giant tentacle grow. Those basic cells that had gone to squeeze themselves in to the narrow crevices finally started to show the effects of evolution. Their bodies became very flexible, and they could be pressed to a great degree as well as change form.


    But that was not enough. Lin wanted them to change shape freely just like the shapeshifting cell.


    Time slowly passed. Lins giant tentacle had grown near the opening of the crack but the hot water there stopped it from growing further.


    At this time, Lin had the cachers which had the ability to resist heat to circle around the top of the tentacle and then continue to grow. In the end, the enormous tentacle took almost all the space of the opening. The small vents on the walls of the crack that sprouted hot water were blocked.


    The moment the tentacle reached the outside, Lin switched back to using basic cells.


    Lin used tens of thousands of cells on this giant tentacle. This was all possible due to the abundant food in the cavern below.


    At the same time, the situation outside was not the same as before. The water current seemed to have stopped. Because of Lins departure, arge number of other cell types had gathered here again.


    It really was a pity. Lin had wanted to see if the tentacle could resist the water current.


    However, both this tentacle and the method ofbining cells would be of great use in Lins future growth.


    Lins cells swam out of the cavern through the hollow interior of the tentacle. Lin nned to take back its territory again


    Trantor Ramblings: There are a lot of theories on how multicelluarity developed. In this case, Lin acts out two ways to get a multicellr structure. The first product, which is when cell nuclei are created but the cells do not split apart, is called a coenocyte. The second way which is pushing individual cells intobining creates a syncytium. The cells membranes fuse together.


    Also, balls that sh makes me think of traffic lights   Lin the traffic light.

 Book 1: Chapter Nineteen “Protrude”

    Book 1: Chapter Neen ��Protrude��


    Recap:st chapter, Lin started to connect its cells together and be a multi-cellr organism.


    Lins cell group once again appeared on the outside of the rock through the giant tentacle. Lin started its n to take back its territory.


    This was actually very simple. Those small new cell groups were not a match for Lin. Lin didnt even need to observe them before Lin took back all of the food cracks.


    Therefore, Lin did not put its attention on this, but back to that giant tentacle


    This thing could act as a passageway, and as a shelter. However, the biggest problem was that it could not move.


    So many cells together, and with the hardening of the outside, the tentacle even had difficulty moving. Due to that, it would be a pir that would just stand motionlessly.


    While Lins cell group could quickly hid in there when there was danger, but if there wasnt any, wasnt the tentacle useless? It also used up a great amount of food.


    This did not seem very profitable. Did this enormous thing only have just so few uses?


    Lin should think of a way for the tentacle to move


    At this time, Lins observer swam back into the tentacle and through the interior of the tentacle, it returned to the cavern deep within the rock.


    Lin knew before that the basic cells that had been attempting to evolve into shapeshifting cells seemed to have seeded. It wanted to go back to observe.


    Lin had a feeling that these shapeshifting cells were the crux to having the tentacle move


    After returning to the cavern, under the illumination of the shing exploding balls, Lin saw that the group of basic cells had sessfully evolved. However, they did not be shapeshifting cells. Because they had moved through the narrow crevices over and over again, their bodies became long and thing, cylinders that looked like ge. They could not change their shape at will like the shapeshifting cells.


    Was this a failure?


    Lin did not feel so.


    These long cells were flexible and they could stretch out greatly and also contract their body. What did this mean?


    Yes, if Lin mergedrge amounts of this kind of cell into the giant tentacle, Lin could easily manipte the tentacle to move!


    Was this   muscle?


    When Lin thought of this idea, a new term appeared in its mind.


    This kind of long cell should be called muscle cells.


    Lin started to have the muscle cells divide and merge them into the giant tentacle. At the same time, itbined many muscle cells at the base of the giant tentacle, and had them stretch into the cracks of the rock below to secure the entire tentacle.


    Lin saw the luminescent microbes during this time and found they had started to swim and eat the white gel. They seemed to not be afraid of Lins cells.


    But Lin ignored them.


    When Lin finished taking back the territories on the outside, about 60% of the outside rock surface, the inside of the tentacle hadrge numbers of muscle cells. If Lin controlled them to flex and contract, it could get the entire tentacle to move.


    Then, Lin started to let the tentacle to grow. Right now, it was just long enough to protrude slightly out of the opening. Lin wanted it to grow until Lin could look down on the entire rock from it.


    What was next was waiting


    Lin continued to grow. the ck night came again. Right now, Lin would not fear this kind of phenomenon. When the night left, the enormous tentacle was much bigger. If one looked from the water outside, it was like an enormous tower standing up from the rock, and looking down at everything living and inanimate.


    It was time to attack.


    Lin controlled 100% of the rocks surface. This time, it was attacking thest big cell group.


    It was called the Ghost Mist Microbe.


    In reality, Lin did not know what the Ghost Mist Microbe was, but just had a feeling that the name was suited to this kind of cells.


    These ghost mist microbes were white and spherical, about the same size as Lin and coveredpletely in villi.


    Lin felt they were one of the strongest types of cells that it had ever encountered. Through Lins observations, it found that the microbes fur could harden, and reach out. When they hunted, they would stab their villi into the prey and most likely inject a grey liquid that was a toxin.


    The villi would also releaserge amounts of toxins. They were also survivors of thest wave of water currents because they could use their villi to grab onto the rock and not get washed away.


    If this was in the past, it would be almost impossible for Lin to defeat them because the cone-shaped cells and the diggers would be captured before they could get close. Only the acid ejectors could damage them, but Lin did not have enough acid ejectors. Also, random attracts would cause the enemy to be immune to the dissolving fluid. However, it was not the same now.


    Lin first hadrge numbers of acid ejectors go near the closest group of ghost mist microbes. The group of ghost mist microbes that were eating the white gel felt the attack and immediately charged over.


    They were rtively savage cells. They were strong, and if they were attacked, they would retaliate with all of their power.


    The acid ejectors immediately retreated and lured the ghost mist microbes in the direction of the enormous tentacle. When it reached the tentacle, the acid ejectors immediately circled behind the tentacle.


    The ghost mist microbes wanted to follow. They seemed to not realize that the giant tentacle was living. At this time, Lin immediately twisted the giant tentacle to swing at them. The ghost mist microbes seemed to feel that there was something wrong with the giant tentacle and immediately releasedrge volumes of toxins. The grey colored toxin spread through the water and seemed to create a mist.


    The outeryer of the giant tentacle had evolved and now was a thick but flexible surface with denticles. None of the toxin could permeate it, and the attack of the ghost mist microbes was ineffective.


    Through the muscle cells on the inside, Lin couldpletely control the movement of the giant tentacle. It had the tentacle bend to face the ghost mist microbes, and through the opening at the top, it suddenly opened. This way, arge volume of water and the ghost mist microbes would be sucked into the tentacle.


    Inside the tentacle, there were already many acid ejectors and exploding balls waiting for them. A great amount of dissolving fluid immediately killed this group of ghost mist microbes that did not know what was going on.


    Because Lin immediately closed the opening to the tentacle the moment the microbes entered, none of them were able to escape. As long as they could not escape, they could not evolve into cells with immunity.


    Using the same method, Lin easily took care of the remaining ghost mist microbes. The enemy which would have been difficult to defeat in the past wasnt able to fight back at all.


    The death of this little group of ghost mist microbes seemed to cause a response in all of the ghost mist microbes on this rocky area. They started to swim at the same time, the enormous groups merging into one. It was like a grey ghostly mist that floated in the air and charged towards Lins tentacle.


    It was not effective.


    For Lin, this saved it the effort of luring them over.


    However, before the ghost mist microbes reached Lin, Lins old enemy once again appeared.


    A strong water current suddenly appeared and swept over the entire rocky area. Numerous ghost mist microbes were swept away in an instant and disappeared without a trace.


    The giant tentacle at the center of the rock also titled due to this giant rush. Many muscle cells inside broke apart in this moment. Many of the strong basic cells that formed the resilient outeryer were damaged.


    Such a terrifying power


    A term calledmenting shed through Lins thoughts.


    But Lin would not give up. It immediately had new muscle cells take the ces of the one before. Those damaged cells promptly started to divide and repair in preparation for the next attack!


    Lin had been prepared for a situation like this.


    The cells worked at their fastest speed. The fat cells were continuously providing these cells that were active with energy.


    Before the next water current came, the enormous tentacle waspletely repaired and once again stood at the center of the rock.


    Through the transparent tentacle structure, Lins observer could see the water current in the distance started to be restless.


    Was it about toe?


    But Lin already know.


    Everything in the surroundings, no matter what it was, no matter how many cells it damaged or killed, what it brought Lin was not destruction, but opportunity


    An opportunity to evolve!


    But it could only get this opportunity if it won!


    Trantor Ramblings: And now Lin has tissue types in addition to being a multicellr being.


    I keep on imagining the tentacle as tube worms from hydrothermal vents.<figure>


    <figcaption>NOAA Okeanos Explorer Program, Gpagos Rift Expedition 2011</figcaption></figure>

 Book 1: Chapter Twenty “Evolve!”

    Book 1: Chapter Twenty ��Evolve!��


    Recap of chapter 19: Lin created a giant tentacle of cells by connecting cells together in order to not get washed away by the water currents.


    The water current still ruthlessly swept across the entire rock, this time even stronger than before.


    All the cells here were washed away by the current and disappeared into the distant dark blue. However, Lins enormous tentacle still stood upright at the center of the rock.


    Every time, the rush of the water current would cause the giant tentacle to bend, and many cells would tear.


    But Lin did not n to retreat. Every time, it relied on constant repair and cell division to boost the tentacle up again to face the next water current.


    Lin knew that its cells would evolve in such a dangerous situation. Every time it was wounded, they would bee stronger!


    The constant repairs used up a lot of food, so Lin had all the fat cells connect to the tentacle. This way, they could transfer energy fastest.


    The other idle cells were send towards into the cavern to transport new food to feed to the fat cells.


    The water current still swept the rock, and the time between waves was growing shorter. A whileter, when the next water current came, Lins tentacle bent with the wave, but this time, it did not bend as severely as before.


    There was a significantly less number of muscle cells that were torn apart. Most of them had be more resilient over the attacks of these water currents and were able to endure a higher shearing stress.


    Lin was happy at the appearance of evolution.


    But the water current did not allow Lin more time to be happy. They came faster and faster, one after another.


    However, Lin did not fall. Every time, it could repair the tentacle faster.


    By the end, the water current was almost constant. There was no time before its blows, but currently, Lin did not need to repair.


    Its tentacle was so strong that it was able to remain undamaged even in such a strong flow.


    Lin had seeded. Lin had taken a big step on the road to evolution.


    Was it happy? Yes, Lin found that it had a new term.


    Lin now had one less threat. Right now, the only threat in Lins memory was that abrupt and fast-spreading ice.


    Lin believed that if it had to face that cold terror again, it could win!


    The water current continued for a time before slowly decreasing in strength and then calming down. The entire area once again became calm.


    Lin opened the top of the tentacle. Large amounts of cells swam out and Lin started to takeplete control of this area.


    Due to the water current that had washed away all the cells on the rock, Lin didnt even need to fight to easily take over 100% of the rocky area.


    Lin started to n on creating more tentacles on the rock. This way, it could more easily take control of the entire rock.


    The tentacles could be used to hunt, in addition to defending against water currents. It only needed to suck in other cells, and then use dissolving fluid to kill them. It was so easy and convenient. Lin nned to put the stinger cells on the outside of the tentacle for them to grow. That way, it would form a terror tentacle covered in fatal stingers.


    That wasnt right.


    Lin suddenly thought of a better idea.


    En


    Right, fencing off the entire rock was more useful than creating many tentacles. It would leave more space for Lins cells to swim inside.


    Lin did as it thought.


    Lin hadrge amounts of basic cells swim to the edge of the rock, andyer together along the edge. After they gathered together, Lin had them evolve to be soft and resilient like the outer membrane of the tentacle. This way, strength and the ability to move would both be guaranteed.


    However, there was no use in a t and wide structure to move and it could not move like the giant tentacle.


    Lin felt that this was temporarily alright. Movement was good.


    The foundation was made usingrge amounts of fat cells that gripped onto the rock underneath.


    Lin found something interesting. While the cells could not dig up the rock, if some cells went into the cracks and continued to divide, they might push the rock into cracking.


    It was possible to for them to establish a firmer hold on the rock using this method.


    Lins observer also started to look at the edges of the rock as it observed the cellsing together.


    The edges of the rock were very smooth but there were still many cracks or projections that Lins cells were able to grab and use to form walls.


    If one looked down from the edge, they would only see a rocky wall that descended deep into the water. Lin could not see what was under there. Lin might go explore at some other time, but not now.


    What was next was eating and growing


    Lins cells increased rapidly. They quickly consumed all the white gel on the rock. Lins wall of cells around the rock was quickly built up. During this time, Lin did not encounter water currents, nor any strong cell groups. There were some small cell groups that asionally appeared and, without exception, became Lins food.


    What was worthy of mention was the luminescent microbes in the cavern. They were cells that were not afraid of Lin any longer, and started to mix with Lins cells to eat. However, Lin would push them away. In this time where it urgently needed food, Lin would only give the cell group enough food to survive, and nothing else.


    The cells grew slowly like this   the wall was finallypleted after multiple nights passed.


    In the process, Lin felt that oneyer of cells was not thick enough, so it added a few more, increasing the amount of time spent.


    The cell structure that surrounded the entire rock formed an enormous dome that covered the entire rock. There was arge hole in the middle for Lins tentacle to stretch out.


    Lin had created many little holes on the surface that could be opened and closed for cells to move. There were many of these holes on the outeryers for cells to be quickly put in to be repaired and heal.


    However, some of the damage could be repaired just with the division of surrounding cells.


    With such a safe defense, Lin did not need to worry any longer about the water currents. However, it took a great amount of food to support the enormous number of cells that made up such a great shield.


    As a result, Lin had the cells stay motionless most of the time. As long as the cells did not move, they almost didnt need food.


    But even so, the white gel inside the cavern and on the outside surface of the rock was enough to support the cell group and some extra, but was not enough for Lin to expand its cell group.


    Lin made a new n. It had some cells stop all activity, and then had other cells digest them. This way, it could obtain a great amount of energy at important moments.


    This was used on those cells that had lived for a long time. Their deaths could give more room to cells that had recently divided. Lin knew that a cells evolution rate on its own was never as fast as when it divided into new cells. Also, as a cell lived, the damage it obtained everyday would umte. For example, friction wounds from brushing against rock.


    In the end, they would grow weaker than normal cells.


    But new cells would inherit all the best qualities of the old cells, and would usually be stronger, and not any of the shorings.


    Therefore, this method of eliminating cells could switch out some of the very old cells, and allow Lin to evolve while not increasing the size of its cell group or its food consumption.


    What could this n be called? A new term appeared in Lins mind.


    Longevity.


    Yes, it was a great n to eliminate old cells, and give new, and stronger cells space.


    If one did not eliminate the old cells, and stopped division, then the food would be used up. Of course, when there was enough food, Lin would not use the Longevity n.


    However, Lin still wanted to increase its cell group. It realized that it wasnt enough just relying on the white gel that came out of the rock.


    But there would asionally be cell groups of various sizes that woulde close to the rock. Lin decided to hunt them.


    However, these cells were not easy to catch because they would leave after swimming to Lins outer shield and finding that they could not go in. Lin didnt know which direction they would appear from.


    But there was something that needed to be solved, what was attracting these cells toe?


    Yes, it was the white gel. Since that was the case, why couldnt Lin use the white gel to tempt them into a trap?


    En   trap?


    It was a good term


    Trantor Ramblings: So when you eat pieces of yourself, is it still cannibalism or just self-muttion? I wish I can get spontaneous abilities and parts like Lin just by thinking evolve. A second pair of hands would be useful.

 Book 1: Chapter Twenty One “Eye”

    Book 1: Chapter Twenty One ��Eye��


    Read chapter twenty that was posted just now before reading this.


    Lin named its giant hemisphere shield cell wall. The cell way was made out of threeyers of cells. Lin called the outeryer the ectoderm. It was the thickest and the most flexibleyer.


    The inneryers were called the mesoderm and the endoderm. They were not as thick as the ectoderm. However, if the ectoderm was damaged for some reason, then the inneryers would quickly harden to stop the danger from the outside from advancing.


    However, there was nothing that was a threat to Lin now. Therefore, it started to create things on the endoderm.


    Traps.


    Lin started to form some cylindrical structures on the endoderm. These cylinders were empty, and there was an opening at the ends. White gel was put at the bottom of these cylinders as bait. The inner walls of the cylinder had spikes like the cone-shaped cells. If any cell was lured in, the cylinders would squeeze inwards, and use its spikes to grind the prey down.


    Other than these fat cylinders, there was tentacle structures. They was not asrge as the enormous tentacle. They were rtively small, and made from a small number of cells. These small tentacles had cells that were filled with stinger cells that could shoot at any that came close.


    Lin still found something interesting. Light would cause other cells toe close. It had discovered this by ident. Especially in the night, a bit of light would attract a great number of cells. Consequently, Lin started to use shing exploding balls at the bottom of the little tentacles to attract prey.


    When night came, Lin had a new term appear beautiful.On the ectoderm,rge amounts of little tentacles swayed in the darkness and attracted cells that swam by toe close. However, the cells did not know that this was a terrifying trap. If they came into contract with the tentacle, they would be killed by the toxic stingers of theidocytes.


    The present stinger cells understood to attack with their toxic stingers ording to the movement of Lins cells rather than at their own will.


    After night passed, Lin relied on the deadly cylinders to hunt for prey. Those ignorant cells were attracted into the cylinders by the food inside. They would be torn to pieces immediately by the cylinder that closed and the spikes inside. No cell was able to escape.


    The enormous tentacle at the center would directly suck in all the cells that swam by and then use the acid ejectors inside to dissolve the prey.


    Relying on these traps, Lin obtained arge amount of food outside the white gel. Because the cells thate from outside was unlimited, Lins cell group started to grow .


    Also, after Lin learned how tobine cells together, it did not encounter anything that was a match for it. It had encountered past enemies such as the crystal microbes and the ghost mist microbes. Lin could easily destroy them.


    Once, a gigantic shapeshifting cell floated onto Lins ectoderm. This shapeshifting cell was more then ten thousand times the size of Lins basic cell. However, Lin still used its numerous tentacles with its toxic stingers and the enormous tentacle to kill it.


    The only thing that was slightly troublesome were the viruses. Because the tentacles that lived on the ectoderm could not be moved, they were easily attacked by viruses. However, the viruses could not prate the ectoderm so even if several tentacles were destroyed, Lin could immediately send out acid ejectors to dissolve and take care of the viruses.


    Concerning viruses, Lin still kept the infectors that were bright red. However, Lin did not let there be more than ten of them.


    Innumerable ck nights passed   relying on constant ughter, Lins cells group grew greatly. It started to feel as though it was an invincible being because it had never encounter any other cell like it that couldbine cells together.


    Lins cell group had multiplied in size. The tentacles on the ectoderm grew more packed and even longer and thicker. Right now, Lin did not need to use those cylinder traps. It felt that it was more effective relyingpletely on the tentacles.


    Using the Longevity n, Lin constantly switched out old cells for new ones. The cells were kept in their most active state, but Lin had a cell that it definitely would not switch out.


    It was the observer.


    Even tough the cell group was sorge now, Lin still only had one cell with the ability to see.


    This cell was too small. It could not observe the entire situation of the cell group. Therefore, Lin required several more cells that possessed sight and arge field of view.


    Lin knew the reason the observer could see wasnt just because it had ate that strange hard thing at the start, but because there had been light.


    The main reason that sight had formed was became it absorbed light.


    In other words, if Lins other cells could absorb light, they would also have the ability to see.


    But how to do that?


    Yes, Lin used his old method. He had a group of cells make a great swarm and then gave them thoughts of epting light and obtaining vision.


    It was not sessful at the start, and the group of cells didnt react.


    However, after Lins observer joined this group, this group seemed to have a wondrous transformation. The ones on the surface started to change the color of their bodies and their shape. The interior was changing at the same time, but waspletely different from the outside. They made themselves thinner, and formed something in the shape of a.


    Lin did not try to control the process of evolution. In truth, Lin had never control the evolution of cells. At most, it gave them thoughts of what should they evolve as. The finer details were produced naturally by the cells themselves.


    Lin felt incredulity at this quality.


    The cells would automatically do some things. For example, when Lin had the diggers go attack an enemy, they would twist and use their denticles to slice at the enemy. Lin did not need to control them to move and twist. It was about the same with the other cells. However, Lin had to control the exploding balls to suck in water before they exploded.


    Lin thought at the start that the cells would only be able to do simple actions on their own. But now, it seemed that this was not the case. They could doplex actions.


    While the cell group was enormous, and Lins intelligence was much higher, Lin still could not understand this.


    Why?


    Lin could not see from its viewpoint but the cells were still evolving. The cells on the surface were starting to turn into a hexagon, and the cells on the inside changed from a web-like structure to arge sphere. The hexagons on the surface seemed to be inserted on the surface of the sphere.


    Lin felt the speed of their evolution was slowing. This meant that they were almostpleted. Lin started to feel it.


    Vision.


    Even more light flooded Lins thoughts. Just like vision before, but it was unlike Lins narrow field of view. This time, it wasrge because this was an enormous eye that Lin used six thousand cells to form.


    Because Lin had formed this in the water outside the ectoderm, it only needed to look down slightly to see the fur-like tentacles it had constructed on the surface of the ectoderm.


    However, thisrge eye did not have any muscles and it was unable to move. Lin put some tentacles together to form arger tentacle and then connected the tentacle to the back of the eye.


    Now, Lin only needed to move the tentacle to see in all directions. Lin named this tentacle the eyeball antenna.


    Lin then had the observer leave the eyeball. Unless the cells were merged together like the cells on the ectoderm, Lins cells could split after merging together.


    After Lins observer left, the eyeball still had the ability to see. This time, Lin could finally see what the so-called eye looked like.


    Two different images appeared in Lins thoughts but it did not feel any discordance. It still could see every detail from the two images it observed clearly.


    The enormous eyes surface wasposed of hexagonal crystals. Lin hadnt through that the cells would turn into such a shape. However, there was nothing special other than this.


    No matter if Lins cells werebined or single, they were usually transparent other than the nucleus. However, this eyeball was tinged grey, and it was not easy to see the structure inside.


    It was the first time Lin saw the appearance of its observer. The observers body was the same as the basic cells but its outer membrane seemed more like a crystal sphere.


    This was probably the hard thing that it ate back then?


    Lin didnt know why this thing would allow it to obtain the ability to see. Lin had never encountered something simr ever since then.


    Why? Even if the cell group was enormous, Lin still did not understand many things.


    In the end, it was a sess, so then let it continue to grow.


    The term future appeared in Lins thoughts.


    Future, what would it be like?


    Lin didnt know. Even if it had such arge eye, when it looked into the distance, all it could see was an endless deep blue  Lin thought that it was invincible here, but in this world, there definitely were many more unknowns and wonders


    Trantor Ramblings: All eyes were theorized to have all evolved from a protocol-eye a few hundred million years ago. Unicellr organisms can have eyespots. A example in a species of marine nkton, warnowiids,es with pretty pictures. Of course, Lins eye seems to bepound, more close to that of an insect but the wawrnowiids have eye structures that are simr to humans. Funnily enough, the warnowiids also hunt other cells with harpoons..,.<figure>


    <figcaption>Microsope image, diagram, and scanning electron microscope image of the eye structure in warnowiids. Images and all credits go the authors of the paper at dx.doi.org/10.1038/nature14593</figcaption></figure>

 Book 1: Chapter Twenty Two “Explorer”

    Book 1: Chapter Twenty Two ��Explorer��


    Last chapter recap: Lin managed to create eyes from its cells.


    Lins life went on so.


    On the rock, the numerous tentacles that grew on the ectoderm continued to dance. The stinger cells that grew on them did not let go of anything that came near them. They killed these cells that swam close or were just passing by. Lin continued to slowly but consistently grow


    Lin didnt know what to do next.


    The cells that passed by seemed to be endless as though it could not consume them all. However, it was all random. It was possible that tens of thousands would appear in one night, and on the second night, nothing would appear.


    The white gel that came from the cracks in the rock or the cavern gradually decreased.


    If anything happened to these two sources of food, then Lins great cell group would copse.


    Counting the cells that made up the tentacles and the ectoderm, Lins present cell group was millions of cells. While Lin had ways to reduce the demand for food, and hadrge amounts of fat cells storing food, Lin did not want any problems to ur to food sources.


    Did it have to leave?


    Leave this rock and return to the endless deep blue.


    It felt   very dangerous even though Lin should be able to swim relying on the tentacles, and the single cells coulde along with the structure of the ectoderm and not be scattered around like before.


    However, Lin did not know what was in the deeper waters, and did not want to leave behind thisfortable ce.


    With food constantly appearing from above and below, where would be better than this?


    Lin did not act and started to n to dig on the rock underneath it.


    It was going to search for the secret of why the white gel woulde out.


    Lin used the strong muscle cells to reach into the cracks of the cavern. By constantly dividing, it started to tear apart the strong stone.


    After Lin opened some of the cavern cracks, there was more white gel that came out.


    However, this did not achieve what Lin wanted to do. It wanted to make bigger holes on the rock. This way, it could burrow deeper, and see how the white gel came out.


    The muscle cells were not enough.


    Lins diggers could not dig apart the rock, but what aboutrger diggers? Lin had some diggers form a ball. This enormous sphere was filled with denticles on the surface, and looked like an erged digger.


    This enormous digger had even thicker and shaper denticles. It only had to touch the rock and twist in order to easily split apart the rock.


    While Lin could excavate the rock now, from the size of the rock, it could not dig to the deeper parts in a short amount of time.


    However, digging at the rock was very interesting.


    Lin started to lick digging at the rock, and threw the matter of leaving out of its thoughts.


    What it did not expect was that staying at this ce that looked veryfortable right now would be a path of destruction


    Countless ck nightster, Lins digging had developed deeper and deeper.


    It primarily dug from the center of the rock. It felt that this was closer to the white gel inside. Lin had dug out a considerably deep hole. There had been a lot of white gel hidden in the rock. Almost every time the enormous digger used its denticles to scrape the surface of the rock, numerous bits of rock and white gel would float out. However, Lin still did not understand how the white gel came out.


    So strange


    Lin suddenly felt puzzled in its thoughts. However, this was not created by a matter rting to the digging.


    Lins observer was in the hole looking at the development of the digging, and the eyeball antenna was on the outside of the ectoderm looking at everything outside.


    Seven nights had passed, but the water was still calm. No cells, not even viruses, swam by.


    This phenomenon had never urred before.


    Even if no cells appeared at a certain time, after another night, they woulde in great numbers.


    Lin had many fat cells. So many that it could grow and be safe for a long time after it lost its food sourcepletely. However, Lin could not tolerate this strange phenomenon.


    Something had happened.


    Something that Lin did not know.


    Lin did not want to go out and be in danger but it did not want to wait here.


    Lin started to act. It used basic, fat, and muscle cells to form a tentacle. This tentacle was long and t. It could move through the water by twisting its body left and right. The top of the tentacle was a transparent oval, and the interior was hollow to store some fat cells. Lins observer went inside. This way, the tentacle had vision.


    Lin called this tentacle explorer. While Lin would not move the entire cell group, Lin could have a tentacle go explore the other regions of the water it had not gone to for a long time.


    As it thought, the explorer started to move its body. It was the first time Lin hadbined cells move. The movements were clumsy at the start. The tentacle didnt swim, but the water current it stirred up washed away the cells around it.


    However, Lin immediately knew what to do. The explorer quickly started to sim in the water.


    After swimming a few circles inside the gastr, Lin felt it was good. This was much faster than normal cells.


    After the preparations were finished, Lin started to swim outside. The muscles cells on the gastr contracted, and opened a path towards the outside for the explorer.


    The explorer was notrge. It was even smaller than the tentacles where stinger cells grew on the outside of the ectoderm. Therefore, it could exit through the little holes in the gastr.


    Countless tentacles slowly moved on the ectoderm. It was a pity there was no prey and they were useless.


    Lin left this rock it had stayed for a long time on, and the exploder started to slowly sim towards unknown waters


    Lin had the observer at the head of the explorer. As the explorer whipped its body, it could observe the environment outside. However, after swimming for a while, Lin felt slightly disappointed. Other than water, there was only water.


    Maybe it should swim back to that ce where there had been that enormous piece of white gel.


    Lin still remembered that area that had been frozen by ice. While there were no signs in this ocean, Lin still knew how to return to that ce.


    It seemed that many strange new terms wereing out?


    Lin did not care too much about new terms. It cared more about what had happened that caused no cells to appear.


    As the explorer swam, Lin could feel the changes in the surrounding water.


    Cold


    The water here was colder than the ce before. As the explorer swam forward, this feeling grew. However, Lin had a method to resist the cold now.


    The cells could resist being pervaded by the cold by constantly vibrating their bodies. Lin named this motion shiver.


    However, shivering would expend more energy. Lin had predicted this situation, so it had taken along some fat cells. However, there were not many. If this continued, Lin probably would not be able to stand for long before the explorer froze to death.


    Even so, Lin would not give up. It would create a bigger explorer toe.


    it seemed there was no use.


    As Lin moved towards the increasing cold regions of water, Lin finally saw something other than water   ice crystals.


    Countless pieces of ice floated in the water. They were of various sizes. However, the biggest was just the size of Lins explorer. These ice crystals filled this region of water. Lin remembered that this was the location of the enormous white gel. When the water had froze, the white gel had also been frozen into ice. However, why was there only ice crystals left now?


    So strange   had something gigantic smashed the white gel that had frozen?


    It really wanted to know


    Curiosity drove Lin to continue exploring. As it swam among the ice crystals, it felt the temperature here seemed to be slowing increasing. The cold decreased, and Lins explorer did not need to shiver.


    Lin swam along the warm flow. In the water that grew warmer, the ice crystals grew smaller until Lin finally left the region of water filled with ice crystals. The water here was at a normal temperature.


    At this time, Lin had the explorer turn its head. It saw an enormous region of ice floating above it. In other words, was it swimming downwards?


    Down was a concept that Lin recently understood. When Lin used its cells to create bigger structures, it could feel that there was a certain power pulling it towards one direction. While Lin easily subdued this power, Lin was still curious. What was this power?


    The new term that represented this power was gravity. It seemed to be an unique force and was stronger the bigger the object.


    After that, Lin called the direction that gravity pulled in down and the opposite direction up.


    Lin felt strange. Before, up had always been warm and close to light. Why was it that the down was warmer this time?


    Just as Lin was thinking about this, an unique phenomenon it had never seen before appeared in front of its eye.


    Trantor Ramblings: And we just jumped a couple of billion years into the future to Issac Newton and the discovery of gravity.

 Book 1: Chapter Twenty Three “Anomaly”

    Book 1: Chapter Twenty Three ��Anomaly��


    Last chapter recap: Lin created a giant tentacle called the explorer and then left the base for unknown waters.


    Greyness. Countless grey pieces of rock filled Lins vision.


    All of the rocks here were at least thousands of times bigger than Lins cells. They were also so many that they reached the limit of what Lin could see.


    Lin had new terms appear in its thoughts about this scene. This ce covered with rocks was called the seafloor, the rocks were called sand granules and when they were covering arge span like this, they were called a beach.


    Beach? Sand granules? Granules?


    It was the first time the term granules appeared in Lins thoughts. But it could immediately feel as though granules referred to things that were very small.


    But the sand here was not small at all.


    Lins explorer moved its body and swam towards the endless beach below.


    The closer Lin got to the beach, the bigger the sand granules looked. None of them were of the same shape. Almost all of them were of different sizes. Even the smallest sand granule was more than twice the size of Lins explorer.


    The explorernded on a rtively t sand granule primarily to rest. At this time, Lin felt that this sand granule seemed especially  warm.


    No, this surpassed warm, it almost surpassed Lins heat tolerance.


    This ce had something


    The explorer started to move. Lin decided to explore further.


    Because the sand granules were of various sizes, there were gaps and cracks even though they were piled on top of each other. Lins explorer could easily move through these cracks.


    Swimming between the enormous sand granules, Lin felt that the temperature here was very high. As it went deeper, the temperature clearly grew higher.


    After moving around a few sand granules, Lin saw an enormous rock being pushed down byrge amounts of sound. This rock was muchrger than the surrounding sand granules, so Lin categorized it as rock and not sand.


    This rock was ck, and there were many holes on the surface. there were transparent spheresing out of these holes.


    What was that?


    Lin tried to go near this rock, but the heat given off there stopped the explorer from going closer.


    Suddenly, there were more transparent spheresing out of the rock. The entire rock started to tremble as well.


    What was going on?


    Lin found that even the surrounding sound granules started to shake.


    The vibrations grew stronger. Suddenly an enormous pieces of sand granule fell from above the explorer and Lin hurriedly swam to avoid it.


    But as this sand granule fell, all of the sand piled up together started to crumble. Countless sand granules rolled down.


    Lins explorer avoided the falling sand granules and swam outside relying on the advantage it did not have arge body. It found that the water here was starting to grow hotter and staying here would be dangerous.


    Avoiding the countless sand granules falling down, Lin saw the light of the entrance. It was near the top, only the distance of a hundred cells!


    Yet at this time, the surrounding sand granules once again shook. Two sand granules on the sides rolled down at the same time. It pinched the long body of the explorer in the middle. No matter how Lin struggled, it was unable to break free.


    But Lin had other moves. At this time, the round head of the explorer suddenly started to inte. After inting to a certain degree, it exploded like the exploding balls. The water that shot out sent the observer and the fat cells inside out of the copsing sand granule area.


    The explorer with its burst head was covered by the sand granules in the next moment.


    It really was dangerous


    Lins obverse swam higher and looked down at the entire beach. It found that in the center of where the sand was vibrating, the sand at some ces copsed inward and formed holes with quickly flowing sand.


    Suddenly, a red substance burst out of a hole. In this moment, Lin felt the surrounding temperature seemed to increase multiple times. A fat cell that had been rtively close even die instantly due to the increase in water temperature.


    Lins observer and the remaining fat cells had swum higher, so they were not wounded.


    Lin carefully observed the red substance. It seemed vicious and hot. It continued to burst out of the sand pit and spread on the sand. It turned the entire beach into a hot red.


    Lava.


    Lin had a new term in its thoughts about this red sticky substance.


    No matter what it was, it was something that gave off high heat. Lin could not easily go near it.


    Lin thought and then swam upwards to distance itself from this terrifying thing calledva.


    As Lin swam upwards it found that therge patch of ice that had covered the upper parts had disappeared. Right now, the temperature of the water was much higher than before, and it was no wonder that the ice crystals would disappear.


    However, Lin had not found the reason that the cells were not appearing.


    No matter how frightening theva was, there would not be any cells that would deliberately charge into theva.


    Or was it that theva could reach very high? That would cause the water temperature to increase significantly and kill all the cells.


    But Lin saw that theva could not reach very high. And after erupting for a while, it would fall back down.


    Maybe it should go investigate the higher reaches?


    As Lin thought, it swam upwards towards the light.


    Lin still remembered that in the area when it first touched the topmost part of the water, the light there was extremely bright and dangerous. That thing that was called ultraviolet light could instantly kill its cells.


    Maybe this was caused by ultraviolet light?


    Lin thought as it swam. Suddenly, Lin stopped.


    Large numbers of cell groups appeared around Lins observer.


    These cells were not of the same kind. They floated around Lins cells. They seemed to have been carried by the water, and suddenly appeared in Lins field of view. They almost filled this entire region of water. In terms of numbers, there were most likely millions, no, billions.


    Why would so many cells suddenly appear?


    This was not right   it was very strange.


    Lin found at this time that almost all these cells didnt move. They seemed to all   be dead.


    These   were corpses.


    Lins observer went close to look at one of the corpses. These was nothing inside the cells corpse. However, the cell nucleus inside seemed to have been damaged, and twisted into the ball. But the outer membrane was untouched. This did not look like something caused by a virus.


    Lin looked at the other cells. They all showed simr signs, their death should have been caused by the same thing. But what was it?


    Lin didnt know.


    Lin felt very ufortable. It was the first time it saw such a great number of deaths. Among these floating cell corpses, there was even an enormous shapeshifter.


    Lin swam closer. This shapeshifter was also dead without any signs of life.


    The shapeshifter was the strongest organism that Lin had ever seen with the exception of itself. Yet it apped to have been unable to escape thisrge-scale death.


    What had created this? The temperature of the water here was normal   Lin did not think that this was caused by water temperature.


    Just as it was puzzled, Lin found the surroundings seemed to turn dark. However, this was unlike the darkness when night came. This felt as though light was being covered by something.


    Only when something enormous was passing by would cause this effect. Lin immediately wanted to look up.


    Large amounts of green appeared in Lins field of view.


    What was that?


    Green. More urately, it was arge group of green cells. It was unlike the other cells. They swam with exceptional liveliness in the water. There were also so many of them that Lin found all of the water it could see had turned dim.


    Were these green cells what had caused this scene?


    Trantor Ramblings: Underwater volcano eruption.<figure>


    <figcaption>Picture of underwaterva. Credits to NOAA</figcaption></figure>

 Book 1: Chapter Twenty Four “The First Great Mass Extinction”

    Book 1: Chapter Twenty Four ��The First Great Mass Extinction��


    Read chapter 23 first!


    Lins observer swam towards those green cells and wanted to examine them.


    These cells were oval-shaped, of ordinary appearance, and was about the same size as Lins cells. Lin remembered seeing simr green cells in the past. These were not special.


    They did not seem to be vicious hunters. They did not have any terrifying weapons growing out of their bodies and didnt react to Lining closer.


    It seemed that therge-scale deaths of the cells were not rted to them? But why were they alright?


    These green cells were mostly slowly swimming. They would asionally move their bodies, but they did not seem to be in a hurry to move anywhere. Even though there were such a great mass of corpses below them, they did not appear as they were going to feed.


    What did this green group eat in order to grow sorge?


    Curiosity drove Lin to go even closer. It found that when these green cells rocked their bodies, their cell membranes would asionally produce some transparent spheres.


    What was that?


    Gas? Bubbles?


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    These were new terms. Gas seemed to be referring to something without form or bulk.


    When Lin received new terms, sometimes, it would also receive exnations for these terms. However, these exnations would confuse Lin even more.


    These transparent balls that were called gas clearly had shape and they would not change shape.


    Just as Lin was thinking this, it saw two little gas bubbles collide. Then it formed a bigger ball. The merging was even faster than Lins cells fusing together. The connection was also perfect, and it was not possible to see that there had originally been two.


    T-this was really unique!


    Lin was immediately attracted to this scene. Those green cells rocked again, and more gas bubbles came out of their bodies. A few gas bubbles floated in front of Lins eyes.


    Lin was curious, but it would put the observer in danger. It had the observer move back and had a fat celle into contact with this gas bubble.


    The moment the gas bubble touched the fat cell, it smoothly merged into the cell membrane.


    So painful!


    What followed immediately was the great paining from this cell. The gas bubble moved constantly through the fat cell and tore apart the nucleus and everything inside.


    The fat cell quickly died.


    This scene gave Lin a fright. Was the gas bubble a kind of virus?


    But through the transparent cell membrane, Lin could see that the gas bubble inside the fat cells corpse had not increased or acted in any manner. It waspletely different from what a virus did.


    Then what was the gas bubble?


    Why could it destroy the entire cell?


    Lin now knew how such great swathes of cells had died.


    But Lin did not have time to think. Therge group of green cells above Lin was releasing more and more gas bubbles. Lin did not want to lose its observer, so it immediately had its observer and the remaining fat cells swim deeper as the air bubbles did not seem to be able to move downwards.


    After Lins cells swam to a certain depth, they started to swim back to Lin. At this time, Lin was reinforcing the ectoderm of its base and had the tentacles on the ectoderm all shrink back within theyer.


    Other than the enormous tentacle, all the smaller tentacles on Lins ectoderm could shrink back into the ectoderm. Due to this, Lin modified them. Now, these tentacles did not grow on the ectoderm, but in the middleyer of cells. They could reach out through the open holes of the ectoderm and then shrink back in times of danger.


    It had been a long time since Lin had encountered danger. But the danger this time made Lin feel terror.


    Each green cell could release hundreds of gas bubbles. When billions of cells were releasing at once, the area covered by the gas bubbles would be terrifying.


    Lin only hoped now that those green cells would not pass near its base. It didnt know if the structure of the ectoderm could block the gas bubbles.


    Base?


    Lin found that this term was a new one. It had unconsciously used it. However, there was no time to pay attention to this.


    Whoosh


    The water started to be restless. Lins observer that was hurrying back was swept away.


    It was the water current! Why did it have to be at this time?


    Lin looked back and saw that group of green cells were also being swept in this direction by the water current. What also came along were countless gas bubbles


    The gas bubbles would only move upwards in still waters, but under this strong water current, they were swept away in all directions and filled the entire area of water!


    Lins observer and the fat cells were unable to avoid these gas bubbles. They were immediately surrounded byrge numbers of gas bubbles. Some of the slower fat cells were permeated by the gas bubbles.


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    Only the observer sessfully dodged the gas bubbles. However, Lin did not have the attention to spare for it.


    Because this flow of water was heading towards Lins base!


    Lin had already had the tentacles shrink back. Now it could only wait. It only hoped the gas bubbles could not pass through the ectoderm.


    The water current was never anything good to Lin. It continued to rampage and carried that enormous group of green cells to Lins base. Whenrge amounts of green appeared in Lins field of view, Lin knew it would not be able to escape the danger this time.


    Finally, Lin had the eyeball antenna also shrink back into the ectoderm. At this time, the green cells that had came with the water current covered the light from the top and caused the entire region of water to be dark.


    Lins ectoderm was transparent, and the eyeball antenna could see the situation outside even from within. It saw that the green cells were in chaos after being swept by the water current and the gas bubbles they released were spread everywhere.


    Lin suddenly found that the observers field of view was still here and could see this scene. It should have been carried back by the water current. Lin hadnt thought it would still be alive.


    Lin opened a small hole in the ectoderm and had the observer swim in.


    At this time, some gas bubbles came close to Lins ectoderm


    Lin immediately closed the hole and had the eyeball antenna lock onto these gas bubbles. Lin saw them glue onto the ectoderm.


    Glue?


    These gas bubbles seemed to be stuck to the ectoderm, but they did not permeate into the cells that made up the ectoderm.


    Would this hold? Lin did not understand what was happening. In the next moment, the gas bubbles that were stuck to the surface suddenly entered the ectoderm and Lin felt a great pain at the same time


    It did not hold? The outeryer had been able to stop viruses, the dissolving fluid produced by other cells, and could not be washed away by the strong current, yet it could not stop the gas bubbles?


    Why?


    Lin did not have the time to think.


    More air bubbles touched the ectoderm and then they permeated in to kill the cells that made up the ectoderm.


    Once the cells of the ectoderm were killed, they would be fragile. While their corpses were still connected to the outside and stopped the entry of the gas bubbles, the water current would destroy these fragile parts and cause more gas bubbles to flood in.


    Just as Lin thought this, the next water current came. The fragile parts of the ectoderm, the dead cells, were sted apart, andrge numbers of air bubbles followed in.


    It could not be stopped


    Since it could not be defended again, then Lin would attack! Yes, everything would be fine once it killed those green cells. That way, there would not be any gas bubbles!


    Lins thoughts formed instantaneously. It immediately opened all the holes in the ectoderm, numerous tentacles searching out. They waved, using the stinger cells on the surface to kill the green cells that had filled the entire area of water due to the water current.


    But the tentacles were also made from cells and would be permeated by the gas bubbles. In this moment, Lin killedrge amounts of green cells, but more than half of the tentacles were destroyed.


    And the cell group of the green cells were evenrger than Lins entire base. Also, because of Lins attack, they started to swarm over. The enormous gas bubbles they created immediately drowned Lins base.


    Go die go die go die go die go die go die calm go die go die kill all go die retreat retreat retreat retreat


    Lins thoughts immediately shed through numerous times. It ordered all of the exploding balls and acid ejectors to charge out and furiously spray dissolving liquid into theter. There was so much dissolving liquid that it filled the entire region of water but while the dissolving fluid could destroy the green cells, they were not effective against the gas bubbles.


    Lin knew that the count-attack was ineffective. Then it had the remaining cells swim deeper into the cavern through the enormous tentacle and then usedrge numbers of diggers and cone-shaped cells at the mouth of the cavern to form a secure defense of manyyers.


    When the enormous tentacle died due to the gas bubbles, Lin was unable to receive an information from the outside at ll.


    The enormous base that Lin had constructed and everything else outside were destroyed due to these small gas bubbles. Fortunately, these gas bubbles would not burrow into the cavern


    What Lin didnt know was that it was not the only one that received a destructive attack.


    Because of the activity of theva and underground volcanoes which caused the water temperature to rise, these green cells increased greatly in poption. The gas that they released was a fata toxin to all of the being on this. This toxic gas spread through the entire nt as the green cells increased in density. Almost 90% of all living beings went extinct in this ocean


    Lins thoughts actually had a term that represented this gas.


    Oxygen.


    (The author being Phase Walker. Im just tranting here.)


    Author notes: Aah   since this is the end of the first volume, then I will chat for a bit here.


    Its not that I dont want to update more, its that I cannot write faster. Some ces are very difficult to write. When Im writing, I always have to go look at microscopes, documentaries and all kinds of information. It takes a long time to write one chapter. Cells are trulyplex


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    But whats next is the era of multicellrity. The updates will be faster and I also like to study multicellr organisms. So updates will increase.


    Trantor Rambling: And we are at thiss equivalent of the Great Oxygenation Event. The evil green cyanobacteria with their toxic oxygen byproducts


    While the title is 4.6 billion years, the novels timeline isnt of Earth. So even though the Great Oxygenation Even was approximately 2.45 billion years ago on Earth, this novel still has a long way to go  <figure>


    <figcaption>Cyanobacteria. From Wikipedia.</figcaption></figure>


    0023| Table of Contents | Volume 2 0001

 Book 2: Chapter One “After the Sleep”

    Book 2: Chapter One ��After the Sleep��


    Recap fromst chapter: Lin encounters oxygen and its enormous base on the rock is destroyed as a result.


    An unknown amount of time passed.


    After that cmity, Lin used a great number of cells to block off the entrance to the cavern and never opened it.


    Through the transparent cells, it could see that the gas bubbles floating outside had never decreased even though there were no more green cells.


    Lin tried to have the cells evolve immunity against the gas bubbles but every cell that absorbed the gas bubbles would immediately die. There were no cells that could sessfully survive, and divide into cells with immunity.


    Lin could only focus on the cavern entrance, watch as day and night switched back and forth, and hope for a day that it could once again return to the water outside.


    But the cells constantly appeared outside and obstructed Lin


    However, the food that was called the white gel inside the cavern was not endless.


    The white gel that came out of the cavern walls gradually started to decrease. This process was slow and long. At the start, it did not affect Lin greatly but umted over time, the white gel was unable to sustain Lins cell group. In the end, there wasnt one bit left.


    When Lin finished eating thest of the white gel, the entire cavern became a normal rock cavern.


    Lin tried to dig down, but no matter how much it excavated, it could not uncover any white gel. It only found rock under rock, and there was no more white gel in the rock.


    Also, in thest excavation, Lin even dug out a few gas bubbles. This caused Lin to stop digging.


    At the start, Lin first ate the luminescent microbes that were still alive, and then started to use up the fat cells in its cell group. These cells allowed Lin to survive for a very long time.


    However, it was useless. The gas bubbles outside did not decrease, and showed sings of increasing.


    Against Lins will, the fat cells were used up and Lin started to use up the other non-fat cells. In other words, killing those cells and using the corpses to support the remaining cells.


    It was not a good idea to eat ones one cells to survive. Lins once prosperous cell group started to wither and decrease dramatically. After a period of time, Lins cell group dropped from the millions to only a few thousand.


    Thatyer of cells in front of the cavern entrance had died long ago, but their bodies were still there, stopping the gas bubbles from floating inside.


    Lin knew that this was a long process of dying.


    Lin had never stopped trying to have some cells go outside to evolve immunity against the gas bubbles, but none of them seeded.


    Could it only wait for death?


    It was not like that.


    In thest moment, Lin gathered all of its remaining cells into a sphere, and the observer at the center.


    Lin had these cells connect together, and then hardened the outeryer.


    This sphere was at the center of the cavern. Lin called it a cocoon. After forming the cocoon, it proceeded to the next step that it called hibernation.


    In the state of hibernation, the cells wouldpletely stop moving. In this state, it would almost not need any food. This was a state used for a long wait. Lin thought that in this state, no matter how long it had to wait, it would not die.


    But after hibernation, Lins consciousness would sink into darkness. This would cause it to bepletely cut off from the outside. It would not be able to feel anything, not know how long had passed, not know the changes outside, and not know when it should recover its consciousness.


    Lin did not overthink. It could only hope that the future would be better.


    Thinking this way, Lin slowly sank into hibernation. The image from the observer slowly became blurry in its consciousness and thenpletely sank into darkness


    Time continued to pass. As day and night switched countless times, the surrounding world changed greatly. However, Lin did not detect this. It was still in the state of hibernation. Lin did not set a time for itself to wake up because it did not know what time would be safest.


    However, other than Lins consciousness, its cells had the ability to judge the world around them.


    This was Lins thought, have the cells judge for themselves when to wake up.


    After an unknown length of time passed, Lin finally received a message to wake up.


    Had it seeded? Was there no more danger in the surroundings?


    The observer slowly swayed its body. When Lins consciousness woke up, light once again filled its thoughts.


    The hardyer of the cocoon slowly fell off as Lin woke up. The cells hidden inside once again swam out and came into contact with the outside world.


    At first nce, Lin could see the surrounding cavern. This was still the same as when it had entered hibernation. There almost werent any changes.


    However, Lin saw something that terrified itthose gas bubbles were everywhere in the cavern!


    But Lin did not think about escape. Since it woke up, there definitely had to be a reason.


    Lin watched as one cell came into contact with a gas bubble. Just like before, the gas bubble was absorbed into the cell and then


    Nothing happened.


    The gas bubble did not kill the cell like before. Lin was certain that these gas bubbles were the thing called oxygen. This thing would destroy the nucleus and give Lin great pain, but there was no feeling now.


    Had it evolved?


    Yes, it was evolution. Lin had evolved immunity towards these gas bubbles while it didnt know how much time had been spent and how many cells had died.


    But as long as it could live, everything was worth it.


    Then now was the time to be alive again!


    Lin found that there were all kinds of little cells on the surrounding cavern walls. It was not strange for other cells to enter the cavern during Lins hibernation, and this was all free food to Lin.


    What was free? Such a strange word.


    Who cares that much?


    Lin felt very good right now. Almost all of its surviving cells were basic cells. There were some stinger cells and other cells. Lin was very happy they were alive.


    Lin immediately had the basic cells change shape. Some became diggers, some acid ejectors. After they finished changing, they quickly started to hunt the wild cells in the surroundings.


    These little cells did not have any abilities to fight, and then quickly became Lins food toe back to life.


    In the process of hunting these cells, Lin found some interesting things. The cells that absorbed the gas bubbles did not have anything happen to them.


    Unlike in the past, the cells that absorbed the oxygen gas bubbles became even faster and stronger than before. They seemed to have increased in all of their abilities.


    Why? Did these cells not just get the immunity to oxygen, they could use it to strengthen themselves?


    This was really   unique.


    But why? Did oxygen have some wondrous power?


    Lin was unable to understand it right now.


    Lins cells that had obtained new energy quickly killed the surrounding cells and then rapidly divided. Lin decided to recover the former prosperity of its cell group.


    However, Lin did not want to wait by a tree stump for a hare <sup>1</sup>. It decided to form something that could swim quickly to move through the water and hunt.


    Wait   what were tree stump and hare?


    Why would it have these strange words? While Lin understood wait, what were tree stump and hare?


    I dont want any of these strange terms appear again!


    Lin thought this, but it still thought that these terms would still appear.


    After a small detour, Lin started to assemble its cells.


    Lin found that these cells grew and divided faster with the help of oxygen, and it was even quicker for them to assemble.


    Lin quickly assembled something unique.


    Able to help it travel   a body.


    Trantor Ramblings: The hibernation part I can ept with question   sort of   the spontaneous adaptation to oxygen levels   well, its a story.<ol><li> Sit by a tree trunk to wait for a hare is a Chinese idiom. The story is that one day, a farmer working in his field saw a wild hare that hit the trunk of a tree in his field and killed itself. The farmer had a good meal and decided to keep waiting for more hares toe rather than to keep farming.</li></ol>

 Book 2: Chapter Two “Departure”

    Book 2: Chapter Two ��Departure��


    Last chapter recap: Lin woke up and found that its cells were now immune to the destructive nature of oxygen.


    The new body that Lin assembled was not very different than in the past.


    The main body was structured like a sphere. The outeryer was covered in tentacles that had stinger cells that could be used to hunt or swim while the interior of the body was hollow, and could be used to hold roaming cells. Lin created an eyeball at the front of the body, smaller than the one before but bigger than the observer.


    There was an oval-shaped tail at the rear that was primarily made of muscle cells. An opening at the end of the tail that could quickly inhale and expel water by the muscle cells, allowing Lin could elerate and move in an instant.


    The entire body was only about 30% of howrge the base had been as, other than some cells on the cavern and the rock, there was nothing to eat. The white gel which had constantlye out had long stopped and so Lin could only create a structure of this size.


    Lin decided to call this a voyager. Lin decided to travel for a long distance in search of new food and beings.


    As Lin thought this, it started to swing the tentacles on the voyagers body. It left this rock that it had stayed an unknown amount of time on to go into the ocean.


    The scenery in the water was the same familiar one. It had not changed. It was vast and empty. It caused Lin to feel uneasy, yet this feeling quickly disappeared.


    The water in this area seemed to warm up. The surrounding light became brighter. Lin found that it was unknowingly swimming upwards. The further it went in the opposite direction of gravity, the stronger the increase in water temperature and light.


    The ectoderm of the voyager had already been hardened. The more hardened the outeryer was, the duller its perception of the outside world. However, Lin set up two little tentacles at the front of the voyager. This allowed Lin to know the changes in temperature, the flow of water, and other conditions clearly.


    At this time, therge eyeball of the voyager found some things. The enormous patch of green up front immediately attracted Lins attention. That was something that Lin was familiar with


    Green cells.


    These cells that released the destructive oxygen was gathered inrge numbers in the water up ahead. At the same time, Lin also noticed that the light over there was especially   bright.


    The green cells themselves did not have any offensive abilities but the oxygen bubbles that it released had a terrifying and fatal power. But right now, Lin was not afraid of oxygen so the green cells meant only one thing to Lin


    Food.


    Lin suddenly retracted the tail of the voyager. The body of the voyager suddenly instantly charged toward therge colony of green cells. It swung the tentacles on its body and started to kill the surrounding green cells.


    The green cells did not have any defensive ability, and their speed could not match the voyager. When Lin charged into their colony, the tentacles only needed to swing to kill numerous green cells.


    There was an orifice below the eyeball of the voyager. After killing many green cells, Lin opened the orifice to suck in the remains of the green cells. Then it used the acid ejectors inside the voyager to dissolve the remains and had some of the tentaclesposed of fat cells feed.


    These steps appearedplex but, in reality, it was quick to aplish. The obtained nutrients quickly spread through the voyager.


    After eating a group of green cells, Lin charged towards the next group. There were many green cells in this region of water. Lin estimated that there were several million. If Lin could consume all of them, Lin could increase its cell group greatly.


    The green cells would move and dodge when Lin arrived, but they were slow to move. To Lin, their movements were akin to just twisting where they were. Most of green cells were killed by Lins tentacles before they even had the time to move.


    Of course, this was because Lin was able to use oxygen and its speed was much faster than in the past.


    After consuming these cells, Lin started to use the nutrients to increase the body of the voyager as well as the fat cells to prepare to travel to the next hunting ce.


    When Lin had been killing the green cells, Lin had produced some questions. What did these green things eat for food? It was rtively warm here, and the light was bright, but Lin did not see any other cells or food like the white gel. How were they able to form a colony here?


    Did they use light and warmth as food?


    There was only thest group of green cells in front of Lin. Lin had almost consumed all of them. The water that had been dyed green by the cells had be vast and empty again. Right now, there were only about a thousand of the green cells in this little group. They were huddled together and did not flee or fight back. This caused Lin to think of the luminescent microbes.


    However, this time, Lin didnt feel anything like sympathy.


    Lin did not n to eat them all. It used the basic cells to form a hemispherical structure on the outeryer of the voyager that could fit a few thousand cells. Lin called this the rearing pen.


    Rearing seemed to be a new word that seemed very useful.


    There was an orifice on the top of the rearing pen that was controlled by muscle cells which could suck in things from the outside. Lin turned towards the remaining little group of green cells and herded them all into the rearing pen.


    Lins aim in doing this was of course to study them. If the green cells were truly able to use light and warmth as food, then Lin would rear them and have them continue to divide. This would mean endless food.


    Lin herded almost all of the green cells into the pen. The outeryer of the rearing pen was transparent. This way, light would reach them. Lin would quickly learn if these cells could divide when they just had light and warmth.


    Lin also created a little eyeball on the inner wall of the rearing pen to observe the activity of the green cells and make sure that they would not make any actions of resistance.


    After doing all this, Lin moved its gaze back to the empty water.


    Where should it go?


    If warmer ces would have more green cells, then what about deeper ces?


    Lins curiosity drove it to swim downwards. While one should rear the green cells in a ce with light, Lin did not actually care if it could sessfully rear the green cells. The desire to explore took up a greater part of Lins thoughts.


    As it thought, Lin moved the head of the voyager downwards and waved its tentacles to depart for deeper areas.


    Just as Lin had thought, as it swam downwards along gravity, the water became colder. However, Lin still remembered the string it had seen before. Thinking about it now, Lin didnt know what that was, but it clearly was a certain high-temperature object that could heat up an entire area.


    If Lin encountered it again, it would definitely avoid it.


    After swimming downwards for a while, the eyeball of the voyager passed into Lins thoughts some familiar things.


    Sand and cells.


    All kinds of cells were gathered in this rtively cold region of water. Unlike what Lin had seen above which were all green cells, the cells here were not the same type. They were gathered together by their cell type, searching for food or hunting each other. Their activity was on a vast patch of sand.


    The sand here was not like the grey sand that Lin had seen before. This sand was white, and even finer. The smallest grains were just a tiny bit bigger than Lins cell, thergest one thousand times bigger. The cells mostly swam through the cracks between sand particles. Some even took up residence on rtivelyrger grains of sand. There were many and they upied the entire sand patch as far as Lin could see.


    These cells were good prey. Lins voyager- had millions of cells, so even the biggest cell group here appeared small inparison


    Lin was sure that no cell was a match for it. However, due to the enormity of the voyager, it was not suited to moving between the cracks of the sand. Lin needed to use a more suitable structure to hunt.


    While Lin could choose to first construct a base like before, and then use the shing tentacles and other things to attract other cells over to kill them, Lin thought that it was not proactive enough.


    If no cells came, it would starve. Lin needed a more proactive hunting method


    Soon, Lin thought of a good solution, but it had to first modify the voyager.


    As Lin pondered this, Lin started to modify the voyager. It expanded the body of the voyager. The structure was still a sphere, but Lin had taken off the tentacles that covered the surface and only left behind two thin and long tentacles to swim. Lins removal method was to have them die. This was a method akin to longevity.


    Expanding was to have the ectoderm cells divide to increase the overall size. Modification took arge amount of energy, but it was worth it when there was so much food below.


    Then Lin started to create numerous orifices in an ordered pattern that were controlled by muscle cells on the ectoderm. They were of various sizes, and primarily used for the entry and exit of various units.


    What were units?


    Lin was creating them inside the body of the voyager. The so-called units were primarilyposed of cells that were not veryrge. They were mostly made from the cells with strong offensive ability such as the cone-shaped cells, stinger cells, or acid ejectors. Lin used them to go into the cracks of the sand path or to swim far to kill other cells, transport the spoils back to the body of the voyager and then stored away the nutrients.


    At this time, the voyager was like the base of the past. It was the storage ce of the resources. Unlike the base of the past that was stuck on the rock and could only wait for prey to arrive, this base was able to move, and it was much more proactive in hunting.


    At the same time, it should not be called voyager any longer.


    Lin gave it a new name


    Mothership.

 Book 2: Chapter Three “Mothership”

    Book 2: Chapter Three ��Mothership��


    Last chapter recap: Lin traveled away in a newly made body and encountered a patch of sand.


    Lin formed new units from cells inside the mothership. Originally, Lin designed many kinds, but then it suddenly felt that there was no great need so it only created one.


    These hunting units were primarily round. Their gaping mouths were filled on the inside with sharp teeth made from cone-shaped cells and some acid ejectors mixed in as well. If they neared prey and opened their mouth-like fissures, they could suck in the prey, and then use the sharp teeth mixed with the acid ejector ejectors to kill the prey.


    Other than this, these balls withrge mouths had an eyeball observer, and two long tentacles to help it swim.


    They were called devourers. Just like their name, Lin created them to devour!


    However, the devourers did not have the ability to digest food. The interior of their mouths werepletely covered in cone-shaped cells or acid ejectors, and their bodies were made fromrge numbers of muscle cells. Lin had sacrificed the organs needed to absorb food and transport food to maximize their speed and power. If the devourers used up their energy, they only needed to return to the mothership and they would be replenished by the fat cells inside the mothership.


    Lin suddenly found that organ was a new word. It meant structures that were made from many cells and had special uses.


    That felt pretty good. It would start hunting now!


    The devourers started to act. They wriggled their tentacles to swim out of the surface of the mothership and started to hunt all the cells nearby.


    The devourers were not of the same size. Lin had designed them so that they could burrow into the cracks between the sand. The smallest was made from a few hundred cells, thergest from tens, and even hundreds of thousands. However, they all had the same abilities, and so was their appearance. Lin did not feel that there was any need to design too many types at present.


    The devourers spread apart and started to swim toward the hunting grounds suited for their body size.


    If they found cells, the devourers would charge forward, open theirrge mouth to devour the cells and then crush them to pieces.


    Lin found as it observed the killing of the cells that the movement of these cells were different. They were faster than in the past and they could absorb oxygen.


    It seemed that these cells were the same as Lin, having adjusted to using oxygen? But no matter how fast the cells were, they could notpare to the devourers that were made of many cells.


    Just as Lin thought, the structure of the devourers was suited to killing and eating many cells. The prey was not able to fight back against the devourers, no matter if it was in speed or in other areas. This caused Lin to have an idea. Maybe it did not need other single cells other than the basic cells. It couldbine all of them.


    Thebined multi-celled bodies were stronger than single-celled bodies in every area.


    The devourers consumed all of the small cell colonies nearby. Some devourers returned to the mothership and spat out the food they had gathered. Lin used a part of the nutrients to make fat cells to store away and the rest to make more devourers.


    Lins hunting range grew bigger and bigger, from the cracks under the sand to the surrounding water region. The figures of the devourers could be seen all over the ce.


    Through the devourers that burrowed into the cracks between the sand, Lin found that there was arge amount of white gel being produced deep in the sand. Most of the cells here most likely had been attracted here by the white gel. However, Lin did not n on eating the white gel this time. The white gel would bepletely eaten up sooner orter. It was better to leave them to attract more cells. This way, Lin would have an endless supply of food.


    What Lin did now was repeatedly create more devourers using the nutrients the devourers had captured and increase the size of the mothership before hunting again. The entire process was simple, and without any danger. Not long after, Lins thought suddenly had the term leisure.


    Lin observed the green cells in the rearing pen. It found that the green cells had increased in number. From this, Lin thought it seemed like the green cells did have a way to obtain food from light because while this ce was much colder than above, light still reached this ce.


    Lin felt that maybe it should make some more rearing pens to raise more


    Just as Lin was pondering this question, its devourers suddenly passed over some special emotion.


    A devourer that had been hunting far away abruptly felt a strong pain. This pain quickly spread through all the cells in its body, and then Lins perception of the cell disappeared.


    Dead?


    Lin still remembered this feeling. Lin had saw something familiar from the eyeball of that devourer before it died.


    Transparent crystal was spreading through the water. The coldness it gave off quickly turned everything around it into solids. All of the cells were fleeing. They furiously burrowed into the sand to try to avoid this danger.


    Lin was the same. It immediately had all the devourers return to the inside of the mothership. They were much faster than the single cells. Adding on the support from oxygen, Lin could move faster through the water faster than the water turning to ice. After losing just two devourers that had been far away, the rest returned safely.


    Lins mothership could move as well, but it did not n on running away.


    It wanted to face this danger and gain evolution from the danger!


    Lin closed all the orifices on the mothership, and retreated the eyeball at the head back into the body. It also had the surface cells harden. At this time, the ever-spreading ice hade close to the body of the mothership.


    Lin could clearly sense cold on the ectoderm. The ice continued to spread across the entire body of the mothership. However, because the ectoderm of the mothership was grey and not clear, Lin could not see what the situation outside was like.


    However, the freezing did not spread further. The ice was stuck outside the ectoderm and did not spread into the body of the mothership even though the coldness was still constantly killing the cells in the ectoderm.


    Lin knew what to do.


    Just like before, Lin had all the fat cells connect to the ectoderm. It continued to provide nutrients to the ectoderm so that the still-living cells would constantly divide and fight against the danger of the cold.


    The battle against freezing did not continue for a long time.


    After Lin continued to repair the ectodermermal cells for a while, Lin gradually started to not feel the cold. No more cells died.


    Maybe because they had experienced cold once, the cells quickly produced resistance against the cold.


    Lin paid attention to the green cells during this time. While the ice had not passed through the outeryer of the rearing pen, almost half of the green cells had died. The remainder huddled together. They seemed to have secreted a clear gtinous matter that covered the entire group.


    So interesting.


    The cold had not left yet. Lin could feel that it was surrounded by thickyers of ice. The mothership could not move at all.


    The ice would melt sooner orter, but Lin didnt know how long.


    Lin did not want to wait.


    It started tobine some cells into the enormous diggers it had created before. Lin nned to see if it could dig through the iceyer.


    After forming tenrge-size diggers, Lin opened one of the orifices on the mothership. Gusts of cold immediately flowed in from the outside. Lin could see the thick ice outside.


    The enormous diggers immediately went forward. For the enormous diggers that could even dig rock, digging ice was not a difficult matter. Using the sharp denticles on the surface, they could easily scrape away pieces of ice.


    Lin formed a little eyeball to go out with them to observe and then immediately closed the opening to the mothership as it was truly too cold. It seemed that the cells inside could not resist the cold like the ones on the ectoderm.


    These newly made giant diggers had some ability to resist the cold. However, they were not as able as the ectoderm of the mothership. If one was overly cold, Lin would have ite back into the mothership to rest for a while.


    The denticle-covered surface of the giant diggers was approximately the same hardness as the ectoderm of the mothership. Lin knew that hardness alone was not enough to resist the cold. There definitely had to be a secret involved.


    The diggers had dug a passageway in the ice. Lin nned to dig downwards towards the sand to see where the other cells were hiding.


    When it prepared to dig downwards, suddenly, the ice in front of Lin suddenly shook. At the same time, countless cracks appeared on the ice wall.


    What was that? Was the ice melting?


    No, ice melting was not like this. This felt as though some great power was shaking the entire iceyer.


    Crack


    The shaking once again produced countless cracks. Lin felt as though it should retreat back into the mothership.


    Lin could feel that there was something else enormous that was digging here.


    Trantor Ramblings: Another ciation event   Lin just cannot catch a break.

 Book 2: Chapter Four “The Ediacaran Worm”

    Book 2: Chapter Four ��The Ediacaran Worm��


    Last chapter recap: Lin creates a mothership for its cells and then encounters an ice age.


    Crack


    The ice continued to shake. The surrounding cracks increased. Lin had the diggers return into the mothership but it still kept that little eyeball on the outside to observe.


    Under the continued shaking, the passage that the diggers had dug into the ice had copse. at the same time, Lin saw through the transparent ice an enormous ck shadow.


    What was that?


    Lin felt great curiosity about this thing but Lin could only see its blurry figure though the ice, and not any details.


    Lin was only sure this things body was about the same size as the mothership. Also, it was constantly moving inside the ice in Lins direction.


    Every time the organism moved, more cracks would appear in the surrounding ice. This meant that it was moving powerfully through the ice.


    What was this organism?


    Lin had never seen such arge organism before. Even thergest shapeshifter had not been thisrge.


    While Lin had seenrge colonies of cells before, this clearly was not arge cell colony, it was one being!


    There were other beings that could assemble multiple cells together?


    Lin had never seen this kind of organism before. This was also why it had been invincible in the past.


    Crack   As the organism came closer, there was only a thinyer of ice between Lin and the organism left. In the next moment, thisyer of ice finally cracked, and the entire ice wall split apart under the attack of this organism. The pieces of ice floated in the water and then melted.


    At this time, this organism appeared in front of Lins eye.


    It was very strange in appearance and did not look like a normal cell. Its head was a hemi-spherical structure and seemed extremely hard. Lin saw this organism use its head to shatter the ice.


    Its cylinder-like body was very long. There were spiral-like ridges on the surface of the body that reached back into the ice tunnel it dug out.


    There were ten long tentacles under the hemispherical head that seemed to be used for movement.


    No, those might not be called tentacles because these tentacles were not as nimble as true tentacles. They seemed to only be able to curve in one direction and they were rigid and segmented.


    Segmented limb was a better term.


    At the end of the segmented limbs was a structure shaped like a pincer, and had sawtooth protrusions grown along the inside. Lin had a new term che to describe this structure.


    This was apletely new organism. It didnt just have an enormous body, it also had a body structure that Lin had never seen before. Its appearance also brought Lin many new terms.


    Lin felt the name oval worm was pretty good.


    While Lin liked the name, it did not like what this organism was doing right now.


    The oval worm was digging apart the iceyer and swimming towards Lins mothership. Lin didnt know what the oval worm would do, and didnt know what it should do.


    Attack it? Ignore it?


    Lin would not rashly move when it encountered an opponent equal to it. Who knew if the enemy had the ability to destroy it? If Lin did not move, then the other might not attack.


    Lin was hesitating.


    But the other did not.


    The enormous worm floated to the ectoderm of the mothership. It used the segmented limbs to touch the surface of the ectoderm as though it was searching for something. Suddenly, it opened the w at the end of the limb and pinched at the ectoderm.


    Then it pulled hard. Arge piece of the motherships surface was pulled off. Then it did not hesitate in moving the piece of ectoderm to its mouth.


    The oval worms mouth was like an orifice with a circle of sharp des growing around it. When it moved the piece of Lins ectoderm to its mouth, the piece was cut into smaller pieces by the sharp des before being swallowed.


    So painful


    The pain of the ectoderm being torn, cut apart and then swallowed caused Lin to stop hesitating. It immediately decided to destroy this enemy.


    Retaliate!


    Lin twisted hard to move the tentacles on the sides of the mothership as well as to throw the oval worm off. At the same time, it opened all the openings on the mothership for all the devourers toe out. Their goal was to attack!


    So tough!


    This was the first feeling Lin had after attacking the oval worm. The devourers could not take hold of the others hemispherical and smooth head. Due to this, Lin focused the attacks at the others segmented limbs.


    But the cone-shaped cells and the acid ejectors inside the mouths of the devourers, which could destroy all things made from cells, could not affect the segmented limbs of the oval worm at all.


    In reality, it was difficult for them even to bite the hard and smooth shell of the oval worm. Thergest devourers werent even half the size of the oval worms smallest w, and couldntpare to the tip of the biggest w.


    Also, most of Lins devourers were small-sized devourers. Therge-sized devourers had been used to deal with therge-sized cell colonies. If they were too big, they couldnt move through the cracks in the sand so there were not many of them.


    The oval worm didnt feel anything at Lins attacks. It twisted its body to swim and once again leapt for Lins mothership. It used its segmented limbs to tear pieces of Lins ectoderm.


    Because the ectoderm was torn, many of the single cells in the mothership spilled out. However, the oval worm didnt seem to be interested at all in the small single cells. It still tore at the ectoderm. It seemed to be only interested in multicellr structures.


    If this continued, Lin might not bepletely killed, but it would lose the mothership.


    Absolutely not! What to do?


    Lin started to think rapidly. Lin noticed that the joints on the oval worms segmented limbs showed dots of white that were not the same as the surrounding back shell. Those ces should be weak.


    Lin had the devourers gather to attack those crucial positions, but the segmented limbs constantly moved and were hard to lock on to. Lin continued to try. Onerge devourers bit onto one of the joints on the segmented limb.


    The joint was made of a soft white material. Lin had this devourer twist its body. Under the effect of the dissolving fluid and the cone-shaped cells as well as the shearing force, the devourers finally pulled down arge white piece.


    After it tore apart the joint, Lin found that arge group of blue cells spilled out of the wound. Lin immediately recognized that these cells was the things that made up the oval worm. Lin promptly had the devourers start to tear apart the cells that came out, and had some smaller devourers burrow into the crack in the joint.


    It was very dark inside and there was no light. However, some of Lins devourers had some shing exploding balls mixed in their ectoderms in order to move in the darkness under the sand. So, no matter how dark it was, the devourers that could make their own light to easily see the surrounding environment.


    The interior of the segmented limb was like a pipe. There was a weak flow of water inside, and blue cells were packed everywhere. They continued to swim outwards through the wound that Lin had created andpletely ignored the invasion of Lins devourers.


    Some bigger blue cells appeared to be using their bodies to block the wound and stop more blue cells from spilling out.


    Tear them apart.


    Lin did not hesitate. The devourers immediately went forward to attack the blue cells that blocked the opening. At the same time, Lin also had more devourers charge in through the opening and start to attack the blue cells inside.


    At this time, the oval worm finally seemed to react. It appeared to feel pain and was forcefully waving the wounded segmented limb. However, the remaining segmented limbs were still tearing at the motherships ectoderm.


    Because of the waving motion, it became difficult once again for Lin to invade from the outside. However, dozens of devourers had already burrowed into the wound. Lin started to have them attack everything in the surroundings.


    At the same time, Lin sent the remaining devourers to attack the other joints. It sentrge numbers of exploding balls and cone-shaped cells swimming out of the motherships damaged ectoderm to charge at the mouth parts of the oval worm.


    Since Lin could not bite the enemy from the outside, then it will directly attack the enemys inside!


    Trantor Ramblings: Now we are in the midst of the Ediacaran era. This geological era was recently recognized by geologists. The oval worm from the authors description is most likely <em>Spriggina, </em>the one with the round head and long but small body in the middle of the image.<figure>


    <figcaption>Ediacaran Biota</figcaption></figure>

 Book 2: Chapter Five “Unicellular and Multicellular”

    Book 2: Chapter Five ��Unicellr and Multicellr��


    Last chapter recap: Lin encounters a multicellr hard-shelled organism in the ice.


    Lin targeted the mouth parts of the oval worm and had the exploding balls and the cone-shaped cells move first. These single cells were small and could easily avoid the sharp edges around the mouth to enter directly.


    There was no light inside, but Lin could feel, using the perception of the cells, a moving space simr to a passageway. It was transporting everything inside downwards.


    the flow of water inside was very strong. Lins cells were being blown this way and that, unable to move freely. After a burst of violent trembling, Lin found the invading cells were washed back outside the oval worm into the cold water.


    Lin found that there were two narrow crevices on the side of the oval worms head. It seemed to expel out the water that it had consumed through these crevices. Lins cells had been expelled out through there. It seemed a certain part of the oval worms food passage had the ability to separate food and water.


    Lins attacks had not been effective. The cells that entered through the mouth were expelled, and the devourers that had entered the wound were facing endless blue cells. The devourers that were attacking the other joints were not sessful. The oval worm had noticed them, and it only had to move its segmented limbs to throw off the devourers.


    The oval worm had not stopped feeding. It had eaten almost half of the mothership. The pain of being torn apart had never stopped. In this situation, Lin started to lose its calm.


    Bomb its esophagus!


    Lins thinking became faster. It quickly decided the next n. Countless exploding balls once again charged into the mouth of the oval worm. This time, Lin had them start to expand and explode before they were forced out with the water.


    The exploding balls would releaserge amounts of dissolving fluid after they exploded. While Lin could not see the situation outside, Lin found that the oval worm was affected by the dissolving fluid. After many cells exploded, the oval worm stopped tearing at the mothership. It shook its head and spat outrge amounts of green fluid from its mouth.


    The moving esophagus inside the oval worms mouth was made from cells. The dissolving fluid had done some significant damage inside.


    Lin recovered its calm. But it could not continue to attack because   it didnt have any more exploding balls.


    There hadnt been many exploding balls and creating these cells took a long time. Adding on that the mothership was almost ruined, and some of the resource stores inside had been damaged, there was no possibility of creating more exploding balls at this time.


    What to do? A direct attack!


    Lin had the devourers give up on attacking the joints and charge into the mouth of the oval worm!


    The oval worm also noticed that these round things were charging towards its moth.


    The mouth of the worm could not open and close. Due to this, the only defence the oval worm had was the edged structure around the mouth.


    The devourers were much bigger than the single cells. Due to this, the first group that attacked were torn to pieces by the sharp edges around the oval worms mouth. Enormous pain passed into Lins thoughts but there were still some small devourers that dodged the sharp edges and entered the mouth of the oval worm.


    The vision and illuminating ability of the devourers allowed Lin to see the structures inside the oval worms mouth.


    This was an enormous esophagus. The walls were blue. If one looked closely, they would see that the walls were made from countless blue cells. Dissolving fluid was floating all over the esophagus. This dissolving fluid that was extremely damaging to cells caused the esophagus to be covered in wounds.


    This was probably the reason the oval worm was feeling pain.


    Lin suddenly discovered, the esophagus was a new term?


    Who cared about that.


    Lin suddenly saw some cells that wererge and simr to shapeshifting cells appeared at the wounds. They used their bodies to cover the wounds. Lin thought that this was a kind of way to heal wounds.


    The shapeshifting cells that repaired wounds were veryrge. They were evenrger than Lins devourer which were made up of thousands of cells. This way, theserge cells couldpletely cover the wound and make repairs.


    However, cells like this shouldnt have any ability to fight.


    Kill them!


    The devourers charged over. They bit at the shapeshifting cell that was repairing the wound and pulled in different directions. They tore their opponent into many pieces instantly.


    At the same time, Lin had the devourers tear at the wound to make it even bigger.


    But this was far from enough because there were thousands and even tens of thousands of shapeshifting cells that were repairing the other wounds in the esophagus.


    Lin only had a few hundred devourers in the esophagus, and they were only the small ones. The bigger ones were stopped by the sharp edges and couldnt enter.


    Lin needed more reinforcements.


    Lin once again moved the single cells, including the diggers, the cone-shaped cells and the acid ejectors. Because the oval worm had stopped eating, the water flow inside the esophagus that had been strong before was now very weak. If Lins cells entered now, they could create great damage.


    Attack!


    Lins army started a charge. The sharp edges around the oval worms mouth could not stop these tiny cells from entering.


    The cell army entered the oval worms esophagus and started to furiously attack. Each cell was using its abilities to tear, pierce, dissolve and damage the esophagus. Some of the enormous diggers that Lin used to dig through the ice sessfully made it into the mouth of the oval worm. They used the denticles they had on the surface which had been used to dig up ice to create countless wounds.


    These small cells created an enormous amount of pain for the oval worm. It started to shake its head hard. It used the water current that formed by its fierce action to wash away the cells that had not yet made it into the mouth. Then it turned and fled back into the ice passageway it had dug.


    However, when it had been fighting with Lin, the water temperature of the surroundings had turned cold again. The cavern that the oval worm had dug out had formed a thickyer of ice.


    And the millions of Lins cells were still in the esophagus of the oval worm. They continued their rampage. Just like the oval worm had started to eat the mothership, Lin did not have mercy. It had the cone-shaped cells make countless holes on the esophagus and then had the diggers and the devourers charge deeper into the esophagus. It prepared to destroy the core of the oval worm.


    The oval worm continued to smash itself on the walls of ice out of pain. It seemed to force how to dig through the ice. It only created cracks in the ice with its impact. Then, the oval worms movements gradually slowed. In the end, itid on the ice wall. Its segmented limbs were tightly gripping some of the protrusions and cracks on the wall of ice. Its body was motionless.


    The oval worm was dead?


    It seemed to appear so from the outside, but it was not like that inside.


    The esophagus had beenpletely changed. Originally there had only been a few shapeshifting cells here, but after the oval worm became motionless,rge number of new cells suddenly appeared. These cells were white, and thergest were asrge as Lins devourers while the smallest were as big as Lins basic cells.


    There were a great number of them that flooded in through the esophagus or from the wounds. A short whileter, they seemed to rival the numbers of Lins invading cells. There were more than a million of them.


    These cells seemed to be the oval worms defense troops inside its body. They started to attack Lins cells. However, their attacking method was simple. They only had one move, wrap around.


    These white cells were covered in tiny tentacles on the surfaces. Their attack method was to swim to Lins cells and then use the tentacles to wrap around the cell. Then they would tighten the tentacles until Lins cells were crushed.


    When Lin invaded the body of the oval worm, it had thought that defense troops would appear. However, it hadnt expected them toe sote, and in such numbers.


    Lin immediately started a counterattack. The esophagus of the oval worm became the battlefield.


    These white cells that were covered in tentacles were skilled in one-on-one fights. Their tentacles could easily grip and crush any of Lins cells. But when fighting in groups, because their tentacles could not be used to greatest effect, they would easily fall apart facing the acid ejectors or the charges of the diggers and the cone-shaped cells.


    Therefore, these white cells came out of different ces and tried to split apart Lins troops so that Lins cells would have to fight one-on-one. Lin did not fall for this. It moved its troops together to fight back against these white cells.


    Lin had the advantage in the present battle but Lin did not have any reinforcements. These white cells could continuouslye out, and some even split during battle to increase in number.


    Lin had originally nned to have cells enter through the mouth of the oval worm to help since the body of the oval worm couldnt move any longer.


    Wait


    Lin suddenly found a problem.


    If it continued to increase forces like this, it didnt know how many losses it would incur until it killed the oval worm. Lin didnt even know if it could win as it didnt know how many defense cells the oval worms body held.


    But what if it had something that could turn enemies into allies?


    Lin coincidentally had something like that.


    The infectorsthese bright red things that managed to survive in the oxygen danger which Lin had kept in the cell colony.


    It was time for them to arrive on stage


    Trantor Ramblings: Lin works hard to fight the worms telets and immune system.

 Book 2: Chapter Six “The Clogged Immune System”

    Book 2: Chapter Six ��The Clogged Immune System��


    Last chapter recap: Lin fights the multicellr oval worm and invades the worm through the mouth.


    The battle of the esophagus continued. Lin had the cone-shaped cells gather together and form an enormous ball covered in spike to roll among the enemies. Then Lin had the acid ejectors and the diggers deal with the remaining enemies. Using this method, Lin gained a slight advantage.


    But the advantage quickly ended. New types of the oval worms defense cells appeared. Other than the white cells that used tentacles to wrap around cells, a kind of round and t cell appeared. These cells were very small, but they would stick to Lins cells like suckers, secret toxins destroying the outer membrane of the cell, killing the cell in the end.


    Lin could not efficiently kill these round and t cells that were only one-fifth the cells of basic cells. The enemy gradually gained the upper hand.


    Lins army was surrounded in the middle of the esophagus. The defence cells of the oval worm were all around them. The invasion appeared as though it was going to fail. However, Lin did not panic because its reinforcements had arrived.


    The oval worm was motionless. It seemed to stop unnecessary activity and expenditure so that its energy could be used to defend against Lins invading cells.


    Due to this, the oval worm did not notice that some bright red cells had swam in through its mouth.


    Because of the fear that something dangerous would ur, Lin had always maintained the number of infectors at ten. This time, Lin had five infectors enter the oval worms esophagus.


    The infectors looked like red basic cells without any defenses. When they entered, they were surrounded by the white cells of the oval worm and then immediately torn into pieces. Even their nucleus was destroyed.


    However, the viruses that was inside the infectors were released as a result. These terrifying bright red things burrowed into the white cells and then destroyed cell nuclei. Then the outer burst and thousands of viruses were released.


    These viruses continued to burrow into the surrounding cells and repeat the process. The bright red nightmare immediately spread inside the oval worms esophagus.


    Originally, Lins troops had been heavily surrounded, and the defense cells of the oval worm, that had almost achieved victory, copsed in this moment. They had no way of dealing with the viruses that had suddenly appeared. In order to avoid bing producers of the viruses, they could only scatter and flee. At the same time, they stopped surrounding Lins troops.


    The bright red virus started to spread from where they first entered the esophagus. After meeting up with Lins troops in the middle of the esophagus, Lin nned to take these viruses and give chase deeper into the oval worms body.


    The bright red viruses would infect Lins cells, but just like before, other than bing red, nothing happened to Lins cells.


    Lin deliberately had some cells carry the virus had chase down the esophagus after the oval worms fleeing defence cells.


    The remaining viruses continued to destroy the oval worms already damaged esophagus. The viruses did not just attack the scattered cells. They could even burrow into the wall of the esophagus created by the blue cells, and then started to furiously spread from inside.


    From the outside, the oval worm once again twisted in pain. It abruptly threw its head, and threw out arge volume of blue flecks that also containedrge numbers of viruses.


    Then itid back on the ice wall and once again became motionless.


    Lins cell army chased after the fleeing cells deep into the esophagus. Lin found that they suddenly turned into a small hole in the esophagus and then had the army chase after them.


    The little holes passageway twisted and bended. Lins cell army swam in it for a while but it didnt see any of the fleeing cells. Suddenly, a wall made out of blue cells appeared in front of Lins army.


    Was this a dead end? Should it turn back? No


    Attack!


    Lins cells immediately charged. The cone-shaped cells and the diggers create hole after hole in this blockade made out of blue cells, and wound after wound. Then the acid ejectors sprayedrge volumes of dissolving fluid on the surface. Lin decided to destroy this wall!


    Under Lins attack, the wall started to twist as though it was in great pain.


    Lin did not n on stopping. It continued to attack and create damage on this wall of cells. The acid ejectors even managed to corrode an enormous hole that almost prated through the wall.


    At this time, countless tiny holes suddenly opened on the wall. Large numbers of cells charged out. These were the defense army of the oval worm which had retreated previous. Lin had thought before they had gone to hide somewhere. It hadnt expected the defense cells to suddenlye out of the wall, and in such great numbers.


    The viruses in the esophagus had not spread to this location, but many of Lins cells were red. This meant they carried viruses. Lin had the red cells charge towards the enemy. If the cells were killed, the viruses they carried would be released.


    The round and t cells immediately surrounded the red cells. Then the round and t cells toxic fluid corroded the membranes of the red cells. The viruses flooded out and invaded the round and t cells


    The round and t cells twisted their bodies in pain. After the viruses invaded their nucleus, they became producers of viruses. In the next moment, they released numerous viruses.


    But this time, the defence cells of the oval worm did not seem to fear this. They only avoided the viruses. Lin saw some unique cells appear. These cells were unlike the round and t cell or the white cell. It was a third kind of cell. It seemed to have a spout. The cells sprayed a strange grey fluid from that spout.


    The viruses lost their ability to infect upon contact with the fluid. They could not burrow into the membrane of the cells and could only roam aimlessly.


    They seemed to be called immune cells? This term appeared in Lins thoughts. However, who cared if they were immune or not as long as they were killed.


    As Lin thought this, Lin had the devourers charge towards the cells that were spraying fluid and chew them to pieces.


    The fluid that had been sprayed did not affect most of the viruses as the immune cells wererge and few. These viruses started to spread freely here, burrowing into all the cells in their surroundings and then spread even faster.


    The remaining defence cells immediately shrank back into the little holes in the wall. A whileter, they swam out with a few immune cells.


    Then Lin killed them.


    There were not many of the immune cells. It was extremely easy for Lin to kill them. The other cells seemed to be extremely wary of Lins red cells Even when Lin was killing the immune cells, the other defence cells did not try to help.


    Lins cells stayed in front of this wall that produced immune cells to stop any immune cell from appearing and attacking the virus. The remaining work was left to the viruses.


    The oval worm that had lost the immune cells could not stop the viruses. The viruses didnt just destroy the esophagus, they spread deeper. Lin didnt know how long it would take the virus to kill the entire oval worm, but it would be easy to guess from looking at the oval worms response from the outside.


    At the beginning, the oval worm had been calmly leaning against the ice wall. Then it slowly became restless. It started to smash itself, scratching with its segmented limbs as though it was going mad from pain.


    Going mad seemed to be an interesting term. It seemed to mean that one could not control themselves?


    But this did not end there. Large volumes of fluid started toe out of many other ces in the oval worm. It continued to spray the cells out of its body as it smashed itself on the surroundings in pain. The phenomenon continued for a long while before the oval worm finally stopped moving and sank to the bottom of the water.


    This seemed to be called Dying from bleeding from the seven orifices.


    Lin obtained several new terms and felt that they were interesting, even though it only understood part of the meaning.


    The viruses were terrifying. Its ability to kill cells and unlimited ability to reproduce allowed it to kill such an enormous organism


    But if Lin hadnt blocked the immune cells, the viruses most likely would not have seeded.


    Most importantly, Lin won.


    While it had been a difficult battle, Lin won.


    Lin desired to immediately disassemble this oval worm and see how this organism was constructed.


    Trantor Ramblings: No ramblings.

 Book 2: Chapter Seven “Inside”

    Book 2: Chapter Seven ��Inside��


    Last chapter recap: Lin encountered an oval worm and fought its immune system.


    Red grains were everywhere in Lins vision. They mixed together with the blue fragments and formed an unique scene.


    This was what the troops Lin left behind in the oval worms body saw. Everything here had turned into floating fragments. The blue cells that formed the esophagus and other organs inside the oval worm were invaded by tye viruses and then destroyed from their inside, starting with the nucleus the outer membrane. Because Lin killed the immune cells, the viruses grew without limits. It guessed that the oval worm only had this pile of cell fragments left inside.


    Lins remaining troops slowly swam in this environment filled with the corpses of cells and viruses. Almost all of them were dyed red by the viruses. Watching the horrific scene, many thoughts urred to Lin.


    Terror, anxiousness, puzzlement, but there was no joy.


    What were the viruses really?


    ording to Lins knowledge at the moment, the virus was a strange organism. They would not divide or feed. They just floated along the currents of water. If they came into contact with other cells, they burrowed into the outer membrane and used the cell as a machine to reproduce before destroying the entire cell.


    Then like this, they created more viruses, infected more cells


    Was their goal to destroy all cells? The viruses would not limit themselves. They would endlessly increase and then destroy everything.


    When all of the cells that could be killed were killed, the viruses would also die fromck of food. Only a small number of viruses would survive and then float along the water to far away ces to infect other cells.


    These bright red viruses were the same. They killed the oval worms cells to increase their number but the great majority of the viruses couldnt find cells. Viruses that couldnt infect cells would die after a period of time.


    Kill everything that could be killed and then wait for death, was this the virus purpose? What was the meaning of their existence?


    However, the viruses that infected Lins bright red cells were unique because they could be carried in cells which they wouldnt destroy. Even now, Lin didnt know the reason.


    Lin suddenly found that it didnt know the meaning of its existence. Continued evolution?


    This seemed to be a problem worthy of more thought but Lin felt that it wasnt time to be idle.


    Lins mothership was undergoing repairs. Cells at the edge of the wounds the oval worm had torn started to divide. At the same time, Lin gathered the cells outside which hadnt entered the oval worms mouth and therge devourers to move towards the oval worms body. Lin nned to examine this monster that had eating it and made it suffer such great losses.


    The corpse of the oval wormid on the ice near the mothership. Fortunately, the ice had not melted. Otherwise, its corpse might attract other cells.


    Lin first had the devourer bite through the joints on the oval worms segmented limbs. It tried to break off these segmented limbs.


    Then Lin had ten thousand cells form an exploring team to move into the mouth of the oval worm. The esophagus that used to be here was gone. There were only cell fragments floating around.


    The exploring team that entered quickly met up with the troops inside that had been almostpletely infected by the virus, turning red. There were only several tens of thousands left.


    While it was a slight waste, Lin kept watching them to prevent the viruses inside these cells from doing something unusual. Lin would not allow there to be more than ten infectors.


    The virus was so terrifying. It was something that damaged the enemy but didnt benefit Lin either. They hadpletely destroyed the cells inside the oval worm. Lin almost couldnt find any food.


    Maybe it shouldnt have attacked with the virus? But in that case, at best, Lin only would have been able to drive away the oval worm, and not kill it. Was this profitable or not? Lin would only know after exploring the entire worm.


    Lin first had the team search in the position where the esophagus was. This ce was wide, and Lin thought that this ce was in the oval worms roundhead. The range of the shing exploding balls couldnt light up the entire space.


    There were only the fragments of cells and viruses in the surroundings. These viruses had died. It could not be seen from their appearance but when Lin had the cells touch them, they would not burrow in.


    Lins exploring team continued to go deeper. It tried to see if there was anything that hadnt been damaged by the viruses. If all of the cells inside the oval worms body had been destroyed by the viruses, then this battle really wasnt profitable.


    What was that?


    Lin suddenly saw a long and thick tentacle floating among the corpses of cells and viruses.


    This tentacle clearly was also made from cells. It seemed to have broken due to the attacks of the viruses. Due to this, Lin could see the middle was hollow and could hold many cells.


    Yes, this tentacle like object was actually a passageway for cells to move though. Lin had seen them before at the oval worms wounded joint.


    Why hadnt this kind of passageway been destroyed by the viruses? Just because it had broke in the middle?


    Lin had a devourer move to the opening in the passage to check. It found that there were many blue cells inside but they were lying on the walls of the passage as though they were died. It could only see one or two asionally wobble.


    No matter, the fact they survived under the viruses attack, it meant that Lin still had spoils.


    Lin had some small devourers and basic cells stay behind. The devourers entered the passage to consume the blue cells while the basic cells formed a small round structure to deconstruct and digest food.


    After, Lins remaining cells moved deeper along this passageway into the body of the oval worm. It seemed the deeper it went, the more things it would encounter that the virus hadnt destroyed.


    In the process of going in, Lin found another passageway. The passage was also broken and the inside was also filled with blue cells.


    Lin left some cells there and continued to go deeper. Soon, it encountered more passages.


    A third, a fourth   Lin found more and more cells as it went deeper. These cells criss-crossed and filled this space. They were of different thicknesses. Some passages stretched and ended in a fort that led to unknown ces. There were more and more forks and the passages grew narrower and narrower


    These passages were slightly different but were simr in some aspects. The thickest part all stretched towards a chamber.


    If Lin tore apart a passage, there would be arge number of blue cell corpses that spilled out. They seemed to havepletely died, but the viruses hadnt done this.


    It was so strange. How had they avoided the attacks of the virus? There wasnt any cell fragments in the water here. The virus hadnt spread here?


    Maybe the viruses had only destroyed the cells in a part of the oval worm. But if that was the case, howe the cells in the depths had almost all died as well?


    The oval worm had torn Lins mothership in half but the remaining half was still well and not affected at all. For the oval worm, would a portion of the cells being killed mean that the entire organism was killed?


    More and more puzzled, Lin continued to swim deeper. In the end, an enormous object appeared in front of Lins exploring team.


    What was this?


    This oval shaped object was enormous, and about the size of the oval worms segmented limb pincer. This was made out of cells and the end of all the passageways here were connected to this structure. This seemed to be an important organ.


    Was was the use of this thing?


    As Lin pondered it, this thing moved. It quickly expanded and then contracted.


    What happened?


    Lin had the cells retreat but left a devourer to watch this thing. Lin was extremely curious about this thing.


    However, Lin waited for a long time but the thing never moved again.


    . Fine.


    Linll just eat it


    Trantor Ramblings: The debate of whether a virus is even a living organism or not is still under debate. Lin needs a lot more cells to start pondering the purpose of life.


    The video below is white blood cells attacking an invader, but I think thats the closest imagery I can get to imagining Lins cells as the white blood cells attacking the oval worm.

 Book 2: Chapter Eight “New Nutrient System”

    Book 2: Chapter Eight ��New Nutrient System��


    Last chapter recap: Lin invades and explores the destroyed oval worm.


    Lin finished exploring inside the oval worms body. There didnt seem to be anything consumable left inside this worm except the cells in the tentacle like passages.


    These passages spread through the entire oval worms body including the segmented limbs. They were in every corner except around the esophagus position. However, Lin thought that the ones around the esophagus were destroyed by the virus.


    At the start Lin did not know what was the meaning of that enormous thing all the passages connected to. After observing for a while, Lin gave up and started to eat them.


    As Lins devourers bit open these passages, Lin gradually started to learn their purpose.


    The passages had many fats, oils, fragments of food, and many immune cells in addition torge numbers of blue cells.


    These immune cells did not look like the ones that Lin saw before. They were extremely small and just slightly bigger than the viruses. They were most likely the reason that the passages were not affected by the viruses. They would secret a sticky substance that could prevent the viruses froming close.


    But why would the other organs in the oval worms body destroyed by the viruses? Lin thought that this kind of immune cell was only responsible for defending the passages and the immune cells that were responsible for defending other organs were blocked off by Lins units so the other organs were destroyed.


    Lin didnt know why these immune cells stayed in the passage and didnt go to other ces. That wasnt what Lin was most concerned about.


    Lin wanted to know the purpose of these passages, and see how theposition of the oval worm was different from its own cells.


    These passages most likely were used to transport nutrients so they spread all over the body.


    The effectiveness of transporting nutrients was good. Lins transportation method was to have the connected cellse into contact with the fat cells and then they would pass nutrients among themselves. It was much slower. For example, therge devourers would take a long time to be filled with nutrients.


    Also, what confused Lin the most was that enormous thing at the center of the passages. Lin found after eating a part of that thing that it was made from cells simr to its muscle cells. This meant that this thing could contract or expand like a pump to quickly spread the nutrients and cells in the passages all over the body.


    What was a pump?


    Lin ignored this strange term. This structure was really good.


    Yes, if these passages formed a circtory structure and a position for food to be ced, if a central structure like this expanded and contracted, the cells inside the passages could move faster and transport nutrients to the whole body.


    The oval worm definitely had a ce to store food which was connected to these passages but Lin didnt find one. It most likely had been destroyed by the viruses.


    So a structure like this was more effective.


    Lins devourer were either purely muscle cells with offensive cells for mouths. They were extremely effective against single cells but they were used up quickly and became excited. They had to be replenished for a long time before they could be active again.


    The motherships ectoderm was made out of a kind of hardened cells. Because they were hardened, they couldnt move and didnt use energy. However, the tentacles that moved the mothership were made purely of muscle cells. If Lin constantly moved, it was easy to be exhausted.


    But if a structure like this was added, the muscle cells might be weaker than before, but they could be active for a longer period of time, and the damaged ces could be quickly repaired.


    It would be a good feeling. While the amount Lin ate was not enough to repair even 30& of the mothership, it felt it was worthwhile to kill this worm. It had learned many things. If the other parts hadnt been destroyed by the viruses, Lin probably would have learned even more.


    Lin decided to not use viruses next time.


    As Lin thought all this, the cells almost finished eating everything inside the body of the oval worm.


    The surrounding ice was slowly melting and Lin had almost finished repairing the mothership. While there was very little of the oval worm that could be consumed, Lin hadrge numbers of fat cells stored that were enough to repair the entire mothership.


    The group of green cells in the rearing pen on the ectoderm of the mothership had managed to survive the danger because they were on the side that the oval worm hadnt gotten to. Lin found that they were doing well. Through the light that came through the iceyer, they had divided and grew in number.


    Lin considered whether to get some more into the rearing pen.


    However, the most important thing at this point was to make that circtory structure.


    After repairing the mothership, Lin started to build the passage structure inside the mothership it had learned from the oval worm.


    First was the muscle cell structure at the center that could rapidly contract and expand. Lin found it had a new term to describe this structure.


    Heart.


    The heart was primarily divided into twoyers. The upperyer was responsible for drawing in water, and then squeezed and released through the loweryer in order to achieve cirction.


    Then it was the structure of the passages. Lin had the basic cells form these passages. They were interconnected and the ends were connected to the inside wall of the outeryer of the mothership. They could send nutrients to the entire mothership at any time.


    Lin once had the rear half of the othership form tentacles that could absorb nutrients. They would consume food and then pass it between cells. The efficiency could notpare to the passages that transported nutrients using water.


    The passage structures were called blood vessels.


    It felt slightly strange but Lin decided to use this name.


    Lin did not n on putting so many cells in the blood vessels like the oval worm. This way, it had more space to transport food.


    Speaking of food, Lin formed an oval-shaped structure and called it a pouch. This pouch could open and close and it was connected to the blood vessels. Usually, food was stored in the pouch. The food would be carried away from the pouch by the blood vessel cells to replenish cells at other ces. At the same time, fat cells could be put in.


    Lin usually finished working when it finished thinking. Right now, the inside of the mothership looked like a space criss-crossed with passages. However, Lin felt that this structure had a shoring. Once the blood vessel was damaged, the things inside would uncontrobly flood out. In a situation like this, Lin had to stop the heart from beating and wait for the blood vessel to be repaired before the cirction could resume


    So Lin needed stronger defenses to stop the enemy from attacking these blood vessels.


    Speaking of defenses, this was Lins greatest pain.


    While the outeryer Lin had created could stop all kinds of attacks from single celled creatures such as spikes and toxins, it had been easily torn apart by the oval worm.


    The outer shell of the oval worm was extremely hard. While it did not move as nimbly as the Lins tentacles, Lin could not damage any ces other than the joints.


    Lin didnt just have to study the interior of the oval worm. It also had to understand the outside.


    How did it grow such a hard outer shell? Lins cells could not reach such a hardness, not even the diggers or cone-shaped cells.


    Maybe it could evolve this kind of ability by digging constantly like it had before?


    But Lin did not want to wait for so long. It wanted to know how these hard shells were constructure right now.


    From appearance or feeling when Lin bit at it, this thing did not seem to be constructed of cells.


    Lin could not understand it at all, couldnt eat it, and couldnt get a piece to see how it was constructed.


    Since this was the case, Lin decided to use it. Maybe by using this, it could help Lin evolve.


    How to use it?


    Simple.


    Couldnt Lin just have its cells go into this shell? The viruses had destroyed the cells inside the oval worm but didnt damage the shell at all.


    Yes!


    Lin might be able to get it to move like when it had been alive!


    It only had to use its cells to form constructs inside! Put muscle cells into the segmented limbs, the muscles would move. Then put a heart and blood vessel structure into the shell


    While Lin didnt know what the other organs of the oval worm were, that wasnt important. Lin knew that the muscles and nutrients were the basis for movement.


    If it put in enough cells, it could resurrect the oval worm!


    Editors note: So lets recap here a chitin exoskeleton, immune system, centralized circtory system, digestive system, and because it is arge multicellr organism with specialized cells  ostensibly a reproductive system. All of this is to say, Lin is way behind on the evolutionary arms race. Although arguably sentience is a huge cheat up to start with.


    Also, I am working on the project now.


    Also, FYI. The small blue cells are likely hemolymph a type of cell that carries blood but uses copper instead of iron, giving it a characteristic green-blue colour. But I find it odd because hemolymph is found in arthropods (insects and crustaceans). Also, in most cases hemolymph isnt contained in a circtory system but acts more like our interstitial fluid and bathes tissues and is moved around indirectly due to muscle contractions rather than a centralized muscle like a heart. Point is, this worm is so freaking advanced for this point in evolution it is crazy.


    Also, lets be clear here. Lin is wearing the corpse of its kill as armor. Not making, wearing. Tool use!


    Buttttttttt midichlorians.


    Trantor Ramblings: WanderingGummiOfDoom has pretty much said it all about this chapter. And his edits on


    Virtual heart beating video this time now that we are introduced to this organ. Dont watch if you might be squeamish.

 Book 2: Chapter Nine “Leaving The Ice”

    Book 2: Chapter Nine ��Leaving The Ice��


    Last chapter recap: Lin defeats the oval worm and learns to make a nutrient system.


    The blood vessels functioned well after Lin constructed them, but there were some minor problems. Cells inside the blood vessels had difficulty obtaining oxygen, and their movements were slow.


    Lin could not create openings in the blood vessels as the cells inside would spill out. However, the cells inside the blood vessels did not move by themselves but were moved by the quick flow of water, so Lin did not care so much.


    Lins devourers were renewed by the addition of blood vessels. They did not have a heart to pump the water but had a storage pouch made from muscle cells deep inside the mouth which was connected to the blood vessels. The devourer could store the chewed food inside the pouch. The pouch would contract and force the food and water into the blood vessel system. Then the cells inside the blood vessel would transfer the nutrients through the body.


    The extra water would circte in the blood vessels and return to the pouch to be expelled the next time the devourer opened its mouth. [1]


    The n to resurrect the oval worm was temporarily put on hold because Lin could not create enough cells to fill the oval worms shell. It also had used up many cells to make the heart and the blood vessels. It needed to find more food.


    But this period of cold continued for a long time. While it was not of great effect on Lin, this meant that other cells would not appear, and there was no food. Lins fat cells could support Lin for a long time, it would take more than 70% of Lins stores to make something asrge as the mothership. Lin did not want to use up that much of its stores with no food avable. What would happen if Lin encountered some danger?


    Maybe it could digest the mothership, and then create a new base inside the oval worm?


    No, Lin did not want to rely on other organisms like this. It wanted to grow a hard shell by itself. If it went into the shell, it would be difficult to evolve a hard outer skin.


    Then what should Lin do?


    Go out to search for food?


    Use a giant digger to dig a path out of the ice?


    That seemed to be a solution too slow. Lin hoped to get some structures better at digging ice, and dig as fast as the oval worm


    Right   the oval worm did not use its segmented limbs to dig through the ice. It seemed to have used its round head to smash through the iceyer. However, that required arge body and great strength.


    Since that was the case, then Lin could only modify the mothership.


    Lins mothership was a simple sphere body suited to smashing. But Lin did not want to smash using the body of the mothership. It created two enormous tentacles one on each of the two sides of the mothership. Lin formed hard round shapes at the end of these tentacles as well as structures with serrations. They were named hammerheads. The tentacles were made fromrge numbers of muscle cells that could release great force to smash apart the ice.


    Lin had dreamed up this structure a long time ago but the muscle cells energy would be consumed greatly after repeated swinging. It would also take a great amount of time to recover and the efficiency was not high. But after developing the blood vessel system, energy for the muscle cells replenished quickly and Lin could swing the tentacles quickly. The efficiency would be much higher than in the past.


    After it finished building these tentacles, Lin started moving the mothership. The mothership already had two tentacles it used to swim, and there was an enormous spout behind it. It could move rapidly. If the mothership wasnt surrounded by ice, the oval worm would not have been able to harm it.


    Lin left a portion of the cells inside the oval worm and then started on its journey of breaking through the ice.


    The mothership swam to the iceyer, and then smashed onto the ice with the hammered tentacles. Under the great force, an enormous hole appeared on the wall of ice, and countless cracks appeared in the surroundings.


    It really was effective. The feeling was simr to when the oval worm was digging.


    Lin had the mothership continue to swing the hammers and smash the ice in front of it. It created a passage that the mothership could move through.


    Then Lin had the head of the mothership harden. This way, it didnt just have to hammer the tentacles to smash the ice, and the mothership itself could smash through the ice as well.


    Previously, Lin was not willing to do this because it was worried that the blood vessel system might be damaged. Now, it appeared as though there wasnt a problem because the hammered tentacles also had blood vessels inside them, and they were not damaged when they were swung.


    Lin retired therge eyeball at the head of the mothership. It formed several small eyeball antenna at the sides of the motherships head to observe.


    This way, it was much easier to advance into the ice.


    Should it continue to move downward? Lin felt that the wild cells should be hiding in the sand below. It might be warmer down there, and the ice would not freeze there.


    As it thought, Lin changed to moving downwards and continued to easily smash apart the iceyer. While the hardness of the ice was variable, the hammered tentacles did not have any problems. It would not take long until they reached the sand below.


    Strange?


    After smashing ayer of ice, new scenery appeared in front of Lin. Lin had not reached the sand, but an area that had no ice.


    This was an ice cavern that could hold three of Lins motherships. There were no signs of digging on the ice walls. Lin did not know how this had formed. Lin slowly swam into the empty space in thisyer of ice.


    So strange. Why would a ce like this ur? The ice could not melt like this. Had some organism dug this cavern? But Lin didnt see any organisms.


    Just as Lin was bewildered by the cause of this structure, it found that were small moving dots on the surrounding ice walls.


    What were those?


    Lin could not see clearly using the eyeball antennas on the side of the motherships head. Lin sent out small devourers from inside the mothership. When they swam near the ice wall, they found that small moving dots were cells. They seemed to be the color of the ice, and were difficult to see.


    These cells covered the ice wall. Lin didnt know what they were doing, but they were definitely food.


    Lin did not think too much and just had the devourers start to kill them. At the same time, Lin sent out more devourers and prepared to clean up all of the cells.


    The devourers quickly consumed the cells on the ice walls. These cells did not have any defenses and were an ordinary round shape. They were very small, but they could do a strange thing to dodge the devourers.


    They could burrow into the ice without any digging, just burrow in.


    The devourers could not enter the small holes the cells made and could only give up on their hunt.


    So strange. How were they able to do it? Lin observed carefully. From the eye of the smallest devourer, it could see that this kind of cell would secrete a kind of fluid that could instantly melt the ice surrounding it. Due to this, it could enter the ice.


    So this was how it was. They made the holes like this? Then this kind of cell should be called  Ice Dissolving Microbe.


    The dissolving ice microbes hid in the ice, and they seemed to happily sway in there.


    The next moment, The enormous hammered tentacle of Lins mothership smashed onto the ice. This time, the tentacle didnt just smash the ice, it also forced dissolving ice microbes out into the open. Then the devourers quickly consumed the small cells mixed with the ice fragments.


    The dissolving ice microbes knew that it was not safe to hide in the ice so they fled deeper. Lin immediately smashed the ice and chased after them.


    While the dissolving ice microbes could burrow into ice, they were actually slow. They were not as fast as Lins mothership crushing the ice. With almost every one of Lins blow,rge numbers of dissolving ice microbes would be forced out of the ice. Then Lin would have therge devourer consumed them and the ice fragments together and crush them.


    Lin moved forward as it smashed the cells out of the ice. Yet Lin did not advance for long when it suddenly found it entered a region of water again. There was no ice in front of Lin.


    It entered a cave again? No, that wasnt right.


    This was a vast region of water. Lin had left the frozen region.


    What   was that?


    A strange scene appeared in front of Lin.


    The vast waters were still empty but there were many things that Lin had never seen before on the sand below.


    These things were mostly elongated or round shaped. Their surface was covered in stripes. Some of themid on the sand, others stood. Lin watched for a while to confirm that they were alive because they were almost motionless. However, when water flowed by, their bodies would sway, and tentacles would reach out of their surface to wave in the flowing water.


    These organisms should be made from multiple cells. They were abundant, and almost covered the entire beach. It seemed that there were reasons that the oval worm did not eat unicellur organisms. It probably was better at eating these multicellr organisms.


    Where did these multi-cellr organismse from? Lin had only ever encountered single cells before. When did other organisms be multicellr?


    Editors notes:


    [1] Ya, this system definitely wouldnt work. The blood cells would diffuse into the water and the organism would bleed out. But like I said midichlorians.


    Trantor Ramblings: I think it is a bit early to call this thing a blood vessel system considering no blood. Its more of a nutrient transport system. More like the nt vascr system than the mammalian one.

 Book 2: Chapter Ten “The Organisms of the Sand”

    Book 2: Chapter Ten ��The Organisms of the Sand��


    Last chapter recap: Lin makes its way out of the ice. I guess another ice age passed?


    Lin was staring at the endless sand and water that stretched before it, and the numerous strange multicellr organisms on the sand, there was nothing else behind Lin except the thick ice, and the dissolving ice microbes.


    What should Lin do? Advance? Retreat?


    Lin did not know the ability of these multicellr organisms. It had suffered great losses against the oval worm but Lin did not want to retreat. Maybe this was the chance to evolve, and Lin needed food.


    These organisms seemed as though they could not move and were secured to the sand. Lin might be able to find one that appeared weak and easy to fight and kill it.


    However, Lin didnt know which ones were weaker. Size was not always the best measure. The best example were the viruses. They were so small, but so terrifying.


    These multicellr organisms wererge and Lin could obtain arge amount of food by just killing one.


    As Lin thought, Lins mothership started to move. It floated above the organisms, and the eyeball tentacles searched for the next target.


    In the end, Lins target was an organism standing up from the stand. This organism was of simr size to Lins mothership, oblong shaped, but was only as thick as the motherships ectoderm. It had a round peduncle that was inserted into the sand which supported its long and thin body to wave in the water. Lin saw clearly after it got close that it was capturing the cells that were being carried by the flows of water.


    Lin decided to call it a leaf worm. While it did not know what leaf was, it seemed to be appropriate.


    The leaf worm had a striped structure on the surface. The cracks between the stripes were filled withrge amounts of ge. The single cells that swam past would be caught by the ge.


    Lin felt that these organisms were simr to its past self, fixed to the rock, capturing organisms that passed by and living a reactive and boring life.


    As expected, it was correct to give up on that kind of life of staying motionless and being hunted.


    The mothership slowly neared the leaf worm. Lin made sure that the other would not have any offensive abilities, raised its hammered tentacle, and swung it hard towards the leaf worm.


    Yet this worm that looked very thin and would shatter from a single blow withstood the attack. Its body did not even bend. It stood motionlessly in the sand. The stripes on its surface did not seem damaged, but the ge had shrunk back.


    It was so hard. Was this the reason they could not move? The leaf worm seemed simr to the oval worm. Their surfaces were covered in an extremely hard shell. But unlike the oval worm that could move, the leaf worm did not have any joints or mouths. After the ge it used to capture food shrunk back into the shell, it became an organism without a weakness.


    However, Lins hammer didnt just strike once. Supplied by the blood vessels, it could quickly wave the hammered tentacle repeatedly. The hammer smashed on the leaf worm again and again. Under numerous attacks, the leaf worm finally could not stay steady and started to sway.


    As Lin expected, the leaf worm did not have any offensive abilities. It could only use its hard shell to withstand outside attacks. Many organisms might have given up after not being able to chew it to start with, but Lin thought that swinging the hammer repeatedly like this was of benefit to its evolution. So it continued to hit even harder.


    In the end, the outer shell of the leaf worm could not withstand Lins attacks. A crack appeared on the surface, and some cells flowed out of the crack.


    Lins devourers immediately moved and consumed all of the cells that spilled out.


    Lin continued to attack the crack to widen it and have more cellse out.


    Lin felt slightly puzzled. These cells did not have any attacking abilities. Why did theye out? If something damaged the ectoderm of Lins mothership, the cells inside the mothership would note out. Lin could even stop the beating of the heart so that the things inside the blood vessels would not spill out.


    However, the other multicellr organisms   didnt seem to be able to stop their cells from spilling out?


    So strange.


    Lin did not care so much. It continued to attack the leaf worms outer shell. While Lins hammer was also damaged, Lin did not care and continued to attack. Repair was a simple matter.


    The leaf worms outer shell was not as hard as the oval worm and it was a sandbag that would not move. Under Lins attack, more cracks appeared on the outer shell. Slowly, the shell started to fragment and fall. The soft multicellr structures inside were exposed to Lins eyes.


    Hm? Sandbag? It seemed like a fun term.


    Lin thought about it as it had the devourers move. They bit at the structures of the leaf worm and turned everything into nutrients for Lin.


    Lin found that the leaf worm also had a structure simr to blood vessels. But it did not have the heart pump. It had a kind of tentacle cell inside the blood vessels to move the water in the vessels. Other than that, there were some single cells, or simplepositions. There was nothing worthwhile for Lin to learn


    The leaf worms only worth to Lin was that it could be eaten.


    Lins devourers quickly consumed the leaf worm and only left behind the shattered shell. The leaf worm was long but thin. Consuming just one wasnt enough. If Lin ate another one, it could resurrect the oval worm.


    After calling back the devourers that were now full, and and repairing the wounds on the hammers, Lin observed and searched for the next target.


    Lin suddenly notice something simr to a round disk on the sand ahead.


    Was that an organism?


    Lin swam over and carefully observed this thing. This round disk had spirallying patterns on the surface. It was only half the size of Lins mothership but half of it was in the sand. Lin didnt know its actual size. While it appeared to be living, Lin had not seen this thing move, and didnt know how it hunted for food.


    Touch it and see?


    Lin swung the enormous hammer against the round disk. The round disk did not move at all. Lin felt the pain of the hammered tentacless bacsh.


    The hardened hammer shaped end of the tentacle did not have any senses but Lin was still able to feel pain. This meant that the bacsh had damaged the muscle cells inside the tentacle.


    How hard was this thing to have such an effect? This round disk was even harder than the head of the oval worm.


    A strong emotion appeared immediately in Lins mind.


    What kind of emotion was this? Lin didnt know how to describe it. But it knew that before it hit the leaf worms shell, Lin would have thoughts such as this can be smashed and theres hope.


    But when it hit this round disk, Lin suddenly had the emotions of hopeless and impossible. Even if Lin ruined the hammers, it could not create a crack on the surface.


    But Lin did not continue to experiment. So how did it know that that would be the result?


    Right, was this term calledputing power?


    Just once, and Lin could use the information it obtained to infer what the end result would be.


    It felt very good. Lin might had this ability a long time ago, but it only truly realized it now.


    Lin gave up on attacking that round disk. While it could dig up the other organism, there were many leaf worms in the surrounding. This organism was not worth Lins time.


    Lin swam towards a rtively small leaf worm nearby. It continued its attack. Soon, this sandbag would also be Lins nutrients.


    There were leaf worms everywhere on the surroundings. This was a wondrousnd for Lin. Lin eating them was more efficient than eating those unicellr organisms. These sandbags would not fight back, and they wouldnt move. There didnt seem to be any hunters like the oval worm here. There was no ce better than this!


    Lin used the resources here to grow and evolve. Once it became stronger to a certain degree, it would not have to fear other hunters.


    As Lin thought this, Lin did not see that something was moving in the sand underneath the mothership.


    Editors note: The leaf worm sounds like a tube worm. Lin is correct that the hard protective tube of a tube worm is made of chitin. These wormsrgely rely on their microbiome to process and digest anything they capture. They do not have a digestive system or many organs at all. Tube worms have <strong>NO </strong>natural predator, so they sort of have no real weakness.


    But what is that round disk? What is it going to do now that Lin isnt paying attention? I know, because I read ahead. But can you guess?


    Trantor Ramblings: I think the leaf thing is a tube worm as well. But maybe also this creature down below.<figure>


    <figcaption>Charnia (Wikipedia)</figcaption></figure>

 Book 2: Chapter Eleven “Small But Complex”

    Book 2: Chapter Eleven ��Small But Complex��


    Last chapter: Lin encounters some new organisms it kills with hammer tentacles.


    After Lin consumed the second leaf worm, it had enough nutrients to resurrect the oval worm.


    Lin formed a multicellr structure with a round front and a pointed end. This shape could be described as streamlined. This kind of structure swam quickly through the water. Lin named it a transporter. Their primarily purpose for transportingrge numbers of fat cells back to where the oval worms shell was. Lin didnt want to go back and wanted to eat more leaf worms.


    Lin created ten transporters. Each transporter wasposed of over a hundred thousand cells. There was a circle of long and t tentacles along the middle to help the transporter swim. After the fat cells were ced in the empty interior, they swam towards the ice cavern.


    After that, Lin moved its eyes back onto a nearby leaf worm.


    The food that couldnt move was excellent.


    Lin happily moved the motherships tentacles. When it wanted to swim, it suddenly felt something was wrong. Some of the cells on the ectoderm had disappeared, but Lin didnt feel any pain.


    Didnt feel any pain but they died? So strange


    Lin sent out devourers from the mothership to investigate the ce that had disappeared. This situation was most likely an attack. Lin only knew the position was near the sprout a the rear.


    The mothership was toorge and contained more than few billion cells. With just the two eyeball antenna at the front, Lin could not observe the entire body. Also, Lins senses on the surface had dulled due to the hardening of the ectoderm. While it had two little tentacles that were used for detecting the movement of the water current, just like the eyes, it couldnt feel all over the body.


    When the devourers swam along the motherships ectoderm behind the mothership, they immediately found the cause of the incident. There was a strange organism attached to the ectoderm near the motherships spout. This thing looked as though it was made from five thick tentacles. It was stuck to the ectoderm. Lin could feel the ectoderm where it was attached disappearing.


    Sea star.


    Lin had not created this name. It had risen from Lins thoughts. Lin felt that the name suited this organism


    Was this sea star eating the ectodermal cells? But why didnt Lin feel any pain?


    Maybe this organism had some method that prevented cells from feeling pain so that it could sneakily eat. However, Lin could still feel the cells disappearing so this organisms n had failed.


    As Lin thought this, it releasedrge numbers of devourers to attack.


    This sea star was about ten times the size of therge devourers. On the surface it looked soft, and it could nimbly move its tentacles. This meant that it did not have a hard shell and should be easily to deal with.


    The devourers bit onto the sea stars five tentacles and then forcefully pulled back in hope of pulling the sea star off the ectoderm.


    But the sea star was closely stuck to the mothership. No matter how hard the devourers tried, they could not pull the sea star off. Also, the cone-shaped cells that made up the mouths of the devourers couldnt damage the sea stars ectoderm.


    The outer skin of the sea star looked soft and it could move easily, but in actuality, the skin was extremely hard. It seemed to be extremely flexible and there were many sharp protrusions on the surface. This made it more difficult for the devourers to bite and wound the sea star.


    It really was a troublesome thing.


    If Lins hammered tentacles could reach this position, it could easily smash this sea star.


    However, Lin didnt just have one kind of devourer. The cone-shaped cells in the mouths of these small devourers were single cells to start with. They had not been bound together in order to effectively crush other cells.


    Ever since the oval worm incident, Lin increased the number ofrge devourers in preparation for facing other multicellr organisms. Some of the devourers had specialized. Lin formed many curved structures that were sharp at the points in their mouths and called them giant teeth. The teeth of these devourers were much bigger than the previous devourers. Due to this, they were not suited for chewing on single cells, but they were extremely suitable for fighting multicellr organisms like this.


    Lin had the ordinary devourers move away and had the giant teeth devourers attack this sea star. When the giant teeth bit onto the sea stars tentacle, its mouthful of sharp giant teeth immediately stabbed into the tentacle of the sea star under the force of its muscle body. Then Lin had the giant teeth devourer release. The cells of the sea star flooded out of the wound inrge numbers.


    Lin had the devourers quickly clean up these cells then charge towards the star wound to tear apart the exposed and soft structures.


    At this time, the sea star did not stay motionless on the mothership. Its wounded tentacle broke off its body. The sea star with only four of its tentacles fell off the mothership and rode a flow of water into the distance.


    It snapped a part of its body so the main body could flee? It was too naive.


    What was naive? While this term came strangely, it did not affect Lin having the giant teeth devourers pursue that sea star and thenpletely tear it to pieces.


    After the sea star left, Lin looked at its damaged ectoderm. Arge part where the sea star had been was missing. This sea star was able to create such a wound but make the victim not feel any pain? It seemed that Lin had to study the sea star.


    While it had been torn apart, the important parts could be kept so Lin had enough to study. Lin found that this beings tentacles hadrge amounts of smaller tentacles underneath. These tentacles had hemispherical hollow parts at the end. It seemed to have used these things to stick onto the motherships ectoderm.


    Where these the suckers? They seemed able to produce great power. Lins devourers were unable to tear it away. This was worthy of study.


    There was a hard shell under the sea star. The shell was simr to the outer shell of the oval worm, a structure not made from cells, but it was rtively soft.


    However, Lin was most concerned with the sea stars mouth parts. There was a hole at the center of the five tentacles. There were curved hooks around the mouth. This was slightly simr to the oval worms mouth. But most importantly were the small openings at the end of these curved hooks. Lin had the cells squeeze into them, and found that these holes were connected to a sac-like region inside the sea star.


    This sac wasposed of yellow cells. They would secret a kind of fluid. When this fluid touched Lins cells, the cells would enter a strange state. The cells would not be able to move, and they lose all senses.


    Not all the curved teeth of the sea star all had holes connected to the sac. Some of the hooks did not have holes. Lin thought that the onescking holes were used to dig out the senseless cells and consume them.


    This was an extremely powerful structure. Use the sharp hooks to pierce the opponents outer skin, and then inject a destructive fluid? Lin seemed to have seen some cells with this ability in the past, but why hadnt it thought of making a simr multi-celled structure?


    The acid ejectors had evolved from the cone-shaped cells but their openings were not a point. Due to this, Lin had not thought of such an ability.


    But now Lin knew, it could also make structures like this.


    Also, the sea star also had blood vessel constructs. Lin did not find where the heart was. It might have been chewed up by the devourers. The blood vessels and the interior cells did not have the ability to move water. The sea star should have a heart.


    Lin found something simr to a heart. This was an oval object made from a pile of cells unlike all others. This kind of cell was long, and had many tentacles that gathered together. Also, these cells were connected to the blood vessels that spread throughout the body.


    But these passages did not transport nutrients and they didnt have anything inside them. The oval structure at the center did not move at all. Then what was their purpose?


    Ganglion? This term appeared in Lins thoughts. While Lin did not understand, it had a feeling, this was something that waspletely useless to it.


    Other than this, there were some other strange structures. For example, there was a sac that contained arge number of round white cells. This sac possessed an empty tentacle that connected to the outside of the skin. Its purpose seemed to be passing these white cells out. There were many structures made out of tentacles connected together. The structures were made from thick and empty tentacles in aplex fashion.


    Lin did not know what the purpose of most of the structures were. It hadnt thought that the sea star was so much moreplexpared to the oval worm considering the smaller size of the sea star. Lin thought the oval worm was also aplex organism. Pity that the viruses had destroyed it.


    But Lin was not very concerned. It could defeat them. This was most important.


    Lin only absorbed useful knowledge. It would not care about what it didnt understand, it would eat it all.


    When Lin was studying the sea star, the transporter already moved the fat cells to the oval worm to start repair work.


    Lin believed that not long in the future, it would once again evolve into a peak existence.


    Editors note:


    So Im going to have a lot to say about a few chapters I think. Zoology major for the win. A fairly urate description of a starfish. A lot going on in this chapter, we have the introduction of a nervous system!


    As far as I know some starfish have inverted stomachs, meaning they engulf their prey by enveloping them with their stomach and then digesting them slowly. Others use their limbs to immobilize their prey, then inject their prey with acids to partially digest them, and then lick up the remains with their stomach. So biting Lin wasnt quite right.


    The small tentacles are called tube feet. The body of most starfish have calcium carbonate that function like studded armor. The escape tactic of sacrificing the limb is also real. They do it in hopes their predator is satisfied with a small meal and bail. There are youtube videos. The paralytic agent is also real. Starfish are pretty badass. Other members of the phylum Echinodermata, like sea urchins, use toxins instead of paralytics.


    Trantor Ramblings: Starfish, or sea stars, are a bit more fearsome than the five-footed thing we usually see. Some of them are spectacrly beautiful.

 Book 2: Chapter Twelve “Explore”

    Book 2: Chapter Twelve ��Explore��


    Last chapter recap: Lin encounters a sea star attack.


    The basic cells continuously dividing. Relying on the food stored by the fat cells that Lin transported over, they were filling up the oval worms empty shell.


    Muscle cells filled the segmented limbs of the chitin carapace. The heart and the blood vessels formed at the center. The important parts of the segmented limbs were filled with flexible and reinforced cells. Lin also constructed an esophagus that was the same as the one destroyed at the mouth. However, Lin filled the esophagus with cone-shaped cells and acid ejectors. The esophagus had a simr structure as the devourers. Muscle cells controlled this esophagus which could contract and crush what was swallowed.


    After creating the basic structures, Lin found there were many empty spaces in the shell, especially the long tail of the oval worm that was almostpletely empty. This kind of tail was not suitable for swimming. Lin remembered that the oval worm moved using its segmented limbs.


    While it didnt know what this space was used for, then it would keep the structure empty. Lin could use it to store fat cells and such. Also, Lin found that the oval worm had many cracks and small openings over its body other than the mouth. Lin didnt know what they were for so it used hardened cells to block them off.


    After the cells finished, Lin tried to move the oval worm. Completely covered in the hard shell, Lin had a feeling of safety but Lin was not nimble when it moved. At the beginning, Lin was not used to this. After practicing for a while, Lin had a basic understanding of how to move the oval worms body.


    Lin primarily wanted to use the oval worm as a guard for the mothership so it called this being the protector.


    Then Lin had the protector leave the ice cave and climb beside the mothership. With this, when Lin encountered something simr to the oval worm next time, it wouldnt have to fear it as much.


    Turning back to the mothership, Lin found that after taking care of the sea star, many other cells had stuck onto the motherships ectoderm. These cells would not attack the motherships ectoderm but they stuck on motionlessly. Lin didnt know why they did this but it ate them all.


    At the same time, Lin attacked the other leaf worms. These sandbags suppliedrge amounts of food for Lin. Also, they were unlike enemy uni-cellr colonies that would eventually produce cells that would subdue Lins cells and abilities after a while these did nothing. Lin had killed many leaf worms but none of them had produced any abilities to fight back.


    It seemed that multicellr beings evolved slowly.


    Even if they changed, it probably would be difficult to have the change appear on such arge being.


    After eating more leaf worms, Lins mothership grew to three times asrger than before. Lin added two more swimming tentacles. Lin felt that it should not continue to get bigger. It must guarantee that it had enough food to survive. If it ate and grew uncontrobly, it would eat all of the leaf worms. If Lin could not find other food, it would be terrible. Due to this, Lin started the longevity n. It would eliminate some old cells, and decrease the need for food as well the overall growth rate.


    At the same time, Lin started to make a new cellbination called nurturers. They were transparent sphere that moved used tentacles to move. Their use was to raise the green cells in the pens. Because the nurturers could move, they could move the green cells ces with the most light. However, Lin had them usually swim around the mothership.


    After making these preparations, Lin was not afraid ofcking food.


    At the same time, Lin was preparing to make some of the sea stars structures. Lin had one thing it did not understand. The injecting teeth of the sea star were useful, but everything around it was so hard. Its teeth would not be able to pierce other organisms. Also, Lin did not feel that the sea star would be able to bit onto the crucial parts of the oval worm with its movements and speed.


    Were there other organisms that were soft and vulnerable to the sea stars attacks?


    Lins mothership slowly swam onto a rtively tall mound of sand and looked over. Everything on the sand patch other than the leaf worms were organisms like the round disks. There were no other organisms.


    Maybe Lin should observe the entire area and see how deep these beings reached. Then it could calcte how long it should grow.


    This was correct.


    As Lin thought, it started to act after the protector arrived.


    The mothership swam at a rtively high height as the protector climbed along the sand. This empty shell was much faster than the past oval worm, perhaps because it was notpletely filled. The two maintained the same speed as they moved on the sand patch and observed the surroundings.


    Almost all the organisms in the surroundings were leaf worms and round disk worms. Lin asionally saw some sea stars. These sea stars were unlike the one that Lin had seen before. They had six tentacles, and were colored like the sand. They kept on throwing sand into the water. Lin thought that they were going through the sand in search of cells to feed on.


    Lin ignored them and advanced through the and. After moving forward for a while, Lin found that the density of organisms around it started to decrease. The organisms once packed in the surroundings were scattered in groups.


    The leaf worm and other stationary organisms relied on cells that flowed by for food. There seemed to be fewer cells in the water here for some unknown reason.


    Lin discovered apletely different organism after passing over a sand hill. It was not different in appearance but in size.


    That was an enormous leaf worm that was more than five times asrge as the ones Lin encountered previously. It was evenrger than Lins mothership. But it did not look any different than the previous leaf worms.


    Many of theserge leaf worms were scattered in the surroundings. There were none of the small leaf worms here.


    Was this a gathering ce forrge leaf worms? Lin swam in front of arge leaf worm, and reached out with its hammer to tap it.


    Thisrge leaf worm didnt feel harder than the small leaf worms. Why did it grow sorge? Right, Lin would smash it and see if the interior structures were any different.


    As Lin was thinking, therge leaf worm suddenly shook and then the leaf tip sprouted arge volume of white fluid.


    What was that? Toxins? Lin looked at the fluid the leaf worm sprayed out and its first reaction was to immediately retreat. However, the fluid did not sink down to where Lin was but floated into higher waters. At the same time, Lin discovered the surrounding leaf worms all sprouted a fluid like this into the air.


    What were they doing? The leaf worms produced this fluid constantly until it filled the surrounding waters but Lin could not understand the meaning in their actions.


    Lin had the mothership and protector stay on the sand to avoid touching the fluid. Then Lin sent some small devourers to swim upwards and see what the fluid was.


    This was   cells?


    When the devourers observed from a closer distance, they found that the fluid that had been produced wasposed of a type of small cells.


    Lin had found this kind of cell before in the bodies of the leaf worms when it had eaten them. This kind of cell was stored in a sac close to the end of the leaf worm. Lin did not know what this kind of cells were used for back then, and now, it was even more puzzled.


    They were sprayingrge numbers of cells out? What was the meaning in this?


    They were clearly not attacking Lin because these cells didnt have any offensive power. There were two kinds. One kind were small needle-like cells. The other were round white cells that were slightlyrger. None of them had any damaging structures. Lin even had the devourers eat some. They were not poisonous.


    Lin suddenly found that when the smaller needle cells touched the white round cells, they would burrow into the round cells. Then the round cell would be yellow, and the cell membrane seemed to harden. Other cells were not able to burrow in if they came into contact.


    What was this for? Lin didnt understand at all! It was the first time Lin saw something as strange as this. It didnt now how to exin it.


    But right now, Lin did not have the attention to spare for these strange cells.


    The eyes of the devourer saw some other organisms graduallye closer. These organisms were not single cells but enormous beingsposed of many cells.


    These organisms were mostly round and t. They were not like the organisms that were buried in the sand. They appeared soft and slowly floated through the water. There were dozens, and each had up to a hundred slender long tentacles under the round disk. The round disks body was just one-tenth of Lins mothership. However, if the tentacles were included, they were asrge as the mothership.


    Lins devourers saw a great number of them as they looked around. The devourers found that there were at least a hundred swimming over. These organisms seemed to be attracted by therge volume of cells the leaf worm had sprayed into the water. Some of the organisms started to wave their long and slender tentacles to feed as they entered the cell colony.


    Editors note: Lins limited vocabry makes editing so hard. Also Earth day for a biology webnovel.


    Trantor Ramblings: Because I was travelling on Earth Day, the videoste.

 Book 2: Chapter Thirteen”Prelude to the Storm”

    Book 2: Chapter Thirteen��Prelude to the Storm��


    Last chapter recap: Lin went exploring and found organisms spraying cells into the water. First indication of sexual reproduction!


    Chapter Thirteen Prelude to the Storm


    Lin stayed on the sand and observed this strange scene.


    First, the leaf worms sprayed outrge volumes of their cells and then these cellsbined together in a wondrous fashion. Then a group of round disk worms with long tentacles were lured over by the cells.


    Lin was puzzled. Why did the leaf worms spray so many cells into the water? Wouldnt they expend a great amount of energy doing this? And it had attracted so many strange organisms.


    Lin did not want to provoke these strange disk-like beings and decided to first observe. Lin calcted roughly that these disk organisms should be easy to deal with. Their round bodies should be soft. Lin could see that their bodies would quickly expand and contract to swim. The organisms had many thin tentacles so their strength would not be great.


    However, these organisms were here in great numbers. They swam through the clouds of cells that the leaf worms had sprayed out. Their tentacles stretched and curled as though they were going to pull their prey into their body.


    Jellyfish. <sup>1</sup>


    These round disks with tentacles seemed to be called by this new term that appeared in Lins mind. Lin didnt feel satisfied with this name, but it couldnt think of a new name.


    Lin wondered if it should attempt an attack on the jellyfish. If they were easy to defeat, Lin would have a new food supply.


    At this time, Lin found the surrounding light slowly dimming.


    This was   night? Was it about to arrive? Lin had almost forgotten the matter of night because after the oxygen danger, night had never urred. However, this time, night seemed toe much slower than in the past. Why?


    Entering darkness was not good. The small shing exploding balls could not illuminate the entire mothership. Because Lin had not experienced night after creating the mothership, it hadnt produced many shing exploding balls.


    Lin first had the nurturers that were rearing the green cells return into the mothership. Then Lin had the protector and the mothership lean together on the sand to prepare to face the night.


    As the light dimmed, the jellyfish gave off a blue glow as they floated. As the surroundings became darker, they illuminated this region of water.


    Beautiful   were they rted to the luminescent microbes?


    The term beautiful hadnt appeared in Lins thoughts for a long time. It looked at the shing jellyfish floating through the water. Suddenly, Lin saw a jellyfish float over and near where the mothership and the protector.


    Should Lin attack?


    The shing jellyfish swam over the sand. Lin could easily attack it. Lin only worried that if it attacked, would the jellyfish swarm above attack together?


    Just as Lin hesitated, the jellyfish suddenly changed direction. The jellyfish didnt appear as though it was attacking. It slowly floated past Lins mothership, but then its tentacle lightly brushed past a small piece of the motherships skin.


    So painful!


    Lin felt a strong pain spread among the cells where the jellyfish had touched. The pain even started to spread into the blood vessels connecting the ectoderm!


    Was this a virus? No, it didnt seem the same? This should be a venom? Lin must immediately stop this!


    Lin spread a strong thought for the cells surrounding the pain to die. The heart stopped beating. At the same time, the blood vessels in the area that had been invaded split apart and stopped the venom from going deeper.


    Lin no longer felt pain. Its emergency actions had been good. Lin temporarily stoppered where the blood vessels had broken off. Its heart started beating again. Then Lin sent out the devourers to look at the wounded ectoderm.


    These were   stingers?


    The devourers found that a great number of cells were stuck to the dead ectoderm. The cells each had a hole and a threading out of the hole. On the other end of the thread was a stinger. These stingers were stuck on Lins ectoderm as though they were the ones to inject the venom.


    The venom spread through the cells along the cell passages that distributed nutrients. However, when Lin had all the cells surrounding the venom stop all activity, the venom could not be transported.


    Fortunately, only a small piece of ectoderm was damaged. This kind of minor wound was easy to heal. But even if the venom continued to spread, it would be diffuse as it spread, and in the end, reach a concentration where it could not damage cells. The venom was not a virus, it was unable to constantly grow.


    However, Lin now decided to kill the jellyfish.


    The jellyfish had not swam far away. Lin would let the protector try first. Lin wanted to see if this resurrected oval worm was useful. If it was attacked by the swarm, the protectors hard shell would protect it.


    As Lin thought about this, it had the protector climb over. When it climbed under the jellyfish, Lin realized a problem.


    The protector was unable to hold onto the jellyfish floating in the water with its pincers for a simple reason. Its segmented limb could not bend.


    Oh, never mind. It would just act.


    Lin had the mothership charge towards the target, and then swung the hammer onto the jellyfishs disk body.


    The jellyfish was thrown out leaving a stream of bubbles. At the same time, it flew out andnded on the nearby sand.


    Lin immediately had the protector charge and grab the jellyfishs tentacle before it started swimming again. Then Lin pressed the jellyfish down and tore it apart.


    This was very simple. Just like Lin thought, the surrounding jellyfish did not move. They didnt seem to know that one of their own had been killed. This meant that they didntmunicate between themselves.


    Lin releasedrge number of devourers. Lin decided to see what the structure of the jellyfish was before eating it.


    The devourers neared the jellyfish and observed carefully. Lin found that the tentacles were covered with holes. Each hole had a stinger cell. Lin felt some fear at the density of the holes. If arge number of tentacles touched Lin, Lin might have had to kill off the entire ectoderm.


    Didnt Lin also have its own stinger cells? However, Lins stinger cells did not have such prative power. Lin had not used them for a long time.


    For the first time, Lin encountered single cells that could prate the motherships ectoderm, even though they grew on a multicellr organism. Lin thought that it had to harden the ectoderm more. If it was as hard the protectors shell, there would be no problems.


    The jellyfish had a simple structure with a few sacs without any blood vessels. These sacs swelled with tentacles that had stinger cells. Lin found these tentacles would also secrete dissolving fluid. These sacs most likely were used to dissolve food. Other than these structure, not much else existed. The jellyfishs structure was a great deal lessplex than the sea star.


    However, this simple jellyfish, and the leaf worms were much bigger than the sea star. Why was this?


    Could only simple organisms grow big? But the oval worm had beenrge, and could be consideredplex.


    Lin ate all of the jellyfish except the parts with the stinger cells. By the end, the surroundings hadpletely darkened. In this region of water, everything was ck except for the light from the jellyfish.


    Lin paid close attention to the surroundings. Fortunately, no jellyfish drifted over. Lin had finished repairing the wound on the ectoderm and had some cells consume the remnants of the venom. It attempted to have the cells evolve resistance.


    The jellyfish appeared to finish eating the cells the leaf worms had sprayed out. Lin found as they gradually decreased in number many jellyfish were swimming into the distance.


    With the departure of each jellyfish, the surroundings would dim slightly. When they all left, Lin could not see any light.


    It felt as though it hadnt experiencedplete darkness for a long time .  Lin felt that it should make arge light structure.


    Gulp


    Suddenly, unusual vibrations came from the water.


    What was that?


    Lins sense tentacle detected clear changes in the vibrations of water. It felt as though   something enormous moved.


    As the water shifted, countless smaller vibrations urred. Lin knew that was the feeling of sand being upturned. Was something climbing out of the sand?


    No, the surroundings sand granules shook as well!


    Lin hesitated. Then it had the mothership slowly swim upwards. However the protector that couldnt swim was left on the sand.


    The protector didnt have eyes, but it had sensory tentacles. It could also feel the vibrations in the water.


    The vibrations on the entire sand patch became even more evident. Something seemed to be urring.


    Trantor Ramblings: Almost a month since an update   here is a pretty video of a jellyfish to make up for it.<ol><li> Disk organisms in the Ediacaran Era include <em>Cyclomedusa</em>, <em>Ediacaria</em>, and <em>Rugoconites</em>. The disk fossils seemed to be circr with tentacle like ridges so scientists initially thought they were simr to jellyfish. The present hypothesis is that these fossils were made by cell colonies, or organisms on the ocean floor rather than free-swimming jellyfish.</li></ol>

 Book 2: Chapter Fourteen “The Light of the Future”

    Book 2: Chapter Fourteen ��The Light of the Future��


    Last chapter recap: Lin encounters a jellyfish swarm.


    The movement of the water current was unlike ordinary currents. Lin didnt know if this was caused by the vibrating sand or came from far away


    After Lin formed multicellr structures, it never feared water currents again. However, the power of the water current this time surpassed its imagination. This fierce flow swept through the water region, sweeping up countless grains of sand, carrying away everything present. The peaceful night turned immediately into a roaring hell.


    Lin felt as though it was in the grasp of a great power. It rolled back and forth in the mothership through the darkness. Lin felt as though it was constantly spinning. It could not detect up or down, and didnt know where it was. It helplessly rolled through the wild waters.


    Lin closed the openings on the motherships ectoderm so that the cells inside would not leak out. Fortunately, the water current did not tear apart the motherships ectoderm but Lin could not do anything else. In the strong flow, Lin couldnt even move a tentacle.


    More than ten billion cells made up the enormous mothership. Lin hadnt ever thought that the mothership could be swept away. Just now, an enormous leaf worm had smashed onto the mothership. It appeared that other organisms were also swept up by the current.


    Lin could usually smash the leaf worms but it could not pluck them out of the sand. The power of this water current surpassed Lins imagination.


    Unable to fight back, unable to move, Lin rolled and twisted for an unknown amount of time. The water current gradually slowed, and then stopped. The water became peaceful again.


    It stopped?


    It really came quickly and left quickly.


    This seemed to be a fun phrase   no matter. Lin started to inspect its state. Many of the blood vessels had torn apart, and the eyeball antenna on the outside of the ectoderm had snapped off. However, the enormous hammered tentacles and the tentacles used for swimming were fine. Those small wounds could be healed.


    Lin didnt know where the protectors had been swept to. It seemed to be buried in the sand. Because of the hard shell, the cells inside were fine, but it probably was very far from the mothership.


    Lin first grew out new eyeball antennas on the ectoderm. The surroundings were still dark. Lin would probably have to wait until it was light to meet up with the protector.


    Hold on  light?


    The eyeball antenna suddenly saw shing lighte from above.


    Were those jellyfish? The feeling wasnt the same   these lights were dots, and Lin felt that they were extremely far away.


    Lin swam towards the shing dots. As it went closer, the number of dots of light increased ..


    Those were


    The shing lights filled Lins vision. They covered the span of what Lin could see. Among these dots of light, there was an enormous pir of light that seemed to be made from countless dots of light. They stretched from one end of the world to another. Lins eyes, and thoughts were filled with light.


    World? Gxy? Stars?


    Many terms appeared in Lins thoughts it did not understand, but it felt a great yearning towards them. It didnt want to return to the dark waters below, it wanted to advance, to touch these lights


    It swam forward and reached out a tentacle. It tried to touch one of the dots of light.


    Suddenly, a strange feeling came from Lins tentacle. It seemed to have touched a strange ce. The water around the tentacle disappeared, and the feeling was one of emptiness.


    Lin found that its muscle cells could not hold up the tentacle in this void. Gravity seemed to multiply in its force and pulled the tentacle immediately back below the water surface.


    Water surface?


    Lin seemed to have encountered this term before. That was a very special ce   As Lin thought about this, it activated the sprout behind the mothership and rowed its tentacles to charge forward!


    Ssh!


    In the next moment, Lin felt the mothership leave the water, and enter that void, but in an instant, gravity pulled it back into the water.


    Yes   yes, no Lin remembered. As long as it went up, the opposite direction of gravity, it would reach the wondrous ce called the water surface. Above the water surface was an empty space. There was no water, and one couldnt move. One could not stay in that space no matter how great their strength because gravity would pull them back into the water immediately.


    While Lin had only been out of the water for a sh, it could clearly feel from the ectoderm that the void space was notpletely empty. It had something called gas.


    Just like oxygen, and the air bubbles. Gas existed in small bubbles in water, but the area above the water surface belonged to them!


    Other than this, the terror that was the ultraviolet light would fill this empty gas space when it was daytime. The ultraviolet light could instantly kill cells. Because it was night, so this was fine now?


    Day time? That seemed to be a new term referring to light. It felt good.


    Then what were the countless dots of light above? That seemed to be called the starry sky? While the dots were giving off light, the strength was far from the daytime. as they couldnt illuminate the dark areas of the water.


    Lin wanted to get close to them, but there was a space that belonged to gas blocking Lin. In other words, Lin had to move within the gas?


    How to do that?


    Lin couldnt think of a way.


    And if it was daytime, the strong ultraviolet light would kill it. Lin had never tried to evolve resistance to ultraviolet light and there was no reason to try.


    Just a starry sky was not enough to attract Lin to do so, even though the stars were beautiful.


    Maybeter, when Lins colonies were bigger, it would think of a way. But definitely not now.


    So it was time to return to the deep waters   before daytime came.


    Lin slowly moved back. It nced at the starry sky before turning and swimming towards the darkness.


    At this time, countless light suddenly appeared in the pitch ck water.


    How did the stars get into the water? No, that wasnt right


    Lin quickly found the source of light in the water. Those were not stars, they were   jellyfish.


    Countless jellyfishes appeared from the deep waters. They gave off serene blue light asa they moved their disk bodies to slowly towards the water surface where Lin was.


    Had they also been swept up in the water current?


    Lin had no ce to retreat. Behind it was the water surface that belonged to gas, and below it were countless jellyfish. The jellyfish were in such great number they rivaled the stars in the sky!


    If they flooded up, not just the motherships ectoderm, even the cells inside would be devoured. While Lins protector was unharmed below the water, Lin did not want to lose the mothership.


    What to do?


    Charge!


    Lin did not consider too much. It saw a ce where the jellyfish were less densely packed, and suddenly used its sprout to charge at its fastest speed.


    Hammer attack!


    Lin pushed aside the two jellyfish at the front, but what entered its view were dozens of jellyfish swimming upwards.


    Lin once again hammered away the nearest jellyfish, but the surrounding jellyfish that swam by brushed on Lins tentacles and the motherships ectoderm.


    So painful   but, Lin almost made it.


    Lin could see the darkness within the light of countless jellyfish.


    That was the exit!


    Lin once again swung its hammered tentacles. Even though it was wounded by countless toxic stinger cells, it still forcefully hammered out a path. Lin then elerated and charged into the darkness.


    Sess!


    Lin was covered in wounds, the ectoderm showingrge cracks as a result of Lin having the poisoned cells die to effectively stop the spread of the toxin. At the same time, Lin removed the hammered tentacles and the two swimming tentacles from its body because they were covered in stinger cells.


    The losses were great, but Lin had survived.


    Lin turned back to look at the luminescent jellyfish swarm and then swam towards the darkness.


    Lin had reached towards light, but at this time, it felt the darkness was safer and morefortable.


    Trantor Ramblings: Cant find a good video of a water current so, heres an animated one.

 Book 2: Chapter Fifteen “The Desert In The Dark Night”

    Book 2: Chapter Fifteen ��The Desert In The Dark Night��


    Last chapter recap: Lin survives going through a swarm of stinging jellyfish.


    Lins wounds had recovered but it was still in the darkness. Lin couldnt see anything.


    The darkness continued for an especially long time this time, just like how Lin felt the daytime had continued for a long time as well. Light and dark both lengthened.


    Lin had too many questions to consider   even with an enormous colonyposed of so many cells, it could not understand, just like it could not fight against the previous water current.


    Lin needed to get bigger, get stronger, before it could face these unexined mysteries.


    If this was Lin of the past, then it would stay motionless in the water and wait for the darkness to retreat ..


    But it would not let itself be passive in the darkness this time. Also, Lin didnt know how long this would continue. Due to this, it needed something that could give off light.


    Lin didnt just have the shing exploding balls, it had eaten a jellyfish and discovered some of the cells inside the jellyfish would give off light. Inside these transparent cells was some kind of powder that gave off light. The shing exploding balls obtained a kind of luminescent structure after eating the luminescent microbes. The two light sources were not the same.


    No matter what, Lin needed to have the shing exploding balls eat these powder things and be brighter to create a luminescent structure that would allow the mothership to see the surroundings.


    The shing exploding balls actually couldnt explode now. So Lin felt it was better to call them light balls.


    Lin easily split out more light balls and had them form arge ball-like structure. Then Lin connected it using a tentacle and named it with the new term that appeared in its mind,ntern.


    Thentern was situated at the head of the mothership with multiple blood vessels transporting nutrients to it. The light thentern gave off could only illuminate a small area in front of the mothership. While it could notpare the light of daytime, at least Lin could move.


    Lin continued to swim downwards and nned to meet up with the protector on the sand.


    Lin was swimming in darkness for the first time. Under the light of thentern, all kinds of weirdly shaped fragments, single cells, and the corpses of unknown organisms floated by in the surroundings. Lins eyeball antenna had been modified. Other than thergest eyeball, there were six eyeballs of various sizes used to observe things of different sizes. Lin would not miss a thing. It would be able to see even a virus floating by.


    After swimming downwards for a while, Lin saw more and more strange things in the water, including many cells. They did not have eyes, but they seemed able to feel the light Lin gave off and moved towards thentern.


    Yes, the light would attract other organisms. Maybe this was how the jellyfish hunted using their lights.


    Lin released the devourers to eat the cells that gathered on thentern and continued to advance. Soon it reached the sand at the bottom.


    When the light of thentern touched the sand, Lin saw many small organisms gathered on the sand. They did not appear like the unicellr organisms who were attracted to light. When the light touched them, they immediately swam in all directions and disappeared into the darkness.


    Where these all multicellr organisms? Why were they afraid of light?


    The light was too dim and Lin did not see them clearly. However, Lin felt they were slightly simr to oval worms, but they were small, about the size of the sea stars.


    Lin slowly swam above the sand. It found that there were many more organisms in the dark than in daytime, especially on the sand. Organisms floated everywhere. Some of them feared light, others like light. Lin made a kind of devourer who had a smallntern and let those devourer go out to hunt. Lin did not want to waste this food.


    Lin fed as it swam. It felt it was close to where the protector was. Suddenly, something strange appeared in front of it.


    This organism was like an enormous giant tentacle, as long as the mothership, and had spiraling patterns on the surface. It moved over the sand as though it was feeding on cells.


    Lin hadnt seen this type of organism in daytime, so it called this the darkness worm.


    Lin observed this organism. The range of thentern light coincidentally illuminated its entire body. Lin was specting. How was the power of this darkness worm, was it a threat? Or food?


    The darkness worm moved extremely slowly over the sand. Lin slowly swam closer. When Lin swam above the darkness worm, it suddenly twisted and shot out at a rapid speed.


    Lin immediately swung the motherships tentacles to follow and chased this organism in the dim light. Lin found that the darkness worm seemed to be chasing another organism.


    Lin raised antern. The light illuminated a wider range. It saw a small round organism with segmented limbs on two sides furiously fleeing ahead of the darkness worm. However, this organism was not as fast as the darkness worm.


    The darkness worms head part opened, and it bit its target. Lin swam in front of it. and saw the head of the darkness worm was a mouth with a ring of teeth that curved inwards. It was moving its mouth muscles and crushing the food it had caught.


    Lin watched for a while and then smashed its hammered tentacle on the feeding darkness worm.


    The darkness worm swung its head and spat out its prey in pain. The segmented organism seemed to be unharmed and immediately fled.


    Lin did not chase. Its goal was the darkness worm.


    While the darkness wormcked eyes, it know Lin was the culprit. It twisted its body and charged towards LIn.


    Bang.


    Another hammer blow on the darkness worms head. This attack smashed it into the sand. At the same time, Lin opened the motherships ectoderm and released a group of new cell types.


    Lin copied the sea stars injection method and created a new kind of organism. These injectors had long needles at the head, and a sprout at the end of their streamlined bodies. They could elerate immediately and charge out, thrusting the long needle into their opponent. Then they could shrink back and inject what was inside them.


    The injectors injected a cell that mimicked the virus. Lin called them multipliers. Lin had evolved these new cells from cone-shaped cells. The mouth of each multiplier was an empty cone-shaped channel, not for secreting something, but to pierce into other cells and suck in.


    If the multipliers gained enough nutrients, they would immediately divide. Their division was faster than other cells, and Lin had prepared them so they were full of nutrients before they were injected into the enemy. Even if they did not absorb nutrients from the host, they could rapidly increase in number.


    The injectors could swam rapidly for a short period. They charged towards the darkness worm and then pierced the ectoderm of the darkness worm with their needles, injecting tens of thousands of multipliers.


    The multiplierscked vision so Lin had them attack as they wished. They would insert their needles when they encountered something soft and then suck in before dividing. They continued this process. While their division could notpare to the rate of the virus, it was still rapid.


    Attacked byrge numbers of injectors, the darkness worm started to twist its body in pain and roll on the sand. It appeared many ces inside its body were damaged.


    At this time, Lin had the mothership swim over and give a hard blow towards the darkness worms head.


    Even if the darkness worm had immune cells, they were useless because Lins attack came from both outside and inside.


    The darkness worm quickly stopped moving.


    Lin had the multipliers stop dividing and automatically die. Lin would take back their corpses, not wasting anything.


    Now was the time to feast.


    Lin had the devourer enter through the mouth of the darkness worm, and started to turn this into its own nutrients. Of course, Lin studied this organisms structure.


    The darkness worm seemed to have a structure like a feeding passageway from head to tail. There were eight circles of curled teeth near the head, and piled in the esophagus wererge amounts of sand and the hard shells of other organisms.


    The multipliers had primarily attacked the head and many marks of cell damage showed there. The esophagus was destroyed.


    The darkness worms blood vessels circled around the esophagus. There were many hearts from the head to the tail, but they were small, and looked like lumps on the blood vessels. Also, a rtivelyrge nerve near the head.


    Other than this, the entire body wasposed of muscles used to quickly move the body.


    There was nothing to learn from it. It was just food.


    Having made the conclusion, Lin immediately had the devourers start to feed. THis darkness worm could provide them with great amounts of nutrients.


    Suddenly, an organism entered the range of Linsntern.


    This was the segmented limb organism the darkness worm had been chasing previously?


    Lin saw this organism running quickly towards the mothership. Just as Lin prepared to raise the hammer and stun it, it suddenly saw arge organism chasing this organism.


    Trantor Ramblings: Lin bes the first anglerfish. Also, Lin has obtained pickiness as a personality trait.<figure>


    <figcaption>Wikipedia</figcaption></figure>

 Book 2: Chapter Sixteen “Strange Crystals and Shallows”

    Book 2: Chapter Sixteen ��Strange Crystals and Shallows��


    Last chapter recap: Lin makes a new kind of cell whose primary trait is the ability to divide continuously and encounters a segmented worm chased by another organism.


    That was   a darkness worm?


    Lin found that the organism chasing the segmented limb organism was another darkness worm, and one slightly smaller than the one Lin had just killed.


    The segmented leg organism quickly ran to where Lin was and lured this darkness worm towards Lin.


    The motherships enormous hammer immediately rose and struck the darkness worms head, killing it in one blow.


    The segmented limb organism escaped but Lin had obtained more food.


    So interesting.


    Lin looked in the direction the segmented limb organism fled in, and suddenly thought, maybe it could use the other organism to capture more darkness worms?


    Alright, that seemed to difficult to do.


    However   Lin hadnt expected so many surprises in the dark night.


    Lin had the devourer start to deconstruct the darkness worm. These were true worms without outer shells. The devourer could easily tear offrge cell structures. The devourers quickly consumed the two darkness worm. Now, Lin had replenished the nutrients it expended in the water current, fighting against the jellyfish, and in making thentern, and had extra as well.


    After feeding, Lin continued to advance. It found the protector in a sand pit. They finally met up.


    Then where to go now?


    Continue to hunt darkness worms? Or


    Lin had a great amount of fat storage. The need to search for food did not seem to be great. Maybe it should explore this dark night and see if there were anything interesting.


    After the easy victory against the darkness worm, Lin became confident. The feeling of danger in its mind was reced by curiosity and excitement. Even though the range of thentern was only two times the length of the mothership, Lin still started this journeying in darkness.


    Lin found a random direction and moved. The light wavered in the darkness. Small organism swarms appeared asionally at the perimeter of light. Some were unicellr, others multicellr, but they were difficult to see clearly.


    Lin arrived at an unfamiliar area without any leaf worms, no familiar scenes. Even the sand below it had slowly grownrger in size, they could be called rocks.


    Lin had nevere to this ce before.


    Lin had left behind the sand, and therge rocks here reced sand. Many unicellr organisms gathered in the crevices of the rocks, and a kind of small jellyfish floated around.


    The small jellyfish were about the size of the devourer. Lin could easily grip them by having the protector reach in with the segmented limbs.


    However, Lin only took a look and them threw the jellyfish away. Jellyfish were an unprofitable organism. Their bodies looked big and swollen, but they were really just a few thinyers, and Lin would have the danger of being pierced by toxic stingers. The jellyfish were organisms not worthy of being eaten.


    Lin continued to advance. It found the rocks were bingrger andrger. Rows of tall and enormous rocks appeared up ahead.


    Lin swam above the giant rocks. Suddenly, itsntern swept a strange thing.


    This object was about the size of the mothership, and its surface was as clear and transparent as the ice with many rhombus protrusions.


    This thing was not ice because it was not cold upon contact. Lin tapped it and found it was far harder than ice. This was something that could be described as Crystal.


    Lin was certain it had seen something simr before.


    A long time ago ..


    Yes   observer.


    The only single cell with vision. While Lin stopped using it after learning how to make eyes, the observer was still inside Lins mothership. The observer had a piece of crystal exactly the same inside its body.


    The crystal in the observer was extremely small, but if Lin looked closely, it could see the simrities.


    This crystal gave the observer vision.


    But why was this object special? Why could it give the observer the ability to see?


    Lin swung its hammer to strike the surface of the crystal. Some small fragments fell off and Lin had the devourers take these pieces back into the mothership.


    Lin had the devourers turn the fragments into smaller fragments until single cells could envelop them. Lin nned to have basic cells eat these fragments and then repeat the order it had made at that time: Receive light, see everything in the surroundings. Then Lin would see if these cells could obtain sight.


    No effect. The basic cell that ate the crystals did not react at all.


    While it had been a long time ago, Lin still remembered the initial situation clearly.


    It had proceededpletely ording to those steps, but why were there no effects? The only exnation was this crystal seemed simr but was not the same kind as what the observer had consumed.


    Lin was slightly disappointed but this was not something major. It quickly dismissed this matter, moved around therge crystal and continued its advance.


    Lin found many simr crystals in the surroundings. They stood among the rocks of various sizes, but they didnt seem differentpared to the surrounding rock. The nearby organisms did not pay attention to them.


    At this time, the surrounding darkness slowly faded. The light of thentern became less obvious. This meant that daytime was close.


    The night was slightly shorter than daytime   Lin remembered how long daytime and night took. Next time, it would be prepared.


    As the surroundings grew bright, Lin could clearly feel the temperature slowly start to rise. It withdrew thentern back into the mothership, and released the rearing pen holding the green cells. At the same time, the organisms in the surroundings started to retreat into the crevices in the rock. It seemed they only moved and hunted during night.


    At this time, some small organisms did the opposite. They came out of the crevices inrge numbers and swam in the brightening waters.


    Lin found these organisms were small but unique in appearance. Shaped like leaf worms, they could also use their t bodies to swim in the water.


    Lin called them t worms and released devourers to eat a few. The organisms structure was simr to the devourer but above their esophagus was a round and hard structure that connected to the tail. Lin didnt know what it was for.


    Also, they each had a split in their side filled with many soft tentacles. These tentacles would absorb the gas bubbles that floated towards them. They seemed extremely useful. Lin considered if it should make one simr.


    When daytime fully came, the surrounding crystals seemed to absorb the light and became extremely blinding. The t worms that swam out of the rock crevices gathered towards these crystals and glued their round and t bodies to them.


    What were they doing?


    Lin swam over curiously and touched the surface of the crystal with a tentacle. It found that these crystals had be warm. Did the t worms attach themselves onto the crystal to increase their body temperature?


    Pretty interesting.


    Lin wasnt afraid of the cold after experiencing freezing multiple times. Even in the coldest of times, Lin could move quickly. These t worms, due to staying in the darkness for a long time, were slow in their moment. After warming up on the crystals, their movements would be rapid.


    They would attack Lins rearing pen, but they did not eat Lins rearing pen. They desired to attack the green cells inside. However, the t worms did not have teeth. They could not prate the rearing pens transparent outeryer.


    Lin immediately releasedrge numbers of devourer to hunt the t worms that were still on the crystals and hadnt warmed uppletely. It also had some devourers guard the rearing pen against attacks.


    The t worm and the devourer were about the same size, but, whenpletely warmed up, they were faster than devourers and had eyes. Lin had to capture them before they finished warming up.


    After hunting for a while, Lin ate hundreds of t worms. However, there seemed to be many more in the surroundings. They also had finished warming up and it was difficult to catch them.


    Lin nned on releasing the injectors but the t worms suddenly did something strange. They quickly swam in one direction as though they were fleeing something. In a few moments, theypletely disappeared.


    The direction the t worms ran in was the direction Lin hade from. Lin was puzzled when he received a strange pain in his thoughts.


    This feeling was from the motherships ectoderm. The surrounding devourers could also feel this on their outer membranes. Lin remembered this feeling. This was simr to when temperatures were too high and the cells were being damaged.


    The protector did not feel this. It had to do with its hard outer shell.


    This kind of pain came from above. Lin looked up. Through the surface, it saw the light from the gas realm.


    So daytime above the water was this bright   unlike the starlight of night, this was a pure light, so bright   it terrified Lin.


    Water surface?


    When did the water surface be so close to the bed of the ocean?


    Lin finally realized. The surface of the water had neared the mothership at some time. Due to this, the ultraviolet light prated through the surface and damaged Lins outer membranes. Lin immediately moved its devourers away and sped back the direction it hade from.


    However, enormous stones appeared in front of Lin and blocked its path.


    This was   the enormous stone that it had encountered when it hade? Lin hadnt cared back then. But now, these rocks were above the water surface!


    Trantor Ramblings: There isnt any kind of characteristic for me to specte what kind of rock the crystals are. But soft enough Lin could hammer a piece off   maybe it is salt?

 Book 2: Chapter Seventeen “The Evolution of the Exoskeleton”

    Book 2: Chapter Seventeen ��The Evolution of the Exoskeleton��


    Last chapter recap: Lin explores some strange crystals and finds the water leveling down.


    The water surface was gradually decreasing


    The surface came closer and closer to Lin. Lin could feel the pain caused by the ultravite light on its ectoderm. The light of daytime was destroying its cells and damaging its slife.


    Lin wanted to flee but could not find any route.


    The row of enormous rocks encircled all of the crystals and trapped Lin.


    Non-living things should be randomly positioned. Why had this coincidentally formed a circle? Lin hade when it was night time. In the night, Lins vision was limited. It hadnt noticed the strangeness of the area at that time. Otherwise, Lin would have hesitated.


    It was toote for regrets. The lowering of the water meant Lin had nowhere to go. It could only face the threat of the ultraviolet light directly.


    Fortunately, Lin wasntpletely unprepared.


    Ultraviolet light. Lin only knew of this term and it could damage cells, but didnt know what ultraviolet light was. The eye didnt seem to be able to see the ultraviolet light. Lin thought that the ultraviolet light was a kind of light, or something carried by the light which had great damaging power. Lin only had guard against it.


    Lin had seen some cells produce unique liquid or solid substances inside their bodies. These substances could reflect, deflect or interfere with light or absorb it. Those were called color.


    While Lin didnt understand how it formed, color was effective against the light. The green cells seemed to rely on color to absorb the power of light.


    But Lin could not make green. It only had ck, white, grey and a transparent color. In Lins tests, it found that white was the best at reflecting light.


    Under Lins direction, the ectodermal cells slowly turned white. Lin could feel the pain on the ectoderm decrease. Lin then quickly repaired the damage on the ectoderm and had them all be covered in ayer of white.


    At the same time, Lin created a white shell around the eyeball antenna at the top. This way, the eyeball could continue to observe but not be wounded by light. <sup>1</sup>


    After these changes, the light seemed unable to harm Lins ectoderm. However, the water was still lowering. Without the protection of water, even if Lin turned white, the ultraviolet light might be able to destroy Lins ectoderm eventually.


    Right now, Lin could only swim above a crack in the rocks. If the water level reached a certain level, Lin would open a passage under the mothership and have the cells and devourers inside swim into the cracks to avoid the danger.


    The protectors outer shell meant it was unaffected. Lin desired to evolve a hard shell even more.


    Linsrge hammer were made from hardened cells. They werepletely different than the hard- shell not made from cells. Lin hoped to make aposite substance like this, hard and thick, and not made from cells.


    Lin had studied some organisms with shells. It found that the shells of these organisms varied in their hardness, but they were made from simr materials. This was a powder or liquid secreted by cells called nd cells. When the nd cells secreted the substance in suchrge amounts they covered the ectoderm, they would form all kind of hard shells.


    The water was still decreasing. Lin could feel that pain called burning slowly return. As the water surface grew closer, the lights impact on Lin increased. Lin prepared to have the troops and cells inside the mothership flee.


    However, the water stopped when it was a small distance away from the mothership.


    Was it safe?


    Lin didnt dare to rx. It didnt know if the water would rise or fall next. It quickly started its next step, evolving nd cells.


    Lin did not have difficulties making nd cells. The problem was the substance inside the nd cells. What kind of substance could the cells secret, and then be a strong hard shell on the outside over the ectoderm.


    Maybe the answer was in the food cells usually ate.


    Since this was a substance not made from cells, then this substance should have been obtained from food. Maybe the white gel Lin ate before had substance that could create hard shells before.


    Of course, it didnt have to be the white gel. Lin had seen other organisms eat all kinds of things such as the scum on the sand beach, the powder on the rocks. Maybe they held the key to creating hard shells.


    Lin made an opening on the underside of the mothership and releasedrge numbers of exploding balls. It had the cells search among the rock cracks for simr substances. After consuming those substances, Lin would try to have the cells dissolve these materials in their bodies, and then cover their outside membrane with the material.


    Lin could only wait now. As long as the water didnt continue to lower, Lin would soon create hard shells.


    In reality, Lin should have tried to make hard shells long ago. But because it hadnt encountered a situation and the power of the hammer was enough to defend itself, Lin hadnt made any hard shells before.


    The exploding balls moved through the ck cracks in the rock. Lin had some small devourers follow them. When the exploding balls saw suitable materials, they would swallow the materials and try to dissolve them in their bodies. After reconstituting the material, the exploding balls would turn them into suitable shapes and cover their bodies.


    Lin didnt know the details of the process inside the cells. However, the cells would act on their own. Lin only had to give them thoughts to act.


    The exploding balls found a great deal of materials inside the rocks cracks that appeared as though they could be made into shells. ck sticky substance, scum that fell down from the rocks. The exploding balls dissolving fluid could dissolve the great majority of the sand granules and rock fragments, but after sessful dissolving, Lin found the cells could not put them back together again.


    Because the sand and fragments were made of different materials, some materials would destroy thepleteness and possibility of the rbination.


    Lin called the substances that damaged thepleteness impurities which had to be eliminated. This was an extremely troublesome process as Lins cells did not understand the thought eliminate impurities well. Lin had to control the process by itself.


    Lins thoughts could control a cell perfectly from the nucleus to the membrane. However, it had never tried to directly control the synthesis system of the cell. Therefore, this was a long andplex process.


    The synthesis system inside the cell was aplex thing. Also, there was no vision inside the cell. Lin couldnt observe what was happening inside, but it had senses that were like the sense of touch. If Lin needed to, it could experience the touch of the different materials the inner structures of the cell was touching.


    Relying on this wondrous ability, Lin conducted its work of removing impurities.


    Lin believed it would seed.


    Just as Lin tried to remove impurities, some unwee guests appeared in the surrounding water. These t organisms appeared inrge numbers in this region of water and quickly swam through the water. They fed on the wild cells and small organisms that had been killed by the ultraviolet light on the rocks.


    Lin found these t worms were slightly different than the ones it had fed on before. Each t worm had ayer of sand covering. They appeared to have secreted a sticky substance on their surface so the sand would stick to them to block the ultraviolet light.


    So they hadnt been fleeing previously, they hid in the sand and thene back?


    Because there were many cracks in the enormous rock trapping Lin, the t worms could burrow in.


    The t worms mouth was suited to eating all kinds of cells, including the exploding balls in the cracks.


    Lin had the exploding balls work to remove impurities. If it seeded, the exploding balls would be able to remove impurities on their own in the future.


    But this was a slow process, and the t worms already swam around Lins mothership. They burrowed into the cracks of the rock and started to hunt and kill Lins exploding balls!


    Lin sent out injectors. Only the injectors siphon could catch up to these speedy t worms.


    Once the injectorss needle struck their target, the t worms would be filled withrge numbers of multipliers. For the small t worms this was a fatal attack.


    The t worms used their nimble bodies to doge the injectors because the injectors had difficulty turning when they were charging. Lin should give them tentacles to control their swimming direction   but it didnt have the spare time right now!


    When the battle in the rock started, Lin also sped up its work on removing impurities. It had already separated the different materials inside the exploding balls. It almost .. sess!


    Lin sessfully removed the useless impurities from the exploding balls and the rest of the materials sessfully synthesized together. Lin had the exploding ball secret the substance from its membrane and sessfully created a thin outer shell.


    Now, it sent its sessful information to every exploding ball. Now all of Lins exploding balls had this ability to dissolve and form shell armor!


    At this time, Lin once again felt the burning pain. It found the water surface had lowered considerably once again.


    Trantor Ramblings: I couldnt find a nice short video on chitin so   pictures.<figure>


    <figcaption>Chitin (Wikipedia)</figcaption></figure><figure>


    <figcaption>Exoskeleton of male louse. (CDC/Janice Carr)</figcaption></figure><ol><li>  If you block light in one direction, it is usually blocked in the other Also the material Lin is purifying is likely calcium carbonate, a keyponent in the production of chitin.</li></ol>

 Book 2: Chapter Eighteen “Preparations To Land”

    Book 2: Chapter Eighteen ��Preparations To Land��


    Last chapter recap: Lin makes defenses against ultraviolet light.


    The nd cells hadpleted their evolution. As the water level decreased, Lin had the cells quickly divide andbine with the ectoderm to create an shell for itself.


    Lin found the food it usually ate, including all kinds of wild cells or multicellr organisms contained materials that could create shells. Lin didnt have to go into the rock cracks to find materials.


    These substances were thought of as trash before. Lin used to squeeze the trash which remained after digestion to the ectoderm and then expel them. Now it seemed that they should be stored for use.


    There were many materials that could form shells but due to the urgency of the situation, Lin picked a random one.


    The water was falling at an extremely slow rate but Lins cells were the opposite in their speed. A white shell slowly spread on the outside of the ectoderm. While it was not as strong as other hard-shelled organisms, this was enough to protect against the UV light. No matter how strong the ultraviolet light was, Lin would not feel pain.


    The shell substance would slowly harden after secretion. Lin covered the mothership in this substance. As to the tentacles used for swimming and the hammered tentacles, Lin retracted them into the mothership. Lin did not want to add a shell to the tentacles. That would greatly decrease their flexibility.


    After finishing this, Lin didnt feel any pain at al. The shell effectively blocked the damage of the ultraviolet light.


    But the water level still continued to fall. Lins danger had not yet been evaded. Lin didnt want to bepletely exposed to the water. Then Lin wouldnt know what would happen.


    As the water levels fell, the temperature at this ce increased. This may be due the crystals. They absorbed heat from the light and affected this region of water.


    The t worms had been swimming around this ce. They hunted for cells in the water which had died due to ultraviolet light. These cells had hid in the rock. As the water temperatures increased, the cells gradually swam out of the rock and became food for the tworms.


    Lin looked at them and suddenly had a thought.


    Were they   had the t worms had been the ones to make this circle area?


    Lin had been suspecting this previously. Normally, stones would not form such a shape. There definitely had been something going on.


    As Lin thought this, Lin immediately activated the siphon behind the mothership and charged forward towards a rock in front of it!


    The rocks shattered under the motherships attack. Lin created an enormous gap in the rocks.


    As expected, Lin was right.


    The t worms could stick sand to their bodies, and could also stick other things together. These enormous rocks had been pasted together from countless smaller rocks!


    Lin hadnt observed carefully before, but now that it knew, it was extremely easy to escape.


    Following this, Lin had the protectore forward. Its segmented limbs easily dug out a hole in this rock big enough to let the mothership pass through.


    Lin finally sessfully flee. Fortunately, the water had not lowered to such a level that the mothership couldnt move.


    Aftering out of the rock circle, Lin saw a clear downward slope that led to deeper waters.


    It seemed that it had unconsciouslye to this position close to the water surface.


    The water level would be extremely high at night, and when daytime came, the water level was extremely low. The t worms should have made the rock circle during the night.


    They created the enormous rock circle in order to prevent hunters, because the crystals easily heated up, or maybe to make a trap forrge organisms like Lin would enter and be killed by the ultraviolet light. This way, they would haverge amounts of food.


    The third reason didnt seem very possible.


    Lin slowly waved its tentacle and flowed along the hill to deeper waters. It felt that it had gained many things in this journey. If not for this, Lin might not have ever tried to evolve a shell.


    The shell was an unique thing. Lin found that food contained many materials that could form shells. Lin called them all chitin substances. Through changing theposition of the chitin, Lin could change the hardness of the shell, the flexibility, the time it took to harden, and other traits.


    This was an extremelyplex process Lin had to keep studying. But after one sess at synthesis, it would be simpler in the future.


    Originally, Lins hammers contained chitin, but at the time, Lin had justbined hardened cells. Lin hadnt known how to separate the shell and the cells.


    Now that Lin could sessfully separate the cells and the shell. The shell hardness could be increased, and the cells would not be directly attacked.


    As Lin thought about this, Lin swam back to the deeper and sandy waters. The cold water and the dim light made Lin feel safe.


    However, Lin would not rest. It would return, it would revolve a perfect solution to the ultraviolet light.


    Right now, Lin would eat more.


    On this journey, Lin saw a variety of organisms and colonies. It would not worry any longer about the scarcity of food.


    Lin observed the surrounding sand. There were great numbers of varied organisms here including the leaf worms Lin was familiar with and some organisms that Lin had never seen before.


    Those unfamiliar organisms were of various shapes, but they had a simr trait   they were very small.


    Lin started to release devourers to hunt these organisms. The mothership and protector were responsible forrger organisms such as the leaf shaped worms.


    Lin consumed these organisms as it increased the thickness of the motherships outer shell. Lin found many problems at this time. The thicker the outer shell, the greater the burden on the mothership. No wonder the oval worm with its thick shell could only crawl on the ground.


    Also, if Lin wanted to have the hard shell cover its entire body, the shell could not change shape with the mothership, this situation was extremelyplicated


    How did organisms like the leaf worms and the oval worms maintain the growth of the shell along with their bodies?


    Also, it was difficult to store the waste products used to make chitin.


    When cells digested food, they would always produce some indigestible things. Lin would have the nutrient exchange system deliver these things to the outside of the ectoderm to be expelled into the water. However, it was difficult to expel through the shell.


    In the end, Lin decided to only put a shell over the upper part of the mothership. The lower half would still be made out of hardened cells. The tentacles were not covered in any shell to maintain its nimbleness.


    Of course, Lin only did this due to the motherships body. For new soldier types, Lin could create a terrifying thingpletely covered in a hard shell.


    Lin reinforced the rearers of the green cells, adding on twoyers of shells around the transparent center that could open and was controlled by muscles on the inside.


    As to otherbinations with armor   Lin would first wait for night.


    Just like this, Lin hunted the food on the sand patch and slowly waited for night toe before Lin once again swam in the direction it came.


    Lin called that ce the shallows. This meant the ground that was close to the water surface.


    While the surroundings hadntpletely turned dark, Lin raised thentern. It swam past the sand and the rock area. It quickly saw the enormous stones that formed a giant circle.


    Lin had smashed a hole in one of the rocks. It could see the t worm fixing the hole. They were gathering sand granules and pieces to repair the opening.


    It appeared the repair work was slow. An entire daytime had passed, and they hadnt even finished repairing half.


    Now, they might never be able to fix this.


    Lin charged toward and suddenly hammered the hole under repair into powder. Then it releasedrge numbers of devourers to eat the surrounding t worms.


    The t worms slowed down in their movement as the daytime left and the water turned cold. The devourer could easily capture them.


    Lins mothership and protector destroyed the entire circle of rocks. The t worms fled into the distance when they saw this.


    Lin did not chase but had the mothership stop near a crystal. It started to think of newbinations to study.


    Lin wanted to create a new cell type. They needed the ability to block ultraviolet light and also a hard shell. Lin wanted to use the cells to realize a special n.


    Exploring a new world.


    Trantor Ramblings: Here is a video of high to low tide. Imagine Lin trapped in one of those puddles. Also, the tides imply there is at least one moon-like structure circling this.

 Book 2: Chapter Nineteen “The Desolate World”

    Book 2: Chapter Neen ��The Deste World��


    Last chapter recap: Lin prepares to boardnd.


    The newbination was called explorer. Half the size of a protector, it had a oval body covered in chitin. The shell had many small pores used to absorb oxygen. Two eyeballs on the head and antern tentacle used for illumination. The explorer had a small heart and blood vessel structures inside.


    It had eight armored and segmented limbs around the body. Lin added joint structures simr to those of the oval worm onto these limbs. The segmented limb filled with muscles could move quickly.


    Lin didnt create the explorer to hunt or kill enemies, but to explore the world outside the water!


    Lin enjoyed exploring unknown areas. After it identally encountered the water surface, it had this thought. After sessfully making armor to protect it from the UV light, Lin could finally realize the idea.


    Lin did note to this ce in daytime but chose the safer nighttime. While Lin had armor, it didnt know if the armor could block the ultraviolet light outside of the water.


    The explorer left. It climbed quickly uphill over the environment created by small stone fragments. Doing this was an easy task for the explorer.


    During the night, water levels were higher but this could not be seen. However, thentern Lin created for the explorer was not the same. Lin made it so that not all of the round ball was giving off light, and gathered the light to shine into one direction. Thentern was covered by shells on two sides. This way, the light it gave off could still illuminate a great distance. The explorer only had to raise thentern tentacle to see the water in front of it.


    As the explorer moved up the hill, the level of the water grew even lower. The surrounding environment slowly turned from shattered stone into dark yellow small grains of sand. Lin was introduced to this sand for the first time.


    The explorer quickly grew close to   the ce where water andnd met.


    If Lin went in there, Lin could leave the water and go into the domain belonging to the gases.


    Lin felt an emotion called Excitement.


    Leaving the water seemed to be an important matter which was why Lin had such a feeling.


    Lin itself didnt feel the same. It only thought that this was a new area to explore. Lin didnt n to enter with its true body. This was just to satisfy his curiosity but why did it feel like this? Lin didnt know.


    Anyways, Lin would fine as long as it continued.


    The explorers body slowly floated out of the water with its steps. Lin could feel again that empty feeling belonging to the region of The light of the stars shed above this pace, and illuminated the bath ahead for Lin.


    Lin called thispletely new worldnd. Without needing thentern, Lin could see everything by the light of the stars.


    Thend was a deste ce. It was covered in yellow-brown fragments and sand. Other than several pieces of enormous stone that asionally popped up, there was nothing else.


    But Lin didnt stop


    The explorer started to move its legs again. Its segmented limb left the water along with its body and stepped onto the new world.


    Then, it fell down.


    After leaving water, gravity seemed to increase greatly. It immediately pulled Lins explorer onto the ground and kept it motionless.


    Lins armor had been made to deal with this. However, it seemed Lin had to adjust the muscles.


    As it thought about this, Lin quickly repaired the muscles inside the segmented limbs. The cells quickly divided and grew stronger. until it could support the body on thend with its increased gravity.


    As the cells quickly repaired, the explorer soon stood up again. This time, it did not fall down.


    The explorer moved the segmented limb around its body and walked towards this deste world


    Onnd, the cold air currents reced the water flows. The air currents were faster than water currents. They blew up sand from the ground that hit the explorers outer shell. Lin had a term to describe them wind.


    Lin found, in this world, water became small round drops just like gases in water. When the wind blew by, it would carry off countless drops of water. Under the endless stream of wind, the explorers originally moist outer shell quickly grew as dry as the sand under its feet.


    Lin obtained many new terms walking onto the new world, but it started to feel


    Bored.


    The explorer moved rtively slowly onnd, but it only saw endless yellow sand or asionallyrge pieces of rock.


    Other than this, there was nothing, no multicellr organisms, no single cells, only the constant wind and flying yellow sand. The sky full of stars was so beautiful, but thend was so deste and empty.


    Lins original curiosity and excitement aboutnd was almost used up. It wasnt in the mood to manage these interesting new terms. It just had the explorer wal step by step.


    There were no organisms here, which also meant there was no food. Lin found a new problem, after the wind dried up the water in the outer shell, Lin felt the water inside the explorer slowly slip away.


    The water escaped out of holes or small cracks in the shell. When the wind blew, they turned into water droplets that flew away and disappeared without a trace.


    Lin had always lived in the water. It had never felt what it was like to lose water.


    Now it knew, and this meant death.


    When a cell lost all of its water, they would instantly die. The cracks on the shell have to be repaired.


    Lin;s explorer containedrge numbers of nd cells. They could quickly secret chitin to repair all kinds of cracks. Lins original shell had not covered the entire area, but it seemed that everything had to be covered.


    Lin quickly filled in all the cracks, leaving behind only two small holes to exchange gases.


    Lin knew why there were no other organisms here. They couldnt safely leave water.


    Also, this deste had nothing else that could attract other organisms.


    But Lin didnt give up. The explorer continued to walk towards the deeper parts.


    If Lin turned back now, it couldnt see the water. However, the surrounding scenery was still the same. Other than sand, there were only rocks. This caused Lin to think of when it had been younger.


    At that time, it had simr feelings, such as other than water, there is water.


    The explorers fat cells stored inside its body meant it could walk for a long time. However, Lin started to doubt the meaning of this journey.


    So bored.


    In this repeated environment, Lin moved its attention upwards. It found the stars in the sky would slowly change. The dots of light would slowly move. asionally, a line of light would sh across the sky at high speed but most dots of light would remain motionless.


    After going ontond, Lin found that the stars were extremely distant. Maybe, it needed to be swim in air like it did in water to get close to them.


    That was   too difficult.


    At this time, the explorer found some different things up ahead.


    Sand dunes


    The sand dunes were frequent on patches of sand, and Lin usually ignored them. However, onnd, the sand dunes should be able to increase the range of Lins vision onnd.


    The explorer climbed up and looked into the distance from the top of the sand dune.


    As Lin expected, sand stretched to the end of Lins vision.


    There was no meaning in this kind of ce.


    Lin did not want to keep moving. It had the explorery on the sand dune and raise its head to look into the starry sky.


    Lin found that all of the dots of light in the sky would move. As the sky changed, the surrounding light would also change.


    Slowly, the surroundings brightened, and the stars in the sky slowly disappeared.


    They were covered up by the light of daytime.


    Daytime arrived.


    When daytimepletely enveloped the surroundings, Lin felt the surrounding temperature rise greatly. The powerful ultraviolet light entered through the segmented limbs and pores of the explorer, and destroyed the cells inside at a rapid rate.


    As the light of daytime got brighter, its ultraviolet light was able to prate through the outer shell of the explorer. The cells inside rapidly died.


    In the next moment, the explorer died. Lins first journey ontond ended here.


    Return


    The mothership that was waiting on the beach slowly twisted its body and swam into deeper waters.


    This really was   a meaningless journey.


    Trantor Ramblings: The theme of this chapter isnd is boring. Which pretty much describes the continents pretty well for a few billion years. Even now, we cannot live without sources of water.

 Book 2: Chapter Twenty “Air Storage and Immune System”

    Book 2: Chapter Twenty ��Air Storage and Immune System��


    Last chapter recap: Lin is extremely bored at the destend and returns to water.


    Thend journey was notpletely meaningless. While there was almost nothing worthy for Lin to take note of onnd, it still obtained some useful knowledge.


    For example, it learned about air.


    Lin discovered a long time ago that air would float upwards in water. Lin had not cared about this before. It suddenly thought now, why did air move up and not down? Could air go against gravity?


    It was not like this. Air was lighter than water, and so they would be rise out of water. Therefore, thend higher up waspletely air.


    Right now, Lins mothership was slower after it became armored, and its movement was not as nimble as before.


    But   what would ur if air was added?


    Lin created an oval-shaped sac inside the mothership, and called it an air sac. Lin filled it with oxygen. This structure could lighten the mothership greatly. Even if the mothership was fully armored, there shouldnt be any problems.


    The air sac had two small ducts, one connected to the blood vessel so it could replenish oxygen for the blood vessels, and another connected to the small hole on the ectoderm armor. This duct opening was usually closed. When Lin floated up to the surface, it could control the air sac making it expand and suck in air.


    Lin also constructed a small cellr unit called air storers. They looked like small air sacs that swam outside. The air storers relied on their small tentacles to swim as well as empty tentacles to absorb small air bubbles from the water.


    <!--


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    The air storers had hard shells on the outside, and they could consume sand to weigh down their bodies.


    After the mothership was covered in its hard shell, it became difficult to take in oxygen. When the air storers were filled with oxygen, they could return inside the mothership and release the oxygen. Also, they could inte the air sacs when Lin did not want to swim up to the waters surface.


    However, while Lin added the air sac, it had not armored its entire body because it did not have enough chitin material for the shell.


    At the same time, Lin added an air sac inside the shell of the protector. But even so, it could not rise up, it could only float.


    Additionally, Lin addedrge amounts of exploding balls and acid ejectors in the empty tail of the protector. This empty position was now used to dissolve minerals and create all kinds of shells.


    The constructured chitin material would be carried out by a new cell called painter. They were used to transport the chitin to the mothership. The painters could then stick the chitin in all kinds of ces to form armor.


    The protector was now more like a shelled factory.


    Lin also considered using gas to attack. However, it did not have many good ideas right now.


    The mothership led the protector to slowly swim. Lin observed the surroundings. Single cells were everywhere on sand patches at this depth, no matter if it was within the grains or elsewhere. The life here was so activate, and formed a clearparison to the destend.


    Single cells were in much greater numbers than before. In the past, they were not everywhere in the water like now. Now there were many organisms that were stationary and waited for cells to float over to eat.


    As Lin thought this, it found a multicellr organism ahead. They looked like tubes inserted into the sand. Their tentacle-like body reached out of the tubes, and caught the passing cells.


    This should be called tubeworms.


    When they felt Line close, its soft tentacle body would shrink back into the tube below. Lin tapped the tube that the tubeworm hid in. It found that the tube was hard. This definitely was made out of hard materials.


    Lin only obtained small amounts of chitin substances from food. Some non-shelled organisms would contain around 1% or less of chitin. If Lin wanted to quickly make a set of armor, Lin had to obtain raw materials from the sand, or attack those shelled organisms. These tubeworms were fitting targets.


    In the next moment, Lins hammer smashed down on the tubeworms shell.


    The tubeworms were slender and not extremely hard. Cracks appeared with one blow.


    Lin did not care whether the others shell was hard or not because it could dissolve the shell and remake it into chitin and adjust the shell to the hardness it wanted.


    Crack


    The hard shell cracked under Lins attack, and the soft organs inside exploded.


    The devourers were next. They carried the fragments of the shell back to Lin and, along the way, they tore the soft bodies of the tubeworms to pieces. They came back carrying both nutrients and chitin.


    The structure of the tubeworms were extremely simple, and Lin didnt have any interest in studying further.


    <!--


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    The devourers delivered the small pieces of chitin into the protector to be dissolved and remade. Lins mothership turned to attack the nearby tubeworms.


    After about ten tubeworms, Lin had enough to make an armor thatpletely covered the mothership.


    Lin did not n to cover the motherships tentacles. That would affect nimbleness too much.


    When Lin hit the next tubeworm, this tubeworm did not shrink back. It twisted its body and sprayed out arge amount of a blue fluid.


    The fluid were made from small particles, and were exploded under Lins special eyeball.


    virus?


    The fluids contained enormous numbers of rod-shaped viruses, and a small amount of the tubeworms own cells.


    Could the tubeworms release virus attacks? No, this tubeworm might have been infected.


    In the present environment, viruses were notmon. While they could destroy cells, the cells could also kill viruses. When there wererge numbers of cells, the viruses were the ones suppressed.


    Lin thought that only multicellr organisms like these tubeworms could causerge increases in viruses. Since they ate whatever floated by, it was not a wonder that they ate viruses.


    Lins mothership never directly took in nutrients. The cells transported everything in. As a result, the mothership had almost no possibility of being invaded by viruses. Lin also had a good method to deal with viruses.


    Lin had the air storers take turns moving around to obtain oxygen. Some air storers would always be roaming around the mothership. Some viruses floated in when the air storers sucked in air, and burrowed into the inneryers of the tentacle.


    Lin immediately felt when the virus invaded the cells. It quickly covered this cell with ayer of chitin that would quickly harden, and sealed the cellpletely before the virus could replicate.


    In the end, it would remove the hardened cell. The virus was easily taken care of.


    Other than this, a good method was killing the cell immediately. Viruses appeared to only be able to replicate in living cells.


    Lin expanded the blood vessel structure sand had the nd cells swim within them. This way, they could transport chitin all over the body, so that cells at any location could quickly absorb chitin and harden. They could effectively block off viruses and other cell organisms from invading.


    Lin ignored the virus attacks, and easily destroyed and absorbed this tubeworm.


    Following


    Lin prepared to attack other tubeworm when an emergency signal entered its thoughts. Something attacked the protector behind the mothership.


    Lin felt the protector being pulled by a force more powerful than itself. When the mothership turned around, it only saw a sand pit.


    Something had pulled the protector into the sand?


    Lin was regretting not putting eyes on the protector. It could only receive information that the protector was beingpressed by that force, and could not break free no matter what.


    This should be a multicellr organism simr to the oval worm or even stronger. Otherwise, it couldnt have easily pulled the protector down.


    Should Lin try to dig it out?


    The protector was not pulled any deeper. It should be in a shallow position.


    Lin hesitated slightly. No matter what, the safety of the mothership was first.


    However   it would be a pity to lose the protector.


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    In the end, Lin went near the sand pit. It used the tentacles of the mothership to dig. After pushing aside some sand, Lin saw the body of the protector.


    Two enormous round shaped shells gripped the rear half of the protector. Under the pressure, Lin could feel that the protector was going to break in half.


    Lin remembered this organism. There had been many of them where the leaf worms had been, and their shells were extremely hard. However, Lin had never seen them move before. Were they a very powerful kind of hunter?


    Trantor Ramblings: I found this wiki on a game called <em>Subnautica</em>. I know nothing about the game, but this creature called the <em>Eyeye</em> is what I imagine Lins observer to look like.<figure>


    <figcaption>From . Picture of an Eyeye which I imagine as Lins observer.</figcaption></figure>

 Book 2: Chapter Twenty One “Settling and Traveling Afar”

    Book 2: Chapter Twenty One ��Settling and Traveling Afar��


    Last chapter recap: Lin found some tubeworms and its protector was attacked by an unknown organism


    After Lin acquired new terms, it started to be able to understanding some of the meanings represented by these terms. So it called this new being a cutter shell because it had cut the protector into two pieces.


    The protector had hard armor, and the part that was pinched was where the tail connected to the body. The tail of the protector was already inside the shell. Lin released arge number of devourers so that they could swim into the opening between the cutter shells two halves.


    Lin could see the two halves of the shell tightly gripping the protectors body. The part showedrge cracks due to the force. Countless small tentacles inside the cutter shell wrapped around the protectors tail. The head of these tentacles were sharp and they created many small holes on the thinner parts of the shell. They seemed to be trying to suck in the cells inside the protector.


    But they could not eat anything as it was empty inside.


    While Lin had put many exploding balls and acid ejectors in the tail of the protector, they only took up a small amount of space. When the protector was caught, Lin had them retreat.


    The cutter shell might have been puzzled over why the interior was empty, so it did notpletely cut off the protectors body.


    Lin started its attack. The devourer tore at the small tentacles inside the shell, and Lins mothership released more troops that burrowed into the shell to attack it.


    The little tentacles inside the cutter shell didnt seem to have any ability to fight back against other organisms. The devourers easily tore them apart. The giant teeth devourers could easily bite them off. The injectors pushedrge numbers of multipliers inside.


    The cutter shell suddenly moved one of its shells and sprouted a powerful jet of air when attacked. It spat out all of the devourers and the protectors tail at the same time. Then it closed its shell and quickly spun to try to burrow back into the sand.


    Lin immediately had the mothership stretch out its tentacles and wrap around the cutter shell to stop it from spinning. It pulled the cutter shell out of the sand.


    Lin had modified the motherships sprout. Now the sprout could curve in all directions and the mothership could retreat, turn and make other movements. It could pull the cutter shell out of the water.


    The prerequisite being the mothership had to be stronger than the enemy ..


    Even though the mothership used all of its effort to blow out water to pull back, it could not pluck out the cutter shell from the water, and was actually slowly being pulled in.


    Lin found that a veryrge part of the cutter shell was buried deep in the sand. The bottom shell of the cutter shell was a round pir covered in roots. As a result, it was firmly entrenched in the sand.


    But this was just itsst struggles.


    The multipliers had invaded the cutter shell inrge numbers. They burrowed deeper into the cutter shell from the blood vessels in the tentacles. They started to furiously absorb the cells of the cutter shell and increase in number. At the same time, Lin released arge number of exploding balls from the mothership. They smashed onto the cutter shells outer shell and created explosions.


    The outer shell of the cutter shell had a thin and transparent coating. It had the attribute of resisting corrosion. This was to be expected as the dissolving fluid was the greatest danger to hard shells.


    Then Lin had the exploding balls gather on the motherships hammer. A new kind of hammer took form. This was   the exploding hammer!


    The great force produced by the enormous hammer tentacle broke though the cutter shells protective coating. The exploding balls acid directly affected the cutter shells unprotected shell. Lin could create a hole on the shell with one blow.


    Lin easily opened the cutter shells outer shell that was once thought to be unable to be broken. While Lin would explode all of the exploding balls with each blow, and had to replenish the exploding balls, it had enough exploding balls it wasnt a problem.


    On the other side, the multiplier experienced attacks from the cutter shells cells inside. These cells could consume and digest the multipliers with theirrge bodies.


    These should be the cutter shells immune cells. The multipliers advance slowed down and even lost ground as they appeared.


    However, the multipliers had caused damage against the cutter shell. The cutter shell stopped trying to burrow into the sand but Lin did not stop attacking. Under the sessive attacks of the exploding hammer, the cutter shells shell showed arge hole. In the next moment, countless devourers attacked it again.


    Regardless of how strong the cutter shells outer shells were, they were not a match for the devourers. Lin only had to wait for the devourers to tear the cutter shells interior into pieces.


    During this time, the cutter shell sent out a kind of ndr cell to battle the devourers. This kind of cell would spit outrge amounts of chitin substances to surround and seal the devourers. However, before that urred, the devourers tore them apart.


    The cutter shells insides was arge and soft body covered inrge numbers of small tentacles. It had all kinds of organs, many of which Lin had seen before.


    Lin cared about the cutter shells shell.


    The cutter shells upper and round shell stayed on the surface while the lower shell was a hooked structure that reached deep into the soil. The greater part of the cutter shells body was in here.


    Most importantly, they were extremely hard. Lin could not create such a hard shell with its present chitin creating methods. Studying this would be useful for Lin.


    Lin also found a kind of green cells on the upper shell of the cutter shell.They existed mostly in the space inside the shell. The cutter shell had many cell passageways connected in this area. The green cells would create extremely tiny crystal pieces that were about the same size as viruses. The cutter shells passages were primarily for consuming the abundant crystals.


    Those could be eaten?


    The green cells Lin reared would also produce crystals. However, Lin had expelled them each time as trash. But the cutter shell ate these things?


    Lin had to study this.


    if the green cells could produce food, then Lin would not eat them as their reproduction rate wasnt high.


    Lin studied the cutter shell for a while and then it became Lins food. Even its hard shell wasnt spared. Lin dissolved the great majority of it for chitin.


    After obtaining the enormous cutter shell, Lin could cover the entire mothership in armor and have full protection.


    Lin used the painter to recover the cracks on the protector. It calcted it almost hadnt suffered any losses in this battle. It should have achieved good sess against an organism of simr size.


    Then next


    Where should it go?


    Lin looked into the distance. It liked to go explore areas it had never gone to before. But it also wanted to settle down in a ce with abundant food as it wouldnt know what dangers it would encounter in its exploration.


    But staying in one ce was not interesting, and Lin didnt know when the food would run out.


    Couldnt it do both at the same time?


    Let the mothership settle and then create some new types to explore!


    It did as it thought. Lin started to search for a good ce on the sand. It quickly found an enormous piece of stone upright in the sand. If Lin was on this stone, it could easily observe the surrounding area and wouldnt have to worry about being ambushed by organisms that lived in the sand.


    The top of the stone was t and could hold ten motherships. Lin didnt feel it wasntrge, but it would first take over and change ces when it found arger one.


    Lin had the mothership floated at the center of the t part of the stone, and then sent out all kinds of squads to create structures nearby. It primarily made some defensive and hunting tentacles that had stingers at the perimeter and created all kinds of organs at the center of the t space.


    Lin desired to modify this enormous stone into a living base with a heart and blood vessels connected to the tentacles, sacs for digesting food, and dissolving factory for dissolving andbining chitin substances!


    Lin did not n to have the mothership stick to the stone. The mothership must maintain a state where it could move at any moment. Due to this, Lin had the mothership stay afloat above the enormous stone base.


    Lin tried and the crystals the green cells produced were edible and the nutrient effect simr to the white gel of the past. Lin needed to rear them on arge-scale basis.


    Maybe it could form an enormous round stage to rearrge numbers of green cells on top so that they could be exposed to more light. The more they divided, the more crystals they would produce.


    The protector was responsible for searching for food. Lin had to create many types that could leave the base to hunt. Depending on just the devourers was not sufficient.


    Lin nned to hollow out the inside of this enormous stone and shove more structures into it.


    However, Lin was most concerned with the types that would go explore far away.


    What should it do?


    Editors notes: So much going on. First, mutant ms with hentai tentacles. Then exploding hammers of acid. Which I dont get how it works, spitting out acid into the water would dilute it and it would be carried away by the current. Then we have an immune system and SUGAR! Talk about odd evolutionary development. Im pretty sure immune systems are a muchter development but sugar is the basis for energy production and should have been one of the first things to be addressed. Whatever I guess, magic of storytelling I suppose.


    Trantor Ramblings: In regard to WanderingGummiOfDoom, story magic is a wonderful thing.

 Book 2: Chapter Twenty Two “Base”

    Book 2: Chapter Twenty Two ��Base��


    Last chapter recap: Lin defeats a giant m, and decides to make a base.


    Lin finished creating the basic structures of the base. At the top of the enormous stone, it took over 90% of the t space avable.


    Enormous t and long tentacles called the giant shield tentacles encircled the perimeter. Each one was coveredpletely in armor, they could curve inwards to connect and protect the entire base.


    The nextyer had tentacles covered in stinger cells and was responsible for intercepting the single cells that passed through the firstyer and defending the base.


    Near the center were the food sacs for absorbing food, the dissolving factor for dissolving the chitin substances, and the storage rooms for the cachers. Each of them were round in shape and about half the size of the mothership.


    The center position was the reproduction chamber responsible for producing cells of each type. Two times the size of the mothership, and covered in hard armor and enormous tentacles, it was the heart of the base and shaped like an enormous ball.


    While it was the core, this structure was the simplest. Its responsibility was to continuously produce basic cells. Lins primary method for producing its troops was creating basic cells, and thenbining and transforming them, or having them mutate. After abination was made once, the cells could automatically go through the process.


    What remained was to make a structure to rear the green cells. Lin called this the rearing umbre. These well circr and round stages supported by a round cylinder made out of chitin. Green cells covered the stage. This structure was suitable for absorbing sunlight. Lin made three rearing umbres that almost covered half of the base.


    Each rearing umbre had an enormousntern at the center because Lin found that the green cells could absorb Lins light, and not just the light of day. While the efficiency was low, the green cells could still produce nutrients in the lightless night.


    The small blood vessels covered the entire t surface in connecting each tentacle and organ. Lin cancelled its ideas of making a big heart in the middle. It put many small hearts on the blood vessels so it both saved space and was useful.


    Other than these fixed structures, many roaming squads, made out of air storers and devourers, were responsible for cleaning the base of parasites or going out to hunt.


    When Lin created the armor, it found that many unicellr or small multicellr organisms liked to attach themselves to the shell. This method seemed to be called parasitism. However, Lin just had food delivered to it because Lin didnt have just one body like all other organisms. Lin could create all kind ofbinations, as small as viruses, as big as multicellr organisms. Nothing could truly parasitize off Lin.


    Lin wanted tough.


    The mothership floated above the base. Lin usually had it hover above. The mothership produced troops, and Lin asionally had it go out and hunt otherrge prey, but usually, the protector was responsible for that.


    Creating the base used uprge numbers of fat cells. While the mothership had stored a great number of fat cells, so many to the point it could create many motherships, they were almost all used it. Lin felt though that it could quickly replenish the numbers.


    Also, Lin had to make a newbination, one that could travel far.


    It had to have powerful abilities, nimble movement, an enormous body to store all kinds of organs and a small army.


    Its function would be simr to the mothership, but Lin wanted to make a new shape   what should it make?


    It should be a streamlined shape to quickly swim through the water. Yes, no matter how much Lin wanted a new shape, the priority was the functions.


    If it used an oval streamlined shape and used a sprout to swim, it would be extremely fast, but that kind of shape wasnt suitable for growing tentacles.


    Maybe a round disk shape wasnt bad   like the jellyfish with tentacles growing below it. It would be convenient to hunt and grab food, but its speed would be slower.


    But that was better than no tentacles   it was decided.


    Lin didnt have enough nutrients but it had thought of the basic shape. The main body would be a wide disk shape half the thickness of the mothership. The disk would be two times as wide as the mothership was long. Its entire body would be covered in ayer of shells. This was the initial size, and it would grow in the future.


    There would be thirty movable water sprouts around the edge of the disk. It could swim in every direction. An enormous suction mouth existed at the center of the round disk that could rapidly suck in water and then produce jets of water through the inner muscles in order to increase speed.


    There were many open passageways on the topyer used for releasing the troops inside.


    After this, Lin added six enormous tentacles under the disk. Lin didnt want to make thin and feeble tentacles like the jellyfish. These tentacles had mouths covered in hooked teeth made out of the hardest material Lin could create right now and were constructed fromrge numbers of muscle cells. They could tear apart prey and also pull organisms like the cutter shell from the sand.


    Then there were the basic heart and blood vessel structures, the dissolving factory, the air sacs, the eyes, thenterns, those were simple.


    As to its name


    Lin decided to call it Leviathan.


    What was the meaning of this term? Lin didnt know. It seemed to represent an enormous thing that moved through the sea.


    If nothing happened to Lins base, the position wouldnt change. It was immobile. The Leviathan would continue to travel. Lin would rely on this to learn about this endless world of water.


    If Leviathan was killed, Lin would create a new one at the base. If the base was destroyed, Leviathan was responsible for creating a new base.


    Of course, Lin didnt want any of those things to happen.


    Leviathan didnt take along the motherships regr troops except for the air storers. Lin decided to create a new unit for Leviathan even though Leviathan itself was powerful.


    The troops Leviathan would carry had to include the ones it did not have the abilities for. They were also responsible for transporting food for Leviathan. Lin would not have the main body directly eat food.


    Since it didnt have enough nutrients to create Leviathan, Lin would first get nutrients.


    From the base high up on the enormous stone, Lin could easily look at the situation the surrounding waters. Many organisms it knew were here such as t worms, leaf worms, cutter shells, jellyfish, sea stars and tubeworms. Many single cells floated in the water as well.


    With one day and night, Lin would be almost able to make Leviathan.


    Let the hunt   begin!


    Nothing in this region of water could match Lin. Lin easily turned the organisms into nutrients, the entire process easily done.


    Lin was puzzled about one thing. Ever sinceing out of the ice, it hadnt seen the oval worm again. Was this organism rare? Or were there other reasons?


    Lin didnt continue to think, it put its attention back on hunting.


    Even when night arrived, Lin didnt stop. This time, Lin clearly saw the changes in organisms between day and night. The great majority of organisms would hide in the sand during night, and some darkness worms as well as small segmented limbed organisms appeared at this time.


    Lin had a harder time hunting at night than during day, but Lin relied on thentern at the center of the rearing umbre to maintain light for the green cells and obtain nutrients.


    Leviathan continued to be built. Because it was so big, it was not being built inside the bases reproduction chamber but directly in the water. In order to stop it from sinking during the building process, Lin made many air sacs to support its weight.


    When daylight arrived again   Leviathan was almostplete. At this time, an unique organism appeared at the border of Lins base.


    It should have climbed up the stone walls to get here. Lin found the organism seemed simr to the oval worm upon first look but it was half the size. It had the hemispherical head like the oval worm but the rest of its body did not end in a spiraling tail like the oval worm. Its body was almost as thick as its head, and it had armor that protruded up in stripes. It had many segmented limbs with either sharp stingers or ws at the ends.


    Trilobite.


    This term appeared in Lins head the first time Lin saw this organism.


    This seemed to be an interesting organism. Lin found the name strange as it seemed to have nothing to do with the body.


    Then Lin would turn it into nutrients to celebrate Leviathans birth.


    The Leviathan wasplete. It adjusted the water sprouts around it. The enormous body slowly floated up and swam towards the trilobite wandering around the giant shield tentacles at the perimeter of Lins base.


    Leviathan suddenly sped up when it neared to charge at the trilobite. It used two of its tentacles that had mouths to bite onto the trilobites head and tail and dragged it higher.


    Then Leviathans tentacles pulled suddenly in opposite directions and tore the trilobite apart. Great amounts of cells and blue fluid sprayed out and floated in the water.


    The power was pretty good, but the trilobites shell seemed fragile.


    The Leviathans abilities satisfied Lin. Then it would depart now and advance into the endless sea!


    Trantor Ramblings: Ah, some of the most famous fossils.


    https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipediamons/thumb/6/63/Kainops_inviusteral_and_ventral.JPG/688px-Kainops_inviusteral_and_ventral.JPG

 Book 2: Chapter Twenty Three “The Abyss Rift”

    Book 2: Chapter Twenty Three ��The Abyss Rift��


    Last chapter recap: Lin made a giant body called the Leviathan and met a trilobite for the first time.


    The enormous organism slowly floated forward through the peaceful and endless waters


    The lifestyle at the base was peaceful and dull so Lin had focused its attention on the Leviathan.


    From the departure of the Leviathan until now, it had experienced two days and nights. The Leviathan had swam past through vast grey patches of sand, seabeds made from rocks. This time, unlike before, Lin was swimming into the deep waters.


    Leviathan reached a new ce. There was sand here, but the sand grains were finer and pale colored. A kind of organism that Lin had never seen before covered the entire region.


    They looked like upside-down jellyfish, their short round bodies stuck to the sand as they usedrge numbers of stinging tentacles to catch prey.


    Lin knew a term for them  anemone.


    Anemones were simple organisms without any blood vessels or hearts. There was a digestive sac at the center of the body responsible for digesting the food that the tentacles brought in.


    These organisms did not have any value in studying. Lin did not like to eat organisms like this. Usually, after the stinger parts were removed, there was not much left.


    The Leviathan slowed down and floated above the sand. Lin called the tentacles with the mouth biting tentacles. Just like the devourers, they could only bite at things, but not digest them.


    Leviathan usually didnt use its own eyeballs. The eyeballs floating around it were responsible for observing.


    Lin suddenly saw movement in the sand below.


    Leviathan suddenly reached out with a tentacle to bite down on something in the sand before pulling it out.


    A trilobite.


    Trilobite came in many kinds. This was the fifth kind Lin had encountered. This small one had a thin shell. The mouth on the biting tentacle could swallow itpletely and crush the trilobite.


    Lin would send out an unit called the gatherer to collect the shell and cells that fell out of the crushed trilobite. The gatherers, simr to the devourers, had worm-like structures, flexible bodies which could holdrge amounts of food. They could expand into a ball. Their bodies were filled with powerful dissolving fluids responsible for dissolving the food and then sending the nutrients to the Leviathan.


    The gatherers could spray out dissolving fluid to attack even though they were not designed for fighting.


    After eating three small trilobite, the Leviathan continued to advance. It had sufficient fat stores. Lin nned to have a long-distance journey without stopping along the way.


    Lin primarily desired to see some special environments, ones it had never seen before.


    The water propulsion system moved rapidly, and the Leviathan swam rapidly over the white sand. But it quickly stopped as a never-seen before environment suddenly appeared in front of it.


    The sand in front seemed to be cut into two parts. An enormous chasm appeared in front of Leviathan, stretching out past the breadth of Lins vision, so vast that it could hold hundreds of Leviathan.


    Lin had never seen something like this   was this a sea trench?


    Lin found that this new term was rtively dull andcked presence. Sea trench, there wasnt any magnificence, it would be better to call it a rift


    what was presence? Oh never mind.


    The Leviathan swam above the sea trench and the floating eyeballs looked down. This rift stretched down until light could not reach the dark abyss.


    Should it go down and explore?


    Lin hesitated. But wasnt its journey for exploring unknownnds?


    Go down!


    Leviathan slowly descended. Many anemones were stuck to the walls on both sides, and some trilobites swam around them. many unicellr organisms floated in the water. This appeared to be a richly diverse region.


    After descending for a while, the light around Leviathan grew increasingly dim. Lin released the swimmingntern. The unfixed light allowed Lin to see the situation in the surroundings.


    As Lin went deeper into the trench, the organisms in the surroundings decreased. When the surroundings became as dark as night, Lin rarely saw any organisms other than single cells.


    Lin did not stop and continued to advance into the darker and deeper parts. It sent out morenterns. These moving dots of light found some organisms simr to anemones stuck on the rocky walls.


    They had tentacles like the anemones, but their lower bodies were not thick and cylindrical, but a thin and long handle. They didnt seem to be called anemones, but sea lilies.


    Lin felt this name was good.


    Leviathan swam close to the wall and wanted to pluck one to eat. When Lin came close, the sea lilies would shrink back into the cracks in the wall.


    The rocky walls of the sea trench were extremely hard. Lin wasnt able to eat them this time.


    The sea wall here had many sea lilies. Lin found they were not the same. Some of them wouldnt shrink back.


    Lin didnt have a great interest in studying them. Leviathan continued to sink down. Lin desired to see if there were any more interesting things.


    As Leviathan continued to sink, Lin discovered a problem, one called pressure.


    The floating eyeballs andnterns were the first to feel this. They had difficulty moving as though some great force squeezed them. Some even died as they couldnt tolerate the pressure.


    Where did this pressuree from? They seemed to be everywhere, was it   because of the water?


    Lin put them all away, and opened a hole at the border of Leviathans round body. This hole had Leviathans eyeball.


    Protected by a transparent chitin substance, the eyeball couldnt move as the shield limited its vision.


    Lin also released antern covered in chitin to withstand the pressure of the water.


    But the deeper Lin went, the more evident the effects of pressure became. Even the Leviathan was affected. It became more and more difficult to suck in water and eject it. Cracks even appeared in the Leviathans shell.


    Pressure was terrifying.


    It seemed that Lin couldnt continue but Lin also didnt want to give up. It had already learned how this pressure worked, and knew which kind of structures could resist this pressure.


    Of course, Lin didnt want to change the Leviathans structure. It created a new unit, the body was oval-shaped, and filled with water. It had a shell on the outside and no ability to swim. When the Leviathan released the unit, it sank into the water, and moved along gravity.


    This structure should be able to resist pressure, but the basic t of resisting pressure was to fill the insides with the same substance as the substance outside which caused the pressure. This way, regardless of how great the pressure was, it couldnt push in.


    Leviathan began to swim back up. Lin had to repair its wounds. As to the exploration of the sea trench, it left it to that oval little thing.


    Lin named it a warhead.


    After a while, when Leviathan had almost swam out of the trench, the warhead sent the feeling of having touched a certain substance. It appeared the warhead had reached the deepest part.


    At this time, the shells on both sides of the warhead opened and six segmented limbs stretched out. The legs wouldnt be crushed as the interiors were filled with water. At the same time, two openings appeared at the warheads head. An eyeball and antern appeared within them.


    Transparent shells covered the eyeball and thentern. Lin had filled the shell with water. As expected, this method of resisting pressure worked. The warhead didnt even have a crack.


    It moved its surrounding limbs and started its journey into the dark abyss.


    Because the warhead was filled with water, the water took up the space that originally belonged to the muscles or blood vessels. It could not move quickly. However, as its purpose was exploration, it didnt have to be fast.


    The bottom of the sea trench was made out of rocks. Under the illumination of the warheadsntern, some unicellr organisms entered Lins view first.


    So they were everywhere? Other than onnd.


    Lin found that the cells in this sea trench were much bigger than the ones above. As expected, these had structures filled with water to resist pressure.


    As Lin studied them, a light suddenly lit up far in the distance ahead. That brightness surpassed the light that the warhead gave off. It seemed to be produced from an enormous organism.


    Editors note: Crinoids (the sea lilies) are pretty cool. They feed by using leafy-like or feather-like structures to filter currents for sustenance. Some of them get pretty colorful, but the deep sea ones are nched and look kind of like a poor mans dandelion ball. Still anything able to grow thousands of meters below sea level on the seafloor has evolved and adapted to an insanely extreme environment.


    Trantor Ramblings: We shall all ignore the fact crinoids seems to have first emerged in the Ordovician Period. In any case, this isnt Earth so how cares when certain species show up?


    For how short these chapters are, I spend way too much time reading interesting Wikipedia pages to research. Look at the pretty sea lily!

 Book 2: Chapter Twenty Four “Lava and Madness”

    Book 2: Chapter Twenty Four ��Lava and Madness��


    Last chapter recap: Lin swims downward to the ocean bottom and seems to encounter an organism giving off bright light.


    The enormous and dim light flickered in the darkness. Lins exploring warhead slowly climbed near this strange source of light.


    However, when the warhead got close to the target, the light suddenly disappeared.


    What happened?


    The warhead did not give off a bright light. It only illuminated a small area and could not see the surrounding situation.


    Maybe a jellyfish or something?


    As Lin thought this, the light once again lit up in the distance. But this time, this light was bright red, another kind of light, and much brighter.


    Lin felt the temperature of the water suddenly rise. It had the warhead move towards the new light. When it reached its destination, it saw a novel sight.


    A dark viscous substance covered therge area up ahead. It gave off a burning feeling. Lin would asionally see one or two cracks among the viscous substance. Bright red light came from those cracks. While the cracks were notrge, the bright light illuminated the surroundings.


    Was that  va?


    But not the same as the ones Lin had seen before. Theva here seemed to be stationary. When they became grey, they wouldnt move, but they still gave off astoundingly high heat.


    These cracks glowing with red light might have unsolidifiedva


    Many unicellr organisms lived on the solidifiedva. They seemed to like the high temperatures rather than fear it.


    Lin did not have the warhead step onto theva. It did not think the warhead could withstand this kind of heat.


    Lin hesitated. It wanted to continue to look around, but it wanted to also go around theva and explore deeper waters.


    Suddenly, Lin felt the warheads vision shake. At the same time, it felt a pulling force dragging the warhead backwards. Before Lin could see what was happening, an enormous force crushed the warheads body.


    Lin felt as though something had crushed the warhead. Something had ambushed the warhead from behind.


    While slightly regrettable, but the journey to the sea trench had ended   yes?


    Lin would not think that!


    Leviathan floated to the center of the sea trench, moving toward the ce where the warhead had died.


    Leviathan turned its body and opened its hole. Large numbers of warhead swam out, heading towards the deaths of the sea trench.


    Leviathan had just created these hundreds of warheads.


    Leviathan possessed many traits and this one was of them. It had many reproduction chambers inside its body that could quickly create many multicellr forms, convenient for both attacking and other matters.


    The warheads quickly sank into the trench. While Lin had aimed for the center of the trench, most of them ended upnding on the rocky walls.


    Lin had them immediately gather in the direction of the enemy. When the warheads reached where they had seen theva, they found what the organism that had eaten that first warhead was.


    This organism was bright red and t. Its rhombus bodyid out on the ground like a   red carpet.


    What was a carpet?


    Lin didnt care so much, it would just call this a carpet worm. Had this organism just eaten the warhead?


    Lin couldnt see where its mouth was, and there were no tentacles growing on the surface of the body. Lin could not understand how this organism hunted.


    Lin would first kill it and see.


    Lin had hundreds of warheads rush forward. Lin had made these warheads specially for battle with sharp de-like structures at the ends of their segmented limbs.


    The warheads climbed on top of the carpet worm and then used the des on their segmented limbs to cut into the others body. Cells flooded out immediately from the carpet worm. The carpet worm wriggled as it felt pain but didnt make any motions of struggle. Lin had the warheads burrow into the wounds and destroy the interior structures.


    The carpet worm suddenly twisted fiercely and quickly swam upwards through the water using its t body.


    Lin had the warheads stop attacking. It felt that this carpet worms intentions were not to escape the warheads but had some other goal.


    The carpet worm swam upwards furiously at a rapid speed. It quickly swam out of the deepest part of the trench which had no light. Lin found it hard to imagine that an organism of this shape could be so fast.


    But once it left the aphotic zone, the carpet worm gradually slowed and thenpletely stopped all activity.


    When Lin was puzzled by this, the carpet worm suddenly exploded and turned into cells and fragments.


    This was   due to pressure?


    Lin almost immediately understood. Because bodies were tightlypressed under high pressure, when the organism swam upwards, itspressed body would suddenly expand, causing an explosion.


    But why did it do this? Why had it left the high-pressure sea trench bottom to swim up?


    Even if it was in pain from being bitten by the warheads, it wasnt likely. Pain was a signal for organisms to avoid danger, and not to make it go crazy.


    Leviathan swam towards the site of the carpet worms explosion and retrieved all of the warheads. It then started to study the carpet worms fragments.


    The warheads could resist the pressure with their water-filled bodies, but when they were in zones of low pressure, they could open small holes in their outer shell, and quickly absorb the gas bubbles in the water as they rapidly released water. This way, they wouldnt explode, and would rise up so the Leviathan could retrieve them.


    These were


    Lin found many things it was familiar with from the fragments of the carpet worm  viruses.


    Not any normal viruses, but the exact same kind as the red viruses in Lins infector.


    The bright red viruses existed in the carpet worms cells, its structures and organs. Was this why the carpet worm had been red? However, the viruses hadnt harmed the cells but caused it to go crazy?


    Lin found many viruses on the carpet worms nerves which hadnt been destroyed. These possibly could have been the reason it went crazy


    Lin suddenly noticed that going crazy seemed to be a new term. It meant abnormal behaviour?


    But this hadnt urred to Lins infectors. Lin had them be quiet and they had always been quiet.


    This seemed worthy of study.


    Lin could get some other organisms to test their responses to the virus. This seemed   pretty fun.


    But just fun? No, maybe it was a great weapon to destroy the enemy. Lin could inject the virus directly into the nerves of these organisms. Then, they wouldpletely lose the ability to fight.


    Also, these viruses would not damage cells. Lin could use them to defeat the enemy and not waste nutrients.


    In conclusion, this would be useful study


    Lin had only explored a small area of the sea trench. There should be more interesting things down there but it would be difficult to see them clearly jut with the warhead which was small and slow-moving. Lin did not want to modify the entire Leviathan to be pressure-tolerant. That was too troublesome, and Lin would have to change it back after leaving the sea trench.


    As Lin struggled over this, unusual tremors suddenly came from the water below. Enormous ck substances emerged from the sea trench and immediately surrounded the Leviathan.


    These ck substances contained something strange that would damage the cells if absorbed.


    Lin hurriedly closed all the openings on Leviathan and swam using the tentacles to leave behind the area filled with the ck substance.


    Lin looked back. Most of the sea trench was giving off these ck substances.


    This was something called smoke.


    But smoke seemed to be a gas, but these substances were not gas. They were mostly small debris and other strange things. They did not affect Lins shell but they fatally damaged the cells inside the suction tentacle.


    The smoke   seemed rted to theva?


    Trantor Ramblings: The ck smoke from hydrothermal vents are usually created from sulfuric acid and other substances. Great stuff   if you want to die.<figure>


    <figcaption>Hydrothermal vent</figcaption></figure>

 Book 2: Chapter Twenty Five “Seed”

    Book 2: Chapter Twenty Five ��Seed��


    Last chapter recap: Lin find a chain of underwater vents as it explored the deepsea trench using a warhead.


    Enormous pirs of smoke gushed from the abyss and rose upwards until it gradually dissipated.


    Lin thought this was a harmful substance so it moved away but the surrounding organisms had the opposite response. Many small trilobites came out of the sand and gathered next to the crack. They waved their limbs and fed on the dust and smoke.


    Could this be eaten?


    As Lin wondered this, it found many single-celled organisms and some jellyfish went close to the smoke. However, they did not enter the center. They only swam near the pir of smoke. Lin thought they were collecting the dust.


    Maybe there were some edible substances in the dust?


    Lin was not surprised by this. Organisms that ate light existed. However, it would be excellent if Lin could use such an enormous resource


    The Leviathan created a new unit called the analyzer. Round in shape, it possess arge mouth simr to the devourer. However, there were no teeth inside the mouth, but tiny tentacles. These tentacles could analyze whether the substances they came into contact to were harmful or beneficial to Lins cells.


    The analyzer consumed the dust in the smoke like the surrounding jellyfish, and then perceived theposition using the tentacles in its mouth.


    Lin could feel from the analyzers tentacles that some of the dust was harmless, and some was harmful. However, the harmless substances were not things all cells could digest.


    Lins cells had different digestive abilities. For example, ones like the acid ejectors and the exploding balls could dpose many different substances, including abiotic substances. Basic cells could only digest debris from other cells or white gel.


    Thinking of that, Lin had not seen the white gel for a long time


    Lin wasnt very clear about the meaning of digestion. From its present study, Lin knew that this was a process in deconstruction and reconstruction, using certain substances to dissolve things consumed, and then reconstructing it into parts of the body.


    This process wasplex. However, the dissolving fluid inside the acid ejectors and exploding balls helped them increase the digestive rate. When Lin was able to use oxygen, Lin found that cells would sometimes use oxygen to digest food.


    For example, the dust in this mist could only be broken down when oxygen was mixed in.


    Lin could not understand the mysteries of deconstruction right now, but it knew that these pirs of smoke that came out of the abyss was an enormous supply of food.


    There was no reason to not upy this great production.


    Leviathan would not stop in its journey but the base did not have to be moved here. Lin could create a new base right here.


    Lin had Leviathan create a special thing inside its body called the base seed.


    This was made from 80% fat cells, 10% basic cells and 10% nd cells which formed a sphere. The basic cells inside could use the fat cells to quickly divide and grow into a small base.


    The small base could create new units to hunt for food and grow into arge base.


    These bases were not the same as the first one. In the end, they would form a triangr structure with all of its organs protected on the inside with a hard shell.


    Yes, it was a good n   Lin decided it would ce a base seed wherever it saw a nutrient-rich area in the future.


    If the resources of the base ran out, Lin would have the base dpose into a group of transporters that would transport all the nutrients to the nearest base.


    After Leviathan put the base seed in the sand near the abyss, it ate a few trilobite nearby to stop them from affecting the base.


    The nd cells in the base seed would secrete ayer of chitin to protect the base seed. Then the basic cells inside would change. After their transformation, they could open the shell to send out armies or reach out with tentacles.


    Only when the base needed to growrge would Lin dissolve this shell to put on a bigger shell.


    While it was slightly troublesome, this could provide the base with good protection.


    After the shell was made, it would be almost invulnerable. Leviathan could leave.


    Then where would it go next?


    Leviathan slowly swam across the dark abyss and what appeared in front of Lin were still patches of white sand. The looming groups of stone barely perceptible in the distance attracted Lins attention.


    Go there and see.


    Leviathan did not swim fast. Lin wanted to swim and observe if there were any other ces suitable to putting down base seeds.


    The organisms on this sand patch were mostly sea stars and anemones. There was nothing special.


    Lin started to speed up as it was still some distance away from the stones. It suddenly discovered some small and t leaf-shaped organisms in its surroundings.


    Were these t worms? They did not seem to be the same.


    Lin found that while these little organisms had a simr shape to the t worms, their bodies were longer. Their mouth parts were round and had multiple circles of sharp denticles on the surface.


    Lin would call them round-mouthed t worms.


    Lin ignored them at the start and continued to swim forward. After swimming for a while, it found these round-mouthed t worms were increasing in number.


    The situation did not seem good


    Lin wanted to speed up but the round-mouthed t worms were much faster. The enormous Leviathan could not leave them behind. More round-mouthed t worms swam over from the distance. At this time, there were thousands of them.


    Looking at the denticles on their mouths, Lin knew what these organisms wanted to do.


    So Lin attacked first. Lin waved all of Leviathans biting tentacles and caught dozens of round-mouthed t worms swimming around it, chewing them to pieces.


    In an instant, all of the round-mouthed t worms rushed over!


    Their round mouths were like suckers. The round-mouthed t worm would suck on tightly and twist their bodies, using the denticles to scrape flesh off their target.


    Lin immediately fought back. Leviathan waved its tentacles and bit through the nearby round-mouthed t worms.


    The round-mouthed t worms seemed to have a strong perception of their fellows unlike the jellyfish who did not care if one of their own was killed. When one of the round-mouthed t worms was killed, they would furiously attack their fellows target. Countless round-mouthed t worm attached themselves to Leviathans tentacles. Countless wounds appeared on the unprotected tentacles.


    While Lin could immediately solidify the blood vessels at the wounds so cells would not spill out, and the round-mouthed t worm could not damage Leviathans shell, they could attack the tentacles together, and the tentacles would be likely torn to pieces.


    The round-mouthed t worms were extremely fast. Normal cells could not catch up to them.


    Lin quickly created a disk-like unit. These werepletely covered in hard shells, and had a circle of curved des on their edges. They could quickly swim and spin their bodies using their siphon and were called   flying saws!


    The apertures on Leviathan opened, and it sent out multiple flying saws. These new spinning units were much faster than the round-mouthed t worm and extremely efficient at killing enemies. The flying saws only had to spin and charge into the groups of t worms and could easily use the curved des around their bodies to cut the worms into pieces.


    Countless corpses and cells of the t worms floated in the water.The flying saws destroyed the groups of round-mouthed t worms. They could not damage the flying saws hard shells so they could not fight back effectively. Consequently, they started to withdraw and flee.


    The round-mouthed t worms were united in their attack but when they fled, they scattered in all directions. However, Lin thought this was a more effective method of retreat. Lin could not pursue all of them.


    Lin did not pursue them and recalled the flying saws. It released gatherers to eat the carcasses of the round-mouthed t worms as it repaired the tentacles wounds.


    These things seemed smart.


    In the past, the t worms Lin encountered knew how to build enormous stone circles, and now they knew to attack in groups.


    Did they have some secret?


    Lin studied a rtively intact round-mouthed t worm carcass and found the ganglions in their head part was especiallyrge. Lin almost could not call them ganglions as there was a new term describing this structure.


    Brain.


    Other than this, this round-mouthed t worm was the same as other t worms. There was a round pir inside the body made out of chitin which extended from the head to the tail.


    Lin hadnt understood all this time why it put the shell into its body? Just to take up space?


    There was also a new term to describe this structure.


    Spine..


    [1] I dont know if the organisms here are carbon-based so I used abiotic rather than inorganic.


    Trantor Ramblings: I love how we can add er or or to verbs to make them nouns.

 Book 2: Chapter Twenty Six “The Useless Brain and Grass That Climbed Onto Land”

    Book 2: Chapter Twenty Six ��The Useless Brain and Grass That Climbed Onto Land��


    Last chapter recap: Lin creates seeds which then create bases and discover organisms with ganglions.


    The brain was a special structure. It used string like cells much smaller than blood vessels to connect to the entire body. Also, Lin found a special energy inside the brain. Lin did not know the details but the brains energy seemed to give off a kind of vibration. It would send orders and information to all the cells in the body, and the cells would respond with information.


    The brains purpose was to direct all the cells.


    While this seemed extremely powerful, this structure was meaningless to Lin. It need to not need this kind ofplex structure to direct cells at any distance.


    Lin discovered that it seemed different from other organisms


    Other organisms could not direct all of their cells. When they were being cut by the flying saws, even the round-mouthed t worms with their brains could not control the cells in the blood vessels from spraying out. Their heart would beat until the moment they died. That would cause all the cells in the blood vessels to be ejected.


    Other organisms were the same. While they were made out of cells, the cells could not act in unison.


    Why was this?


    Lin did not know but this was one of its great advantages. It could evolve faster than other organisms. It could create a multicellr organism in a short period. No other organism could aplish this.


    Lin then studied the structure of the spine. It still did not understand what was the use of these two things. Why was the shell on the inside of the body?


    What was the meaning in this? Just to take up space? While the segments on the spine that were simr to joints could make the organism twist nimbly, there didnt seem to be any meaning


    No, they had a support effect. When somethingpletely soft moved through the water, it would not swim as fast as an organism that had something hard inside.


    But if one pursued speed, Lin like the spout more, and not shoving a hard structure inside its body.


    Lin thought that an organism like the round-mouthed t worm was extremely strong, but why did Lin not want to copy its two special structures


    Oh well, while it was a kind of interesting organisms, its research value was too low.


    Lin finished eating the round-mouthed t worms and then continued on Leviathans journey. Right now, Leviathan wasnt just exploring this world, it had another important task: spreading the bases to all ces.


    Soon, Lin reached its original destination. This region of water contained enormous pointed rocks. the term Thousand Needle Stone Forest was suited for this area.


    These enormous stones werent ordinary stones, they were made from living organisms. These stones possessed many openings, and tentacles of different colors reached out of the stones to wave and capture the single cells in the surroundings.


    There were many of this kind of organism.


    Lin found many cells and organisms liked to evolve into this mode. The jellyfish, the anemone, the leaf worm, and also the organism that created these enormous rocks called coral.


    Lin felt this name was special.


    The organisms tentacles usually possessed stinger cells, and not eyes. Their structures were simple and not valuable in study.


    The enormous stones the corals built was constructed of simr material to chitin. Other than the corals, many other organisms lived here, mostly small trilobites. They hid in the cracks between the corals. Lin also found organisms like t worms in the surroundings.


    These were not the round-mouthed t worms, but the kind that Lin had seen onnd. They passed through the corals and seemed to like this ce. Lin also saw many familiar organisms such as sea stars, sea anemone, and jellyfish. They mostly lived surrounding the coral stones.


    Leviathan swam around the Thousand Needle Stone Forest, and discovered this ce wasnt arge one. However, the biodiversity here was high, and Lin thought there was a need to put down a base seed.


    Leviathan swam on top of a coral stone. The coral immediately shrank back. Leviathan opened an aperture as it finished creating a new unit.


    Actually, this wasnt a new unit, just arge sphere made out of arge number of exploding balls. Lin added spouts and suction holes made out of muscle cells so that the sphere could quickly rotate and charge towards its target the moment it was released.


    Lin would call it an exploding bomb.


    Lin first used the biting tentacles to scrap away the anti-corrosiveyer on the coral stone and then released arge number of exploding bombs. They charged rapidly towards the coral stone. When they collided, they exploded. The released dissolving fluid corroded the hard outeryer of the coral stone, and exposed the interior.


    When Lin saw inside the coral, Lin found the coral wasnt as simple as just oneyer of shell on the outside. Chitin substances formedplex passageways inside the coral rock the intersected and criss-crossed like a mage. The bodies of the corals  those tentacles moved through these passageways.


    Bomb it all.


    Lin continued to release exploding bombs that charged into the coral and set off explosions. Because there was no anti-corrosiveyer inside, Lin easily destroyed all the structures inside the coral.


    Following this, Lin put the base seed into the rock where the carcasses of the coral floated, and also sealed the opening in the coral stone.


    Completion.


    Lin did not retrieve the carcasses of the coral. Those would be nutrients for the base to grow.


    Since Lin already had a main base, a sea abyss base, and a coral base, where should it go next?


    Leviathan left the Thousand Needle Stone Forest and continued to swim into the distance. This time, Leviathan swam upwards to where the water surface was.


    The ultraviolet light at the surface was as bright as usual. However, Lin had note for the ultraviolet light. It found many green organisms at the surface.


    These green organisms covered the water surface in great swarms. Their existence even changed the color of the light. They also stayed close to the water surface and didnt seem to fear the ultraviolet light.


    These were all green cells


    Lin found these green organisms were made out of the same green cells as the ones Lin was rearing. They formed long threadlike structures or sphere structures, but there were no organs. Many cells just stuck together.


    These beings were so interesting   while simple, there were so many. The area they covered surpassed Lins field of view and stretched to unseen ces.


    Leviathan swam under the green water surface. Lin wanted to see just how great an area they covered. The endless sunlight provided them with abundant food, and with the help of the ultraviolet light, few organisms came here to eat them. They used light as food, and maybe they had a way to resist the ultraviolet light.


    Lin once wanted to evolve the ability to eat light but it didnt know how to create color. Also, because it was already rearing a colony of green cells, it hadnt thought more about this.


    But after seeing the prosperity of the green cells, Lin wanted to evolve this ability.


    Leviathan grabbed some green cells for the analyzers to study. Lin didnt know how to study color, so it only have the analyzers the thought of bing green.


    Leviathan continued to swim upwards. Suddenly, Lin found an unprecedentedlyrge rock appeared in front of it.


    It was so wide it surpassed the sea abyss. Also, it was so tall half of it reached the bottom of the ocean while the other half broke out of the surface.


    Lin couldnt call it a stone any longer, it was an ind.


    Lin discovered the green cells had spread onto the ind along the edge. Could they exist onnd?


    Lin had Leviathan release a warhead. Simr to the one that explored the abyss, this one had been modified slightly so it could move onnd. It had many shellyers to block ultraviolet light.


    The warhead climbed onto the edge of the ind. After climbing onto the ind, Lin saw the inds true appearance. The part that was exposed out of the water was t, and made out of sand and stone. A small portion of the green cells in the water had reached the sand on the edge of the ind. Some had lost moisture and cracked.


    They could not exist onnd, even though they were not vulnerable to ultraviolet light.


    Lins warhead was covered in severalyers, but it still could feel the damage ultraviolet light did to it. The warhead could only retreat rapidly back into the water.


    Lin needed to evolve an immunity to ultraviolet light. While there was no meaning to go ontond, Lin did not like having a ce it could not go.


    Lin created a floating base here to study these green cells.


    The Leviathan continued to journey. The next destination was


    Trantor Ramblings: For the person for bought me a Ko-fi and mentioned they are following this story.


    Lin doesnt understand the purpose of a brain because it never has a centralized cell. All of its cells can think and it will exist and grow with the number of cells.

 Book 2: Chapter Twenty Seven “The Light In The Darkness”

    Book 2: Chapter Twenty Seven ��The Light In The Darkness��


    Last chapter recap: Lin discovers photosynthetic algae and goes ontond.


    As Lin continued to travel forward, day and night switched back and forth.


    Lin saw many things. In this vast water, sand was the primary environmental characteristic and then there was some rock. Lin rarely saw anything other than these two things. If Lin discovered something else, it would not miss it.


    Right now, Lin was swimming towards a ce like that. However, darkness blocked its progress.


    Cold, empty. In the dark water, Lin could only see the surrounding environment illuminated by the dim light of thentern. Lin had experienced night many times but it could not familiarize itself with night.


    The light of thentern was always limited and restricted Lins vision. When night came, Lin would slowly rise to the water surface to gaze at the endless stars. Then it would start moving again when day came.


    Lin closely rose to the water surface. However, this time, the sky seemed slightly unusual


    The Leviathan floated to the surface and observed upwards using an eye it had made temporarily. But it only saw darkness.


    Where were the stars? Where were the shing lights? Had they disappeared?


    Would they also be obscured by the darkness?


    As Lin was puzzling over this, an extremely bright light suddenly shed by. Its light illuminated the entire region of water. Lin could feel the air and water trembling the moment it appeared.


    What was that? So unique


    Lin suddenly became excited. Travelling, as expected, was the correct choice. Lin was able to see many unknown and interesting things.


    Then multiple lines of light shed and disappeared. However, the light was not as strong, and the water and air did not shake.


    These lights that originally belonged to the sky shed by. While they were not as beautiful as the starry sky, Lin felt extremely interested.


    Suddenly, Lin felt the outer shell of the Leviathan being hit by something. While the force was small, there were many of them.


    Was this   water?


    Countless small droplets of water fell from the air region. They hit the Leviathans outer shell as well as the surrounding water, creating waves and ripples.


    Such an unique phenomenon. Why would water fall from the air?


    Lin was curious but it did not linger here because this region of water was starting to shake. If Lin did not leave, it might be carried somewhere unknown.


    The Leviathan released a part of the gas inside its gas sac and continued to sink into the water. Only when it reached the deep would it not be affected by the water current.


    Lin did not like darkness. In this world, Lin was only apanied by the weakntern light. Everything became extremely difficult during this time. While LIn would asionally find some organisms in the darkness, most of the time, there were none.


    However, single-celled organisms were everywhere. Lin suspected they were in all waters.


    Suddenly, an enormous ck shadow shed by Leviathan and then disappeared into the darkness where thentern could not illuminate.


    It seemed that Lin wasnt alone in the darkness.


    The Leviathan released arge number of floatingnterns to increase the range of Lins vision. Lin observed carefully if that organism would appear again.


    The Leviathan still continued to sink and appeared defenseless. As expected, that figure appeared again. It immediately caused somenterns lights to go out. It seemed they were eaten.


    This organism ate thenterns upon appearing and then fled back into the darkness. As thentern light was not bright to begin with, Lin could not see the organism clearly.


    However, Lin estimated it was a fast organism about the size of the mothership. Lin found that thenterns had died   being torn apart by countless hooks.


    This was an arthropod.<sup>1</sup>


    Arthropods mostly stayed on the sand and moved slowly. The mostmon trilobite was an arthropod.


    This was the first time Lin encountered such a fast arthropod. It felt peculiar. Maybe its inner structures would give Lin a surprise.


    This arthropod didnt directly attack Leviathan but swam around to hunt Lins floatingnterns.


    Lin put away all of itsnterns. It created a specialntern. This type ofntern would give off light, but Lin shoved many exploding balls inside.


    Lin released manynterns filled with exploding balls. Not far from the Leviathan, one was immediately eaten. While Lin could not see in the dark, the special sense tentacles on the Leviathan immediately detected the vibrations in the water.


    That organism was shaking its head. Lin could feel the water currents it produced. It appeared the organism had fallen for the trap.


    Following this, Lin released a special exploding bomb. It was simr to the previous exploding bombs, having a siphon and jet system to swim fast. Lin added light balls on the sides for illumination and an eyeball at the front, naming it a Light Guided Exploding Bomb!


    Countless Light Guided Exploding Bombs charged towards the arthropod in the darkness. When they neared their target, Lin saw the other clearly.


    This organism had a t and oval body with leaf-shaped limbs on both sides for movement. At the front of the head was a pair of thick and inwardly curved segmented limbs with many sharp reverse hooks on the surface.


    Lin would call it a hooked worm.


    At this time, it was shaking its head in the water. It appeared the exploding bomb had affected it significantly. This was where Lin was different from other organisms. When other organisms felt pain, they wouldmonly flee or go crazy, doing some strange things to elerate their own deaths.


    Most likely, the cells were constantly rying messages back to the brain and caused the brain to be abnormal due to too many messages. If the hooked worm had a brain, that is.


    To Lin, pain was a message to attack, but it didnt affect Lins thoughts at all.


    Lin saw the hooked worms weakness through the eyeball of the Light Guided Exploding Bomb the gills.


    Many organisms had gills, used to absorb oxygen. On the surface, they appeared like cracks, and there were frequently many soft small tentacle-like structures inside.


    The exploding balls charged towards the hooked worms weakness. When they exploded, the dissolving fluid didnt just corrode the outer shell, arge amount also went into the hooked worms gill.


    The hooked worm immediately twisted furious in pain. It seemed that attacking the weakness was effective.


    Lin relied on the air storers to gather oxygen outside. They would then return to the air sac. All of Lins openings had the ability to open and close. It never exposed its weaknesses on the outside.


    Lin suddenly found that it liked topare itself to other organisms. Lin was superior.


    Lin continued to releaserge numbers of Light Guided Exploding Bombs to attack the hooked worm. It created countless corrosive marks and wounds on the hooked worms carapace but because the hooked worm was moving, it could not easily aim at the gill.


    Under constant attack, the hooked worm did not flee but spread open the segmented limbs on its head as it charged towards the Leviathan.


    Did it know that the Leviathan had released the bombs? So intelligent, for arthropods.


    The hooked worm came onto the Leviathan and scraped on the armor of the Leviathan using the hooks on its segmented limbs. Lin did not act. It wanted to test the defensive ability of the Leviathans armor and see if it could stop the attack of such arge organism.


    After the hooked worm tried for a while and found it could not wound the Leviathans armor, it decided to withdraw and leave. At this time, Leviathan suddenly raised the tentacles under its body and wrapped them around the hooked worms head.


    The muscles in Lins tentacles tensed and contracted. The hooked worms armored head trembled under this force and cracks appeared.


    While the hooked worm furiously struggled it couldnt break free of Lins tentacles.


    Crush it like this.


    Gurgle


    What was   this feeling?


    A strange feeling came from Lins thoughts. The temperature of the water suddenly increased and the entire region of water seemed to be shaking.


    Boom


    In this moment, the entire water region was as bright as day.


    What was that?


    Burning hotva exploded out ot the enormous rock protrusion on the sea bed. The entire seabed was constantly trembling.


    This was where Lin wanted to go to! During the day, that only looked like an enormous hole at the bottom of the water. Now it sprayed outva?


    The light of theva illuminated the dark water. They spilled outwards onto the surrounding seabed. All organisms were desperately running away and those that could not move were consumed by theva.


    From where Lin was right now, it was not threatened. It calmly crushed the hooked worms head into pieces and then had the gathered the remains and ate them.


    As Lin enjoyed its food, it admired this unique underwater scene.


    As theva exploded out apanied byrge burst of gas bubbles and things like smoke which Lin had seen before, the power of the explosion rose into the water, and Lin could clearly feel the apanying high heat.


    Lin also saw the opening whereva had exploded from slowly bulge up. However, it stopped shortly after, and so did theva.


    Theva gradually slowed its spread, and stopped moving as though it was solidifying. As the bright red light became dim and disappeared, this region of water became dark once again.


    Trantor Ramblings: Times like this I wish I learned Latin so I can create my own scientific and grammatically correct species names.


    <ol><li> Arthropods have shown up in previous chapters but they were always described as segmented limbed. Now arthropod since that is the correct term.</li></ol>

 Book 2: Chapter Twenty Eight “Mentally Ill”

    Book 2: Chapter Twenty Eight ��Mentally Ill��


    Last chapter recap: Lin fights and defeats a hooked worm.


    By the time night passed, nothing was left of the hooked worms corpse. Lin had turned all of it into nutrients.


    Lin felt that while the exploding bombs were powerful, they seemed wasteful. After they blew up, Lin could not recover them. Next time, it would be better not to use exploding units.


    Lin would think about what to do next time. Right now, Lin was most concerned with the state of the region below it. It only saw clearly when daytime came.


    Theva which had exploded previously had turned grey and ck, solidified in their flowing shapes. This was simr to what Lin had encountered before in the abyss.


    Why would theva solidify?


    Because it was cold? The water temperature was cold. Since low temperature could make water turn hard, it could also turnva hard.


    So interesting.


    Leviathan swam slowly above the solidifiedva. Lin used a tentacle to touch the flowing ck surface and couldnt feel any heat.


    It had turnedpletely cold? It was as though the previous temperature increase had been false.


    False?


    Such a strange term. It seemed to represent that things were not what they felt like   where did these termse from? Lin was not puzzled for the first time but it didnt receive any answers.


    So it moved its attention back.


    Theva had created great damage and killed many organisms but more organsms were attracted to it. Large amounts of unicellr organisms swam over as fast as they could. They burrowed into the cracks in theva as though they were searching for something to eat.


    Were there edible substances simr to the ones from the abysss pir of smoke?


    Lin was curious. It released gatherers to burrow into the cracks in theva. As expected, they found edible substances inside.


    This ce would attract arge number of organisms. Lin needed to upy this ce.


    As it thought this, Lin put down a base seed here.


    Then it will go visit that ce.


    The Leviathan swam to theva opening. Bubbles and debris of different colors floated in the water here. If cells absorbed these gas bubbles, they would die.


    Toxic poison


    Maybe they had value. Lin could store these gases in the air sacs of the air storers. They were no problem as long as they were not taken into the cells.


    Lin injected this to other organisms. They could not control their absorption because they couldnt control each cell perfectly.


    The opening was sealed by solidifiedva. Lin wondered, would moreva erupt out?


    This ce was slightly dangerous. Putting down a base here to observe was a correct decision. Maybe this ce would erupt again.


    Then, it was time to leave


    When Leviathan swam out of the opening, it saw somerge multicellr organisms swimming in this direction.


    Hooked worms.


    Three of them. They appeared disinterested in the unicellr organisms floating in the water, heading straight for the Leviathan. They did not immediately attack but swam circles in the surroundings.


    The hooked worms had brains, ones muchrger than the t worms. But proportionally, the hooked worms had smaller brains.


    They used the leaf-like structures on the sides of their bodies to move. Even with their armor, they were nimble. Lin would most likely suffer some losses fighting all three together.


    This was good.


    Lin had the air storers fill up with the toxic gases and then swim towards the hooked worms.


    These hooked worms did not eat the bait like the previous one. Seeing the poisonous air storers, they dodged to the side.


    Their intelligence was clearly different from the one at night   or was this individual differences?


    Then Lin created a kind of small sphere. They were about a hundred cellsrge, something the hooked worms could not see with their vision. Lin put some infectors inside this ball, and then added an eyeball antenna and a hollow tube as well as extremely sensitive tentacles.


    Lin named this the infection ball. It could spray water and swim. This was Lins new method of infection for use against organisms with brains. It wanted to see what the virus would do to the brains of these organisms.


    The infection ball slowly swam near a hooked worms gills. The hooked worms gills had small tentacle structures that acted like filters. However, they were passive and couldnt actively catch invaders. Lin could easily avoid the filters and then enter the blood vessels through the hooked worms respiratory system.


    The brain of the hooked worm was at the center of the body. The infection ball was only in one of the countless blood vessels. Lin did not know its present location, but relying on the infection balls tentacles, it could feel the messages of the brain and swim in that direction.


    The hooked worms blood vessels were filled with all kinds of cells, nutrients, waste material and other substances including immune cells. Lin had to avoid these immune cells, enter the hooked worms brain and inject the virus into the brain cells.


    The immune cells would attack all invaders. However, the infection ball was wrapped up in a hard armor and moved faster than immune cells. This blood vessel was also one that flowed quickly and Lin easily left the attacking immune cells behind without much effort.


    The feeling up front grew stronger. Lin thought it had reached the brain.


    Then it had the infection ball insert its tube into the wall of the blood vessel and inject the virus into the brain.


    Then the infection ball was now useless? No, its mission had not finished. The infection ball used the tube to stop itself from being swept away by the blood. At the same time, it shed its shell and the cells inside started to divide until it wasrge enough to block the entire blood vessel. It then secreted chitin substance and used the hard shell topletely block this blood vessel.


    This was done primary to obstruct the immune cells. They would eliminate this block sooner orter but the virus would have replicated itself many times by then.


    Now Lin just had to wait and watch something interesting.


    The three hooked worms did not attack Leviathan because of the toxic gases and swam nearby. Lin paid attention to the infected hooked worm and watched the changes


    Lin did not see any changes at the start but after a while, its actions clearly changed. First, its body started to twitch and then the twitches became much faster and violent. However, its movements were not controlled and it seemed crazy..


    Crazy was a term that was used to describe organisms with brains when they could not control themselves.


    The infected hooked worm did something strange. It charged and attacked its nearby fellows. It used its thick curved forelimbs to grab the tail of its fellow and tore it off.


    The hooked worms muscles should not have the power to tear off the armored tail. Did this organisms strength increase after being infected?


    The hooked worm whose tail had been torn off could not keep swimming. It twisted as it sank towards the sand as the other hooked worm quickly fled.


    The infected hooked worm turned a few times in the water, and then swam in another direction.


    Lin thought that it would smash onto rocks with how haphazardly it was swimming. So interesting. It appeared that the virus hadnt damaged the hooked worms brain cells. Otherwise, it would be dead right now.


    The virus made it go mad. Lin wondered, how long could it survive? So the virus was this interesting.


    Leviathan swam near the hooked worm with its tail torn off who was struggling on the solidifiedva. The Leviathan wrapped a tentacle around it.


    One hundred cells in exchange for this meal? It felt good. The virus was of value to study.


    Study, that really was an interesting thing. Not just the viruses. Lin suddenly found that the base in the region covered in green cells had progressed in its study.


    Through adjusting andbining the color inside the cells, they could create the green color.


    However   the green color seemed useless.


    But Lin now understood how to make color.


    Just like making the chitin substance, the color wasposed of certain substances in the cell. Lin could control them to create different colors.


    If needed, Lin could feel the different substances inside the cells. This was why Lin could control these substances.


    This seemed to be called   taste?


    Trantor Ramblings: I did not forget this trantion, the releases are just  dyed.

 Book 2: Chapter Twenty Nine “Light Synthesis, and Breeder”

    Book 2: Chapter Twenty Nine ��Light Synthesis, and Breeder��


    Last chapter recap: Lin creates infectors with a virus payload to drive enemies mad and kill them.


    The Leviathan never stopped travelling.


    As day and night passed, Lin saw different environments and organisms. Its knowledge of all kinds of things continued to increase. The bases had finished growing and were now operating normally.


    But how far had the Leviathan swam?


    Lin didnt know. It did not have any urate terms to describe distance and length. It did not try to remember. It just continued to swim to ces it had never been before.


    Lin continued to study how to control color. While the cells could make green, they could not absorb light as nutrients. The green cells definitely had some other secrets, one not as simple as just making the green color.


    Lin carefully observed those green cells. After eating hundreds of millions of green cells, Lin slowly learned what was urring inside. The green color was actually a side-effect, light that could not be absorbed and was emitted back out.


    The green cells couldbine different substances together. These substances could absorb different colored lights such as red and blue. Then they would mix the absorbed light with other things to create edible crystals.


    This process would also create oxygen as a side effect. The green cells did not seem to absorb oxygen so they expelled oxygen.


    But the green cells would absorb oxygen when these was no light, just like other organisms.


    They would not absorb green light and would reflect it back, causing them to appear green.


    While the process appeared simple, it wasplex. Lin did not know anything about manipting the various substances involved. This was much harder than creating chitin.


    Right now, Lin only had the ability to make cells that reflected green light. In truth, this had no rtion to consuming light as food. Lin didnt even have the basics to start the process.


    How did the green cells do this? When Lin ate them, they didnt even try to dodge. While some types of these cells produced toxins, those were weak. Lin easily evolved specific immunity against them.


    How could organisms of such a low intelligence levelplete such aplex matter?


    Lin did not know. As Lins intelligence increased, it became even more confused on what intelligence really was.


    Since this was the case, Lin would leave it to the cells. Lin could have a cell engulf a green cell and then give it the thought of make light-absorbing substances.


    Afterpleting the first step, it would tell the second step, absorb light and other inedible substances to make food.


    Lin knew about the inedible substances. The green cells appeared to use small gas bubbles, that were not oxygen, as well as water.


    When gas, light, and waterbined, that kind of crystal-like substance would form. But Lin didnt understand the actual process so it left that to the cells.


    Leaving the cells working automatically on their own was extremely effective. But no matter what, relying on this method would take a long time. Lin continued on its journey.


    Right now, Leviathan was near the water surface. The water surface in this region was shaking, and spinning. Lin knew this was caused by the air. The currents in the air stirred up the water surface. Countless little pirs of water fell from the air region and formed ripples when they smashed onto the water surface.


    Because this was daytime, Lin could see it clearly.


    Above the water surface, the sky which should have been illuminated by daytime was obscured by ayer of grey. The ultraviolet light was also much weaker. Due to this, Leviathan could approach near the water surface to observe.


    Lin also saw a previously encountered phenomenon. Extremely bright light shed across the sky. This kind of light was brief, but in the moment it appeared, it could illuminate an entire region and caused both air and water to tremble.


    Was this lightning? And sky. That was also a new word.


    Lin wasnt able toprehend these words. It only felt that this phenomenon was interesting. However, this was not the only reason it attracted Lin.


    A short distance away, arge group of t worms were swimming close to the water surfaces. Because the ultraviolet light had weakened, they were able to get close to this ce.


    Right, Lin couldnt call them worms any longer. Lin found a new term that was specifically for describing these organisms with spines.


    Fish.


    Yes, Lin will now call them. While Lin did not think that this was very different from t worm, it liked using new terms.


    Up until, Lin had seen two kinds of t fish. One had teeth and a round mouth which would attack Lin. The other kind were the ones present here. They did not attack at all, and only fed on unicellr organisms.


    Lin didnt know why the t fish had gathered together under the swaying water surface. Lin had the Leviathan stay at a distance to avoid frightening them.


    Lin liked to observe the lives of other organisms. asionally, Lin would learn some interesting or useful things. Lin would not ignore even the tiniest organism.


    The t fish first swam for a while, and then pair off to stick together. They shot outrge volumes of white fluid from small holes below their tail.


    Were those cells?


    Lin released a small eyeball to swim closer. It found that the fluid was made from small cells. One kind was oval-shaped with several tentacles, and the other was in a sphere form. The kind with tentacles would try to burrow into the spherical cells. Then the sphere cells would harden and stop other tentacle cells from entering.


    The leaf worm had also done these actions. Lin still didnt understand what this was for.


    The t fish were even more unique than the leaf worms. After they released these cells, they slowly became motionless and floated in the water.


    They seemed to be dead.


    The Leviathan swam near this group of t fish, and reached out a tentacle to grab one. It tore open the fish and had the eyeball enter its body to look.


    It was really dead?


    No, actually, it had not died. However, most of the cells had lowered their activity, including the brain cells. It seemed to be in a sleeping state. Also, it had used up almost all of its stored nutrients. This felt simr to death.


    They hadnt been attacked by things like viruses, their cells hadnt been damaged. The only reason could be   they were killing themselves.


    They were bad.


    But nothing was wrong with their brains. Lin was puzzled by this the most.


    Many organisms would do things Lin couldnt understand but it was the first time Lin saw something this crazy.


    Therefore, Lin released the gatherers and grabbed some of thebined cells the t fish had sprayed out to take back into the Leviathan.


    Lin then created a hardened and transparent little ball to ce them inside. Lin nned to observe their long-term changes. What unique powers did this thing have? That could make the t fish use their lives to create.


    While Lin found it extremely illogical, Lin knew that they had their reasons. Intelligence was extremelyplicated


    As to the sleeping t fish in the surroundings, Lin turned all of them into its reserves.


    Leviathan was 50% bigger in this journey than in the past, and the amount of food it could store had grown by over threefold. However, Lin did not continue to increase the size, but stored more food.


    Lin had apression method of squeezingrge numbers of fat cells without providing them with any oxygen. This way, it would lessen the space used, and the cells didnt move anyways.


    Then Lin continued on its trip.


    Lin left behind the restless water surface with its lightning and swam deeper


    The enormous beach appeared in Leviathans eyes at the bottom of the ocean. This environment was frequently seen but Lin felt surprised this time.


    This sand beach was covered in many enormous round openings. Lin saw ten of them in its vision. Many other organisms were active in the surroundings such as the trilobites and the t fish.


    These openings were slightly bigger than Leviathan. It could enter one to explore.


    Of course, Lin wouldnt have the Leviathan go in directly. It would create a new cell type to explore a dangerous environment.


    Trantor Ramblings: Two out of three release for the day.

 Book 2: Chapter Thirty “Change”

    Book 2: Chapter Thirty ��Change��


    Last chapter recap: Lin gets some photosynthetic cells for its own use and finds some organisms that die after spraying out some substances.


    Lin liked using warheads for exploring. Right now, there were three types of warheads, the basic kind, thend kind, and the deep sea kind. The basic kind had a water spout and two t tentacles to swim as well as an air sac inside to float in order to return to the Leviathan.


    Unlike the mothership which could store cells inside its body, Leviathan would deconstruct the units that returned to it, and turn them into nutrients to store for next time. This way, the units would not take up space, and would not increase the waste of food because of therge number of units. It was a perfect n.


    Lin threw a warhead into the opening. It swam around and observed the surrounding environment.


    This was apletely oval-shaped cavern,rge enough to fit ten Leviathans. Organic debris floated everywhere, and there were the shells of many organisms at the bottom of the cavern. It felt strange.


    This was


    Lin noticed the walls were actually made out of a kind of chitin substance even though they appeared like rock. Also, other than a coating against corrosion, the sides were extremely smooth. An organism like the trilobite that could only climb and couldnt swim would not be able to get back out if it dropped in.


    So this was a trap? It would appear that this was arge organism. Lin had never seen an organismrger than the Leviathan before. They buried their enormous bodies into the sand, and then exposed the trap opening. When other organisms entered, they would close the opening, and then spray out dissolving fluid to digest the organisms that had fallen in.


    While it didnt have anything to lure other organisms into here, there was no other ce on this beach other than these openings to hide. Therefore, they didnt need bait to lure in organisms looking to hide from predators.


    They might not be interested in the warhead because it was too small. Or maybe they would wait for the organisms to reach a certain number before they tried to dissolve the organisms.


    So interesting. Lin wanted to see how the inside of this organism was constructed. It would call them Giant Trap Worm.


    Lin could only see the trap part of the Giant Trap Worm. If Lin wanted to see the entire organism, it most likely had to dig the other organism up out of the sand.


    But could Lin dig out such an enormous organism?


    It didnt feel it was reasonable.


    Since this was the case, Lin had to use other methods. Lin just had to force it toe out.


    As Lin thought, Lin created a new cell type. It was a spherical cell with a water spout and was covered in tentacles with stinger cells. Lin called it the herder.


    Lin created hundreds of herders to float above the Giant Trap Worms trap and used them to drive off all organisms that closed.


    At the same time, Lin released some flying saws to help the herders.


    This way, the giant trap worm would have toe out when there was no food for a long time.


    The Leviathan just had to wait at the side. While Lin rarely had the Leviathan stop, when it encountered unknown organisms, Lin thought there was a need to study, especially this organisms being sorge.


    During the waiting time, Lin thought it could do some other things, such as   research.


    The cells of the t fish which had killed itself had underwent some changes


    At the beginning, they had been spherical cells but they slowly changed. This kind of cell started to secret a thin membrane and then started to divide under the membrane, forming organisms, spines and other structures to finally be a small t fish.


    The small t fish would squeeze out of the membrane and then   there was nothing more.


    They should grow up to be therge t fish but what was the meaning? To create these small t fish, thoserge ones had to die?


    Lin couldnt understand it.


    Why would these organisms do such weird things?


    Maybe it was like this? Lin suddenly thought of a reason   it should be to create more t fish. The t fish had released a great number of cells. They should have used up all of the nutrients in their bodies to create these cells.


    However, was there a need to make themselves die? And why would they use such a method. Couldnt they just create a new smaller one inside their bodies?


    So strange.


    Also, Lin found the t fish had two types with different organs inside their bodies. One kind of organ was sac-like and could produce round cells. The other was tubr, smaller, and could produce cells with tentacles.


    When those two kind of cells merged together, they would form into small t fish!


    Why would they do this? Create two different of the same species and then have thembine cells together?


    Lin could not understand  Lin found that it was growing more different than other organisms.


    What was correct? What was incorrect?


    Of course, victory was correct! Lin would ignore other organisms and advance along its path of victory.


    Lin found the small t fish couldnt automatically grow. It guessed the nutrients had been used up so it had to get food from outside.


    Lin gave some food to these t fish. It felt watching them grow was pretty interesting.


    Now it was boring.


    The herder kept all the organismsing near the giant trap worm away so it couldnt obtain food. But Lin didnt know how long it would take to force the giant trap worm toe out. Maybe it couldnt move and would just die there.


    However, Lin would wait and see for at least two day and nights.


    As the Leviathan became bored, at the initial base, which was the main base, some special things urred.


    The main base was on an enormous t rock. Lin had hollowed out this enormous rock, and shoved its organs into the rock. Only the hunting tentacles and the rearing umbre for the green cells were left on the t surface.


    The food here was abundant and Lin did not have to worry. The base itself was strong enough. Adding on the mothership and the protector, Lin didnt have to fear other hunters. However, Lin was concerned with one matter.


    The changes in the surrounding environment.


    At the start, Lin had used the mothership to smash a hole in the ice in order to get out. However, the ice had not melted and slowly grew. The surrounding water became even colder. As it started to turn cold, many organisms left this ce.


    Right now, the ice had spread close to the main base. It looked like an enormous and thick wall of ice. Other than the leaf worms and other stationary organisms, the surrounding organisms had left.


    Should Lin move away the base?


    Lin was hesitating on deciding this matter. But the base was already inside the rock. It would be troublesome to get thempletely out


    Crack


    Suddenly, vibrations passed through the water and interrupted Lins thoughts.


    The nearby ice wall grew enormous cracks under this vibration. The leaf worms on the sand twisted as though they wanted to leave.


    Some rtively small leaf worms cut off their handle in the sand and floated away with the water current.


    They might have absorbed the gases in the water in order to float up like that.


    The leaf worms were secured in the sand using a root-like structure. Even when Lin had smashed them in the past, they did not move. Now they could cut themselves free and leave?


    What was making them do this


    The entire region of water continued to shake. However, only the region surrounding the main base shook. The abyss base nearest to the main base did not feel anything, but could see many organisms swimming over from the direction of the main base.


    The ice had fragmented under the vibration. It appeared something was about to ur.


    This ce was still shaking. As it shook, the eyeball antennas on the base could see the light above growing bright. This felt as though   the water surface was getting closer. Was the water surface lowering?


    No, no, this ce was rising! This patch of sand.


    Lin immediately had the mothership which had been by the base charge out at full speed! It had to immediately leave this area!


    As for the base, Lin had the giant shield tentacles growing at the perimeter of the base curve inwards. This way, they could protect the entire base. The tentacles had been specially designed. When all of the tentacles wrapped around the base, not even a virus could get out!


    Editorsment: Lins confusion with the development of sexual reproduction and subsequent male and female reproductive organs is actually super funny to me. Because no one in the scientificmunity really understands the driving force for this in the real world either!


    Basic evolutionary theory suggests there must be an advantage for each incremental change in a species development/evolution. Meaning every point in evolution generally leads to an advantage even if it is suboptimal outside that the circumstances the trait evolved in. Think sickle cell anemia, awful disease that leads to blood clotting and all sorts of other problems, BUT it counters mria which would killrge proportions of people that contract it.


    Back to the point though, the oocyte and the female sex takes on arge burden in reproduction; eggs are muchrger resource investments than sperm. In live birthing species pregnancy bes an impediment to movement and, in the long run, health and longevity. The advantages to maintaining sexual reproduction arergely in gic diversity and specialization of the sexes but these traits logically must evolve at after different sexes evolve, so it is a bit of a mystery as to why sexual reproduction came about in the first ce, but whatever the reason it must be really good which is why it is so wide spread. The main theory is that at some early evolutionary stage the female sex had some advantage to start with, and then got trapped in a evolutionary path they could no longer diverge from and if they did it lead to the death of their gic line. In the same way male birds of paradise have shy useless andrgely disadvantageous secondary sexual characteristics; but are stuck in a cycle that forces them to further develop these traits as reduction in the traits would result in 0 reproduction. Other good examples of such suboptimal or mdaptive gicpetition between sexes are male cocks where males fake signs of health and strength by developing a vulnerability to parasites that produce a hypercolorization of their redbs, and liger/tigons in which parental lineage (male tiger vs male lion) leads to arge difference in phenotypic expression of species traits.


    Zoology/gics/ecology rant over. As you were.


    Trantor Ramblings: As always, the author skips over the science and now organisms have the magical ability to sexually reproduce.

 Book 2: Chapter Thirty One “Vibrations”

    Book 2: Chapter Thirty One ��Vibrations��


    Last chapter recap: Lin discovers sexual reproduction.


    The vibrations continued. The base grew closer and closer to the water surface


    The mothership swam as fast as it could. Lin had to make it leave this area to avoid being exposed out of the water.


    That was


    An enormous crack appeared on the sand in front of the mothership. This seemed to be called a fault.


    The powerful vibrations split the sand into two. The ce where the base was continued to rise while the other part sank down.


    The beach which had been on the same level separated into cliffs. If Lin did not flee, it would face the fate of dying by the ultraviolet light above the water.


    Fate?


    While this was a tense moment, Lin still split its attention to pay attention to this interesting term. This term seemed to represent something that could decide the past, future and everything.


    Was there really such a thing? Of course not!


    Lin quickly turned its attention back. The vibrations grew stronger, and the upward rise elerated. The base was close to the water surface and Lin had the giant shield tentacles wrap around the base.


    However, the mothership might not be able to escape in time.


    Boom


    Suddenly, the entire region of water shook. The surrounding water suddenly rose up due to this force, pushed out of the water surface to form an enormous wall of water.


    Lins mothership was inside this wall of water, and a term could describe this phenomenon


    This was a tsunami? This seemed to mean a phenomenon where water rose above the surface and formed a wall of water.


    The wall of water that charged out of the water surface moved in one direction due to the vibrations. The mothership couldnt move being caught by the strong currents but it could see the direction the tsunami was travelling in.


    That was   ground?


    The motherships eyeball could make out the tsunami was heading towards a deste desert which was clearly on thend.


    The tsunami rushed rapidly onto thend, the powerful collision mixing water with sand. The enormous wall of water continued to charge onto thend. As it left behind arge track of water in its wake, the entire wall of water slowly shrank and thenpletely spread apart, turning into countless puddles of water on the destend.


    Caught within the tsunami, the mothership was thrown ontond. Powerful ultraviolet light baked its body, and the pain of every cell passed onto Lin.


    Half of the motherships cells died instantly.


    It could not survive


    The mothership did not have the ability to move on thend, and now it had been washed by the tsunami to this ce.


    Was its only choice to give up?


    The ultraviolet light had killed the cells in the motherships ectoderm. The interior structures and organs started to copse. Water flowed out of everywhere, and the motherships end was decided.


    Was this the so-called fate?


    Lin would not pay attention to something like this.


    Lin quickly created a kind of ck chitin substance at a small part of the mothership which wrapped around several small cells, including a few fat cells, and Lins first cellthe observer.


    This cell had always been inside the mothership. It hadnt been useful because Lin had the eyeballs, but Lin felt that it had some special meaning so Lin protected it.


    Lin would bring the observer back when it had the opportunity.


    On the other side, the base was not inside the water either. The entire area had risen above the water surface due to the vibrations.


    But unlike the mothership, the giant shield tentacle protected the base well.


    The ectoderm of the giant shield tentacles didnt have eyeballs nor cells. It only had a thick shell. The giant shield tentacle relied on a few muscle cells inside the shell to move. The shell seemed thick enough that ultraviolet light could not prate through.


    Wrapped up, the base waspletely dark. This mean that no light prated the outer shell of the giant shield tentacle. But if Lin opened the giant shield tentacle, the structures inside would be exposed to the UV light and immediately killed.


    Presently the base waspletely exposed out of the water. Lin had to wait for night in order to act.


    However, it may be difficult to move the base into the water from above the water. Should it try to live onnd? If it had the green cells, food wouldnt be a problem.


    No matter what, Lin would wait for night to see.


    Lins study of the green cells had progressed slightly. It had finished the first stage of making things that could absorb and store light. Actually, these substances were contained in all kinds of food. Now, Lin was at the second step, mixing the light, the gases and water together to make those edible crystals.


    This was the most difficult step. Lins cells had automaticallypleted the previous step but for this step, the cells could not act on their own. Lin had to test by itself. Lin didnt know how long it would take, but this was just a problem of the ratios involved. Lin wouldplete this sooner orter.


    If Linpleted this, Lin would be able to give all bases the ability to eat light. This meant Lin didnt have to worry about food. While Lin wasnt worried now, no food source was as steady as light.


    The light grew dimmer, and night finally came. The giant shield tentacle around the base opened slightly and revealed a small hole. Dim light shone in through the hole. This almost dark light didnt cause any feeling of burning. It appeared that this was not dangerous.


    The bases reproduction chambers created ten warheads like the ones the Leviathan made. Lin had them climb out of the base and explore the outside world.


    When the first warhead climbed out of the small hole above the base, Lin once again felt the emptiness in the air. The light of the stars illuminated everything in front of it. The beach that had previously been in the water waspletely exposed out of the water, and water still lingered between the sand granules and stones.


    This area had truly risen above the water. It seemed this ce should be called an ind.


    The warheads segmented limbs had many curved hooks so it could climb even onnd.


    They climbed down the enormous rock where the base was down to the sand beach. Then the warheads scattered to explore the surrounding environment.


    Lin found many organisms that hadnt fell were trapped in the water between the cracks of sand. Most of them were unicellr while a few were multicellr.


    Even in such small puddles, they lived well. However, when the wind blew, countless drops of water would be blown away, and the water would dry sooner orter. At that time, this ce would be dry and deste just like normalnd.


    Other than these small organisms, there were the corpses of therger organisms that couldnt hide in the cracks and were killed by the ultraviolet light. Most of them were sea stars as they were slow movers.


    Lin had the warheads climb towards the edges. They climbed for a long time before they reached the edge of the ind. Lin found that this ce was a far distance from the water surface. Looking down, Lin felt it was a cliff. Lin feared it would be troublesome to return to water.


    Would it have to deconstruct the organs of the base and then create a cell type to move them back into water?


    After that, Lin had to return to the corpse of the mothership onnd to get the observer.


    That was far away from this ce. If Lin moved the base first, and it would take a long time toplete, Lin felt it was troublesome. It was better to leave the base here. Lin decided to create a new structure and try to have it live onnd.


    As it thought, Lin had the warheads return to the base. It started to create a new type primarily for creating things onnd.


    However, Lin could not open the giant shield tentacles much. Otherwise, the water inside the base would spill out. With the resources it had, it could only make smaller things.


    As Lin was feeling hampered by this, it found something unique had appeared in the vision of one warhead.


    [1] Editorsment:  I edited the wrong chapters ! (


    Trantor Ramblings: Despite the editors note, the chapter was edited at the beginning of this month. So theteness is on me.

 Book 2: Chapter Thirty Two “Superorganism”

    Book 2: Chapter Thirty Two ��Superorganism��


    Last chapter recap: Lin experiences a tsunami.


    This unique thing was half the size of the mothership, appearing like a hemispherical rock and had a regr circle of openings on the surface.


    Lin had never seen this before on the beach near the base. Lin remembered each kind of organism near the base. This thing was so special Lin could not have seen it before. It was sure that this appeared after this ind rose out of the water.


    Strange, but Lin ignored it. The warheads quickly climbed back to the rock where the base was. Lin had to modify them.


    Lin had used apletely enclosed shell to stop water froming out of the warhead. However, this also produced some problems. They could not obtain oxygen which caused them to move slowly.


    Lin found that the cells of many organisms would die without oxygen but Lins wouldnt. It would only be slower.


    But this didnt mean Lin didnt need oxygen. Lin first made openings on the warheads shell but taking in oxygen would cause some water to be lost. So it had to make a new typea water supplier warhead. It would be responsible for going to the edge of the ind to absorbing water and then delivering it to other warheads.


    Lin nned on building all kinds of structures on the ind following this but building in this ce would not be easy. In the water, regardless of position, Lin couldbine cells as it wished. But on thend, Lin had to provide water for cells to move andbine, and also shells to block ultraviolet light


    Lin would use the warheads to build.


    Lin had several warheads eatrge amounts of chitin substance inside the base and then climb out. They brushed the chitin substance on the sand in a circle and then built inyers to form a cylindrical shape.


    This kind of chitin substance hardened slowly and was extremely sticky. Lin could mix in sand to reduce the use of the chitin substance. But it had to ensure the density to avoid losing water.


    Then Lin had the water warhead go to the edge of the ind to absorb water, and transport it back to put into this barrel. Following this, Lin was able to have the basic cells start dividing in the barrel. Then it could create something that could open and close at the top of the barrel.


    Not a bad idea. Primarily because the giant shield tentacle around the base could not be opened, Lin had to build reproduction chambers outside to create bigger things and type. In the end, Lin nned to build around the entire ind to create an enormousnd base.


    While Lin didnt feel there was any meaning to constructing such arge base onnd, it meant that at least, Lin was adjusting to this ce.


    Lin had the warheads start to work. Some of them were responsible for putting down chitin substance and mixing in sand, some were responsible for getting water and creating an enormous reproduction barrel. Lin nned to make the structure as big as the mothership. However, Lin had toplete this before day time. If the ultraviolet light came, it would kill everything and Lins work would all be for nothing.


    The warheads quickly worked under the light of the night time stars. They had already built about 10% of the height beside the bases enormous stone. At this time, a warhead that was responsible forying down chitin substance suddenly passed over a thought. Something seemed to be gripping it. The force caused its shell to crack and it immediately leaked out water and cells.


    The warheads were empty structures filled with water. When it cracked, all the cells, including the organisms, could leak out. But Lin was more concerned with what attacked the warhead.


    The other warheads immediately gathered towards the point of attack. Lin found the culpritthat hemispherical stone it had seen before.


    No, this wasnt a stone   it was an organism. It had eight thick limbs supporting its hemispherical body. It also had two enormous forelimbs with pincers. Its pincer had gripped onto the warhead and now the warhead was almost snapped in half.


    It had put its limbs inside its body so Lin hadnt recognized it as an organism. But this thing didnt have a mouth.


    Its hemispherical body only had a row of holes. Due to this, Lin had thought it was something like the corals that could not move. Lin hadnt expected this organism to contain such power.


    The warhead shells were not especially resilient. They were made to block the ultraviolet light. Lin hadnt thought there would be any hunters onnd so it hadnt reinforced the warhead shells.


    The trapped warhead was snapped into two by the enormous pincer. Lin immediately had the surrounding warheads retreat back towards the base. They could not deal with a fully-armed organism like this.


    The other didnt give chase but stayed where it was. It threw the broken warhead onto the ground.


    It would not eat the warhead?


    Lin was puzzled and then suddenly sawrge numbers of small organisms charge out of the holes in the hemisphere. These organisms appeared the same as therger one, a hemispherical body, eight limbs and forelimbs with pincers. However, they all had small mouths filled with hooked teeth. Some of them went to eat the warhead others chased after Lins fleeing warheads.


    The organisms


    Lin saw this phenomenon and was surprised. This organism was extremely simr to how Lin acted. Arge main body, and then releasing small units to consume or attack?


    Maybe the term corps ball was suited to them. But they were still different from Lin. The corps ball released subordinate units that were the exact same as therger one, and they did not seem to have specialized.


    The small corpse balls were about the same size as the warheads. This meant the warheads didnt have to retreat. They could fight back!


    The warheads turned collectively and charged towards the corps ball. There were around thirty corps balls but Lin had simr numbers of warheads. This was an evenly matched battle.


    The warheads shaper heads were conducive to collisions. Lin had them charge towards corps balls and target the bottom part of the small corps balls to flip them over. Once the corps balls hemispherical bodies were turned over, they had a difficult time righting themselves. At this time, the warheads would thrust their sharp segmented limbs into the mouths of the corps balls.


    The pincers of the small corps balls were too small to damage the warheads; shells. The moment the warheads fought back, they copsed.


    The corps balls discovered this was an unfavorable situation. The remainder fled back into the body of therge corps ball. Then therge corps ball charged towards the warheads.


    It understood when to retreat


    Lin had the warheads climb back onto the rock and return into the base. Therge corps ball chased after the warheads, shoving its segmented limbs into the rocks cracks and climbing up!


    Seeing this, Lin was slightly surprised. The corps balls must be used to climbing up on thend. Otherwise, if it climbed up, its legs would snap due to being unustomed to the weight of its body.


    This organism was so strange. Why hadnt Lin seen it before? Lin wanted to capture and study it.


    Lins warheads quickly climbed into the base through the small opening. Therge corps ball also climbed up. It didnt have any eyes and most likely tracked by other means. It used its pincers to tap on the other shell of the base. When it felt that its attacks couldnt damage the shell, it stayed motionless.


    What was it doing? Waiting for the warheads toe out? Lin peeked out a small eyeball to observe this corps ball. It was in a position where the pincers were near the opening the warheads had went through. It seemed to be waiting for the warheads toe out from here.


    Extremely smart. But it would soon be daylight. How would it deal with ultraviolet light?


    Maybe it had a way to avoid the ultraviolet light, or be killed by the ultraviolet light. But none of these choices were ones Lin wanted.


    Lin wanted to study a living corps ball so


    Lin suddenly opened the giant shield tentacles. Before the corps ball could react, it fell into the base. Lin then closed all the giant shield tentacles and trapped the corps ball inside the base.


    The moment it had opened the base, Lin had lost a great amount of water. But it had captured the corps ball. Immediately, countless tentacles inside the base wrapped around the corps ball. Lin had reinforced these tentacles with muscle so they could move even when there was no water.


    In the darkness, the corps ball furiously struggled. Even though it was able to pinch off one or two tentacles, Lin had dozens wrapped around it. The stinger cells pierced into the segmented limb joints of the corps ball, making it weak. At the same time, Lin blocked the holes so the small corps balls could note out.


    Right now, the corps ball could not move at all. Next would be deconstructing it.


    But Lin most likely had to wait a while.


    The primary organisms of the base were inside the rock, and the water inside had not spilled. But the water in the upper part of the base was almostpletely gone. Lin had to fill this ce with water and then use cells to deconstruct the corps ball. That way, it would be able to observe the structures in detail.


    However, daytime was near. Lin could not go out to get water when ultraviolet light was present.


    Then it would wait for night time, a long time off.


    In this waiting period, Lin turned its attention back to the Leviathan.


    Trantor Ramblings: Once again, these chapters were prompted by a reader asking for updates. Guilt trips appear to work really well on me.

 Book 2: Chapter Thirty Three “Under the Ice River”

    Book 2: Chapter Thirty Three ��Under the Ice River��


    Last chapter recap: Lin fought and won against arge and strong organism.


    Over on Leviathans side, Lin had it wait for the Giant Trap Worm which hadnt moved. Lin didnt know if it wasnt hungry or if it was due to other reasons. But something interesting had urred here.


    Ice had formed from the surface of the water and spread downwards.


    While Lin had seen ice form many times in the water, it hadnt ever seen such an unique phenomenon. The ice didnt spread rampantly like before. It was an enormous pir of ice that stretched from the water surface deep into the water. The end of the pir of ice slowly froze and lengthened. It almost reached the floor.


    Why would this freezing be in the shape of a column and not freeze the surrounding water.


    Leviathan had the Leviathan move close to the pir of ice. This pir of ice wasnt thick. Lin found many organisms frozen within but they were mostly floating organisms like the jellyfish.


    The jellyfish might not know how to avoid the pir of ice. They most likely had collided as the temperature around the ice pir was not cold.


    Lin had the Leviathan reach out a tentacle to touch the pir of ice. In this moment, Lin felt a burst of pain. The surface of the tentacle was stuck to the ice.


    The freezing cold spread through the tentacle cells. Lin immediately jerked the tentacle back. Apanied by a strong tearing pain, Lin finally pulled the tentacle away.


    An enormous wound appeared where the tentacle had touched the ice pir for just a moment. Now, a big piece of ectoderm was stuck to the ice pir.


    Lin quickly repaired the tentacles wound. The blood vessels would automatically close when wounded to stop any cells from spilling out. But Lin was more concerned with this pir of ice.


    Such powerful freezing ability


    Why would ice have such an unique power? Unlike normal ice, it had a great ability to freeze things but would not spread freely through the water.


    Why? And the surrounding water wasnt cold. Didnt this phenomenon only ur when the water temperature was extremely low?


    Lin wasnt able to understand.


    Lin suddenly thought of an interesting experiment. It had the Leviathan form a ball with chitin substance. The ball had a long handle on the surface and a hook at the end.


    Lin put the ball on the pir of ice. As expected, the ice immediately spread along the ball and quickly froze all of the chitin substance.


    Then Lin grabbed the handle with its tentacle to pull the frozen ball off before throwing it to the Giant Trap Worms trap.


    The moment the ice ball was thrown it, the trap and the surrounding sand shook violently. The Giant Trap Worm clearly reacted greatly to this. The ice on the ball slowly spread, and the vibrations in the surrounding sand grew stronger.


    Suddenly, the sand near the trap opening lifted. An enormous organism charged out of the sand and swam into the water, shaking off sand.


    Was this the true form of the Giant Trap Worm? Not asrge as Lin had imagined. The trap Lin had seen at the start was actually the entire body of this organism. An elliptical structure, the head was the trap opening. And the tail had a ring of swimming tentacles and a spout, which the reason it was able to charge out of the sand.


    But the Giant Trap Worms tentacles and spout were all smallpared to its body. It swam for a while in the water before it seemed to lose its energy and sink back to to the sandy bottom.


    Then it dug on the sand using its tentacles in an attempt to burrow back into the sand.


    Lin would not let the Giant Trap Worm seed. Leviathan released dozens of flying saws. They charged towards the Giant Trap Worm, spinning at high speed and using their sawteeth to cut off the Giant Trap Worms tentacles. As the sharp sawteeth sliced through,rge amounts of cells sprayed out of the wound. The Giant Trap Worm immediately charged out a short distance using its spout.


    The flying saws chased after and cut towards the wounds on the Giant Trap Worms tentacles. These wounded tentacles werent thick to begin with and were immediately cut off. This enormous organism lost the ability to move.


    Lin did not feel any great joy at defeating this organism even though it was more than ten times the size of the Leviathan. This kind of organism wasnt a savage hunter.


    But this organism was unique. It had evolved a hollow body to act as a trap.


    Leviathan moved closer to the Giant Trap Worm and looked with its eyeballs. It found that the chitin substance object it had thrown in before was not frozen any longer. It should have melted. While its freezing ability was strong, there was no value as it melted so quickly.


    Then the Leviathan swam to the tail of the Giant Trap Worm and released smaller flying saws to cut at the soft structures inside the Giant Trap Worms spout.


    Lin quickly killed this enormouso organism. Its interior structure was simple, the oval body hollow. The inside and outer walls were covered in shell and suited to being used as a trap. As a result, all the organs were squeezed into the narrow space between the inner and outer walls. It could produce arge amount of dissolving fluid and quickly fill its body.


    Lin felt that it needed to copy this structures method of making dissolving fluid quickly. The giant trap worms cells appeared to have the ability of swallowing some harmless substances in the water, and then quickly transform it into a powerful dissolving fluid. Lin had to learn this.


    As to the other parts, there was nothing special. This organism wasrge but its structure was simple.


    Then Lin would continue to travel. However, Lin needed a base here, primarily to study that wondrous pir of ice.


    Lin released gatherers to burrow into the giant trap worm and consume the structures and cells the flying saws had destroyed. In the end, only therge elliptical structure remained. Lin put the base seed into this hard shell.


    Then the Leviathan left this region. It swam upwards to the unknown.


    Night was still some time away, and the corps ball the main base had caught seemed lifeless. It seemed to have died due to drying out. While it didnt have a mouth, it had gills. If the gills slowly lost moisture, the organism would die to due to inability to gather oxygen.


    Lin didnt know the details about the structure because it had never made gills before. If it was onnd, it would rely on the ectoderm cells to gather oxygen.


    The Leviathan was close to the water now. Lin felt the water which should be warm turn colder and cold. It found the water surface was covered by arge patch of ice crystal. The light shed uniquely as it passed through the light ice.


    The ice pir had stretched from thisyer of ice down into the water.


    Leviathan swam near the iceyer and used its tentacle to tap. Lin found that this iceyer did not have the ability to rapidly freeze and shattered upon impact just like normal ice.


    Why was the ice pir so strange? This was something Lin could understand at the moment.


    Leviathan continued to swim slowly under the iceyer. A considerable number of organisms, mostly jellyfish, lived in this cold environment. They swayed underneath the iceyer. While they were beautiful in the light through the ice, Lin found then obtrusive.


    Lin had to pay attention that Leviathans tentacles would not be stun. When it swam past the swarm of jellyfish, the iceyer in front of Lin became thicker, and the light grew dimmer.


    Not many organisms were in this environment. Leviathan continued to advance to the icy region of water.


    The deeper it swam, the darker the surrounding environment became. Lin had to ignite itsntern to illuminate the strangely shaped ice crystals above.


    After swimming for a while underneath the dark ice, Lin still didnt find any organisms. As Lin hesitated over whether it should turn back, it found a beam of light up ahead.


    A hole?


    When Leviathan swam underneath the light, it found the source of the light was a circr hole in the iceyer at least two times the width of the Leviathan.


    So strange. Why would there be a hole like this in the ice?


    Leviathan swam under the opening. It saw that there were marks as though something sharp had dug past. This hole   had some organism dug this? Why did it do that?


    Lin found these organisms were very new, and pieces of ice were still falling down   maybe the hole-digging organism was nearby?


    Suddenly, the eyeballs floating around Leviathan saw an enormous ck shadow. The shadow charged rapidly towards Leviathan from underneath!


    Trantor Ramblings: To the person who gave me ko-fi gold, thank you. I will read up and figure out what to do with it. In the meantime, if you like, send me an email with which novel you would like to see an extra chapter of.


    Brinicles are very cool. Any opinions on the new websiteyout?

 Book 2: Chapter Thirty Four “On the Ice River”

    Book 2: Chapter Thirty Four ��On the Ice River��


    Last chapter recap: Lin explores fast freezing ice and gets thrown out of the water.


    This chapter is brought to you by me, and WanderingGummiOfDoom.


    The Leviathan did not manage to dodge the speedy shadow and was propelled out of the ice hole. The Leviathan crashed onto the ice outside the hole.


    What had knocked it out of the hole.?


    The surrounding environment was endless,ndpletely made out of ice. The ice reflected the powerful light, and the omnipresent ultraviolet light constantly damaged Leviathans cells.


    It had to immediately return to the water!


    Leviathan drove down Leviathans biting tentacle, using its teeth to bite the ice and pull the Leviathan to climb back into the ice hole.


    Leviathan had never crawled onnd before. However, its six biting tentacles had been strengthened with muscle in order to crush shells. Even onnd, they could drag along Leviathans enormous armored body.


    But the tentacles did not have any shell. The ultraviolet light prated the ectoderm and rapidly destroyed the cells inside. In one instant, Lin learned that millions of cells had died.


    But Lin did not stop. It made the heart beat faster, sending cells to repair the damage, and moved all of its tentacles. The Leviathans heavy body crawled towards the ice opening


    Just a little more


    The cells in the tentacle ectoderm werepletely destroyed, the muscle cells inside were damaged as well. However, one of the tentacles bit to the edge of the ice hole. It was strong enough to pull the Leviathan back into the water!


    But fate was never so perfect.


    An enormous being suddenly charged out of the water. It quickly climbed next to the hole and pushed Leviathan back out. Leviathan rolled a few times on the ice before stopping. Lin found it had slid to a ce further away than before.


    The ultraviolet light hadpletely destroyed the tentacles. While some cells had not died, they could not pull the Leviathans body.


    Leviathans eyeball was on the underside of its round body. Due to this, it had not been damaged by the light so Lin clearly saw what had hit Leviathan twice.


    This organism had a round head, and its tail part was t. Its forelimbs wererge and thick. The first section had a toothed and hooked structure. Lin thought that this organism most likely used that structure to dig the ice hole. It also had six other thick andrge limbs. Four of them were used for walking, thest two curved. They also seemed to have openings on the end and likely the ability to expel water.


    This organism appeared simr to themonly seen trilobite but it was much bigger. While it wasnt as wide as the Leviathan, it was two times longer than the Leviathan. Its shell was a clear crystal white that shone with reflected light.


    There were many strange organisms recently


    Lin named this organism ice crystal monster. Its armor was simr to ice. Lin didnt know if that shell was made out of the chitin substance it was familiar with. This might be something different.


    The ice crystal monsters goal in digging the hole was clear. The organisms swimming under the dark iceyer would be attracted to the light shining through the hole. Then the ice crystal monster would hit them out of the ice where the organisms would die due to the ultraviolet light or theck of oxygen. It would then climb out of the hole to consume the corpse.


    Right now, the ice crystal moved its segmented limbs to climb slowly towards the stationary Leviathan.


    Terrible.


    Leviathan might die here. At present, the tentacles were unable to move. The death of Leviathan would be a great loss. It could be considered Lins strongest type and it carried a great volume of information about new organisms.


    Additionally, the journey would have been for nothing.


    It could not die here!


    Looking at iing ice crystal monster, Leviathan immediately started to manipte the structures inside Leviathans body. Leviathans openings for the cells were connected to the surrounding water spouts.


    This meant that the spouts could expel troops and also meant it could send out the exploding bomb!


    Lin quickly put the exploding bombs into the water spout passages. Through the muscles in the passage, Lin forced arge amount of water at the end of the passageway, then took aim and opened the water spout!


    Dozens of exploding bomb shot out along with the spraying water. They hit the ice crystal monsters head and exploded. The dissolving fluidnded on the bright shell and left behind a gouges of corroded marks.


    The ice crystal monsters outer shell was strange, almost crysta-like, but the dissolving fluid could still damage it. This reassured Lin slightly.


    The dissolving fluid did not seem to prate the outer shell. But the ice crystal monster hadnt thought that Lin would attack so it hesitated in its spot. At this time, Lin had prepared the second wave of bombs.


    Shoot!


    This time, the exploding bomb was onerge one and not dozens of smaller ones. Lin wanted to use this to destroy the others armor. But the ice crystal monster reacted this time, and raised its forelimb to block this exploding bomb.


    Most of the dissolving fluid from the exploding bombs explosion was blocked by the ice crystal monsters forelimb. Only somended on its head. The dissolving fluid left behind deep marks on the forelimb but the ice crystal monster did not show any signs of pain.


    its inside still hadnt been damaged?


    Lin started to hesitate. If it continued to attack, it would use up a lot of water. Continuing might be dangerous.


    The ice crystal monster did not attack this time. It seemed to think that continuing might be dangerous as well. Its armor had almost been dissolved through.


    In the end, the ice crystal monster chose to withdraw. It turned and went back into the ice hole.


    Fleeing? While Lin felt some slight pity, the Leviathan was also an arrow at the end of its flight and had no power to give chase.


    Arrow at the end of its flight? Such a strange phrase, but Lin felt it was amusing.


    But this was not the time for amusement   Lin quickly created several dozen of warheads to use onnd inside the Leviathan. These warheads had segmented limbs with sharp teeth at the end. Lin had them dig at the ice under the Leviathan to create an ice hole for Leviathan to return to the water.


    Digging a hole would most likely take a long time   Lin could only wait now.


    The warhead dug rapidly under Leviathan. In this period of time, the ice crystal monster did not appear again. Lin didnt know if the ice crystal monster would appear and ambush Lin so it didnt dare to create too many warheads to drag Leviathan into the ice hole. If Lin used up all of the nutrients, and the ice crystal monster appeared again, then it would really be the end.


    Lin first had the warhead dig many tunnels under the Leviathan and then Leviathans weight would crush those passageways. Then the warheads would dig again. This process would continue until Leviathan fell into the water.


    The iceyer which had appeared thick grew thinner with the efforts of the warhead. Soon, Lin saw the cold water underneath the ice.


    Thestyer of ice cracked as the warheads dug. Leviathan finally fell into the water again.


    It finally returned   Lin had never been so happy before at returning to the water, and howfortable it was to avoid the burning ultraviolet light outside.


    But Lin did not have time to enjoy it. It didnt even have time to retrieve the warhead. A glittering enormous shadow charged towards Lin.


    The ice crystal monster had been hiding nearby as expected.


    Lin was prepared. It immediately activated the water spouts, dodging the attack but the opponent quickly twisted and used its sharp forelimb to leave behind a crack on the Leviathans armor.


    Shoot! Countless exploding bombs flooded out of the unit entrances. Since Lin was already in the water, it didnt have to consider the use of water.


    The exploding bombs charged towards the damaged parts of the ice crystal monster using their own water propelling systems. But the ice crystal monster was faster than it had been onnd. With a twist of its tail, it dodged to one side. But the exploding bomb also knew how to swerve. A portion of them smashed onto the wounds of the ice crystal monsters forelimb.


    The glittering shellpletely tore apart and revealed the soft muscle structures inside. The next exploding bomb directly collided into this wound. The pain caused the ice crystal monster to twist.


    In pain, the ice crystal monster attacked rather than retreat. It ignored the surrounding exploding balls, and rushed rapidly towards the Leviathan. It seemed to gather all of its power in this one attack. It created an enormous pit on the Leviathans outer shell and many blood vessels inside tore apart.


    Lin immediately had the blood vessels constrict to stop the flow of blood. At this moment, countless exploding balls smashed onto the ice crystal monsters head. The dissolving fluid corroded its already damaged parts, and revealed the organ structure inside its armored head.


    The ice crystal monster seemed to be angry. It twisted, swimming under Leviathan and biting off a tentacle.


    But that tentacle had died long ago. Lin did not feel any pain.


    Also   this battle could be finished.


    Among the exploding bombs that Lin had used to destroy the ice crystal monsters head armor, one of them was special. This bomb did not release dissolving fluid when it exploded, but countless small exploding bombs. These small exploding bomb could not swim but they had many tentacles covered in suckers. So when the bigger bomb exploded, they could stick onto the target, and slowly climb into the enemys wounds.


    Lin called this a sticky bomb. Right now, a great number of sticky bombs climbed into the ice crystal monsters head wound and was sticking to its internal organs.


    Finished.


    Trantor Ramblings: Digging tunnels around something in order to copse the ground seems such an inventive tactic to me. I just dont know what animals do this or if this is just an engineering thing.

 Book 2: Chapter 35 “Land of Crystallization”

    Book 2: Chapter 35 ��Land of Crystallization��


    Last chapter recap: Lin managed to defeat the ice monster.


    Joy of victory


    Looking at the ice crystal monster sinking into the darkness, Lins thoughts were filled with this wondrous emotion.


    Lin finally knew that it would only have this feeling when it won against powerful enemies.


    In this battle, the Leviathan had taken significant damages, all of the biting tentacles killed by the ultraviolet light, and even its body had received heavy damage. Only by winning in such a situation would Lin feel joy and happiness.


    While Lin felt happy, Lin hoped that this battle was not a waste. It hoped to obtain something interesting from that monster which was like a living crystal.


    Leviathan shed the dead tentacles and released gatherers to eat them. It recovered what nutrients it could and Lin grew new tentacles.


    After recovering all nutrients, the Leviathan swam down towards the sinking ice crystal monster.


    Because this area had a thick iceyer, even in daytime, the deeper reaches of the water with light were about the same as during the night. Lin had to light thentern in order to see the surrounding environment.


    Got it.


    A white beach at the bottom of the dark ocean. The ice crystal monster wasid out in a pit of sand, the crystal like scales still shing, but its life was gone.


    The exploding balls which climbed into the wound had most likely damaged the brain so the monster died quickly. Lin had hoped to see it struggling.


    The Leviathan swam close to the ice crystal monsters body and releasedrge numbers of miniature exploratory eyeballs. They burrowed in from each crack on the ice crystal monsters body and observed the mysteries of this organism.


    During this time, Lin continued to slowly regrow the Leviathans tentacles.


    The ice crystal monsters organs were simr to the majority of the segmented limb type organisms but there were many different parts.


    For example, itsst two segmented limbs could both suck in and expel water. It could move rapidly, and charge. Also, Lin did not find its gills. How did this organism absorb oxygen?


    Most importantly, its brain was thergest that Lin had even seen. Even rtive to its body, its brain wasrger than any other organisms. Not even the t fish couldpare to it.


    Lin knew that the main function of brains were to direct ones cells. Other than the part that was needed to direct ones cells, the remaining part was used to think on other matters. The bigger the thinking part, the smarter the organism.


    So the ice crystal monster would know such a strange tactic of hitting other organisms onto the ice.


    The shell of the ice crystal monster was also unique. Lin found that the shell wasnt made from any chitin substance it knew of but a crystal-like substances. The ice crystal monsters ectoderm contained a great number of small nd cells that were like miniature ice crystals which could secret this substance.


    Lin had seen this a long time ago


    Yes, those were   the crystal bacteria! A long time ago, in the unicellr era, Lin had fought a war against them.


    Why would they be mixed inside the ice crystal monsters body? Had the ice crystal monster created them? But then they should be basic cells, and not be ced as nd cells on the ectoderm


    Lin also found the brain of the ice crystal monster was not connected to the crystal bacteria. Did the brain not control them? So unique.


    Also, the hardness of this crystal shell rivaled the hardest chitin substance Lin could create at the moment. While it was just a tiny bit softer, the crystal shell was extremely light, and was the reason the ice crystal monster had been so much more nimble than Lin.


    The ice crystal shell was split into threeyers. The outeryer was the thickest and also transparent. The middleyer was middling in thickness but white in color. Thisyer most likely was used to block ultraviolet light. The innermostyer was thin, almost as though it didnt exist. It had many cracks and small openings where the crystal bacteria was squeezed into.


    The organisms segmented limbs were made from this kind of crystal, especially the sharp curved structures of the forelimb that could easily carve out cracks on Leviathans armor.


    Lin felt this was an extremely good shell but it had a shoring. It did not have any coating to resist corrosion so Lins exploding bombs easily corroded the organism.


    In conclusion, this was an extremely intelligent organism able to live on bothnd and water, and also had this interesting shell.


    Lin would start to recycle now. Lin wanted to create a crystal shell. But the ice crystal monster was toorge. Lin needed to first increase Leviathans size.


    If Lin wanted the Leviathan to grow bigger, it had to dissolve its own outer shell from the inside. Lin found that other organisms first took off their entire shell, abandoned it, and then put on a newyer.


    Lin felt that method was both time-consuming and wasteful. Lins method could preserve the chitin substance. While Lin would use dissolving fluid, the shell was much more difficult to obtainpared to dissolving fluid.


    But no matter the method, it would take a long time. Lin would slowly proceed.


    As Lin dissolved its armor, had the Leviathan gradually grow in size, and modified the structures inside, it also stretched out the tentacles to release gatherer to consume the ice crystal monster.


    This was a slowly and meaningless process. But when the gatherers fed on the ice crystal monsters brain, Lin found something interesting.


    Most of the ice crystal monsters brain cells had died. But Lin found a small tentacle-like structure near the back of the brain. This structure hadnt died and was still moving slowly.


    At the end of this tentacle-shaped structure was a small ck stone. Lin initially was only curious and didnt think too much. However, when it had the gatherers drag this structure out, it found the little stones tentacle would point in one direction. Even if Lin twisted it away, it would twist back.


    Why would this thing be like this?


    Lin did not know but it would definitely explore the direction the structure pointed. Maybe Lin would find the ice crystal monsters nest or something.


    Lin had to finish what it was doing now quickly.


    Daylight gradually passed and nighttime came. Leviathan finished its transformation. Its appearance hadnt changed. Lin added some biting tentacles to bring their number up to ten, and the body was 200% bigger than before. The Leviathan was about the same size as the ice crystal monster now, though much wider than the ice crystal monster whose corpse had beenpletely deconstructed and stored.


    Lin tried to create the ice crystal monsters shell. It could have the cells swallow and dissolve to create, but Lin had not found a simr substance to this one in its normal food and environment. If Lin wanted to obtain more of the substance, it had to find more organisms with this kind of shell, or to find thend where the crystals formed.


    Maybe Lin could turn the crystals it had seen before into a crystal shell, but Lin hadnt thought of this at the time.


    Then it would go see   which direction was the little stone pointing in?


    The Leviathan released some eyeballs andnterns before swimming towards its goal.


    That was


    shing light appeared in front of the Leviathan.


    Crystals?


    In the dark ocean, only those things would respond to thenterns light. However


    were there too many of them?


    Lin had thenterns spread apart. Everywhere their light shone was covered in crystal fragments. asionally, somerger pieces of crystal would appear as well. These crystals were simr to the shell of the ice crystal monster so this appeared to be the ice crystal monsters nest.


    The crystals also had many unicellr organisms on their surfaces. Without exception, they were all crystal bacteria.


    Nothing else here looked like food. Did the crystal bacteria eat the crystals?


    So unique


    Regardless, Lin must put down a base seed here. It would be able to produce glittering and powerful troops after gathering the crystals here.


    Lin noticed that the little stone inside the ice crystal monsters brain pointed into the distance


    Trantor Ramblings: This ice monster is pretty special. Hasyers in the ectoderm, a brain structure, endosymbionts, and even a navigation system in its brain.

 Book 2: Chapter 36 “Crystal Ecology”

    Book 2: Chapter 36 ��Crystal Ecology��


    Last chapter recap: Lin stumbles across a weird stone and ends up in thend of crystals.


    Why would this little stone inside the tentacle always point in one direction? Maic field? Ma?


    Strange terms appeared in Lins thoughts. It did not understand what they meant, but it knew that ma represented attraction.


    The stone was attracted to something?


    Leviathan put away the base seed. Lin suddenly had a feeling that the destination of this stone would be more suitable to release the seed.


    Lin continued to advance in this dark sea covered in crystals. As it followed the stones guidance Lin found the surrounding crystals increased in size. Some were not fragments, butplete pieces.


    Not just the crystal bacteria lived here. Some t fish also lived here but these t fish were of strange appearance. Their heads were thicker and rounder than normal t fish and the upper head was covered in a thin shell.


    Why did they grow like that? Wouldnt they swim slower? It wasnt of much use in defense


    Lin was only slightly puzzled. It passed by the fish and continued to swim forward. The crystals here became bigger and bigger. The scattered fragments were almostpletely absent. As Lin observed the surrounding environment, it sketched out the entire regions appearance and size in its mind.


    The perimeter of this region were cracked crystals, and the crystals became moreplete as Lin went in. What had created this kind of environment?


    Maybe an organism?


    Many t fish surrounded the Leviathan. They seemed extremely interested in Leviathansnterns. Lin did not see their eyeballs, but they seemed able to feel light.


    Lin stretched out a tentacle to grab a few, tear them apart, and eat them. Lin found their bodies werent unique. However, their outeryer contained many rhombus crystal pieces, andrge numbers of crystal bacteria squeezed within the cracks of these scales.


    Leviathan reached the next area. These crystals were conical in shape and stood up from the stand. This could be called a forest of crystals.


    Another kind of organism appeared here. They had soft and small bodies but carriedrge shell. Organisms like this seemed to be called snails.


    Lin seemed to have known the word snail before but this was the first time Lin saw the snail organism. Its shell was made out of crystal, and there were many crystal bacteria within its body alongside its organs.


    It seemed that every organism here seemed to have a rtionship with the crystal bacteria. How did the crystal bacteriamunicate with them?


    This kind of rtionship seemed to be called symbiosis but why did theye together?


    Lin hadnt seen even one ice crystal monster up until now. It was possible that this kind of organism was rare.


    Lin continued to advance. The tentacle with the stone moved more violently and this meant that Lin was close to the destination.


    Lin suddenly thought that it had only been paying attention to this side. It hadnt advanced anything back at the main base. Lin had deconstructed the corps ball. The internal structure of this organism was special. It had arge sac for the small corps balls to live in. Because the organism didnt have a mouth, it relied on the small corps balls to feed it food.


    While interesting, Lin was more interested in this side of things so it put the matters of the main base to the side. Lin could have the warheads act automatically.


    Suddenly, an enormous organism shed through the light of thentern.


    Ice crystal monster?


    Lin had thenterns chase that organism. However, it swam quickly and Lin only saw the debris its tail brought up.


    Lin retrieved thenterns and grew out antern tentacle outside the Leviathans shell for illumination. Then Lin had the Leviathan move at full speed to chase this organism. It was swimming in the direction the stone was pointing in.


    Leviathan used the water spouts to spin as it swam. This way, its speed could match other speedy organisms.


    After chasing for a while, Lin saw the organism again. This was an ice crystal monster but it was much smaller. It swam quickly just using the spouts on its rear limbs. The Leviathan had a difficult time catching up.


    Lin noticed at this time the surrounding environment had changed again. Some enormous crystals appeared. They stood up from the seabed like enormous stones. Many organisms were active around these crystal rocks. The small ice crystal monster suddenly elerated. It charged to an enormous wall of crystal and then burrowed in.


    This was


    When Leviathan came close, Lin found that there was an opening just perfect for the ice crystal monster to climb in on this crystal wall.


    Also, this crystal   was extremelyrge, incrediblyrge.


    Lin could only see an enormous barrier of crystal. It blocked the Leviathanpletely and the light of thentern could not reach the end. Then the Leviathan released arge number ofnterns to swim in three different directions to see howrge this crystal was.


    Thenterns and eyeballs that went to the two sides swam for a long time before circling back to the Leviathans location. It seemed that this crystal was a cylindrical structure. It was wide enough to hold several hundred leviathans, but the eyeballs andnterns swimming upwards hadnt reached the end of the crystal barrier


    Was it


    Leviathan had thenterns stop. Then the Leviathan swam upwards following the crystal barrier. It found that the crystal continued to stretch upwards until Leviathan got close to the iceyer covering the water surface.


    This icy barrier broke through the ice barrier and stretched above the water surface


    So enormous   this wasnt any normal crystal, it was something that could be called a mountain.


    It reached from the dark abyss deep in the water to the region of air. This was a crystal mountain!


    How was it able to grow sorge? How did this form?


    Lin found the more it saw, the more it understood, and the more questions it had.


    There were no organisms on the crystal barrier, unlike the numerous organisms that gathered in the deep water. Lin was puzzled by this.


    However, Lin felt it would be good to dig a hole in this and make a base. With so much crystals, it could create many units with shells.


    While food wascking here, Lin had finished that experiment.


    It was thest step of eating light, mixing water and certain gases with certain substances it obtained from the green cells. Lin could form something edible.


    Linpletely mastered the ratios involved. At present, it could produce a new type of cell.


    While the things that needed to be mixed together were many andplex, in actuality, they were few in number, and most of them were not edible to begin with. Adding on that these substances were everywhere in the water, Lin found it extremely profitable to use them to make food.


    However, the efficiency of this process was not high. The green cells that Lin had caught and only fed on light as food reproduced slowly. Some other types of green cells reproduced quickly, but they would feed on other substances or single cell organisms.


    While the efficiency wasnt high, this was a source that was endless. Consequently, Lin felt that this study was extremely useful. It would be able to build bases in areascking food but rich in other resources.


    Maybe Lin would call this photosynthesis and chlorophyll.


    Actually, organisms that could absorb light werent just the green ones. Lin had seen single cells of different color able to eat light. Some were red, others blue, and even ck ones existed.


    Lin nned to make a structure for photosynthesis at each base, but it would do the one here first.


    Night was passing by and day time was about to arrive. Ayer of light passed through the iceyer above. Lin ignored it. It had the Leviathan build drillers. This type of cell were cone-shaped with denticles and at the end, they had three water spouts, allowing them to spin rapidly and drill into the crystal wall.


    Then Lin had the gatherers collect the crystal debris scattered in the surroundings.


    When the debris was dissolved, it could be made into armor. Dissolving fluid was divided into several types. Not every type could dissolve crystals. Some dissolving fluids wouldpletely destroy the crystals to the point they could not be used again. As a result, making armor like this was slightly troublesome.


    Daytime had arrived while Lin was making holes on the crystal wall. As the light from above grew brighter, the drillers in the crystal wall suddenly felt the surroundings grow hotter


    Right, these crystals would absorb heat!


    Lin suddenly thought of this but it was toote. The drillers had dug too deep and were unable to withdraw before they were killed by the high temperature.


    The entire crystal seemed to absorb the light of day and be dazzling.


    Such high temperature. Maybe Lin couldnt build a base here. No wonder no organism remained close to the crystals.


    Then   what would it be like for the ones in the deep ocean?

 Book 2: Chapter 37 “The Process of Greening”

    Book 2: Chapter 37 ��The Process of Greening��


    Last chapter recap: Lin discovers a weird world of shining crystals.


    So that was how it was   the organisms below relied on this to survive.


    As Lin thought about this, it had the Leviathan swim down along the crystal pir. The surrounding light gradually became dim and cold as it went deeper but this enormous crystal was still blindingly bright and warm. The crystal mountain channeled the light of day into the darkness of the ocean.


    When Lin returned once again to the crystal forest at the bottom, it saw an incredible scene. Other than the scattered crystal debris, all the whole crystals growing on the floor shone with glittering light. While the light they gave off couldnt rival the light onnd, it couldpare to the stars during night.


    The crystals warmed this cold region of water.


    Many organisms that Lin had never seen during nighttime appeared here. There was a kind of single red cell. They stuck to the shing crystal barrier. Lin recognized it as another kind of cell that consumed light. The crystal bacteria Lin usually saw during night were much rarer now.


    These little organisms that lived here became active at this time. Large numbers of t fish passed through the crystals, and so did many trilobites, as well as other tentacle-shaped organisms. Lin could asionally see one or two small ice crystal monsters among them. The ice crystal monsters seemed to feed on the red cells, but Lin didnt see arge ice crystal monster like the one that attacked Leviathan.


    Maybe the little ice crystal monsters would leave here after they grow up?


    All the organisms living here had a trait inmon. Their shells were made of crystals, but their crystals were unlike other crystals. Their shells did not seem to absorb light nor heat. Maybe, they had been modified specially and this was why the big ice crystal monster had dared to jump ontond and attack Leviathan.


    This was a good ce to build a base. Using these crystals, Lin could create many special things


    The Leviathan swam to a shining crystal. It released a special type of cell called the green algae ball. In reality, this was just a collection of light-eating cells. Lin had the green algae ball get close to the crystal and immediately felt photosynthesis respond. The chlorophyll started to activate and create nutrients.


    As expected, the light of the crystals could be used. All light could be used?


    Lin was very satisfied with this. It would start to build the base here.


    Lin did not n to put any base seed into the crystals. Instead, it had the base seed float in the air. Then it made a hole in the crystal and shoved the photosynthetic cell inside.


    The photosynthetic cells could create a lot of oxygen in addition to nutrients. This appeared very profitable. Lin also build some rearing rooms inside the Leviathan and used thenterns to shine on its own cells to obtain oxygen and nutrients at the same time.


    Because the work on the crystal would be enormous, Lin nned to have the Leviathan stay here for a while.


    Wait, if that was the case, it would rather


    Lin nned to change all the bases and connect them together into an enormous system.


    Right now, Lin had seven bases, the main base, the sea abyss, the corals, the water surface, the ice pir   and this crystal area.


    If it used cell tubules and chitin passages to connect all the bases, then Lin would possess an enormous number of cells. Its intelligence would increase another step.


    Lin had not increased its intelligence for a long time now. Maybe because it did not have enough cells? When Lin had more than two billion cells, it felt there was nothing to increase.


    Its ability topute seemed to increase but Lin wanted to obtain more new terms and understanding of the surrounding environment.


    How about building an enormous base? That would be veryplicated


    Leviathans journey would temporarily stop but it would still continue to travel. Right now, Lin would build a base, the biggest base in its history.


    Right now, all the existing bases hadpletely grown. From the outside, they were pyramidal in shape. They would frequently release devourers and other type of cells to gather food. When they grew to a certain point, they stopped growing. Now, Lin had them dissolve the armor around the base, and start to rebuild themselves in a carpet method.


    What was the carpet method? It was to have the photosynthetic cells grow along the sea bed like carpet until they stretched and covered all. Lin nned to connect all the regions together, merging all the bases, and forming an enormous base.


    This way, this entire seabed would belong to Lin.


    While it would take a long time, Lin prepared to start now. The main n was for the nd cells to first secret ayer of t shell. Then the photosynthetic cells would spread evenly on the shell. This structure would continue to grow until it covered the seabed and all areas with light.


    This way, Lin would haveid out a green carpet over the entire seabed and possess endless power! Lin could not cover those deep and lightless areas. There was no meaning.


    LIn could call this n the Greening Seabed.


    As to these crystals, Lin first nned to create some crystal cell types. However, no organisms posed a threat to Lin at this moment, so Lin did not worry too much about the development of its types.


    Also, facing abiotic disasters, the strength of cell types were useless.


    Other than being soldiers, these crystals could also be used in the Greening Seabed n. Lin could dissolve them and spread them on the sea bed. Then Lin could shove in the photosynthetic cells. This way, under the help of the crystals, their efficiency for absorbing light would be high.


    Lin did not know how much crystals there were. But it was fine if Lin used them all up as Lin was not reliant on the crystals.


    Other than these glowing crystals, the surroundings were dark due to the iceyer, and could not support photosynthetic cells. So Lin had the Leviathan create transporters to transport the crystals here to other bases.


    Lin only took the crystal pieces that did not glow. As to the glowing ones, it would shove the photosynthetic cells in. There was no need to move them away.


    Lin did not n to move this enormous mountain of crystal. It felt that damaging such a beautiful thing would be a pity. Also, it was hot, and troublesome to move.


    Then, the Greening Seabed started.


    This was a long process   Leviathan could rest for a while after travelling for so long.


    Lins mental scope wasrge. It could have all the cells do different things at the same time or look at different areas through all the different eyeballs.


    The secondyer of the green carpet was white hard shell, and the photosynthetic cells were ced between the first and secondyer. Underneath the secondyer were all the organs and soldier units who could enter and leave through small openings in the shell.


    The greening seabed started in the surroundings of every bases, and then grew slowly. It would take a long time to cover the entire seabed in photosynthetic cells. Lin did not have that much nutrients. It could only slowly build as it obtained nutrients. While it was building, it also had to defend against attacks from other organisms. Lin needed to createrge numbers of guards.


    Lin did not have that base which hadrge numbers of green cells do anything. It floated there and continued to observe wild green cells and the movement of the water surface.


    As to the main base on the ind, Lin first had it create an enormous shield to cover the entire base. Then it filled the base with water. After doing this, Lin would study how to make photosynthetic cells onnd.


    Lins photosynthetic cells would be killed by ultraviolet light. Presently, it had not found any method for photosynthetic cells to absorb light onnd or even near the water surface.


    No matter what, these would all take a long time.


    Leviathan temporarily stayed at the crystal area. When everything was finished, it would travel again.


    As night and day passed, Lins work slowly advanced.


    Time was a unit. Right now, Lin could only use day and night to measure how much time passed.


    Lin found there should be a new term used to describe time because it found a special word in its thoughts: year.


    Lin had knowledge about year. One year seemed to be 365 days and nights. And this year seemed to represent the revolution of the world. For example, near the end of the year, the temperature would turn cold, the water would turn to ice. Yet when the year started again, the temperatures would warm up.


    Many of the changes in environment could be predicted by what time of year it was.


    But this seemed to be false.


    Because Lin found that sometimes the water would freeze in the middle of the year, sometimes at the end or the beginning. In conclusion, year was not urate.


    What was going on? Would the terms in Lins thoughts contain false information? Did this mean that Lin could not trust these terms?


    Lin did not know. But at least year could describe 365 days and night. Lin would use it temporarily to describe long period of time.


    Lin feared it would take many years toplete this entire project.


    Trantor Ramblings: I couldnt find a good video or image about stromatolites but microbial mats and biofilms are very cool things.

 Book 2: Chapter 38 “Goodnight”

    Book 2: Chapter 38 ��Goodnight��


    Last chapter recap: Lin wants to take over the seabed with its greening n.


    The Greening Seabed n was immediately started after Lin made the decision. It covered arge expanse of the underwater floor. Many grey sand paths or rocky areas were covered in ayer of green.


    Lin called thisyer of green a green carpet. It covered all the areas in the base that the light reached. In reality, Lin did not have several bases any longer. They had merged together into an enormous base.


    Lin would be able to obtain endless energy soon, but this n affected the surrounding environment.


    The green carpet frequently would not cover some stationary organisms such as corals. Lin would avoid them. But other organisms, especially those organisms which liked to cover themselves in sand, werepletely covered over.


    However, they did not disappear. They changed their way of living moving directly on top of Lins green carpet. They created some small cracks to hide in the outer transparentyer of the green carpet or they built nests for themselves on top of the carpet.


    Some other leaf worms would stick to the green carpet with their holdfast. Other organisms that burrowed into the sand, such as the cutter shell, moved further away from the area covered in the green carpet.


    At the start, Lin would use its cells to drive or kill the organisms living on the carpet. But after a while, Lin stopped doing this. As long as they did not obstruct the light, Lin would ignore them. Lin would have the green carpet cover the organisms that liked to build nests but not block off the entrances. Under Lins benevolence and the great amount of oxygen released by the green carpet, more organisms gathered on the surface of the carpet.


    Lin would unhesitatingly kill those organisms that tried to burrow into the green carpet and eat the photosynthetic cells.


    This felt very good. These organisms would be a source of food for Lin.


    The green carpet slowly expanded. Lin did not travel during this process. How many years had passed since it started?


    Lin did not try to remember these things. In this time, it had been considering all kinds of problems in its mind, and performed some studies.


    Lin obtained new terms, including how to describe size. Once, Lin used its cells topare size, but now it had an urate unit to describe objects.


    These terms mostly revolved around the unit of meter and the other measurement units would be ten times that of the previous unit. When it reached one thousand, meter would be kilometer. The kilometer felt very troublesome, and not suitable to use.


    For example, ten thousand cells could make a sphere described as millimeter. However, based on the size of the cells and the density, things made out of simr numbers of cells could vary greatly in side.


    But the millimeter unit was alreadyrger than all single celled organisms. Even thergest shapeshifter was only about 70% of a millimeter.


    The Leviathan was around one meter in diameter. Among themonly seen organisms, it could be considered veryrge. Of the organisms Lin had seen previously, only the ice crystal monster and the giant trap worm wererger.


    As for Lins green carpet, it may be the biggest organism as it covered several dozen kilometers. Lin did not try to calcte it.


    However, Lin did not have any urate terms to describe an area. Diameter did not seem appropriate as it should be used to describe circr objects.


    However, Lin would not care so much about minor problems like this


    Lin did not n to expand the green carpet far. Lin nned to have the Leviathan travel again and see which direction was suitable for expansion. Maybe it would put down a new base seed and start a new green carpet.


    But the recent experiments caused Lin to change itsnds. Lin made a great discovery regarding ultraviolet light.


    Thend above the water surface belonged to the domain of air. Most of the air was not oxygen but some other rare and strange gases, including a gas which could be used for photosynthesis. These gases mostly would not obstruct the ultraviolet light.


    However, when the oxygen released by the green carpet and the other photosynthetic organisms interacted with the light for a long time, they would be another strange gas which was able to block the ultraviolet light, though notpletely. The ultraviolet light would be weakened and was unable to kill as quickly.


    However, other gases would quickly blow away the new oxygen. So Lin had an idea. What if the amount of oxygen was so great it mixed onto all of the other gases? What would happen then?


    It seemed an absurd idea as the space outside was sorge. But Lin knew that the oxygen released would not escape but continue to mix in other gases. So if Lin had enough time, it was possible


    Due to this, Lin nned to wait. Maybe it would sleep for a while, just like back in the time when oxygen had threatened it. But its motive was different this time. Last time, Lin was waiting for oxygen to disappear. Now, it was waiting for oxygen to fill the world.


    But Lins primary goal was still evolution. Most of its evolution methods were copied from other organisms. Right now, Lin had seen many kinds of organisms, and could not find any chances of improving itself. Of course, Lin could travel to other areas. However, Lin wanted to remain here and observe the changes in the organisms.


    Other organisms would evolve. Lin had moved the eyeball into the interior of the t fishes to study it. It discovered that their internal cells would create new structures in different conditions, or their original structures would develop new functions. However, the responses were slow, and could notpare to Lin quickly creating new cells with different abilities


    However, evolution was a natural response from the organisms cells, regardless of whether the organisms had brains or not. They could think about their surrounding environment, and then change in response. While slow, their response was effective. They could frequently think of a perfect response, but their ability to deal with rapid change was weak.


    Lins cells also had this ability, but Lin liked to immediately transform or copy other organisms.


    The brains of other organisms seemed to be able to have the organism react quickly to the environment, but not control their own evolution. Due to this, their evolution was still slow.


    This kind of slow change would cause the organisms to be different. When some organismsbined together, two different t fishesbining the cells they released together, this cell would grow into a new t fish. Some of the t fish would inherit the best traits of the previous two t fishes, other times even develop novel and great abilities.


    This seemed to be called sexual reproduction. It seemed very interesting. Other organisms, such as jellyfish, used a kind of method simr to splitting apart. Due to this, the new organism would only have the traits of one individual, and not two like the t fish.


    However, Lin thought its evolution was better because it did not need to exchange information between cells.


    For example, when Lins cells in one area evolved, it could immediately use thought to have all the cells evolve correspondingly without any contact, no matter how far away.


    Lins thoughts seemed able to affect the evolution of cells, but the effect was notplete. The baseline was to obtain information. Lin had to understand the evolution. This had great benefits to the evolution of its own cells. Lin first learned the photosynthesis method, so its cells could rapidly create substances that could absorb light. If the cells had to evolve on their own, they would most likely onlyplete this change after millions of years.


    In conclusion, there were manyplicated mysteries left


    So Lin did not n on just sleeping for a time to have thend fill with oxygen. It wanted to observe the evolution of other organisms, and understand the secrets of evolution


    How many years would this take?


    Maybe a long time


    In order to not get bored, Lin would enter a state simr to sleep. But its cells and eyeballs would continue to work, recording the surrounding changes. When it found great changes, Lin would wake up.


    If something else happened in the surroundings such as tsunamis, earthquakes or volcanic eruptions, Lin would also wake up. But Lin thought that, with therge area it possessed, these matters would not affect it greatly.


    Lin hadpletely surrounded itsnd base with armor. The base itself would continue to test the air around it until the ultraviolet light was not so strong. Then it would notify Lin.


    The existence of the green carpet meant Lin would never have to worry about food unless the world lost daylight.


    Now, it was time to wait for the world to change


    When it woke up again, what would it see?


    Because the green carpet had coveredrge ranges of sand and rock, many organisms lost the sand they could hide in. When they found they were exposed to danger, they needed to speed up and grow stronger. This stimted them to evolve.


    Now, most organisms fed on the unicellr organisms floating in the water. But slowly, they started to growrger. They gradually became dissatisfied with consuming unicellr organisms so they switched their targets on other multicellr organisms.


    The organisms being hunted also grew harder shells andrger bodies. This kind of rtionship caused them to grow through mutualpetition. Adding on the changing environmental factors such as the cold and heat, the future organisms would be greatly different.


    In the end, what kinds of transformations would there be?


    Lin would only know when it woke up


    Trantor Ramblings: Now we have an ozoneyer on this world  and Lin is going to sleep.

 Book 2: Chapter 39 “Ancient Explosion”

    Book 2: Chapter 39 ��Ancient Explosion��


    Last chapter recap: Lin decides to go to sleep.


    As countless days and nights pass, Lins sleep continued.


    Lin did not know how long it slept for. It would asionally wake and see some wondrous scenes such as ice freezing the entire surface of water, or the seabed cracking open in a certain area, withva destroying great patches of the green carpet.


    The evolution of organisms was slow, but the changes in the world was very clear. The water surface rose slowly due to several reasons and once again flooded Linsnd base. Deep sea tremors continued to ur, tearing apart the seabed and its residents. Sometimes, theyers would merge together again, or enormous fissures would appear, randomly shooting outva


    asionally, the seabed would freeze. Enormous pirs of ice would reach down from the surface to the seabed and kill everything it touched. <sup>1</sup>


    These were all minor problems, and did not create any significant damage to Lin. They were notrge enough in their scope, or the incidents did not continue for long enough to causesting damage. Every time Lin woke up, it would quickly repair the green carpet and then fall back into sleep. Lin wanted to see   changes in life.


    The time for life to collectively change was long. If Lin constantly moved, it would be boring. But the ability to hibernate could turn the long waiting periods into an instant.


    Even though it was an instant to Lin, how long was it in reality?


    Maybe several million years   or a billion?


    The evolution of organisms seemed to reach a new height. This was enough for Lin to wake up and explore the world again.


    When Lin woke up, it immediately saw some wondrous yet strange organisms swimming above its green carpet.


    These organisms werepletely different than the ones it saw before its hibernation, but they were not unknown to Lin. When Lin hibernated, countless eyeballs recorded the changes in organisms. From the records, Lin could easily recognize which organisms these ones had evolved from.


    When it received the information that the countless eyeballs had umted over time, Lin couldnt help but be excited.


    This was apletely new world. Organisms evolved slowly, but   could create miracles!


    Lin was impatient to explore the surrounding environment. However, most of the eyeballs had been eaten or killed due to other dangers. There was only one eyeball remaining in one area.


    This was a former abyss. The green carpet covered the seabed on the two sides of the abyss. After so many years, they were still absorbing the energy of the light. However, the abyss had narrowed more than half due to the tremors in the seabed and other changes. The pirs of smoke had disappeared, but it did not affect the richness of the organisms here.


    An enormous monster swam out abyss. It had a long narrow body, two auxiliary limbs shaped like leaves to help with swimming. Its forelimbs were thick and had curved hooks. This organism was formerly a hooked worm. Its appearance had not changed greatly, only two enormous eyeballs appearing on its head armor. However, it had grown much bigger, just over two meters from less than half a meter. <sup>2</sup>


    This enormous hooked worm was hunting   a trilobite climbing on the green carpet.


    The trilobite had not changed greatly in appearance but there were many more varieties, from two millimeters torger than a meter. This hooked worm was hunting a trilobite that was about thirty centimeters. It charged towards the trilobite, its forelimbs grabbing at the target and then crushing the armor of the trilobite with great force.


    The fragments of the armor and the cells of the trilobite floated away in the water. The debris attracted other organisms.


    Three organisms half a meter long swam over and slowly approached the hooked worm as it was tearing at its prey. Lin called them helmet fish. These organisms were the descendants of the t fish. After countless generations, they were now a few centimeters almost ten times their original size. Their leaf-shaped body became thicker, and their heads were covered in a hemispherical armor. Thick limbs called fins appeared on the sides of their bodies to help them swim.


    They were not hunters, but opportunistic organisms, attracted by the debris floating off the trilobite. They had a long narrow crack covered in small teeth under their round head armor used to filter food from the water.


    The hooked worm was wasteful in its feeding and would leave a great amount of edible debris. It also threw away the trilobite, not even eating half. The helmet fish enjoyed their free food.


    Lin now knew the meaning of free. It meant obtaining something without using any effort.


    Lin nned to carefully observe their new organisms, and every battle. If it found interesting abilities, Lin would capture it and deconstruct it to discover the mysteries.


    Lin was not curious about the hooked worm right now, but these helmet fish. After they finished eating the trilobite pieces, they swam away, and Lins eyeball immediately followed.


    Lins observing eyeball was about one centimeter in diameter, its transparent outer shell covered in a protectiveyer against corrosion. It was also covered in transparent stingers and could propel themselves by spouting water. A structure like the eyeball could easily get stuck in the esophagus of other organisms so the other organism would be unable to feed. But even with a structure like this, not many eyeballs managed to survive.


    The eyeball followed the helmet fish. They crossed the sea abyss, several enormous pieces of rock, and then came to apletely new environment.


    This region had great numbers of corals. These organisms had not changed much since Lins hibernation, but the shells they created grew taller as they would not be dissolved. The corals who had originally been several dozen centimeters tall had grown into enormous entities. The coral reefs they formed spread outwards like a mountain range, the tallest almost several hundred meters in height.


    Lin had obtained many new terms during its hibernation. While it still did not understand the meaning in some of them, it felt it could use them to describe many things.


    This patch of corals was green. Lins green carpet had caused this. If any organisms built their home on the green carpet, the part of the green carpet which was covered would break themselves up, and thene to rest on top of the structure that the organism built/


    As the green carpet would not block the openings in the corals, they did not affect the growth of the corals.


    There was a variety of groups of organisms living on the coral reef. Several helmet fish slowly moved through the reef, their heavy and thick head armor obstructing their speed. Due to this, other organisms could easily threaten them


    Suddenly, the helmet fish seemed to discover something. They quickly hid into the cracks in the rocks nearby.


    Lin also discovered an enormous organisming close.


    A round armor covered this organism. It had a dozen thick tentacles at its head which were covered in suction cups edged in denticles.


    Lin called it an thunderstone. <sup>3</sup> This hunter was three meters long, and most likely had evolved from a cutter shell. Its head had a water spout still. It hadpletely abandoned its habit of burrowing into the sand and became an active hunter.


    The thunderstone moved furiously, a pair of long tentacles shooting out and immediately grabbing the slowest helmet fish. Then it used all its other tentacles to cover the helmet fishpletely. The denticles tore at the helmet fishs unprotected body, and red blood spilled from the wounds.


    As the thunderstone chewed on the helmet fish, the two helmet fish which hid in the cracks did not reach safety. Lin saw them quickly flee out of the cracks. Then, a segmented arthropodpletely covered in armor grabbed one of the helmet fish and pulled it back in.


    That was a trilobite. Some trilobites could grow a meter long, and be powerful hunters.


    The remaining helmet fish left the coral reef and swam alone towards the water surface.


    This really was   a cruel region of water.


    Lin thought back to the past. At that time, the majority of organisms fed on unicellr organisms, but much seemed to have changed. This fleeing helmet fish was soon targeted by a third kind of hunter.


    These organisms were far rtives of the helmet fish, and called boring fish, an evolution of the round-mouthed t fish. They grew smaller rather thanrger. Each boring fish was only a few millimeters but their round-shaped mouth and the inward hooked teeth became even more terrifying. The boring fish were now covered in barbed segments with inward hooks. Lin knew that these were called scales. They swarmed in their tens of thousands, and used their teeth to tear apart the skin of the helmet fish. Then they twisted and burrowed in, consuming the flesh and destroying the organs of the helmet fish. <sup>4</sup>


    Compared to the macro-organisms, the swarming attacks of smaller organisms was even scarier. They would not waste anything and ate every part of the helmet fish.


    While the helmet fish had a hard head armor, its body did not have much defensive ability. It could only endure the pain of its organs being bored into as it waited for death.


    Lin could not understand why the helmet fish would grow a shell on its head that was an inconvenience and useless. however, they did have some special ability to flee their hunters.


    These terrifying and small organisms did not even leave behind Lins observing eyeball. they surrounded the eyeball and used their mouths to break the spikes around the eyeball. Their mouths were extremely hard, they could easily breaking the spikes covering the eyeball and even breaking into the outer shell of the eyeball.


    The remaining eyeball also died


    Would the journey of the new world end here?


    Of course not!


    There was an area far away from the coral reef, this ce which had once been thend of crystals, an area which had not been affected by the changes in the environment for these years.


    Several enormous crystals around the mountain of crystals suddenly shattered, and countless organisms covered in crystal armor charged out.


    Trantor Ramblings: While I have written things as corals, the structures are more likely to be sponges, and so this would be a sponge reef instead.


    Lin had a quick nap and  were at a new era.<figure>


    <figcaption>Anomalocaris_canadensis</figcaption></figure><ol><li> Editors note: Not the best video, but real phenomenon. /watch?v=lAupJzH31tc&#160;</li><li> The hooked worms are most likely Anomalocaris.</li><li> The thunderstone is most likely Plectronoceras, or possibly an Nautiloid. The Chinese term used here is one for the Belemnites, ater order of cephalopods, arrow stone referring to the narrow shell of its fossils. However, the Belemnites fossils were usually called thunderstones in English before they were recognized as remnants of organisms.</li><li> Most likely Wiwaxia.</li></ol>

 Book 2: Chapter 40 “Era of Monsters”

    Book 2: Chapter 40 ��Era of Monsters��


    Chapter 39 | Table of Contents | 0041


    Last chapter recap: Lin woke up from his deep sleep, goes exploring and finds something in crystal armor.


    This was Lins army. Each of them was only ten centimeters long, and mostly shaped like a warhead. They could move by using thest pair of segmented limbs to spout water. Their second pair of limbs were used to aid movement while the first pair of segmented limbs were used to attack. Most of them had forelimbs shaped like des, but some had openings to shoot exploding bombs.


    There were thousands within this army. Lin had dug a cavern in the big crystals and started to create them before its hibernation. However, once it had created a certain number, it stopped. The soldierss purpose were to explore this new world, to hunt and deconstruct anything interesting they found.


    They swam quickly in one direction as the warhead shape meant they could swim quickly through the water. The water surface above the crystalnd had been constantly covered in ice and never changed during the years. In the dark and cold water, thenterns of the warheads foundrge numbers of strange organisms floating in the water.


    These organisms with round shells and tentacles at the head were called ammonites  and extremely simr to the thunderstone except they had coiled their pointed cones [1]. They were about half a meter or so and extremely hard outer shells. Lin did not feel the warheads would be a suitable attack on the ammonites. Also, Lin felt there was nothing worthy to learn from the ammonites   However, interestingly, Lin did not know what the ammonites had evolved from. Maybe a kind of shell organism? The eyeballs had no information in their memories regarding this.


    The ammonites were numerous and spread out through the water. The warheads swam along the enormous swarm of ammonites. They quickly left behind the darkness and came to an area illuminated by daylight.


    This had originally been the sand beach of the giant trap worm. However, this strange and giant arthropod, which used its own body as a trap, had disappeared a long time ago. While Lin had not covered their trap when spreading the green carpet, the bodies of those monsters were not suited to this ce. From the memories of the eyeballs, thest giant trap worm seemed to have frozen to death on the frozen pir. Lin still could not exin how these pirs of ice, with their powerful ability to freeze, would appear randomly.


    Right now, everything was covered in green, but not Lins green carpet


    This patch of green danced along the seabed like tentacles. They had evolved from the green cells. The root parts were stuck on Lins green carpet, and they reproduced in high numbers topletely cover this area that originally were covered by the green carpet.


    Lins green carpet had a certain setting. If it did not obtain light for a long time, it would digest itself. Consequently, this area waspletely taken over by these evolved green cells called algae.


    Lin did not feel this was a problem. It was more effective to obtain nutrients by eating algae rather than through slow photosynthesis using the green carpet. When the time came, Lin could just eat this patch of algae which the warheads were not responsible for. Lin was interested in some of the organisms living in the algae.


    The warheads swam above this enormous patch of algae. It found some enormous organisms swimming through the algae. They were about two meters in size, and twisted their streamlined bodies as they chased smaller organisms through the water.


    Shark. One of Lins new terms could describe this organism, which evolved from the t fish. Once, the t fishes had been simr to each other and small in size, but they had evolved into many different organisms.


    This was a peculiar thing. Lin had thought that organisms who were simr but were separated by long distances could evolve differently. But this did not seem to be the case. Organisms that lived in one area could grow up looking different.


    Why was this? Lin did not care so much.


    One shark was hunting another kind of fish in the algae patch. This other fish was half a meter long, and had a thick pair of lobe-fins on the sides so Lin called it a lobe-finned fish. This lobe-finned fish, that the shark was chasing, charged out of the algae and swam in the direction of the surface.


    Sharks had evolved to hunt. This shark had arge mouth filled with teeth, and its tter fins were more suited to swimming at fast speeds. It quickly caught up to the lobe-finned fish, and its powerful mouth immediately tore off arge piece of flesh.


    The other sharks detected their fellows sess and came over in order to share. Through evolution, the senses of these organisms grew stronger. Even though there were no vibrations in the water, some organisms would know the precise location of their target without even needing their eyes. Lin knew that this was an ability called smell but what was smell? Lin did not know. This had to be studied.


    The the sharks had good vision but Lin learned from the memories of the observation eyeballs the smell of the sharks should be the best of all organisms.


    The evolution of the eye also urred to some organisms. Lin had previously found some simple unicellr organisms that could detect light but could not analyzeplex images. Even when multicellr organisms appeared, that had been the case. Only now did organisms that were able to decipherplex images appear.


    Based on this, Lin should not have any vision in the past, but it obtained vision when the observer ate that crystal-like item. After that, the cells had copied the structure of that crystal in order to create eyes.


    What was that crystal? This was still a riddle. Up until now, all the crystals Lin found were different from that crystal


    Lin would consider this in the future. It would find this vision crystal sooner orter.


    The shark swarm quickly finished dividing the lobe-finned fish before they scattered apart. Unlike the t fish which liked to stay together, these sharks be organisms that distanced themselves from their counterparts over their evolution


    After the sharks scattered, the warheads swam towards the nearest shark. This shark originally did not put much importance on the warheads who were just ten centimeters in length but they were wrong.


    When this shark found it was surrounded, it was toote. The warheads charged and used their sharp forelimbs to cut apart the sharks skin. Some of the warheads attacked the sharks rtively soft underside.


    The shark did not think to fight back, and twisted its body, desiring to flee away. It quickly swam out of the algae and fled towards the water surface.


    The warheads followed closely. Arge volume of cells continued to spill out of the wounds of the shark. This attracted its peers. Its peers did note to help the shark, but wanted to consume the shark.


    These organisms had be so individualized they would even eat their peers. Lin could not understand why sharks would evolve such a weird method of living


    Lin had a portion of the warheads drive away the chasing sharks. The remaining hundreds continued to chase the escapee until it was forced next to a floating piece of ice at the surface with nowhere else to go.


    However, before the warheads could act, the enormous piece of ice next to the shark suddenly split. A sickle covered in curved hooks grabbed the shark.


    This was


    At this moment, therge ice floe slowly split open. Through the fragments of ice, a figure with shining crystal armor appeared.


    This organism was longer than five meters. Lin was very familiar with this organism because it was the evolved form of the ice crystal monster ..


    Lin had not understood the habits of the ice crystal monster back at the start. Through years of observation, Lin discovered that mature ice crystal monsters would return to thend of crystal to reproduce. The young ice crystal monsters would grow to a certain degree and then leave.


    The changes in the outer appearance of the ice crystal monster were minor but it had grownrger. It was still covered in crystal armor. Its forelimbs had evolved into long curved sickles. It had two enormous eyeballs on its head. This organism undoubtedly had the ability to kill a shark instantly.


    In this era of hunts, Lin felt that its previous idle way of living was not suitable. Just now, it should havepletely surrounded the shark. That way, no one would have been able to steal Lins food.


    Right now, the warheads could not injure the ice crystal monster. This meant that Lin had to also activate the trump card that had hibernated with Lin


    The ice crystal monsters mouth was a crack filled with des and denticles. It could easily tear apart the shark. But even when covered in crystal armor, the enormous ice crystal monster had enemies. An enormous organism slowly swam over. It appeared this organism was also attracted by the corpse of the shark


    Its ancestor was the t fish, but it had evolved from the helmet fish which had evolved from the t fish first. It was the biggest organism Lin had known up until now.


    Ten meters long, this enormous fishs head was covered in armor. Unlike the obtrusive head armor of the helmet fish, its head armor had enormous de-like teeth. At the same time, the head armor was divided into an upper and low part which could open and close to chew on prey.


    It charged directly at the ice crystal monster, biting tightly on the ice crystal monsters armor. If it turned its head, it could easily tear offrge pieces of the crystal armor.


    This organism had the power to crush the armor of the ice crystal monster. The ice crystal monster abandoned the shark and used its powerful propulsion system to quickly flee.


    The enormous fish was powerful, but it was slow. It could only give up on the ice crystal monster and eat the smaller shark.


    Such an interesting environment


    Lin felt as though it was watching a y from beginning to end. It had learned many things. Now, it should be serious, ande out to capture everything interesting!


    [1] The Chinese term for ammonite is weirdly Chrysanthemum  stone. I guess it came from the wrinkled and coiling shell. Ammonitees from horn of Ammon.


    Trantor Ramblings: Sharks practice cannibalism, even in infancy when they are eggs. They would absorb the unfertilized eggs around them. Embryo tiger sharks would even eat the surrounding embryos.


    Chapter 39 | Table of Contents | 0041

 Book 2: Chapter 41 The New Leviathan

    Book 2: Chapter 41 The New Leviathan


    Chapter 40| Table of Contents | 0042


    Last chapter recap: Lin saw some new organisms after waking from its deep sleep.


    When other organisms leapt ahead in their evolution, Lin stood where it was. The green carpet only had a rare number of units that repaired shells or killed small-sized invaders.


    Most of Lins army had hibernated. The cells themselves had not changed much. Lin might be able to mimic the appearance of other organisms, but because it did not have such a variety of cells, the interiors were very different.


    However, Lin had a unit which had been in a state of freedom. Lin had ordered it to swim through the water before going into hibernation. Its cells would have evolved naturally upon contact with the environment just like other organisms.


    Lin did not put any limits on the unit other than for it to go to the carpet to get food if it could not find any. Usually, it hunted on its own and hid from danger.


    It had possibly lived a hundred million years. When Lin woke up, it had not been in a hurry to look at this unit. Lin first examined the other organisms in the surrounding water in order to have a goodparison.


    So   what had it changed into?


    Leviathan


    Lin''s thought searched through every cell, every structure. It quickly locked onto   an organism in the distance.


    Lin greatly anticipated what this former traveler and the strongest of Lin''s units had be.


    Lin''s thoughts quickly scanned through Leviathan''s body. Its oval body had be round at the front and pointed at the end. The streamlined shape made it look like a fish.


    So this kind of structure was more suitable to swimming in the water? Yes, while disk-shaped bodies could swim quickly through the water by spinning, it would take more energy.


    The thirty spouts hadpletely degraded but two were left by the tail. Only two biting tentacles remained at the two sides of the head. The fanged mouths at the ends of the tentacles had disappeared, and the tentacles were now covered in denticle-edged suction disks.


    It appeared that all organisms evolved into the same direction


    The heavy armor had be light grey armor. There were two rows of small tentacles on the back armor, seemingly for sensing.


    And it was   smell!


    Lin knew what smell was the moment it discovered these small tentacles. The cells on these tentacles could feel the minor impurities in the water, know how these impurities were different, and where they came from.


    "Smell" originated from the ability of "touch" to feel the movements of the water. This was a convenient ability. If this ability worked together with vision and touch, Lin would be able to travel unobstructed through any environment.


    After examining the outer structures of the Leviathan, Lin decided to look inside.


    The Leviathan still had its original fighting methods. The reproduction chambers, still thergest organ, were connected to the six openings on the sides of the Leviathan.


    The Leviathan also kept its air sac, heart, circtory system and other organs. Just like before, the Leviathan did not have a mouth and relied on the other units taking food back to the food sac.


    The Leviathan had not evolved nerves, much less a brain. It appeared that Lin had the ability to direct every cell, even when hibernating.


    Other than this, the Leviathan also had many strange structures. Other than the openings for thebat units, it had many other holes on its body connected to muscr passages within the body. These passages all connected to a sac-like structure which was filled with water.


    Why did the changes not feel significant? The Leviathan was just three meters long. Even after more than a hundred million years, it only doubled in size?


    The biggest organism right now was ten meters long and much bigger than the Leviathan. In the past, the Leviathan could be considered the "king."


    Lin felt   let down?


    Lin found this interesting phrase but it could not recover from its disappointment.


    But as Lin observed thebat units of the Leviathan, this emotion disappearedpletely


    So this was how it was. Leviathan''s evolution was all focused on this?


    The Leviathan had inherited Lin''s previous way of thinking. After thebat units returned, they would be deconstructed for the next time they were needed. While the Leviathan did not hold anybat units at this moment, Lin learned from the memories of the Leviathan it could produce a dozen novel unit types. Also, most of them were strangely shaped and unlike any organism Lin had ever seen.


    Lin would test their power.


    Leviathan looked around. This region of water was far from where the green carpet was. Leviathan likely swam here over time.


    Below it was arge coral reef. Lin quickly saw some familiar animals. A thunderstone three meters long was floating on a brain-shaped coral and staring at a helmet fish.


    You will be the one! Go!


    Leviathan quickly created a new unit type in its body. These units were round, had some thorns on the back and a red underside. This kind of cell had segmented limbs and moved through the water by propulsion through the water spouts.


    Lin called this unit type "ughterer" as they killed their prey with extremely cruel methods.


    The ughterers were only thirty centimeters in size. They charged at the head of the thunderstone. Finding organisms attacking it, the thunderstone ignored the helmet fish, and reached out with its tentacles in an attempt to grab these small organisms charging at it.


    The ughterers did not try to dodge. The thunderstone''s tentacles caught them and moved them to the thunderstone''s mouth.


    The mouth of the thunderstone, an extremely hard beak, was located at the center of the tentacles. When the thunderstone squeezed its tentacles, the abdomens of the ughterers were pressurized and then split open in an explosion.


    However, this was the beginning of the terror.


    The ughterers exploded, sending countless spikes that pierced into the surrounding tentacles. The spikes injected a strange fluid into the tentacle cells of the thunderstone.


    Lin did not know what kind of damage the fluid would cause. The Leviathan would not send eyeballs to see the oue like Lin would have during its days. However, Lin knew what would ur to the organisms after injection of this fluid.


    After the thunderstone bit the ughterers once, it was unable to take another bite. It spat out the ughterers, its dozen tentacles twisting together wildly. It used the denticles on its suction disks to tear off pieces of flesh from its own body, causingrge volumes of blue fluid to spray out.


    From all appearances, it would not have long to live. The smell tentacles of Leviathan clearly detected the scent of the fluid the thunderstone was sprouting. It was blood.


    The ughterer likely contained a powerful toxin in their bodies that could cause extreme pain to other organisms. Lin did not know how the Leviathan managed to evolve such a powerful toxin, one even more powerful than viruses.


    Also, the ughterers themselves would not die. Only their abdomens had split apart. Their important organs were behind their back armor. Setting themselves off in an explosion would not damage them.


    Watching the thunderstone slowly sinking onto the coral reef, Lin decided to see if there were any unit types for gathering food. But then Leviathan''s smell tentacles felt a strange presence graduallying close.


    Smell was as useful as expected. Some organisms would move along the water current so it was difficult to distinguish between a water current and a moving organism. But in cooperation with smell, even the best ambusher could not hide!


    Leviathan rapidly sped up to dodge the iing organism. Lin quickly created eyeballs to look at the organism who just missed Leviathan.


    That was   an organism Lin had never seen before.


    This organism was three meters long. Its head was oval shaped, and it had enormous jaws covered in sharp teeth. Its t tail propelled the body to swim. Also, it had two pairs of thick flesh limbs on the sides of the body with sharp des at the end.


    These flesh limbs seemed to be called "hands" and "feet." And this organism was called


    "Amphibian."


    Trantor Ramblings: We finally get real limbs  I can''t imagine sleeping for a billion years, that sounds so nice.


    Chapter 40| Table of Contents | 0042<ul><li>4.6 Billion Year Symphony of Evolution Volume 3 Chapter 15 "Bombardier Beetle"</li><li>4.6 Billion Year Symphony of Evolution Volume 3 Chapter 14 "Forest Hunter"</li><li>4.6 Billion Year Symphony of Evolution Volume 3 Chapter 13 "The Twisted Forest"</li><li>4.6 Billion Year Symphony of Evolution Volume 3 Chapter 12 "The Green Terminal"</li><li>4.6 Billion Year Symphony of Evolution Volume 3 Chapter 11 "Devour"</li></ul>

 Book 2: Chapter 42 “The Cracking Lava Salamander”

    Book 2: Chapter 42 ��The Cracking Lava Smander��


    Last chapter recap: Lin fights a thunderstone and encounters an amphibian.


    Amphibian seemed to mean a certain group of organisms, and not the name of one organism. Lin found a more specific term in its vocabry to express this organism.


    Lava Smander.


    What was this? Such a strange name   this amphibian seemed to have evolved from some lobe-finned fish.While Lin had no memories of the evolution process, this organism really appeared simr to some types of fish.


    Theva smander clearly was a hunter. It swung its tail and opened its teeth-filled mouth to bite at the tail of the Leviathan.


    The Leviathan only had to speed up to dodge this. The smander was slower than the Leviathan, but Lin did not n on fleeing like this.


    The ughterer, who had just killed the thunderstone, had almost finished growing another new abdomen filled with toxic spikes. This new cell type the Leviathan had created could be used repeatedly. Also, it was unlike the other cell types as it had its ownplete set of organs.


    Lin had this ughterer sway in front of theva smander. As expected, the smander was attracted and bit the ughterer in half.


    This force was so great   it seemed the ughterer could not be used again. However, the toxic spikes inside the ughterer had spread and the other would not live for long.


    However, Lin was puzzled as thisva smander did not show any problems. It continued to consume the corpse of the ughterer and ate all of it.


    Strange, was it immune against the toxin?


    Lin suddenly found a bright red color had risen on the abdomen of theva smander after it ate the ughterer. It was as bright asva, and extremely simr to the color of the ughterers abdomen.


    So this was why it was called ava smander? Was it able to produce a simr toxin?


    After the smander consumed the ughterer, it turned and swam away, seemingly uninterested in the Leviathan.


    Lin immediately followed. At the same time, it looked at the Leviathans cell catalog for any cells that were suitable for defeating thisva smander.


    Leviathan had many unit types and Lin did not know which one to use. Therefore, it randomly chose one. This unit was called a smasher. and was to be used against heavy armored targets. While theva smander was not heavily armored, that was fine.


    Leviathan created a dozen smashers. This kind of unit was oval in shape, about thirteen centimeters long, and did not have any armor. A long t tail was used to swim, and it had a pair of segmented limbs on its head with hardened little hammers at the ends.


    This kind of method was very simr to the mothership of the past. But it was so small, which power did it have?


    After Lin carefully observed their inner structures, it found these small things were not simple.


    Lin had these smashers charge towards theva smander. At the beginning, the smander ignored them. Then Lin had one smasher go close to the smanders back and then suddenly swing its forelimbs.


    Snap


    It seemed to have just been an instant. Lins eyeballs were even unable to detect the hammer. The power of the small hammers caused the ectoderm of the smander to explode. The cells inside the blood vessels started to uncontrobly spurt out along with a strange red fluid as thoughva smander seemed to have put the toxin in the ectoderm at its back.


    Lin found an interesting term to describe this phenomenon, split skin andcerated flesh.


    Theva smander felt the pain and suddenly turned, opening its mouth and biting towards the smasher. Its numerous teeth and the pressure from the jaws crushed the smasher.


    But at this time, the other crushers attacked in unison. They created wounds on the smanders abdomen, tail,and head.


    The smander twisted its body in an attempt to flee. It had no desire to fight, but Lin would not spare it. The smashers gave chase, and attacked the uninjured parts of theva smander. Some attacks even exposed the muscr structures underneath the skin.


    The smanders blood continued to spray out under the ongoing attacks. The muscles of its limbs were damaged and it lost the ability to swim. It twisted its body as it sank down into the water.


    A feeling of great power   the smashers.


    The smashers attacking method was simr to the mothership, but the internal structures were different. They did not rely purely on the contraction of the muscles to deal their blows, but used an extremelyplex pressure system. In simple words, the limb used muscles to squeeze fluid to the forelimb, and then the blow would be dealt with the power of the muscles as well as the three hardenedyers of the hammer. This could cause great damage.


    No wonder this was a unit for heavy armor targets. But it was also effective against unarmored targets.


    Right now, relying on this power, Lin easily obtained prey. But in this era, it did not seem to be easy to eat in peace. The blood fluid and cells that theva smander had spilled attracted some organisms to this ce


    Sharks.


    They, who had the best scent of smell, could find injured organisms a thousand meters away. And they came in a group of a dozen. The Leviathan had to move back. Lin felt, even if the Leviathans units were so strong, it could not defeat so many sharks.


    This era was truly different   once upon a time, when Lin hunted, no organisms woulde to steal prey. However, Lin did not worry that the sharks would steal theva smander.


    A shark came close to the smanders corpse. After it took a bite, it seemed to experience great pain. The shark twisted and then fled madly.


    That was the toxin of theva smander. It stored the toxin in the ectoderm. When the smashers damaged the skin, the toxin was released inrge amounts.


    The remaining sharks saw this and lost interest in theva smander, swimming away.


    It seemed they had high intelligence. Lin thought that each of them would try once   now nothing would disturb Lin from feeding.


    The Leviathan itself did not have immunity against the toxin but the ughterers did. Simr to how theva smander did not fear the toxin of the ughterer, the ughterers could eat the blood and flesh of theva smander without any worries.


    Lin now knew why the ughterers had their ownplete set of organs. Maybe the ughterers were specialized in consuming the things that the Leviathan could not digest. They could also separate the nutrients and toxin, and also store the toxin in the spike cells in its abdomen.


    Why had the Leviathan evolved such a strange cell? This was so interesting


    Lin had only watched a small part of the Leviathans memories and information. If it started watching from the start, it would be too dull. Lin felt it would be more interesting if it tested the abilities by itself.


    Lin created some more ughterers and had them finish eating the body of theva smander. The interior structures of the smander wereplex. Just like its ancestors, the t fish, they had a spine. However, this spine was much more developed.


    Lin had no desire to learn from it. It would be more fun to test the new unit types of the Leviathan. Lin also should go look onnd and see what the state of oxygen was at present.


    Suddenly, Lin saw arge school of helmet fish in the distance. They formed long lines and swam in one direction.


    It was the helmet fishs breeding activity


    From the memory of the eyeballs, Lin knew what these helmet fish were doing. These helmet fish would all go to a special area to do an activity called spawning.


    This was why they were still so numerous in this ocean filled with predators even though they have such burdensome helmet armor.


    Lin knew where they were going so it followed them.


    The enormous helmet fish swarm swam to a ce where there was the shadow ofnd. They all swam towards that ce at the center of thend. There, an enormous crack appeared.


    There was a narrow flow of water at the crack that stretched into thend. Lin knew that this flow of water could be called a river.


    As the environment changed, the ocean was not the only thing to change. Even thend would split apart, and the water of the ocean would flow into the split in thend.


    However, Lin felt that the water in the river did not flow in from the ocean, and instead it was the water flowing out of thend as the water here   was slightly strange.


    The helmet fish swarmed into the river. At the entrance of the river, several dozen sharks were waiting in ambush. They seemed to have expected the helmet fish woulde here. This was a rare feast.


    The helmet fish ignored the sharks and continued to charge towards the river. Even as its neighboring fellows were torn apart by the sharks, they continued to advance. The sharks did not dare to chase after the helmet fish that sessfully made it into the river.


    The river watercked something called salinity. If organisms of the ocean entered the river, strange things would ur, such as their organs exploding.


    Lin had never entered the river. All of this knowledge came with the term of river.


    The helmet fish seemed able to switch the circtory system in their bodies so they could live in both the river and the ocean. Did the Leviathan have such an ability?


    Should it go in and try?


    Trantor Ramblings: Lin is like a baby learning new things about itself.

 Book 2: Chapter 43 The End of the River

    Book 2: Chapter 43 The End of the River


    Last chapter recap: Lin defeats the smander and starts following the helmet fish.


    Lin did not think for long before it had the Leviathan follow the helmet fish up the mouth of the river.


    Of course, Leviathan did not care about salinity and other factors. When other organisms swam, their organs would continuously exchange all kinds of materials and nutrients with the outside water. They were unable to tolerate any changes in the water.


    But Leviathan did not have a nutrient system that was directly connected to the water. While it had the ability to absorb water and spout water, the water would not go into the blood or other circtory systems. Leviathan relied on a small type of cell to gather the nutrients and food from the water. These cells were an evolution of the gatherer who could separate the benign and malicious materials in the water. They could also judge which materials the Leviathan needed and the amounts.


    In other words   when entering the river, the gatherer would gather more salt and less water.


    The Leviathan followed the helmet fish to swim deeper into the river. There were not many organisms in the water, only some small ones on the riverbed sand. No hunters here could threaten this group of helmet fish.


    Other than Lin


    Lin did not know how long the helmet fish would swim so Leviathan created an eyeball on the back of the Leviathan. The Leviathan floated to the water surface and observed the changes onnd.


    Leviathan had never created eyeballs before in this period of existence. It seems to purely live through its smell and touch senses. Lin felt this was almost incredible.


    The burning ultraviolet light now did not seem to be very harmful. Even though the daylight was still bright, Leviathan did not feel anything when out of the water.


    There seemed to be somerge rectangr stones along the two sides of the river which blocked Lin''s sight. Green things grew on those rocks. They looked like hard and slender tentacles with splits at the ends.


    They seemed to have climbed ontond. Just like the algae, these were the evolved forms of light eating cells. They had evolved along apletely different pathpared to ordinary organisms. While they had systems like blood vessels, they were not willing to evolve a heart, muscles, a brain and other simr organs. Because they had no muscles, they could not move. They could only spread their reproductive cells by relying on the flowing water. Their reaction speed towards the surrounding environment was slow. But even so, their lives were not any worse than other organisms which had brains.


    They seemed to have been the ones which created oxygen. While their reaction was slow, they could respond against the organisms with brains which liked hunting them. This was really wondrous. Climbing ontond must be one of the strategies to avoid being hunted.


    These organisms could be described using another term   "nt." They were very different from the "animals" that moved quickly.


    However, Lin had characteristics of both nts and animals. This felt very interesting.


    Leviathan followed the helmet fish into a special area.


    The water up ahead was blocked by enormous rock walls. However, this was not the end of the river because the cracks between the enormous rocks showed the flow still continued upwards. But these rocks had fallen into the river and blocked the river.


    The destination of the helmet fish clearly was not this ce. However, their bodies could not go through the cracks in the rock. They swam up to the water surface, and jumped upwards to the top of the enormous rocks out of the water.


    The helmet fish waved their fins and cumbersome heads, attempting to climb over the enormous rocks blocking the river.


    Why did they not just reproduce here? Why did they have to climb?


    Lin felt puzzled watching the helmet fish on the rocks. However, this also proved the ultraviolet light was not harmful any longer.


    What about Lin? Should it also jump up? Leviathan looked through Leviathan''s memories. It did not seem to have the ability to go ontond. In the billion years it had lived, it had never been close tond.


    However, Leviathan had asionallynded onnd before and had survived climbing back into the water. Maybe Lin could try. Even the helmet fish could climb over this by moving its fins. There was no reason Leviathan could not.


    Lin had the Leviathan float up to the surface, and then suddenly opened its water spout to jump up andnd on top of the rocks.


    While Leviathan only had two tentacles at the moment, the suction pads on the surfaces could provide great power. They could even pull the three meter body alongnd.


    Leviathan was surrounded by theboriously climbing helmet fish. There were still ten meters before they could reach water. Leviathan had arge body, but with the suction pads, Leviathan climbed faster than those helmet fish. When Leviathan climbed halfway there, some strange beings appeared ahead


    The long t bodies were more than a meter long. The ends of their forelimbs had enormous pincers with teeth. The tail parts were slightly curved with a sharp hook at the end. These were clearly predators. These organisms originated from a nondescript limbed organism. Lin had seen those organisms before, and had not expected they could now climb ontond.


    They had their own name, "Brontoscorpio."


    Such a strange name. There were three of these scorpions who seemed to be waiting here to ambush the helmet fish.


    This could be dangerous


    The brontoscorpio had eight eyeballs on their heads. Lin did not know how their vision was, but they were clearly staring at Leviathan.


    Lin felt this would be troublesome


    Leviathan was enormous and these scorpions seemed wary of charging forward. However, they spread out and surrounded Leviathan in three directions.


    Leviathan did not have any new cell types that could fight onnd. But Lin used the old tactics. Leviathan had openings on the sides of its body and on its head. Other than the tail, it did not have a dead spot.


    Shoot!


    The exploding bombs with their powerful acids hit one of the scorpions in front of Leviathan. In pain, the scorpion twisted and retreated. The other two organisms avoided Leviathan and went to grab the nearby helmet fish.


    They did not seem to be working together and left separately?


    Lin did not think too much. It took the opportunity to climb into the water. Even though it had the exploding bomb, facing three enemies was troublesome.


    This ce was the spawning grounds of the helmet fish. A vast round water body. This should be called a ke."


    After the Leviathan, many other helmet fish jumped into thete. The brontoscorpios seemed to only grab a few and could not stop the helmet fish froming here to spawn.


    The helmet fish school swam into the sand and mud at the bottom of the river. They used their helmets to dig out small holes. Each pair of fish had their own hole, and then they releasedrge numbers of cells.


    Some were veryrge and spherical, about a centimeter in length. The other kind was extremely small and had a small tentacle-like tail. Those were the size of simple single cells. There seemed to be two terms that described the differences, "male and female."


    The ones that released spherical cells were female, and the ones that released small cells were male. When female and male cells came together, they could create descendants with the advantages of both.


    After the helmet fish released their cells, they would die. This was just like the t fish. Lin found that most organisms had a limited longevity. They were unlike Lin who would asionally deconstruct the older cells. When their longevity ended, all the cells in their body would die, starting from the brain and spreading all over.


    They were not attacked, nor were they infected by viruses. This seemed to be determined by their own cells. An organism could only live a set amount of time, and then they had to die and leave the position to their descendants.


    A t fish''s lifetime was about ten years or so. While they may die early due to viruses or parasitic worms, no matter what, they could not live longer than ten years. All the cells were set to die at that time. The helmet fish were more unique. They would only die after spawning. Before that, they would not die.


    The corpses of these helmet fish would not be wasted. They would be food for newborn fish.


    Lin did note here to just watch them reproduce. It wanted to set a base here to study how this ce was different from the sea water.


    Lin''s bases were now very different than in the past. The center would be a sphere thirty centimeters in diameter. Then it would spread out in a green carpet that would cover the entire area.


    The structure of the green carpet was much simpler. It was primarily two transparentyers of shell which contained the green cells and some small defensive units.


    The green carpet would not affect the helmet fish. Lin rarely attacked other organisms now. It was more valuable to observe them than eat them.


    After putting down the base seed, Lin suddenly felt something special


    This was


    The interior of the base seed contained some very sensitive tentacles. Lin had designed them to observe the changes in the surroundings. They could calcte how the environment would change through gathering information on the movement of the seabed, water temperature and other things. Then Lin could prepare beforehand.


    The moment Lin put down the base seed, they could feel   something strange.


    Trantor Ramblings: Lots of new things in this chapter: actual nts, osmosis, migratory fish, sexual reproduction


    and this scorpion-like organism.<figure>


    <figcaption>Artist rendering of Brontoscorpio</figcaption></figure><ul><li>4.6 Billion Year Symphony of Evolution Volume 3 Chapter 15 "Bombardier Beetle"</li><li>4.6 Billion Year Symphony of Evolution Volume 3 Chapter 14 "Forest Hunter"</li><li>4.6 Billion Year Symphony of Evolution Volume 3 Chapter 13 "The Twisted Forest"</li><li>4.6 Billion Year Symphony of Evolution Volume 3 Chapter 12 "The Green Terminal"</li><li>4.6 Billion Year Symphony of Evolution Volume 3 Chapter 11 "Devour"</li></ul>

 Book 2: Chapter 44 “The Predicted Disaster”

    Book 2: Chapter 44 ��The Predicted Disaster��


    Last chapter recap: Lin witnesses fish mate and spawn after their migration to the river.


    The detection tentacles of the base seed could feel all kinds of changes, including tsunamis, earthquakes,va eruptions, and ice formation. Lin knew the pattern of these phenomenons. They would always produce some small vibrations in the water beforehand. Lins detection tentacles were used to sense this kind of vibration. Even when Lin was asleep, this ability had continued to evolve. The tentacles had be more sensitive to these vibrations, and could feel phenomena even years beforehand.


    A kind of minor vibration came the moment Lins base seed touched the muddy sand at the bottom of theke. This feeling was unique. Lin had never experienced it before, but it could calcte the effect of this vibration in the future.


    ording to Lins records of the changing environment over the past one hundred million years, this minor vibration would suddenly grow stronger in about a year. This would not cause a normal vibration, but the movement of an enormous area.


    Wait  this was not the ocean. Thiske was deep ind and several kilometers away from the ocean. So .. this vibration affectednd? Ifnd started to move, how would it affect the ocean?


    This was something that had not urred in thest hundred million years. In Lins memories, thend would move in an extremely slow process. A sudden change like this had never urred before


    Why? Lin did not know. This environmental change was unlike anything in the past. If the enormousnd pressed towards the ocean, it could causerge-scale destruction. Lin had to prepare.


    Other organisms would also have this predictive ability. However, they would usually only react within three to seven days, and not a year before like Lin. Otherwise, the helmet fish would not have spawned here.


    Lin left this base seed here to observe the situation. At the same time, Lin had to check the main base seed. While that base seed was far from here, such a major vibration would still have effects.


    Lin first directed the Leviathan leave thiske and follow the path to return to the river current to the ocean.


    The main bases location was originally exposed, out of the water, but because of the increase in water level, it was submerged back into the ocean. Just like the other bases, the main base was surrounded by the green carpet. However, the core organs shoved inside the rock were still present. Lin had it create a detection ball to swim towardsnd.


    The detection ball swam as fast it could to the nearestnd. When it touched the rock wall ofnd, Lin felt a simr vibration.


    An earthquake would also ur here?


    Thend might move hundreds of kilometers towards the ocean. If that was the case, the green carpet Lin spread here would all be destroyed, and so would the organisms here.


    Lin had to leave  within the year.


    Lin did not have any ways of stopping the change in the environment. It could only flee.


    Lin acted immediately, having the green carpet start to deconstruct themselves. These cells had stored the excess nutrients remaining after basic needs into some hard spheres in the green carpet. This would stop other organisms from stealing them.


    Lin created a kind of unit simr to the devourer to gather these small spheres and the light cells which were deconstructing themselves. Another kind of cell was responsible for dissolving the outer shell of the green carpet, and then creating enormous transporters. All the nutrients would be moved inside.


    These transporters could move and carry away all of the nutrients Lin had gathered.


    The green carpet spanned such a vast area. If not for any idents, Lin calcted this n could bepleted in a year. However, unpredictable things could ur in this year.


    Lin could not care so much. It would do its best to put away the green carpet within the year.


    At this time, the Leviathan swam back to the ocean at top speed. Lin did not need the Leviathan to go to the main base, but needed Leviathan to go into more distant waters in search of a safe area Lin could spread the green carpet.


    This had to bepleted in a year


    Leviathan swam towards the part of the ocean with deeper depths. Lin had nevere to these waters before. The area the green carpet covered was the shallow waters nearnd. If it continued any further, there was no light at the bottom of the water.


    Maybe   Lin could create a floating green carpet on the water surface? The ultraviolet light was not strong any longer.


    However   ice frequently formed on the water surface. It was easy to freeze to death on the water surface. The light cells had evolved specially to absorbrge amounts of light and had low resistance against the cold.


    However, Lin really had to go far fromnd.


    Leviathan swam along the water surface. It could not see the water bottom any longer, only ckness. This was a part of the deep ocean. Nearby, on the water surface,rge patches of ice appeared.


    Ice   it felt troublesome.


    Leviathan swam near the ice. Lin found the ice was extremely thick. Lin did not know how long it would take but the ice would not melt within a year. Lin had to detour around them to find another ce.


    Leviathan swam along the border of the iceyer. Lin found that this patch of ice wasrge and difficult to swim around.


    Since this was the case, Lin would swim underneath the iceyer.


    AsLin thought of this, it suddenly saw an organism slowly float down from the sky.


    This organism looked like a jellyfish with a sac-like round body two meters wide. It also had slender tentacles one meter long below it but it was floating on the air on top of the water!


    Floating! Where there was no water?


    It could move in the air?


    At this moment, Lin had a thought, it had to obtain this air jellyfish and deconstruct it! See how this was aplished!


    Leviathan aimed an opening at the air jellyfish and suddenly shot out an exploding bomb.


    The floating jellyfish did not have eyes but seemed able to detect this attack. It immediately rose up and dodged the exploding bomb.


    It was much smarter than ordinary jellyfish. Then Lin would use this.


    Leviathan had a new cell type called the charger.The charger had a streamed body and a long sharp horn at the front. It could suck in water, then swim speedily through the water, and even jump several meters out of the water.


    Lin quickly created the charger as the jellyfish slowly floated and then had the charger sink to a certain depth before charging!


    The chargers water spout system moved rapidly, causing it to immediately charge out of the water. Before the jellyfish could react, it shot through the jellyfishs sac-like body.


    Very good  ah?


    The moment it was prated, the jellyfishs wound opening suddenly sprouted a great amount of gas. This blew away the charger stuck at the wound, and the jellyfish flew away using this gust of gas.


    The Leviathan could not keep up with that speed.


    Pity. Lin had not expected that it was empty? This appeared to be a kind of gas that allowed the jellyfish to float in the air.


    While Lin had not sessfully captured the jellyfish, Lin could guess the body structure. But that was not of any help, and Lin did not know what kind of gas was inside the jellyfish.


    Right now, the Leviathan had an more important matter. It had to pass through the iceyer and find a suitable ce. However, since Lin did not know how long it would take to go around the iceyer, so it wanted to try passing through it.


    Leviathan sank under the iceyer. The surrounding light grew dimmer, and many sea stars were gathered here.


    They were all sticking to the iceyer, and moved on the ice upside down. In one hundred million years, the sea stars did not appear to have changed other than in their colors. There were some exceptions but there were none of those exceptional sea stars around.


    Just as Lin thought about this, arge piece of ice fell off the iceyer and immediately wrapped around Leviathanpletely.


    What was this? Ice piece? No


    Lin found the ice slowly changing color. The crystal-like color slowly faded. It turned bright red, and then transformed into an enormous sea star


    Trantor Ramblings: I realized I previously got a hundred million and a billion mixed up (yes, its a whole 10x difference) so Lin previously hibernated for one hundred million years, not a billion.


    There are no flying jellyfish I know of in real life but I dont think wed know if there really was one that could fly. Jellyfish fossil are rare since they are pretty much all soft tissue and are hard to fossilize. And since fossils are on the ground and not in the air, we wont know if a jellyfish fossil used to be a flying jellyfish or not.


    But heres a nice video of a man-made jellyfish robot flying.

 Book 2: Chapter 45 “Monster Under The Ice”

    Book 2: Chapter 45 ��Monster Under The Ice��


    This enormous sea star was three meters in diameter, and its tentacles covered in suction pads stuck to Leviathans back. This kind of sea star had a strange name  Sunny Sea Star. Lin had once seen it before, but had not expected it could change color.


    The seastar did not have five tentacles, but fifteen. Each tentacle had numerous suction pads. Suction pads were extremely useful in that they had such power an organism could pull something dozens of times heavier than itself.


    Under this kind of force, once the sea star sucked onto something, it could not be pulled off. Even fish much bigger would die if the sea star caught them.


    Then the Sunny Sea Star released dissolving fluid from its suction pads which corroded the outer shell of the Leviathan. But at the same time, Lin released ten smashers which swam to the back of the sea star and hammered away.


    Crack


    The outer skin of the sea star was covered in chitin substances but not a thickyer. Under the attacks of the smashers, cracks immediately appeared. Blood flowed out of the cracked wounds, but the sea star still stuck to the Leviathan and did not n on running away.


    So troublesome.


    The smasher continued their ferocious attack and created numerous wounds on the sea star. Due to its wounds, it released decreasing amounts of dissolving fluid but the suction pads were as strong as before.


    After so many years, the sea star still hadnt evolved a true brain. This may be why it was so stubborn.


    It appeared Lin had topletely smash it? As Lin thought this, it suddenly felt the sea star surround a smasher.


    There were numerous sea stars sticking underneath the iceyer. They appeared to be attracted by the wounded sunny sea star and started to fall off the iceyer. Most of themnded on the sunny sea star on the Leviathans back and a few coincidentally fell on the smashers.


    If Lin did not leave, it feared it would bepletely surrounded byrge numbers of sea stars. While the Leviathan had the ability to kill all of them, Lin felt this had no meaning and would be troublesome.


    Leviathan quickly recalled all of the smashers and suddenly sped up, swimming into the deeper waters, covered in sea stars.


    Why did the sea stars stick to the iceyer? Usually, sea stars feared the cold.


    Had they mutated? Or were there other reasons?


    Lin once again sent out smashers to kill the sea stars on the Leviathan. At the same time, it created gatherers to collect the dead sunny sea stars still stuck to the Leviathans back.


    When Lin managed to clean them up, it almost reached the ocean floor. This ce was dark and cold. Under thentern light, the seabed made up out of grey sand appeared in Leviathans vision.


    This kind of environment was not suited for the green carpet.


    Lin had the Leviathan stop on the sand and started to think.


    Lin did not know where it should go next


    The iceyer would always inexplicably appear on the water. This was extremely troublesome. Lin could not explore by relying on the Leviathan alone. Right now, Lin could not idly travel idly like in the past, but it had to find a safe ce suited for the green carpets growth in a year.


    If  it could find more ces like the one where it saw the jellyfish floating in the air. But how could Lin aplish that? What kind of gas did it have to gather so it could float in the air?


    There was no use in thinking about this. In any case, Lin had to find the ce sooner.


    As Lin thought, Lin created a small eyeball for observation. This was one centimeter in diameter, with a clear transparent hard shell. It swam relying on small tentacles. It would shine in the darkness, and it had the ability to fend off predators  by releasing acid. However, it only had enough to release acid three times.


    Leviathan created hundreds of eyeballs like this and had them swim in all directions. There were enough nutrients tost them for thirty days. If the time came, or they all died, Lin would create more.


    This way, the search would be faster.


    When Lin released those eyeballs, they scattered. But they did not travel far before Lin felt some eyeballs were crushed by unknown organisms.


    This was too fast. Not even thirty meters?


    Leviathan swam to where the eyeballs had died. Under the light of thentern, the figure of the culprit appeared.


    A pitch ck Brontoscorpio with its small mouthparts still chewing on something with glowing fragments floating around.


    The scorpion did not fear the acid in the eyeballs. Lin ignored it and then Leviathan turned to leave.


    Boom


    As Leviathan turned around , it immediately saw a strong flow of water behind it. When Leviathan turned around, the scorpion was already gone.


    Eaten? Lin found only a sand pit left where the scorpion had been. Had this been an ambush in the sand?


    The Brontoscorpio was arge organism. Was it an instant kill?


    Such an interesting phrsae. Lin did not care so much.


    This was a time of monsters. Even if terrifying organisms over ten meters long appeared, Lin would not be shocked.


    Leviathan swam upwards, taking back thenterns and relying on touch and smell to perceive the environment in the dark.


    Lin chose a random direction. In the darkness, it felt many strange things. There was the movement of water, and unusual scents. Because it could not see them, it could only guess what these things were.


    Leviathan once again reached the ice-covered water surface. The light passed through the thick ice. Here, there were no sea stars, just some jellyfish. These jellyfish  werepletely different from the kind that could float in the air.


    Leviathan swam among the jellyfish swarm. Some ammonites appeared ahead. They did not eat jellyfish, and did nothing except float there.


    There was something big in the middle of the ammonite. Lin found an enormous ammonite two meters wide among a group of small ammonites. Its head was inside its shell which was tightly closed as it floated in the water.


    What were they doing? The shell of the ammonite should be the hardest, just like a rock. Almost no organism could open it. Was that why they were so idle?


    Leviathan swam over and used a tentacle to poke this enormous stone.


    Suddenly, the operculum of the enormous ammonite suddenly opened. A powerful water jet shot out, and the enormous ammonite hurriedly rushed deeper into the water.


    At this time, the surrounding ammonites who had been floating around seemed to be woken up. They also produced water jets to follow the enormous ammonite.


    What happened?


    While Lin did not understand, it had the Leviathan follow immediately. It found that its curiosity was now much greater.


    The ammonites had a thick and hard shell which appeared heavy but was actually filled with air. Due to this, they could swim quickly. However, the Leviathan managed to easily catch up to them.


    The ammonite swam in a strange direction, sometimes up, and sometimes down. Just as Lin wondered why it swam like this, a strange vibration came from behind the Leviathan.


    Leviathans eyeball antenna looked back and it immediately saw a monster chasing them.


    This was a giant fish like the one Lin had seen before, only seven meters, not as long as the previous one, but clearly the same kind.


    This fish had a name, called the Dunkleosteus. This was not an interesting name. Lin wanted to call it a crusher, or crushing monster as they were skilled in using powerful muscles to crush hard shells. Even the ammonites had to run away.


    Lin did not know if it was targeting Leviathan as well. Escaping was better or maybe Lin could try to defeat it?


    Just as Lin was thinking this, light appeared up ahead. The ammonite swarm had reached a wondrous ce.


    This was the cold water region under the ice. It should be dim and but for some reason, the seabed here shed like the stars in the night sky.


    Trantor Ramblings: I thought I was on a roll with tranting this and it turned out I missed a chapter. Going back to trante is not fun.


    Heres an ammonite swimming animation. Look at that water spout. Thats what I imagine Leviathan has.

 Book 2: Chapter 46 “The Light Threads In The Abyss”

    Book 2: Chapter 46 ��The Light Threads In The Abyss��


    These organisms that spread blue light covered the sand on the seabed like threads. Their light was not bright but enough to illuminate this dark region of water.


    What were these? Slightly like nts, but Lin had never seen nts which would shine. While one could absorb ones own light to not waste energy, there would still be waste and the cycle could not be perfectly maintained.


    Leviathan used to have this kind of system before but it had degenerated after a hundred million years.


    But no matter what these were, Lin might be able to create the green carpet here using their light


    However, Lin had to first resolve the present trouble.


    Leviathan followed the ammonites to quickly swim over this seabed with its luminescent threads. That enormous fish still followed them closely. Suddenly, some of the ammonites slowed down and stayed behind Leviathan.


    Lin did not turn its eyeballs back to watch but it could clearly feel the unique water flows when these ammonites were crushed by the Dunkleosteus.


    The Dunkleosteus speed did not decrease. It would not be satisfied by a few small ammonites. Right now, the ammonites appear to have slowed. Several more ammonites fell behind and were crushed by the dunkleosteus.


    The dunkleosteus was not as fast as the ammonites, but the ammonites did not seem to have strong endurance. Exhaustion urred because the cells could not eject waste in time, and could not provide enough nutrients and recover from the damage created by strong activity. Lins Leviathan had evolved perfect endurance. As long it still had nutrients in its body, it would never run out of energy.


    The ammonite swarm started to slowly disintegrate due to theck of energy. Half of the ammonites started to slow down. The enormous ammonite which was two meters in diameter suddenly turned around. It opened its operculum. Dozens of tentacles reached out and it appeared to face the chasing dunkleosteus.


    The ammonite could do something like this?


    The dunkleosteus did not care whether the ammonite wasrge or small. It charged forward and opened its powerful mouth to bite the ammonites shell.


    The strong outer shell immediately showedrge cracks. The ammonites numerous tentacles wrapped around the dunkleosteuss head and it primarily attacked the gills.


    The dunkleosteuss gills closed. Of course it had ways of defending its weakness. The ammonite wanted to pull open the gills and damage the oxygen-absorbing structure inside.


    This seemed to be a battle of attrition. Under the pressure of the dunkleosteuss mouth, the cracks on the ammonite spread across its entire body. While the head of the ammonite had not appeared, and only its tentacles were attacking, its organs inside seemed to have received damage. The tentacles grasping the gills slowly lost power.


    Two meters against seven meters. It had tried very hard, but it still could not win in the end?


    The mouth of the dunkleosteus had evolved against extremely hard organisms like the ammonite. This could be almost described as a natural enemy.


    The smaller ammonites in the surroundings had disappeared. This enormous ammonite had failed but it won life for its fellows.


    Leviathan had been watching these two organisms fight from afar. Because the dunkleosteus was not as fast as the leviathan, Lin did not worry much.


    The dunkleosteus finally crushed the ammonite shell. Organisms usually did not eat shell, but the dunkleosteus swallowed both flesh and shell.


    Looking at the dunkleosteus feeding on the ammonite, Lin suddenly had a thought. Maybe it would attack. This was thergest organism it had ever seen. Defeating it would be interesting.


    Just out of interest? Maybe there were other reasons


    Yes, Lin wanted to create the green carpet here. It had to confirm howrge this area of glowing threads was.


    Lin searched for some useful units within the Leviathan. Lin found the Leviathan rarely attacked organismsrger than itself. There had been no need. An organism half asrge provided enough nutrients for a long time so Leviathan only had units to drive others away, and none that could attackrge organisms directly.


    While it had evolved well, it was too focused and not perfect.


    As Lin pondered this, it created a dozen smashers to attack the outer skin of the dunkleosteus.


    The dunkleosteus was like otherrge organisms and ignored the smashers at the start. However, when the smashers started to attack its skin, it reacted.


    The dunkleosteus suddenly twisted, the water currents produced by its enormous body immediately driving several smashers away. They rolled several times before stopping, some of them colliding with the glowing threads on the seabed.


    The dunkleosteus looked around, attempting to find what had attacked it. But its vision seemed unable to see things as small as the smashers in the dim light. Also, it did not connect this attack to the Leviathan so it turned back to the remains of the ammonite.


    Were ordinary tactics ineffective for such arge organism? Did Lin have to use the ughterers? For some reason, Lin did not like using things like poison. It liked to destroy enemies directly.


    Lin first had the Leviathan recall the smashers.


    Lin suddenly had a strange feeling. Some smashers returned but others could not move, as though they were restrained by something.


    Lin released an eyeball to look towards the smashers. It found those smashers were tangled up by the glowing threads. The threads grew on the smashers, forming a glowing ball of thread that wrappedpletely around the smasher.


    The smashers did not have eyeballs but Lin could feel that they seemed to be corroded by dissolving fluid. From the outer skin, the cells were gradually killed and then the entire body.


    Did this kind of strange thread have such an ability?


    Lin felt puzzled. Just as it wanted to have the Leviathan go look, a powerful surge of water came from nearby.


    Leviathan immediately darted back. In the next moment, the jaws of the dunkleosteus closed over where the Leviathan had previously been.


    It had almost been bitten in half


    The dunkleosteus turned and bit again but it had lost the advantage of surprise. Lin had the Leviathan swim a dozen meters away at a faster speed. Seeing the dunkleosteus not giving chase, it went back to observing.


    The dunkleosteus had eaten half of the ammonite. The other half of the corpse hadnded on the threads on the seabed and was wrapped up. The dunkleosteus seemed to know the threads were dangerous and gave up on the ammonite, attacking the Leviathan instead.


    While it moved slowly, the dunkleosteus ambush ability to was powerful. Lin only felt the abnormality of the water flow when it was close and didnt detect any scent at all. Lin did not know how it had eliminated the smell of the ammonites organs from its mouth. Maybe the smell was so thick in the water Lin did not detect it.


    Right now, the dunkleosteus seemed to know it could not catch up to the Leviathan. It had eaten a great amount so it gave up on attacking and swam away.


    Lin usually would not spare organisms that attacked it. However, if it killed the dunkleosteus now, its corpse wouldnd on the seabed. The threads would get there first and dissolve it. There would be no meaning.


    Compared to killing a monster that could bite through the Leviathan in one bite, it was more interesting to study these threads.


    Lin created a small cell type with a sharp pincer at the front for them to cut a small length of the threads. Then Lin used a sphere-shaped unit called a study ball to absorb the material. Lastly, Lin released arge number of cells and small units into this sphere to study.


    This thread  had a simple structure. There was ayer of luminescent cells as the outeryer, and cells simr to muscle cells inside so they could move.


    Also, they could project tiny needle threads on the surface, which could release powerful dissolving fluid. This kind of dissolving fluid was more powerful than any Lin had seen before. They most likely used these small needles to stab other organisms, and then dissolved their preys organs from the inside.


    These threads most likely fed on all kinds of debris because food was rare here. So they would go wild and immediately surround anything that dropped down?


    However  a ce like this. The surface was ice, and the bottom was both cold and ck. Was there enough food that the threads could cover such arge area?


    If possible, Lin might copy them and create a new kind of green carpet  yes, the green carpet did not have to just feed off light. It just had to stay in one area and gather food.


    Then  it would try.


    Trantor Ramblings: This update has nothing to do with the fact that I am watching Alien Worlds on Netflix. <em>Nothing at all</em>

 Book 2: Chapter 47 The Extreme North

    Book 2: Chapter 47 The Extreme North


    Thirty daytimes had passed  a part of Lin''s green carpet returned. Their nutrients were stored in the two-meter oval bodies of the transporters. In order to avoid being hunted by other organisms, they were ced in a cavern which had been specially dug for this purpose. The entrance to the cavern was narrow enough thatrge organisms could not enter and the transporters would only leave the cavern when the disaster was close.


    While the green carpet recall had proceeded smoothly, Leviathan still hadn''t found a safe location.


    The exploring eyeballs releasedst time had all died, most of them eaten. They had not found any good ces, and hadn''t even managed to swim out of the range of the dark iceyer.


    As to the study of the light threads.


    The threads covered several dozens of meters in area. They did rely on the debris left behind through hunting or death by the organisms higher up in the water. While they were simr to nts, they had brains.


    All of the threads were connected to a sphere in the center. There was a brain structure simr to other organisms. It directed the movement of all the threads so they could quickly surround any food.


    This was a magical structure. Lin had a hard time imagining how it evolved.


    So Lin copied them and made a glowing-like structure near them. However, it did not receive any food. Was it in a bad position? Or was it too random?


    These questions were not important. The crux was this method was not very feasible, and the efficiency could notpare to photosynthesis. No wonder these glowing threads only covered this small area.


    However, Lin still copied their feeding method to create a new cell unit. If there was the chance, Lin could test it.


    Also, during this study time, Lin released more eyeballs. This time, they swam further away. Some even found exits and sessfully left the ocean region covered in ice to reach anothernd!


    Then the eyeball was eaten.


    However, Lin still received the information. Now it did not have to study this unreliable method. Leviathan could head at full speed towards the target.


    The other side of the ocean, another piece ofnd


    Lin did not know how manynd pieces were on this world, maybe many  but finding just one took a long time as the ocean was toorge.


    Leviathan was much faster than the eyeball but it still swam underneath the dark iceyer for three days before reaching the destination the eyeball had seen.


    The light of day illuminated this region of water. Leviathan saw a prosperous scene.


    The geography here was simr to previous ces, the bottom made from coral reefs and sand dunes. All kinds of organisms swam here and hunted each other.


    The light here was abundant, and the organisms plentiful. This ce was suited for the green carpet, but out of caution, Lin still had to test if there were dangers nearnd here


    Leviathan swam past the coral reefs towards the beach near thend, and threw out a base seed.


    The moment the base seednded on the sand, a familiar vibration passed into Lin''s thoughts.


    A feeling like before  Was thend here the same? Would it also have a dramatic change in a year? Why? The two ces were several hundred kilometers away


    Lin now had urate descriptors for directionsposed of "north, south, east and west." Its original base had been near the "east" and this one was near the "west". The two were not connected at all, and separated by a vast ocean covered in ice. Why would it have a simr reaction?


    Would a great change ur to the entire world?


    No, Lin had to find a safe ce.


    There were only a few directions left. If Lin could not findnd, it would hide at the center of the ocean, and wait for the cmity to pass before returning toy the green carpet out again.


    Lin had intentions of going onnd and spreading the green carpet. However,nd was filled with too many uncertain factors right now, and thend may even split into many pieces during the disaster.


    Leviathan releasedrge numbers of eyeballs again. They were responsible for searching the south, while Leviathan turned and swam north.


    Lin had a strange feeling that the north might have something special. The feeling was too strange andcked realism but Lin still wanted to see.


    However, Leviathan''s nutrients were running out. It would first replenish those.


    Lin looked around and immediately saw a seemingly suitable prey nearby.


    This was something simr to the smander, but unlike the fire smander, these smanders were only half a meter long and had ck skin.


    Lin could test its new units


    Leviathan slowly swam near this smander and then released small eyeballs only five centimeters in diameter. The small spheres swam towards the smander and stuck to its skin.


    At the start, the smander did not feel a thing. Then the small spheres released many threads with sharp ends that pierced into the smander''s skin and releasedrge volumes of dissolving fluid.


    At the same time, these threads would absorb the remnants of the dissolved cells and quickly turn them into nutrients. They could grow quickly, stretching towards the smander''s heart and other important organs.


    The smander struggled the entire time until thest moment of its life when its organs were wrapped in the threads. It finally copsed on the sand and became motionless.


    Such an interesting unit


    Leviathan went near the smander and gathered up the threads and the smander. This smander did not seem to be poisonous.


    Then Lin hunted some nearby organisms, obtained enough nutrients and started to travel north.


    It wondered if there was enough time


    Leviathan once again swam deep into the ocean. Almost the entire ocean was covered in ayer of ice. Only ces nearnd had the warm light.


    But the organisms of cold water were varied as well. Jellyfish, sea stars, sharks and ammonites liked to swim below the iceyer. However, if the iceyer existed, Lin could not spread the green carpet.


    It continued to travel north for a very long time.


    As day and night switched, the original green carpet had almost beenpletely taken back. Lin had almost a thousand transporters. Now, they did not need to dig any holes. When so many two-meter long organisms gathered together, even thergest dunkleosteus did not dare to attack.


    Lin had almost finished preparing, but Leviathan still hadn''t foundnd. It travelled through the dark ice


    Half a year had passed.


    Was there nond in the north? But the eyeballs that explored other directions had not found anything either.


    Lin could not wait any longer. It had the transporter start to swim to the center of the ocean, the furthest ce away fromnd, to wait for the time. It left behind some observers onnd to observe changes.


    Leviathan continued to swim north. Even if it could not findnd, Lin wanted to find the exit to the iceyer.


    This was a long journey. For the first time, Lin felt the size of the world. During travel, it discovered many familiar or unfamiliar organisms, but not the end of the ice.


    Did the ice not have an end? As day and night changed, there was less than ten days to the cmity date that Lin had calcted.


    Right now, Lin hoped to find water not covered by ice rather thannd.


    In the dark icy water, an end finally appeared in front of Leviathan.


    The iceyer disappeared. Leviathan floated on the surface and could see the starlight shining on the dark ocean. This may be the ce it thought of.


    Lin''s feeling was correct. It had seeded. It could have the transporters immediatelye here. Lin could create an enormous green carpet on the ocean. This way, it could stay away from the dangers onnd.


    Wait


    Lin suddenly saw an enormous ck shadow in the distance.


    Land? But thisnd seemed  strange. Thend it usually saw was t and deste. Why did thisnd have so many spikes?


    Maybe the description was not well, but Lin could not see very clearly in the dark.


    Trantor Ramblings: If we say several hundred kilometers is between 200  400km, and Lin swam for 72 hours (3*24 assuming same number of hours in a day), then Lin was swimming between 2.7 and 5.5 km/h which actually is in line with average walking speed of a human.


    Also, if we assume this is the Denovian period, here''s what the Denovian continents looked like.


    <ul><li>4.6 Billion Year Symphony of Evolution Volume 3 Chapter 15 "Bombardier Beetle"</li><li>4.6 Billion Year Symphony of Evolution Volume 3 Chapter 14 "Forest Hunter"</li><li>4.6 Billion Year Symphony of Evolution Volume 3 Chapter 13 "The Twisted Forest"</li><li>4.6 Billion Year Symphony of Evolution Volume 3 Chapter 12 "The Green Terminal"</li><li>4.6 Billion Year Symphony of Evolution Volume 3 Chapter 11 "Devour"</li></ul>

 Book 2: Chapter 48 “Count-down To Doom”

    Book 2: Chapter 48 ��Count-down To Doom��


    Under the dark starlight, Leviathan came closer and closer to thend. But, a rock cliff dozens of meters tall separated Lin from thend, preventing Lin to see whatnd looked like under the giant sharp spikes.


    Was it rock? But there were some small forks on the spikes. Rocks should not have such structures.


    Could it be.an organism?


    Lin was interested but Leviathan could not climb on to such steep cliffs.


    Never mind, when the time came, it should be able to swim around the cliff to findnd.


    Lin did not care. It had the Leviathan put down the base seed. If there were problems with this piece ofnd, then it could only face the disaster face on.


    Lin did not have great hopes. Yet when Lins base seed touched the rock, there was nothing unusual


    Thisnddid not have an abnormal reaction?


    So this was why. No wonder it had a feeling that the north was safe


    While Lin did not know what this feeling was, it seemed to be of great help. Now it must have the transporters quickly swim here.


    Lin did not know if there was enough time. Leviathan took more than a hundred days toe here, and the transporters were not as fast as Leviathan. But they were now in the ocean, and shouldnt be affected by the disaster onnd.


    Lin had Leviathan stop under the cliff and focused on directing therge swarm of transporters.


    At the same time, Lin noticed that the observation eyes from its original bases over on the westnd and eastnd now saw signs that disaster wasing.


    In the thirty days before the disaster, many organisms were starting to leave. First were the fish like the sharks with a good sense of smell, then the helmet fish. At nearly nine days, even the jellyfish were starting to leave. What remained were the sessile organisms like the corals and grasses


    Of course, they did not just sit by. The corals releasedrge amounts of eggs even though this was not the time for breeding and let the eggs float away with the water current.


    Each organism had some ability to sense the ripples deep underground. Their senses had continued to evolve throughpetition, hunting and countless disasters.


    Lin was interested to see where they would swim. While Lin itself predicted earlier, it had no clue about escape paths. But other organisms were always able to swim to safe ces.


    While Lin now had a target, it still had many eyeballs follow the fleeing organisms.


    Lin also had many organisms swim in the direction that it had swam in. For example, the helmet fish were mostly mixed up in Lins transporter army. There were tens of thousand of them. There were also many other lobe-finned fish. They had chosen the same direction as Lin, but many other organisms swam in different directions.


    Lin had over two thousand transporters. The transporters were shaped like sharks, and relied on their water spout tentacles to swim and steer. Right now, this enormous troop was underneath the dark cold iceyer and swam north without hesitation.


    Over 90% of a transporters body was stuffed full of nutrients from the green carpet and they could not swim fast. Adding on the group of helmet fish, this attracted many predators. They swam around the troop and prepared to attack at any time.


    Most of them were sharks. There were about a hundred of them that followed the troop on both sides. They would sometimes charge up, bite a helmet fish and then retreat.


    Lins transporters had many guards and it was easier to deal with the sharks. If they only attacked the helmet fish, Lin would ignore them but there were some troublesome organisms following as well.


    The Dunkleosteus. These giant fish rarely appeared with more than two but there were dozens now following behind Lins transporters. They did not wait for a chance to attack like the sharks, but calmly swam behind.


    They may have grown more docile because this was the prelude to the disasterwhile Lin thought so, it still kept an eye on them. This group ofrge fish would be very troublesome.


    Lin called the north the fish path. Almost all the fish species had followed this way while other organisms swam mostly towards the southwest and northeast.


    Now, there were only eight nights left. Would they get there in timebut, no matter what, this location should not be greatly affected.


    After the night passed, Lins troops still moved at their fastest speed but Lin felt something strange.


    There was ayer of ice above the troop. Large amounts of ice started to fall. They did not affect Lin and the other fish but were very strange.


    This must be a warning sign of the disaster. Would the change affect this ce as well?


    While strange, Lin did not stop.


    Another night passed. There were only seven nights left. Large cracks appeared on the iceyer. This time, there were obvious changes. The sharks grew quiet. They did not seem interested in eating and sped up swimming.


    There were only six nights left. Lin could sense that the water temperature was much higher. All of the fish were not swimming so high up, and did not day so close to the ice surface.


    Lin also moved down with them. In terms of choosing the path, Lin trusted other organisms more.


    There were only five nights left. Big cracks had formed between the ice pieces. The sunlight shown through the cracks into the dark waters. If the ice melted, Lin could create the green carpet here. But looking at the urgently swimming fish, Lin did not follow the thought.


    Then as night and day changed, the changes in the iceyer grew more obvious. From the thick ice dozens of meters thick to the few pieces on the water surface now.


    The water temperature changed rapidly, and the icy ocean water turned to a hot spring. While Lin did not know what a hot spring was, from the term, it was easy to understand the meaning.


    Now, there were only two nights left


    The fish swarm was now swimming along the seabed. Lin found that the fish were not the only ones moving north, there were also many segmented limb organisms, like the trilobites, the Brontoscorpio. They were also moving on the bottom of the ocean north wards.


    There were many fish that werent able to endure the heat and died along the way. When their corpses fell to the bottom, no organism went to eat them. Every organism was hurrying, of no mind to do anything also. Even those that were predator and prey were close together as they traveled.


    In the face of the disaster, every was different


    Lins troop was notpletely unharmed. Because the change from cold to hot had been so fast, some transporters had died, unable to adjust. But the remainder quickly adjusted.


    Lin had not had to endure heat for a long time, but the cell memories of enduring heat a long time ago were stored. Lin just had to produce them.


    But, if the water continued to heat up, there likely would be more danger.


    Now, there was only one night left


    Lin observed the surrounding organisms. There were only half of the helmet fish left. The remainder wererge ones with great resistance. The sharks were not well off. But the Dunkleosteus did not seem to be afraid of the heat and only a few of them had been lost.


    As to the arthropods, they seemed much better than the fish. Lin saw few fatalities.


    Lin had kept some eyeballs observing on the water surface. There were almost no ice pieces left. It was so hot. But the eyeballs were simple in construction, could easily change itself and increased its ability to resist heat.


    All this time, Lins eyeball observed the change of the iceyer, but now on the ice free surface, they saw something else.


    Right now, it was night and the stars shone brightly. The temperature was much lower than during the daytime. Lin had the eyeballs float to the water surface to sense the air temperature. Immediately, Lins eyeballs felt the surrounding temperature increase. The stars on the sky seemed to grow bigger, and they were flying towards the sea!


    What was that?


    Stars? Didnt seem like it


    These things were spheres, around ten meters across, and werepletely wrapped in a red and flickering light.


    A new term appeared in Lins thoughtsfire


    Fire? What was that?


    During Lins confusion, the fireballs crashed into the distant sea.


    Trantor Ramblings: This is a really cool documentary with amazing graphics about space and life, especially chapter 2.

 Book 2: Chapter 49 “The Second Great Extinction”

    Book 2: Chapter 49 ��The Second Great Extinction��


    Boom


    The moment the fireballs hit the ocean, violent vibrations spread. As great water currents surged, the water temperature immediately multiplied. Lins eyeballs that were observing on the surface could not tolerate the heat and died immediately.


    What was that? Stars falling from the sky?


    Lins troops were at the ocean bottom hundreds of meters below but all the fish seemed to feel the abnormality. They started to wildly swim north, and the steadily swimming schools of fish seemed to go mad.


    The helmet fish furiously swayed to charge, squeezing aside weaker fish as they swam north at full power. The sharks had disappeared long ago. Lin did not know where they had fled. The dunkleosteus were the most troublesome. They used their enormous bodies and mouths to tear all organisms in front of them, not for eating, but to be at the front.


    The time hade


    Lins transporters could not move in the wild schools of fish. Some of the transporters at the rear had been chewed by the dunkleosteus, blood and cells spreading among the entire group. But Lin was not concerned as there was a greater threat now


    The sensitive tentacles of the transporter could feel the vibrations of an enormous impacting from the sea surface. The vibrations were created by countless fireballs hitting the ocean surface.


    Also, Lin could feel a wave of vibrationing from the distance. That was the cause of madness in the fish.


    This wave came from the ground, and formed a vibration simr to an earthquake. It formed a rapid and terrifyingly strong current of water that could be described as shockwave.


    Lin calcted. If it was hit by this strong current, its organs might be crushed. Lin did not know how the wave had formed or why it was able to spread so far.


    Was it useless to be in the deep ocean so far from thend?


    Nothing happened to the northern continent Leviathan was on. No wonder the schools of fish were going over there  Lin had to work now to make sure the transporters survived.


    Otherwise, all the nutrients gathered in a hundred million years would be wasted.


    It was about to arrive


    Lin ignored the mad schools of fish. It had all the transporters speed up their hearts and sendrge amounts of nd cells to the ectoderm. They secreted the strongest chitin substances they could, and hardened the entire ectoderm of the transporters.


    The impact was near. The entire region of water gave off powerful vibrations. The arthropods organisms on the seabed stopped moving and dug into the sand under them, attempting to hide in the sand. The fish swam even more madly


    Here!


    The powerful impact swept the entire region instantly. Large numbers of helmet fish had their bodies crushed at the moment of impact, blood, and organs spraying out of their gills, mouths and other ces. Even their helmets cracked.


    The hardened outer shell of the transporters cracked greatly at the moment of impact, their inner organs squeezed and damaged. While there were still some cells alive, they could not move. However, those were only transporters at the rear. The transporters near the front didnt even have cracked shells.


    This wave seemed to have slowly decreased in power, but, in this moment, it killed the majority of the helmet fish. More than half of the dunkleosteus had died, as they swam at the very rear.


    Many of the arthropods hiding in the sand were blown out, but their thick armor protected them from great damage.


    After this series of vibrations, all organisms started to move at full speed without regard for their expenditure.


    Lin gathered the transporters that had been scattered. There were a thousand and three hundred left. Lin had lost many but could not return to take their corpses.


    Danger appeared to just be starting.


    Just after the shockwave, the ocean became restless again. Large amounts of bubbles appeared off the seabed. The gas bubbles seemed to be harmless, but their appearance caused the water temperature to rise again. Many organisms that could not tolerate heat died instantly.


    The enormous group that originally had tens of thousands only had a few thousand left.


    Lins transporters could not tolerate the heat wave. While they did not die immediately, if this continued


    Full speed!


    Lin also started to disregard the expenditures. All transporters immediately took off their hardened outer shells and started to swim with their spouts at their full speed. They had to leave this area before dying of heat. While Lin did not know howrge the heated area was, it could only do the best it could.


    At this time, many stone pieces sank down from the surface. These stones should be the fireballs thatnded on the water surface. They already reached this depth? Some of them were more than ten meters in size, others only half a meter. An enormous dunkleosteus near the rear of the transporters was hit by several small pieces of stone. It twisted violently in pain, struggling for a while before falling on the seabed.


    Lin could feel that these stones were as hot asva.


    Suddenly, an enormous stone thirty meters in size smashed in front of Lins transporters. The transporters at the front could not stop in time and hit the giant stone.


    A feeling of extreme burning came from the giant stone. The cells on the transporters ectoderm died instantly, and the burning passed into the entire body. These transporters died the moment they touched the giant stone.


    Lin just lost a dozen transporters but ignored it. All the remaining transporters swerved around the stone and charged northwards!


    But it was hard to dodge during a rush. Many transporters were hit by those stones and were killed immediately by the heat.


    At this time, Lin felt distant vibrations again


    Would this ever end?


    No  this was


    Lin found the feeling was not like the one-time shockwave. It also did note from behind, but the seabed below  an earthquake?


    This was an opportunity .!


    As Lin thought, it had the transporters slow down and focus on avoiding the stones.


    Not many helmet fishes were still alive. This gave Lin more space. Now, it only had to wait.


    The sense of the vibrations continued toe closer and closer


    Boom-om-om! !


    The seabed below suddenly shook and the entire seabed in this region rose! As the water rose, thepressed water and all the organisms within all rose up. The hundreds of meters of distance to the surface disappeared instantly. The water formed an enormous wall that charged out of the surface, Lins transporters and other organisms trapped in this tsunami.


    The vibrations did not stop. Another vibration on the seabed caused the tsunami to charge forward at a speed Lin had never seen before.


    Originally, the tsunami could notst for long, but the sea vibrations in this area did not let the wall of water fall. Lins group sprinted north on this enormous wave.


    In the tsunami, the transporters could not move their bodies but see the surrounding environment through the water. The tsunami had left the area the fireballs were falling and heading in the direction Lin wanted.


    The seabed continued to shake. This maintained the speed of the tsunami and caused it to grow higher than a hundred meters at a rough estimate.


    The tsunami was extremely fast. In about two days, it could reach thend in the north. Of course, this was only if the tsunami continued. If the sea vibrations stopped, the tsunami would quickly calm.


    Lin hoped the tsunami would calm. It had already left the fireball region. If it rode the tsunami and hit the steep walls of thend in the north  Lin would suffer great losses.


    But as the tsunami moved, the vibrations seemed to move as well. The vibrations always urred below the tsunami or close by. The tsunami did not stop and continued.


    As day and night switched, the transporters in the tsunami could see the northnds in the distance.


    The Leviathan, who had stopped at the steep walls of the shore also saw the giant walls in the distance. The water level around Leviathan had decreased greatly. The walls tens of meters tall now were hundreds of meters as though all water had been sucked away by the tsunami in the distance.


    The vibrations disappeared, but thest shake was enough to make this enormous wave crash into thend!


    Trantor Ramblings: I dont think meteors alone create such an uproar unless those were enormous ones. All this disaster is more likely the result of continental tes moving.

 Book 2: Chapter 50 “Rock Climbing”

    Book 2: Chapter 50 ��Rock Climbing��


    Watching as the giant wave charged, Lin knew it could not stop. Then Lin could  only face it!


    Lin had the Leviathan use its tentacle suckers to stick to the rock and created many long hooked spikes with barbs on them to shove into the cracks in the rock. It secured the Leviathan. Then Lin made the transporters within the tsunami once again harden their shells.


    As Lin finished preparing, the tsunami was near the northern continent, the top of the waves more than a dozen meters taller than the tall walls of thend.


    It was here


    Boom-om-om! !


    The wall of water, hundreds of meters tall, collided with the rock. The entire world seemed to shake. The vibrations continued to stimte Lins sensory cells. The powerful water currents pushed on Leviathan who was on the rocks as though they wanted to tear it apart.


    Lins eyes could not see clearly in a situation like this, but it could still use its sense of touch to judge what had happened.


    The majority of transporters passed over the feeling of pain. Even armored, their bodies were ttened in the moment of collision. They crashed on the rocks.


    Some of the transporters were higher up and did not hit the rocks, but were thrown into the air. After flipping through the air, they fell hard to the ground. Lin knew from the great pain that they were just scraps of flesh left.


    All of thissted for just a sh. Soon, the tsunami that hit thend lost its momentum and started to retreat towards the water. The Leviathan could feel the water currents had been trying to flow up now urgently retreat. Soon the ocean andnd calmed as though nothing had happened.


    The Leviathan was still tightly attached to the rock. The suckers and barbs had saved it, but the transporters were different


    The transporters that had hit the rocks had all died, and were useless, even if some cells were still alive.


    While those strange meteors did not appear over here, the warmth of the water came over the distance and those cells were quickly killed by the high heat.


    The only hope was onnd


    Some of the transporters that had been thrown onto thend by the tsunami had survived. They were all onnd near the steep walls, in total  31 of them.


    There were only 31 of the transporters who survived? Such a terrifying cmity, the nutrients of one hundred million years turning to nothing.


    But Lin survived. All of the information on evolution and other organisms had been perfectly saved. If it continued, it could quickly revive!


    Right now, the danger had not passed. Lin had to move quickly. The temperature in the ocean was still rising. Even Leviathan itself had a difficult time tolerating this high temperature. Lin had to get the Leviathan climb this steep rock.


    Just like crawling onnd, Leviathan used the suckers on its tentacles to attach to the walls. But this was not enough to pull its three-meter long body out of the water.


    Leviathan once again turned the tentacles into six segmented limbs that could move. Leviathan created structures simr to hydraulic systems within them so the power they produced could get Leviathan to move onnd.


    Relying on these new abilities, Leviathan was able to climb the steep walls.


    The transporters onnd, because they were covered in armor, also had their eyeballs covered. If Lin wanted to create eyeballs, the water would most likely leak out. It could only learn about the situation once the Leviathan reachednd.


    Lin knew that it must be faster, but it was not easy for the Leviathan to drag its three meter body up such a tall wall. Lin thought about taking off some organs or water, but it didnt know what was onnd, so it was better to keep them.


    Fortunately, Leviathan had enough nutrients so it could repair the cells wounded in exercise in time and replenish them. Lin did not have to worry about exhaustion and Leviathan could climb ontond sooner orter.


    But the problem was  Leviathan was not the only one climbing.


    Leviathan had ascended about thirty percent. From Leviathans back, Lins eyeball antennas looked around and saw some organisms climbing out of the water


    The brontoscorpio.


    Strange, how could theye out of the ocean? Did they follow the tsunami here? Or they were brontoscorpio in the water here before, and they climbed out, unable to bear the change in temperature?


    No matter the reason, they were trouble.


    The brontoscorpios segmented limbs had barbs that could help them climb on the walls. While they showed no intentions to attack, if they found they were not in danger, the first thing they would do was search for food to replenish the energy they used in the cmity.


    Thend might have some fish or other organisms that washed up due to the tsunami, but the most obvious food would be Lins transporters.


    Lin could not let them reachnd first.


    Was this a so-called race? Such an interesting term.


    The Leviathan worked to climb up the steep walls, but it was heavy. Some brontoscorpio were already several meters below the Leviathan. They saw the Leviathan above and raised their hooked tails and enormous pincers in a motion to attack.


    They found food without even reachingnd?


    Shoot!


    An exploding bomb shot out of Leviathans rear and hit this scorpion with its waving pincers. The eyes on the scorpions head were sshed by the strong acid, and the pain caused it to rx its segmented limbs that gripped the rock. It fell down into the warm waters.


    Maybe it could not climb back up again. However, this was not the time to celebrate.


    There were three other brontoscorpio next to the one that had fallen down. They did not seem to be clear why their fellow had fallen, and continued to climb towards the Leviathan.They raised their tails and prepared to attack.


    Organisms with small brains were troublesome like this  if these were sharks, after one died, the rest would run away.


    Lin once again pressed the exploding bomb to its spout and shot three in a row towards each of the scorpions.


    All three hit their target. The brontoscorpio had small brains but they reacted quickly. One blocked with their pincer while the other two fell down just like their predecessor.


    The scorpion who blocked felt the pain and changed the direction of its climb. It seemed only learning would let them understand danger.


    While Lin had this minor victory, there were some scorpions around that had surpassed Leviathan. They were also further away that Lin could not hit them.


    Lin could only climb and hope that they would be attracted by the other dead fish, and not attack the transporters.


    Right now, Leviathans progress was  fifty percent. Lin saw some scorpions who already reachednd. And not just the scorpions. Some of the trilobites had climbed out of the water. These trilobites were miniature, only about ten centimeters or so, and they were rapid, quickly catching up to the Leviathan.


    Was it better to be light onnd?


    Butpared to the scorpions, Lin worried more if phenomenons like those fireballs or tsunamis would appear. But this ce seemed very calm as though nothing had happened.


    Yet just as Lin thought this, several circr shadows appeared in the air.


    Fireball? No


    Those floating things slowly came close toLeviathan and the scorpions. These were the organisms Lin had seen before, the jellyfish that could float in air!


    It was hard to say if they were jellyfish, just that they appeared simr.


    Each air jellyfish was about a meter in diameter. They had no eyes, but they seemed to be observing organisms who were climbing the walls such as Lin. This was Lins first time observing these jellyfish so closely. It discovered the jellyfish had some blowholes simr to the water spouts which they used to move.


    The jellyfish floated around for a while and then finally targeted the small trilobites.


    The jellyfish were able to float in the air, and were themselves very light. They knew they could not defeat the Leviathan and the Brontoscorpio. But the trilobites were small and could be bullied.


    The air jellyfish relied on their tentacles to grab the trilobites and poison them. This was simr to the jellyfish of the water. Lin noticed a small trilobite behind Leviathan and a jellyfish nearing the trilobite.


    Good opportunity


    When the jellyfish was near, Lin sent a specialbination into the water spout. This was a tentacle several meters long, very thin and flexible, and hadrge amounts of hooked barbes. Lin called this a hooked spike.


    Shoot!


    When the jellyfish was in range, Lin suddenly shot the hooked spike, The spike punctured the jellyfishs air-filled sack and secured itself.


    Caught! Now it could study how this jellyfish floated in the air!


    But as Lin celebrated, the blowhole around the jellyfish started to tremble as though they were inhaling great amounts of air. Then the jellyfish started to expand as it sucked in air. In the end .


    Pop.


    The jellyfish exploded.


    Trantor Ramblings: Rock climbing for your life is not fun.

 Book 2: Chapter 51 “Assembly of Organisms”

    Book 2: Chapter 51 ��Assembly of Organisms��


    Such a pity


    Watching as the jellyfish broke up and fell into the water, Lin once again lost the chance to study floatation. It could not return to the hot water to gather the pieces of the jellyfish.


    Why would the punctured jellyfish kill itself? Lin did not understand these jellyfish and didnt know if they had brains. The surrounding jellyfish grabbed enough trilobites and floated away from here. Lin did not know when it would meet them again.


    Never mind, continue climbing.


    Some new arthropods were climbing out of the water, but in decreasing numbers. This meant the ocean was growing hotter and they were dying in the water before climbing out.


    Lin did not know why there was no feeling of heat in the air.


    When daytime passed, Leviathan finally climbed to the top of the steep walls and finally reached the northernnd.


    Thend on top of the cliffs was a t and widend of rock, and in the distance, tall sharp pirs. Lin could see the tall pirs now. They were tightly closed together, the shortest a dozen meters, the tallest over a hundred meters, and they were all covered in green.


    Were those organisms?


    This idea just shed through Lins mind. Compared to those pirs, Lin was more concerned with the state of the t expanse in front of it.


    The rocky ground was covered in damp puddles of water, and the corpses of fish all over. Most of them were helmet fish that had been pushed up by the tsunami. Lins surviving thirty one transporters were all scattered on the rocky ground.


    This ce seemed to be filled with some special scents produced by the corpses. All organisms would have many wild cells on their bodies. These cells would usually just eat the waste produced by their hosts. Once their hosts died, they would start to dpose the cells of the host who had lost the ability to fight back. The strange scents would be produced during this process.


    This seemed to be called rot.


    Rotting would produce a great odor and the brontoscorpio that had arrived first were attracted by the s of the fish corpses. They feasted on the food here so Lins transporters were safe for now. Lins Leviathan was unable to move at the moment so it had to make modifications.


    Leviathan had to be changed to adjust to thend, and some of the internal structures had to be switched out. Because the tolerances were different than when climbing, thest segment of the segmented limbs were thickened and the ends erged to tolerate Leviathans weight.


    After the modifications, Leviathan started to move on thend. It needed to find the transporters and add appendages they could use to move onnd. Soon, Leviathan neared the first transporter. There was some minor trouble here.


    An enormous dunkleosteus ten meters long was blocking Lin. A group of brontoscorpio were surrounding it, and using their pincers to tear flesh and skin. The transporter was coincidentally at the tail end of the dunkleosteus corpse.


    Because the dunkleosteuss scent was so great, the scorpions ignored the transporter.


    But when Leviathan came near, the scorpions turned around, raising their pincers and waving their bodies in an attack fashion. They did not want to attack, only to drive away Leviathan.


    Lin ignored them and the Leviathan walked to the tail. It started to make some appendages inside its body. In reality, this was a kind of segmented limb. Because the transporters were filled with nutrients, their outer shell could not be opened. Otherwise, the contents would spill out. So they needed Leviathan to help them.


    These appendages all had their internal systems, and could move without needing to connect to the body. Leviathan created six appendages and added very sticky chitin substances on the ends before gluing the appendages onto the transporter. When the chitin substance hardened, Lin only had to add eyeballs toplete the process.


    Using legs like this, Lin could even get non-living things like rocks to move. However, the appendages could notst for long. Most of the structures were muscles and there were not a great amount of nutrients stored in them.


    Leviathan left with the outfitted transporter. Those scorpions, who had been waving threateningly, turned and immediately went back to eating the dunkleosteus corpse,pletely uninterested in Leviathan and the transporters.


    Leviathan and the transporter walked among the corpses in search of other transporters. There were a lot of fish here. While many brontoscorpio and trilobites had climbed up, Lin guessed there was enough fish for ten days.


    Lin found some lobe-finned fish hadnt yet died. They struggled fiercely on the rocky ground. Once their gillscked water, they would quickly die from inability to breathe. The brontoscorpio also had gills but they seemed to have some other special structures so they did not fear their gillscking water.


    Lin had never killed a brontoscorpio to study as it found it unnecessary.


    While this ce was covered in water due to the tsunami, the water would be blown away by the air sooner orter. Lin didnt know if the ocean water would return to normal by then. If the ocean water was still abnormal, it had to survive onnd


    Lin quickly found another transporter in a pile of helmet fish. This pile of corpses was taken over by a kind of small trilobite. These trilobites were small, but there were many.


    Lin still ignored them and got the transporter out.


    In the searching process, Lin did not encounter any dangers and found all the transporters, gathering them in a spot on the ground empty of corpses. What should it do next? What was the state of the cmity now?


    While no vibrations would ur here in the next few years, Lin was still worried about those fireballs. Those were things Lin could not predict, and didnt know where they came from


    Unable to predict things in the air  it would have been great if Lin could catch the jellyfish that could fly. But they were so good at escaping and would kill themselves if caught. So troublesome.


    If Lin returned to the water, it would encounter many problems. Of course, onnd, there would be some new problems. Lin could not live onnd just because it could resist ultraviolet light. Lin would wait and see. Would the ocean recover


    Lin had many transporters that had been thrown far into thend, most likely in the group of sharp pirs. While they were dead, Lin would find them if given the opportunity.


    As night came, Lin created somenterns and put them around the group to observe the surroundings and warn of danger.


    The night wind came with a long-lost cold. Lin had not felt such difort for a long time. Lin saw countless lights shing in the distant sky. Were those fireballs?


    Lin obtained a new term: meteor. Those meteors had not flown over here.


    If those things hit thend, they would be a great threat  As Lin thought this, it created a new small unit called a tester. Their use was to jump down the cliffs and test the temperature of the water. From the tester, Lin learned the water was still very hot. While the temperature hadnt increased, it would be difficult to live in it.


    Why did the air not heat up? The temperature of the water should affect the air.


    While Lin didnt know the reason, Lin felt that it would be wonderful. If the air heated up, then no organism would be able to survive.


    Lin looked at the distant meteors and waited for night to pass.


    The smell of rotting corpses floated around this vast area. This scent was a message signalling food. However, Lin had enough nutrients right now and did not have to fight for corpses with those scorpions in the dark.


    Some organisms were repelled by the scent of the rotting corpses because their cells could not defeat the rotting bacteria, or the toxins produced by the rotting bacteria. When they smelled corpses, their cells would create a substance. This substance would cause the brain to feel a message called disgust which would stop the organism from nearing the rotting corpse or eating it.


    This was a strange feeling. Their brains were unable to judge if something was edible and needed cells to produce a substance to make the brain feel disgust and not go close.


    Why go to such trouble? If one knew that something couldnt be eaten, then dont go over there. Why waste power by producing the feeling of disgust? Some organisms would throw up their undigested food when the feeling of disgust was great enough.


    Was there a need for such waste?


    Lin had experienced a hundred million ears and had a conclusion  a normal organisms brain had a consciousness of which a part did not know what the other cells in the body were thinking. Of course the cells did not know what the consciousness thought, so the cells would produce some fluid substances, or pass certain energy to produce all kinds of responses. These responses would tell or control the consciousness and asionally cause very stupid things to ur like avoiding corpses and wastingrge amounts of food.


    So troublesome. This was a shoring of all organisms with brains.


    Lin would asionally think of trying to make a brain, but when it thought of all this, it would immediately throw away the idea.


    As Lin pondered these matters in boredom, the night was about to pass, and Lin could not see the meteors any longer.


    But as the day came, Lin found its sight was even worse than in nighttime


    Trantor Ramblings: Lin is so funny looking down on all these organisms who need to have a central organ that control other cells through secretions.

 Book 2: Chapter 52 “The Assassins In The Mist”

    Book 2: Chapter 52 ��The Assassins In The Mist��


    These kinds of small water droplets filled the surroundings. They floated in the air and their density caused them to form a white smoke that shrouded everything.


    This kind phenomenon seemed to be called mist.


    These water droplets had floated over from the water. When the wind blew on the surface, it would carry many small water droplets. Also, many air bubbles would enter the water. Lin did not know why so many droplets would gather here. Maybe it had to do with the water bing hotter.


    The gathering of the mist decreased Lins range of sight. However, Lin thought that it should gather the water droplets. If it had to live onnd, it needed to protect sources of water.


    Lin built a new kind of unit in the body. This kind of unit was sphere shaped and had many small hairy tentacles that could grab the moisture from the air and store it within.


    However, when Lin was deciding to release these units, it felt something different.


    Something  was moving through the mist in the surroundings. Not a scorpion, but something else enormous. They had an unknown strange scent, and moved strangely as though they were moving with their body touching the ground. They seemed to not have any legs or other moving limbs.


    This was simr to the worms. But moving like this onnd should abrade the body.


    Was this another organism it had never encountered before? Lin didnt know if it was dangerous, but there were so many dead fish here. The other should not choose the transporters as targets. Lin had the transporters pile up together and remain motionless to avoid attracting the attention of these organisms. Lin carefully observed their direction of movement.


    There were many of them, more than a dozen. Because of their strange moving method, Lin had a hard time estimating their size, but they were bigger than the scorpions at least.


    Those organisms first moved towards areas with more fish corpses. After a while, Lin could feel a special vibration through the air. That was the feeling of the Brontoscorpios armor being crushed.


    What was happening? Those organisms did not go eat the dead fish, but the hunting scorpions?


    Strange. They did not eat the food on the ground but the scorpions who could wound them and had venomous spikes? Were they also the type that would throw up if they ate rotting corpses. In reality, organisms like that were very rare. In the hundred million years, Lin had only seen a rare few fish that would respond like that.


    As Lin was wondering this, it suddenly sensed something special. The strange scent of these unique organisms suddenly spread as though it covered the entire area.


    Were they releasing their own scent inrge amounts? Why? To disrupt the sense of smell of other organisms? Yes, this way, Lin could not urately smell their position. It would be difficult to locate them just by the vibrations when they were moving. Lin was not used to sensing the direction of vibrations through the air.


    Suddenly, Lin felt the surrounding vibrations speed up. Almost at the same time, one of the transporters on the perimeter was caught by something else and then pulled into the mist.


    A great pain came. The armor of this transporter was crushed by a great force, and then torn into scrap by sharp teeth. In the end, some of the living cells were swallowed by that organism and died in the dissolving fluid.


    Another transporter was bitten by another organism and pulled into the mist.


    These organisms were very dangerous! It appeared these organisms had no interest in corpses. Lin did not know howrge they were or how many there were. If this continued, it would be troublesome!


    Lin did not overthink. It had Leviathan create countless transport tubes that connected to several transporters. This way, the transporters could move nutrients to Leviathan and Lin could start to createbat units without needing to worry about the expenditure.


    These units were primarily modified from ughterers. They could run like arthropods onnd and were filled with the viruses from infectors and toxins. While Lin did not like using toxins usually, but when facing a great threat, Lin would not hesitate.


    Thesend ughterers were only ten centimeters. Lin quickly made a dozen ughterers and had them surround the entire group.


    Vibrations came from the west, the direction that had just had an attack.


    Attack!


    There were only five ughterers in the west. They immediately opened a small hole on their heads, and sprayed their fatal body contents in the direction of the vibration. Through Lins special design, the spray contained many things, including toxins and viruses. At the very front was an exploding bomb filled with dissolving fluid. It was responsible for opening the enemys ectoderm or armor. Then the viruses and toxins could permeate the targets body.


    But in this situation where Lin could not see, Lin did not know how the effects were.


    Suddenly, an enormous shadow charged through the mist and entered the view of the ughterers.


    Lin had never seen an organism like this. This was a giant wormpletely covered in armor like the Dunkleosteuss enormous head. The armor it had was covered in rings of hooks. Clearly, the attack by the ughterers had not prated its armor.


    It opened its mouth which was filled with spikes, bit a transporter and then retreated to disappear into the mist.


    Lin immediately lost the target and couldnt even give chase. The surrounding smells were covered up. Lin could not sense the surrounding situation just based on the vibrations. It didnt even know how many enemies there were.


    It was dangerous now.


    It could only flee.


    It could not flee back into the water. The water was still very hot. There was only one direction.


    Lin had the ughterersy on the transporters. This way, the enemy might eat the ughterers and transporters together so the toxins and viruses would damage the enemies.


    After preparing, Lin started to move the attached legs on the transporters and ran quickly towards the direction of the giant spikes. Those spikes were dense and these organisms were so big they should not be able to go in.


    Those organisms created vibrations again. Lin named them the mist worms. Maybe these were organisms that only existed on the northernnd but Lin had no interest in studying them now.


    A worm charged out from the west side of the transporter group and quickly grabbed the outermost transporter before retreating into the mist. However, there was a ughter on the transporter.


    Not long after Lin felt the transporter get bit, Lin felt a continuous wave of vibrations. Clearly, this worm also bit through the ughter on the transporter as well. Now the toxins and viruses were within the body.


    No matter whether it had the ability to fight viruses, the enemy should not give chase after feeling pain. However, there was more than one worm nearby


    Then, another ambush. This time, a transporter on the east was dragged into the mist.


    Lins ughterers were on the transporters on the perimeter. When the worm identally ate the ughterers, Lin could feel the vibrations as they struggled in pain.


    The worms who were in pain did not give chase. But even so, more transporters were caught. At the start, Lin only thought there were only a few enemies and its estimate was wrong.


    A few dozen? Several hundred? Those were all possible  While Lin could not feel so many vibrations, based on the constant capture of transporters, there really were so many.


    Lin did not stop. It sped up towards its target. During this time, worms constantly charged out of the mist. The number of transporters constantly decreased


    Once again since a hundred million years ago during the era of unicellr life, Lin felt threatened for its life.


    Lin had no time to think. Another worm charged out of the mist. This time, its target wasnt a transporter, but the Leviathan at the rear of the group.


    Lin prepared an exploding bomb filled with toxins almost instantly. The exploding bomb shot out of the water spout and hit the open mouth of the worm.


    The worm started to convulse after eating the poisonous bomb. It twisted as though it was experiencing great pain.


    Lin ignored it and continued to flee forward


    Trantor Ramblings: Im imagining the worms as simr tompreys.

 Book 3: Chapter 1 “The Day of A New World”

    Book 3: Chapter 1 ��The Day of A New World��


    Enormous green spiked pirs were arranged densely in front of Lin. The spaces between them were big enough for Leviathan to pass, but the wormsrge heads could not enter.


    Lin did not stop. The remaining transporters and Leviathan rushed into the giant pirs. At this time, the eyeball antenna on Leviathans back looked backwards.


    An enormous worm suddenly charged out of the thick mist. It opened its mouth and targeted Leviathan. But halfway, its head was stuck among the spiked pirs.


    Leviathan threw a small eyeball to continue observation and then ran into the spiked pirs along the transporters.


    This time, Lin could observe these worms closely. What organisms were these? The worm furiously twisted, attempting to pull back, but the hooks on the shell obstructed it.


    This kind of organism might not havee from the ocean. Maybe it was an organism that belonged tond?


    Looking at the struggling worm, Lin had many questions. How many were there? Why were they able to conceal their own scent? How long were their bodies? They seemed very nimble


    These questions probably could not be solved until Lin had the ability to kill one of the worms.


    That worm struggled a long time before retreating back into the mist.


    Had it given up? The eyeball continued to watch the thick mist. Lin was assured when no more worms charged out.


    Leviathan and the transporter were deep within the needle forest. The surroundings were full of enormous spiked pirs almost a hundred meters tall and three meters wide. Their surface was covered by ayer of green. When Lin looked closely, thisyer of green was made from numerous soft and t things.


    This was definitely a kind of nt. However, thend nts that Lin had seen before were at most a meter tall, and very thin. They were able to grow sorge here?


    No, these spiked pirs might only have been tall stones before and these nts were just stuck on the surface. Through growing, they covered the entire stone, and then used dissolving fluid and other methods to modify the giant stones into this kind of pir with forks over a long period of time.


    But Lin had never seen this environment and these organisms before. This was apletely new world.


    Right now, the rockynd covered with fish corpses and scorpions was upied by the worms. Lin could not return. Adding on Lin did not know when the ocean would recover, it had to live a new life on thisnd


    Lin did not know what organisms there were, and what dangers would exist. Lin had never truly adjusted to life onnd before.


    Right now, Lin only had two transporters. The others had died in the attack by the worms


    After the cmities from the sky and the ground, did Lin only have this little bit left?


    Maybe Lin had not lost muchpared to other organisms. But Lin thought it made many mistakes. The biggest mistake was that it had not explored far enough.


    If it had explored to the northnd before, maybe Lin would have had much less losses.


    It could not ever stop its spirit to explore  but making bases was also very important.


    This was just a loss of nutrients. This was not a major matter as long as Lin preserved its evolution information and memories of experiments.


    Lin would once again grow enormous on this newnd! This time, it would also develop into the air!


    Thinking of this, Lin looked upwards and suddenly saw a flying organism. It quickly shed through the pir woord, and flew away.


    An organism that could fly?


    Lin was immediately attracted to it. However, the organism moved so quickly it disappeared instantly into the wood.


    Lin did not feel any pity towards its escape. It had considerable confidence. It appeared that not just the jellyfish could float in the air. If there were many of these, Lin would capture one sooner orter.


    The light here was not good. Lin would first find an empty ce, spread the transporters, and make the green carpet.


    The ground of the spike pir wood was made from very soft grains mixed with sand and all kinds of nt scraps. There was a term to describe this  soil.


    This seemed to be an unique material. If it was in water, it would not be easily blown away by the wind.


    Leviathan led the two transporters to move through the spiked pir forest. Lin did not know where to go so it moved in the direction opposite the cliffs. After a while, Lin finally saw a slightly empty area. This ce was about six meters in diameter, but the ground was not soil, but yellow sand. When the sunlight shone on the sand, it reflected brightly.


    Light was abundant here.


    Onnd, sand seemed to be a sign of dryness. A hundred millions years ago when Lin stepped ontond, sand like this was everywhere. Was that why no organisms had been there? The soil stored a lot of moisture. Aftering ontond, the water was very important. Without water, the cells could not move.


    Lin did not care because it could get water from other ces, unlike the slowly moving nts.


    Lin had the transporter move to the center of the sand. The transporter took off their appendages. At the same time, they started to dissolve the armor over their lower halves.


    This was a way that Lin thought to grow onnd. The armor would dissolve and the cells would undergo division quickly. Because this was onnd, the outermost cells needed the ability to prevent water from spilling out, but had to be soft enough to grow. Once they spread over the entire area, they would create a transparent armor.


    This process was slightly dangerous as it was easy to get attacked. Lin still didnt know what dangerous organisms were living here.


    But based on the present, Lin had not seen any organisms on thend, except the nts.


    This transporter started to spread green carpet around it. They grew slowly and covered the sand. The green carpet onnd had two rtively thin and transparentyers that protected the water and the photosynthetic cells inside.


    As the green carpet spread, the transporters body started to copse down. As the green carpet covered a six meter wide patch, the body disappeared. Usually, a transporter could create a farrger green carpet but there was only so much space here. Lin could only have the cells squeeze together and make the green carpet thicker. Compared to the obvious transporters, Lin preferred to turn them into the green carpet.


    Usually, those powerful hunters would ignore nts and those that preferred to feed on nts did not hunt. Organisms that fed on nts usually had no attacking power. They could not bite through the green carpets hard shell, so getting the green carpet spread out was a safeguard for survival.


    After upying this space, Leviathan led another transporter towards the depth of the spiked pir wood.


    The spiked pir woods seemedrge, but this was also because Leviathan walked slower onnd than in water. Leviathan walked a long time in the woods and did not see any clearings like before.


    Strangely, Lin still did not see any organisms active.


    Were there only nts onnd? But organisms like Brontoscorpio should be able to live onnd, if they made some effort and even if they did not eat nts.


    And those worms. Were they organisms ofnd or the ocean? No matter what, Lin would return to kill one to study sooner orter.


    Daytime passed and then it turned dark. Leviathan stopped. Looking at the enormous spiked pirs, Lin wondered if the green carpet should climb those pirs.


    But covering such a height  Lin didnt know if problems would ur. If the pressure was too great, the shells would crack. What If Lin didnt use armor, like the ordinary nts? Then it would be eaten by other organisms and Lin would need many other defensive tactics. It felt so troublesome


    However, if thisnd really had only a few organisms  it might try.


    As Leviathan was thinking this, a small organism appeared out of the ground in front of Leviathan. It was t and long, with six segmented limbs around its body, and antennae on its head.


    This organism quickly ran far after appearing and disappeared.


    So there were smaller organisms?


    Leviathan did not attempt to chase and had the Leviathan and transporter lean against a spiked pir. Lin would not in the darkness in an unfamiliar environment. It must wait for night to pass.


    As the light of daypletely disappeared and darkness descended, many strange feelings came from the surrounding woods


    Trantor Ramblings: Lin did so well in the ocean it cked off by going to sleep. Now, it is behind, and onnd, it needs to catch up to the other organisms.

 Book 3: Chapter 2 “New World’s Night”

    Book 3: Chapter 2 ��New World��s Night��


    Darkness shrouded this world. Lin had experienced darkness countless times but this time feltpletely different.


    During daytime, this ce was calm, but once night arrived, many strange vibrations urred in the surroundings.


    These vibrations were minute but numerous. Lin found a better term to describe these minuscule vibrations, sound.


    Such a clever term. Regardless of whether the vibration was fast and slow in frequency, their amplitude was always small. The tentacles on Leviathans back contained many sensory cells that could sense vibrations at different frequencies. Right now, Lin was receiving a vibration at a high frequency but a small amplitude.


    This was sound. Only organisms should be able to do this.


    These were probably small organisms around several centimetersrge. They must have some reason for making so many sounds.


    Lin did not ignite antern in the darkness, which may lure in some unfriendly things.


    Lin took the strategy of inaction. Leviathan and the transporter leaned next to a spiky pir and waited silently for the darkness to pass. The temperature of night was low, and the cold wind had blown away all the moisture out of their shells. But their shells were thick enough so no liquid leaked out.


    In the past hundred million years, Lin knew how to make impervious shells but it still did not know all the unique traits ofnd.


    The stars were not as bright as before. Only some scattered light touched the ground due to the obstacle of the spiked pirs. The light could not illuminate the shadowed ces that asionally gave off quiet sounds.


    Lin didnt know what organisms were hiding in there.


    These sounds were sometimes loud and quiet, sometimes close or far. These organisms might be running around. Lin focused on the scattered light in the darkness and attempted to see the sprinting figures through the starlight.


    After changing the structure of its eyeballs, Lin created a new kind of eye that it called the capture eye. This eye could detect fast movements.


    Swish!


    A ck shadow shed under the scattered starlight. While it was extremely fast, the eyeball still caught its appearance.


    That seemed to be a very small arthopod. Its body was t and about ten centimeters in length. It had six long legs but due to theck of light, Lin did not see clearly.


    These organisms were running in the surroundings. They asionally gave quiet sounds as though  they weremunicating. Their frequency increased as though they were gathering nearby inrge numbers.


    Lin did not act. It did not know what these organisms wanted to do. But based on their body shape, they should not be able to do anything .


    However, Lin did not feel well being surrounded by so many unfamiliar organisms in a dark environment like this.


    Crack


    A strange sound suddenly urred on Leviathans body. Lin was rmed and immediately held thentern tentacle above Leviathans body. It saw the arthropod it had just seen was climbing onto Leviathans back, and using its curved mandible to chew on Leviathans armor.


    When the light touched it, the arthropod jumped off Leviathans body and quickly fled.


    There was no mark where Leviathans armor had been chewed. Lin was puzzled. Why did such a small organism dare toe forward and attack an organism so much bigger than it?


    Lins question was not answered. The arthropods in the surroundings continued to give crack crack sounds. They did not charged forward together and only circled around in the darkness. Lin swept with the light of thentern and was unable to catch their figures.


    They seemed to be deliberately avoiding light?


    Lin had a bad feeling. It put away thentern tentacle and decided to see the situation.


    The moment thentern light disappeared, Lin immediately sensed countless sounds. That was the sound of their legs touching the ground. The sounds were minute and hard to sense, but because they were so numerous, they were clear.


    Countless arthropods charged. Leviathan could feel they were all climbing onto the Leviathan and transporters without even having to look. They used their mandibles to grind against the armor.


    Lins armor was lighter than they had been in the ocean in order to adjust tond, but the armor was not thin. Also, the thinnest ces were parts such as the water spout, and the openings where the tentacles retracted back into the shell. If this continued, disregarding whether Leviathan and the transporters would be damaged, the arthropods would break their teeth first.


    The arthropods also seemed to understand but they were still running around Leviathan and the transporters. Suddenly, they reached some holes on the Leviathans body that had not closed.


    Those were small pores used for absorbing oxygen. They were so small that even the arthropods could not burrow in.


    Unexpectedly, a wave of pain came from the gas pores. This was the feeling of the inner cells being dissolved.


    They knew to use dissolving fluid? Lin squeezed the muscle cells in the inner wall of the breathing hole and sprayed out a stronger wave of dissolving fluid. It sprayed on the arthropods in the surroundings.


    Crack  They gave a strange sound when they were injured but they still did not retreat from Leviathans body.


    This really was troublesome.


    Lin once again stretched out thentern tentacle. The moment it appeared, the organisms surrounded the tentacle, but the moment thentern light shone, these arthropods seemed to feel great pain. They screamed as they all fled.


    Lin used the same method to drive away the arthropods on the transporter. However, while they fled, they still circled in the surroundings and were not willing to leave.


    It seemed that Lin had to leave here. Otherwise, it didnt know what these organisms would do.


    The Leviathan led the transporter and started to run quickly through the ck spiked forest. The arthropods closely followed, giving off strange sounds. But they seemed to fear Leviathansntern and did not dare toe forward.


    Lin did not know where to go within the spiked forest. It only wanted to see if it could leave the arthropod swarm behind.


    Lin passed around countless spiked pirs before detected the sound quieting behind it.


    Had they given up?


    Lin turned thentern behind and found nothing except a patch of sand. When Lin turned thentern back forward, a ck shadow suddenly appeared not far in front of Lin.


    What was that?


    This figure was enormous. Leviathan came close and then Lin found this was something familiar.


    A shark.


    More urately, the remains of a shark. This shark was two meters in length and should have been thrown here by the tsunami. Much of its middle had been eaten, and the remaining organs were scattered around the ground. There were no signs the head and the tail had been fed on.


    Lin wondered what kind of organism ate this corpse but did not finish. Also, no organisms wereing in to eat.


    The shark corpse gave off the special rotting scent. This scene was disgusting to some organisms, but most organisms should think of it as a signal for food.


    Lin had a bad feeling and immediately had Leviathan and the transporter leave and start to run quickly again. The moment Lin fled, it sensed a powerful vibration behind it.


    An enormous thing was moving in Lins direction.


    The Leviathan and transporter were very slow in reality because they had too much water inside. They were far slower than they were in the water. Lin did not know what structure would be faster onnd.


    Sensing the enormous organism giving chase, Lin suddenly realized that the shark corpse was a  trap?


    It was possible


    But this was no longer important. Lin put away thentern. While it was not fast, it still ran with all its strength.


    The enormous organism that had used the shark as a trap only chased for a while before retreating. It did not appear it would keep on chasing.


    Lin did not stop and continued to sprint.


    The spiked pir forest in the night was filled with all kinds of strange sounds and scents during nighttime. During the day, it was hard to see any organisms here but during night, this ce seemed toe alive.


    As Lin continued to sprint, the transporters appendages seemed unable to bear the burden. The cells in the inner muscles tore apart or just died due to the intense exercise.


    Even Leviathan felt tired due to the unfamiliarity with the weight ofnd. But Lin still continued to run until it was sure that there were no dangerous sounds or scent nearby before stopping.


    However, there was a scent that always roamed around Lin without dissipating.


    That was  the scent of rotting corpses.


    Trantor Ramblings: I dont know what the aquatic equivalent of ants would be, but colonies of insects working together underwater seems frightening.


    Below we have sketches of Euthycarcinoidea which may be the first arthopods onnd.

 Book 3: Chapter 3 “Response”

    Book 3: Chapter 3 ��Response��


    Chapter 3 Response


    Lin did not move. The rotten scent was everywhere due to the many fish corpses nearby. This was suitable for Leviathan and the transporter to hide.


    During their hiding period, Lin quickly repaired the damaged cells in its legs. It also changed some structures, primarily so that they would repair themselves when moving, would not grow tired and be faster.


    Onnd, many things were different  In the ocean, Lin was fearless even against the biggest of dunkleosteus because it understood the other. Leviathans units were powerful enough that it had no danger in the ocean. Butnd waspletely different.


    Leviathans units could not move onnd. Lin had not had the time to create new types before encountering strange organisms.


    The enormous worm. The monsters in the dark. What woulde next?


    However, being so disheveled onnd may not be just a simple problem of not adjusting.


    What was being disheveled? It seemed to describe a kind of miserable thing.


    Lin also found a problem. After it learned to create the green carpet, it had be gentle. This gentle was also a new term.


    Facing other organisms, Lin would not want to kill or eat the others like before. It would only want to study them or be uninterested.


    This habit was no problem in the water but it was not good onnd. When Lin first faced a threat, its first thought was to leave rather than counterattack.


    While it had been better to flee facing the worm, Lin had been too timid in running away against the arthropods.


    Lin seemed to have found many interesting terms but it found something else even more valuable. When it came ontond, it should not have found a ce to spread the green carpet. It should have turned the nutrients of the transporters into a powerful army. That way, it would have obtained nutrients faster by killing everything nearby. When Lin understood the organismspletely and was not at risk of dying, it would not be toote to spread the green carpet.


    This was it! After bing the strongest, then it would slowly study evolution.


    Lin felt very satisfied with its decision. However, there was only one transporter left. It would be left to make the green carpet. The major modifications would ur to Leviathans units.


    Lin had decided to attack and raid other organisms, but it had to wait for daylight to act. Being unable to see in the darkness was troublesome. Lin didnt know if terrifying organisms like the worm would appear.


    It could only wait for daytime.


    While the smell of corpses filled the air, Lin encountered no other danger and safely reached daytime.


    Leviathan had almost finished its modifications. Most of the types had been modified fornd. To preserve its abilities in water, their body shapes and other aspects had been modified but they had not changed drastically.


    Lin had created a kind of powerful segmented limb powered by the pressure of liquid so it could move quickly when the limb was filled with water. Because Lin was used to living in water, Lin became unusually obsessed with water onnd. It was not willing to give up any drop of moisture so it found a better method to manage the weight of water through managing energy.


    The light of day shone over the spiked pirs. When Lin regained sight, Lin saw the cause for the rotten smell. There were many helmet fish and lobe-finned fish corpses. Most of them had been eaten, with some of them only minorly consumed and otherspletely a skeleton.


    Skeleton was also a new term. It was used to describe the inner armor of some organisms. Inner armor wasmon among the fish organisms but Lin did not like it. It liked outer armor like the scorpions. This way, it could maintain the operation of the liquid pressure system and have more power than other organisms.


    Lin pulled the corpses that had more flesh closer together and had Leviathan release the gatherers to eat them.


    The gatherers onnd were simr to in the water. They were shaped like tentacles and had many hooked teeth in their mouths. They could scrape flesh off bones and nts off rock to consume.


    Lin was not an organism that had a feeling of disgust. The gatherers had strong acid inside them, and inner walls made from hardened cells that could crush any bacteria before absorbing it. The gatherers themselves had great abilities to remove toxins so it could ignore the toxins that those bacteria produced.


    The skeleton of these organisms were not useful. Lin had enough chitin substance now. After eating all the flesh, Leviathan took all the gatherers back and started to look at the surroundings.


    During the night, this ce had been very noisy. Now, it was extremely silent as though there were no organisms.


    Those arthropods during night had seemed to fear light. The light of thentern had no ability to damage so there was clearly a reason why the organisms were frightened and did not dare toe close.


    Maybe  the organisms at this northernnd had climbed ontond when ultraviolet light had been especially strong. Then they lived a life where they were active during night and hid during the day. They continued their habit all this time so they feared the light now?


    This was just a guess. Lin could not find them now, and so could not hunt them.


    Leviathan walked next to a spiked pir. It used the denticles on its sucker pads to scrape pieces of green nts off the surface. Grey rock appeared behind the green.


    This seemed to be called moss? Lin released a gatherer and threw the moss pieces into its mouth. The gatherer wriggled and crushed the moss in its body.


    This seemed to be a nt made from many green organisms. They lived by sticking to the spiked pirs. The spiked pirs seemed to be of simrposition to granite. However, Lin did not know why these stones would grow spiked and took over such arge area.


    Then it would create the green carpet here.


    If he wanted to hunt, the nts would of course be within its range.


    Lin had the transporter lean against the spiked pir and start to create the green carpet. In the end, Lin decided to create the green carpet without shells, and used a few rtively thin but hardened walls to lock in moisture. As the green carpet spread, it createdrge numbers of threads that could stab into the cells of the mosses. The green carpet would absorb the nutrients, and then grow until it reced the moss over the entire pir.


    This felt like a good method. There seemed to be an interesting term for this Guest overwhelming the Host? Or was this a turtledove in a magpie nest?


    While Lin did not understand, these terms seemed to be tremendous.


    Lin had the transporter stay here and slowly grow while the Leviathan continued to roam through the spiked pirs in search of targets to attack.


    There wererge numbers of water beads in the air but they did not form a thick mist that could obscure sight. These beads of water should havee from the ocean, and maybe this was the source of water for the organisms here.


    During night, the water in the air would be blown away by the wind. In other words  the organisms here should be gathering water during the day.


    When temperatures were low, they may formrger beads of water, or small ponds. So Lin only had to head towards cooler ces


    Leviathan waved its tentacles and sensed the temperature in the air. It slowly walked towards lower ces


    After walking for a while in the woods, a mud pit appeared in front of Lin. The pit was filled with water, and an organism was drinking from it.


    It finally saw something it could fight.


    This organism was more than two meters long, cylindrical shaped and thirty centimeters wide. It had red armor and more than a hundred pairs of segmented legs. While it had many legs, those legs were short. Lin judged that it could not run fast. Also, Leviathans legs had been modified to be greatly different.


    This organism had a name called Millipede. Such a strange name. The millipede had several small eyes on its head and seemed to have a good ability to see. It raised its forward half when it saw the Leviathan, and waved its rows of little legs.


    Was this an attacking posture or a threatening posture? No matter what, Lin had to attack first to gain the upper hand. Lin had the Leviathan squeeze the exploding bomb to the opening. Then, with a bang, the exploding bomb filled with acid hit the head of the moving millipede.


    Hiss


    The millipede gave a strange sound. It obviously felt pain. Leviathan did not wait for it to act, and squeezed the liquid pressure system in its legs to charge over. It used two tentacles to grab the millipedes body and squeezed its armor.


    Lin felt that the shell of the millipede was much more fragile than the ocean organisms. The millipedes armor showed arge number of cracks as it was being squeezed by the tentacles.


    Suddenly, Lin felt a strange scent filling the air. This seemed to have been sprayed out of the millipedes body. Some of the olfactory cells on the tentacles had been killed. This was clearly toxic air. Lin immediately closed the Leviathans air holes. Leviathan still had its air sac. Even if it did not take in air from outside, the Leviathan could survive for a long time.


    With the toxic air ineffective, the Leviathan crushed the millipede into half. Green liquid made fromrge numbers of cells slowly flowed out of the gap.


    Pretty simple. Not very strong.


    Lin released the gatherers. They could eat this millipede after separating out the toxin.


    As Lin idly fed, it suddenly found another organism appearing in the woods. The other was alsoing over, seemingly in search of water.


    This was good. Lin had just finished testing Leviathans power. Now it would test the new cell types!


    Trantor Ramblings: Giant man-sized millipedes were a genus called Arthropleura.

 Book 3: Chapter 4 “Crawl and Fly”

    Book 3: Chapter 4 ��Crawl and Fly��


    Last chapter recap: Lin fought a giant millipede onnd.


    The organism in front of Lin had four thick limbs, and looked very simr to the smander. However, its entire body was covered in fish-like scales. From its slightly ajar mouth, Lin could seerge numbers of teeth.


    Reptile?


    This term appeared in Lins thoughts. This name did not feel very special. So many things knew how to crawl but why was this one the only one called reptile?


    While this reptile looked very vicious, Lin was disappointed by its body which was only about thirty centimeter, including its tail that was almost as long as the rest of its body.


    The reptile did not go near the water, and looked from a distance at Leviathan. Lin only shifted its tentacles slightly and it immediately fled.


    It wanted to run?


    Lin did not n to only attackrge organisms. It would not ignore small organisms. It would kill all the different types of organisms here once in order to secure its position.


    Leviathan released a kind of unit that was thirty centimeters long. This was an experimental unit simr to the system of water spouts. Lin had built many air spout systems on its body. The unit could suck in arge volume of air from the head,press it through the body, and then expel the air through the spout holes to help its six segmented limb move.


    Lin had made many calctions for this system. It thought that it had almost perfected it.


    However, Lin didnt know how fast the unit could run.


    This was a new kind of charger. Like the previous ones, it had a cone horn covered in hooks that could be used to stab enemies.


    Lin released the charger onto the ground. Its systems immediately activated and it charged out!


    Pretty fast.


    Lin paid attention to the sight of the charger. The spiked pirs in the surroundings quickly faded away and the fleeing reptile was already in front of the charger.


    The reptile looked back and then moved even faster with its four limbs. Lins charger followed closely, getting even closer to the reptile using its air spout system. Lin did not feel the scales of the reptile could defend against the horn of the charger. If Lin managed to catch up, it could easily prate the reptile.


    The charger sped up even faster. Lin felt as though it was rushing through the water. Yet right before it made contact with the reptile, the reptile suddenly swung its tail and ran to the left between two spiked pirs.


    Lin immediately twisted the chargers body to the left. It closed the spouts in its tail, and sprayed air outside the right side at the same time. After making a sessful turn, Lin opened the tail holes again and continued to chase the reptile.


    The distance lengthened again. Turning like this could minimize the extra distance due to travelling too fast but it was still a bit worse than the nimbleness of running on all limbs.


    But this distance was almost nothing, and the charger once again neared the sprinting reptile.


    Chasing through the woods, the reptile made several more turns. However, the charger became more clean with every turn. Lin could even predict when the reptile would want to turn.


    In the end, the reptile turned into a dead end. In front of it were three spiked pirs close together, and behind it was the charging charger


    The reptile had no time to react. The horn of the charger pierced the reptiles armor and the tip travelled into the reptiles chest.


    The reptile stopped struggling but the charger did not have the ability to feed. Leviathan had to reach the site.


    This felt wrong. While the reptile had not run far this time, if it had run far away, the prey that Lin had managed to catch might be stolen away.


    It had to put digestion systems on the charger.


    Leviathan walked to the sight of death and released gatherers to break down the reptile.


    The organs of the reptile were simr to the smander. This kind of organism had evolved from the smander. They used rtively hard scales to stop water leaking out of the skin. Their bodies also had an amusing organ in the body that seemed like an air sac. Some passages were connected to small holes in the head and the sac could expand and contract to suck in oxygen.


    This seemed to be called a lung.


    Lins air sacs also had the ability to contract, but it was not soplicated in structure. There were many-like structures in the lung that Lin did not know the use of.


    This kind of organ was suitable for absorbingrge volumes of oxygen. But oxygen was plentiful now so Lin felt this was not useful.


    After eating the reptile, Lin put away the charger and the gatherers. It found another direction to move in.


    What kind of organisms would it encounter next? No matter what Lin encountered, even if it were worms like before, Lin was prepared to fight. But Lin would only know if it could win after having the fight.


    Leviathan strolled through the spiked pir woods. The temperature here was cool but Lin suddenly felt a wave of heat. It came with a flow of air through the woods, and caused the surrounding temperature to rise.


    Was the heat of the ocean affecting this ce?  No, this wave of heat came in the opposite direction of the ocean.


    Leviathan quickly walked in the direction of the wave of heat. After passing through a wall made from spiked pirs, Lin came to an open area.


    Within Lins sight was an endless expanse of yellow sand. This here was like thend of a billion year ago  no water, no organisms, just flying sand and an endless desert.


    It appeared that the pir forest was notrge in area, and nts had not spread further into thend? Maybe this was because the mist was unable to float further.


    Lin looked behind it. The row of spiked pirs divided the woods and the desert like an enormous wall. Lin started to suspect that these spiked pirs were not ordinary stones.


    Lin felt some pity. It originally thought it could see and filled with organism, and hadnt expected seeing the same scene as a billion years ago


    Just as Lin was preparing to turn and leave, a voice suddenly interrupted Lins thoughts.


    The eyeball antenna looked in the direction of the sound. Two organisms suddenly flew over the spiked pir forest towards the desert.


    Organisms that could fly!


    Lin immediately released the charger. While the Leviathan could not keep up with these organisms, the charger clearly could. It followed the two organisms quickly while the Leviathan followed behind at a slow pace.


    In order to see the environment clearly at high speeds, the eyeballs of the charger had been modified. They could capture many scenes in an instant so it could clearly see the appearance of the two organisms in the sky.


    These two organisms were long and slender. They were more than a meter long, and three pairs of segmented limbs grew out of their rtively thicker chest. The eyeballs at the heads were enormous inparison. The most evident trait was that they had four transparent t and long structures, two on each side of its body. They seemed to rely on these to fly in an manner unlike the jellyfish.


    These organisms seemed to have a name, Meganeura. This seemed to be a good name, much cooler than reptile.


    The charger followed the meganeura and studied its structure at the same time. Lin now had ideas of making the structures itself. It didnt have to capture these ones.


    Lin was interested in where they would fly to. Did these organism just live in the air? Would itnd on the ground? The ocean had many organisms that never touched the ocean floor.


    The charger ran for a while below the meganeura. After passing over a sand hill, Lin saw its target.


    That was


    There was a moderately sized sand pit below the sand hill. Many meganeura were gathered there. In the center of the pit was an enormous organism.


    That organism looked simr to the brontoscorpio. It had pincers for forelimbs, and eight segmented legs. But it was enormous, longer than three meters, and did not have a hook at the end of its tail. Its armor was covered in cracks as though it was damaged. Those meganeura were flying around it, charging down asionally to attack the cracks in the armor and feed on the blood that spilled out.


    Lin temporarily called it a desert scorpion. The desert scorpion waved its pincers but could not catch those fast meganeura. If this continued, the scorpion would die.


    Trantor Ramblings: We get giant dragonflies now!

 Book 3: Chapter 5 “The Eve of Darkness”

    Book 3: Chapter 5 ��The Eve of Darkness��


    The chargers saw the desert scorpion being attacked by the meganeura from the sand hills and waited for Leviathan to arrive.


    The desert was extremely hot. While it was not fatal like the warm water, it still stopped Leviathan from moving quickly. If it moved too fast, its body heat would be too high. Lin thought there was a need to study a structure to lower temperature.


    When Leviathan reached the sand dunes, the desert scorpion was on itsst gasps. The meganeura were no longer dodging, and were feeding from the wounds on the scorpions shell.


    Lin found that the meganeura were just squeezed around the wounds, and did not have the ability to create more wounds. It appeared that the scorpion had been wounded by some other organism, and the meganeura were just taking the opportunity


    No matter what, this was a good opportunity. If Lin could capture these meganeura


    But when the Leviathan took a few steps forward, several of the meganeura had flown away. Their eyes seemed able to see widely and were hard to ambush.


    Due to this, Lin used a tactic it had never used before  changing color.


    Lin had known how to create color back when it created the photosynthetic cells. It could easily change its own color. However, the Leviathans shell had no cells so it needed to create a new unit type.


    Hiders.


    This kind of disc-shaped unit thirty centimeters across had a ring of eyes that could observe the surroundings. It could change its color to match the environment and move using the limbs underneath it.


    Leviathan created a hider and ced it on the ground. It immediately turned the color of the surrounding sand, each grain being perfectly drawn by the color cells. With this kind of color covering the entire body, it wasnt possible to see that this was a living organism.


    The hiders eyes could observe every direction, and could change color at any time in different environments.


    It slowly climbed off the sand dune closer to the meganeura eating the sand scorpion. The meganeura did not notice the hider. Just as Lin had thought, they frequently flew through high elevations filled with turbulence and their sense of smell and hearing were not very good.


    The hider slowly went closer to the corpse of the sand scorpion. The nearest meganeura on the scorpions back was only ten meters. It continued to get closer  five meters, three meters  two meters.


    Within the range of shooting!


    The disc body of the hider suddenly opened from the center and a needle covered in hooks shot out. This needle immediately stabbed into the slender tail part of the meganeura.


    Got it!


    The meganeura was shocked and started to struggle furiously. The surrounding meganeura were frightened and flew into the sky, but the stabbed meganeura could not fly. The needle of the hider was connected to the hider by muscle cells. Due to this, the meganeura could only pull on this line and struggle.


    Just as Lin had imagined, the meganeura was extremely light. The thirty centimeter hider could stop it from flying.


    The trapped meganeura struggled furiously without any effect. It did not have enough power to pull the hider up. It fell powerlessly to the ground once it used up all of its energy.


    Leviathan walked down the sand hill and sent gatherers to break up the meganeura.


    Now maybe Lin could fly.


    During the breakdown process, the gatherer could study the structures inside the organisms. Lin was concerned with the transparent structures on the two sides of the meganeura. There was a term for them, wings. Just like the fins, it was used to move air to fly.


    So this was how it was. Almost the exact same as moving through water, the body just had to be a bit light in order to fly.


    So simple. Lin should have thought of it before.


    The meganeura did not have a lung structure and relied on small holes to absorb oxygen like Lin did. It appeared there was no problem of oxygen when living in the sky.


    Now Lin would build one to try.


    Lin started tobine cells together in the Leviathans body. Lin had many types of cells now, more than several hundred, and over two hundred trillion in number. Most of them had evolved in the billion years inside Leviathan. So it was very easy for Leviathan to mimic other organisms.


    As the Leviathan wasbining, a sound suddenly came from the side. The sand scorpion that Lin had thought was a corpse suddenly moved.


    It hadnt died yet? After enduring so many wounds and being bitten by the meganeura for so long on the hot sand, it really had endurance.


    The sand scorpion struggled up on its segmented limbs. It turned around, and used the eight eyeballs on top of its head to stare at the Leviathan and the pile of gatherers breaking down the meganeura underneath the Leviathan.


    The sand scorpion and the Leviathan were close in shape. Lin did not feel that it would make any attacks. Lin also did not want to attack this seriously injured organism. If it did not fight organisms who were full of energy, it could not test its own strength. Leviathan was overweight in nutrition. It had to turn the extra nutrients into the green carpetter.


    However, this sand scorpion was very interesting. It did not run away or fight. It just stayed there and looked at Leviathan.


    The gatherers had only taken off the meganeuras wings. Lin threw the corpse of the meganeura in front of the sand scorpion. Then it pulled back all of its cells and turned in the direction of the spiked pir wood.


    When Lin returned to the spiked pir wood, it felt the surroundings cool down quickly as though that pile of pirs blocked the heat of the desert outside.


    In the cool spiked pir woods, Lin continued to create the unit that could fly. Because this was the first time, Lin did not make anythingplex. The flying unit it created was almost the same as the meganeura, except it was very small, just ten centimeters long. It only had a circtory system inside. It was extremely light. The wings were primarily constructed of ayer of hardened transparent cells. The base of the wings were controlled by muscle cells so they could move.


    Lin put this small flyer on the ground, and then copied the meganeura in moving the four wings at a high frequency.


    It could not fly.


    Lin continued to move the wings, but the body only swung around and could not rise.


    Then Lin had the Leviathan grab the flyer and throw it into the air before furiously moving the wings. But the flyer only spun in the air before crashing to the ground.


    If it did not move, the flyer could glide for a while. But in the end, it would fall to the ground.


    Maybe its movements were not correct.


    Lin thought back to how the meganeura had moved the wings. It had been unique. They had moved their wings ording to a certain rhythm, and not randomly.


    Lin could not learn such a technique from studying the structure. Lin had to practice for itself.


    This was very simple. Lin created some more flyers and had them change their postures and move their wings. Sooner orter, one would fly.


    It would first spread out its green carpet.


    Leviathan had too much nutrients inside. Linpressed some of the nutrients and then created a green carpet seed. It ced the seed underneath the spiked pirs. This way, it could slowly grow, eating the moss on the pirs, and recing them to absorb nutrients on the pir.


    The green carpet Lin had previously created using the transporter had covered half of that spiked pir. Up until now, Lin had not discovered any organism eating the green carpet. If this method had no problems, Lin would have them cover the entire pir wood.


    The moss would secrete a kind of toxin as a defense. But there was no effect as Lin could easily defeat this kind of toxin.


    After cing the green carpet, Lin had to start preparing for night.


    There were organisms here during the day, but rare. Lin had only encountered a few after moving around for half a day. This ce could notpare to the variety of organisms in the ocean. But at night  that was hard to predict.


    Those arthropods might be the first to appear. Lin had prepared many units to deal with them. One of them was called a stabber, created specifically based on the attacking habits of those arthropods.


    Now, it would wait for the arrival of night


    Trantor Ramblings: Im sure there are easier ways of flying than copying a dragonfly

 Book 3: Chapter 6 “The Mystery of the Pillar Woods”

    Book 3: Chapter 6 ��The Mystery of the Pir Woods��


    Last chapter recap: Lin hunted the ancient ancestor of dragonflies.


    Darkness was slowly covering this patch of thicket. The hidden organisms were starting to move. The darkness was their ce of activity.


    Lin did not know yet how they had evolved to be so dependent on darkness but it was prepared to face the organisms here.


    When waiting, Lin sent some chargers to observe the pir woods and estimate its size. From the rocky ground near the cliffs in the south, to the desert in the north, there was only a short distance. Lin tried to walk east and west. It found the pir woods was a small ce about several tens of kilometersrge. Then outside were either desert or dry rocky ground. There were very few organisms and when Lin was present, it only saw some small reptiles.


    But peculiarly, all of the pir woods was surrounded by a row of especiallyrge and tall pirs.


    Lin thought of a hundred million years ago and the t fish who had created enormous rock circles.


    Lin was certain that the pir woods were created by some organism. It could not be the moss, but some kind of megafauna in a pack.


    They had built a small world belonging to them on the destend. What kind of organisms were they? Maybe they would only appear in the dark.


    These organisms may be highly intelligent to have thought of such a n.


    As to whether they were strong, that was uncertain. Intelligence and strength were frequently not corrted. In the darkness, the smartest organism Lin had met wasnt the fishes or the arthropods, but the soft shell-like organisms such as the ammonites and thunderstones.


    They were extremely smart and had many unique abilities. Their brain to body ratio was also top. But they were not strong organisms. Many organisms could eat them. It could be that the smarter organisms onnd would not be the strongest. Their brains and their cells ability to think was separated. No matter how smart, they could not createbinations of cells like Lin. They could only use cells to provide them with their present abilities.


    While Lin thought this, it still had a bad feeling.


    No matter what, it had to fight if it wanted to survive here. Lin had already prepared a troop. They surrounded Leviathan, and prepared to face those unknown organisms in the darkness at any moment.


    When darknesspletely descended, the light of the stars once again enveloped the world. In the pir woods, strange sounds urred.


    The organisms of the night wereing out now. Leviathan was now where it had been attacked by the segmented organismsst time. These organisms may be the creators of the pir woods as they were clearly living in swarms.


    Linsntern could not illuminate them. They deliberately avoided the light so Lin put away thenterns and waited for them to attack.


    Crack


    That was the sound of the segmented organisms. Unlike before, these sounds were in distant ces, and they did note circle over here to attack Leviathan.


    Strange


    Lin was confused when it suddenly received pain signals!


    It wasnt Leviathan or the troop around it being attacked, but the green carpet dozens of meters away!


    That was the green carpet Lin created using the transporter. They had covered over 90% of a pir, and almost finished consuming the moss on the surface.


    But now, the green carpet was being attacked. Lin could sense something using sharp des cutting the green carpet.


    Lin hadnt made the green carpet casually. It had paid attention to the moss on the pir and confirmed there were no scars before making the armorless green carpet on the pir.


    But now the green carpet was being cut off in pieces. They were not dead. The pieces were being thrown to the ground.


    In other words  the attackers goal wasnt to eat the green carpet?


    Lin suddenly had an idea


    Maybe some organism had deliberately ced the moss there  yes, they were the organism to create the pir woods!


    Many organisms and nts in the ocean would form rtionships. They would carry the nts on their backs or let them grow underneath the skin. This way, they could obtain nutrients directly. Lin had raised some green cells before, but after it could photosynthesize on its own, it had stopped.


    Lin had never expected this rtionship to appear onnd. The moss may have been nted by some organisms!


    The green carpet had no armies protecting it, and because it had no reproduction chambers, it could not create any armies. The threads of the carpet itself, because they were too slow and too fine, were only suitable against immobile organisms like the moss.


    Leviathan must hurry back there. Those organisms may scrape off all the green carpet. While the green carpet hadnt yet died after being cut off and could easily be ced back on or recycled, Lin did not want to let the organisms go.


    Crack


    The cry from the arthropods


    Leviathan was just nning to leave when numerous sounds urred in the surroundings.


    They wereing out now? Then they would be dealt with first.


    The arthropods, just likest night, charged fearlessly in the lightless environment and surrounded Lins troops.


    Lin had prepared special organisms to deal with their habits.


    This kind of unit was modified from the hiders. Their thirty centimeter disk-like bodies were covered in armor, and had many small holes. When the arthropodsid on them to bite, the thorns hidden in the holes would suddenly shoot out and spear the arthropods on them!


    Lin had named the unit the stabber. When it shot all the barbs out of the body, it would look like a hedgehog, and it could also pull back its barbs, pretending to be harmless and fooling enemies into biting it.


    What was a hedgehog?


    Never mind. It was probably something with many barbs.


    Just likest time, the arthropods quacked in the surroundings for a while before attacking. But this time, they first met the stabbers around the Leviathan.


    The arthropods could not bite through the armor of the stabbers. When the stabbers were almostpletely covered by enemies, they would suddenly shoot out their barbs. The sharp ends prated the unwary arthropods.


    While Lin could not see clearly in the dark night, it guessed that more than a hundred had been killed in this moment. Lin could clearly smell the blood flying in the air.


    The barbs of the stabbers were not hooked and could be easily retracted. They pulled back their barbs, shook their bodies, andrge numbers of arthropods fell off their backs.


    Crack. There were some calls nearby. Clearly, not all had been killed. But the organisms were afraid and didnt dare toe encircle and kill.


    Was this enough?


    Lin only wanted to kill a portion and tell them its power, not kill all of them.


    Boom.


    A heavy sound urred like something enormous was moving on the ground.


    Lin knew that the arthropods were not the only things in the night. There wererger creatures.


    Leviathan lit up thentern and shone it in the direction of the sound.


    Under the light, an enormous arthropod, two meters tall and over four meters long wasing over.


    Lin was not shocked at its size but that it had the same body structure as those smaller arthropods who Lin could see climbing on top of the big one.


    Were the small ones just the young?


    Therge arthropod charged over with heavy strides. It used its toothed jaw to crush a stabber with one bite.


    Such powerful bite force. But Lin had prepared things to use against megafauna already


    Leviathan aimed its head at the target. After modifications, Leviathans water spout system stopped shooting water, but would suck in air,press it and then shoot. It could be called an air cannon.


    As the air waspressed, Lin would open the spout and the air would burst out violently.


    It was much more powerful and faster, and even more importantly, it didnt waste water.


    With a bang, the bomb rapidly flew towards the targets head.


    <em>Pow</em>.


    The bomb exploded but did not hit its target. One arthropod suddenly jumped off therger ones head and blocked the bomb before it hit.


    The arthropod was torn apart, but due to it, the big one was almost unharmed.

 Book 3: Chapter 7 “The Swarm In the Dark Night”

    Book 3: Chapter 7 ��The Swarm In the Dark Night��


    Last chapter recap: Lin encounters some small arthropods and then a big one.


    This was really peculiar. The smaller arthropods would help block attacks on the big one? Lin rarely saw simr cooperative fighting among organisms in the ocean.


    It was frequent to see cooperation between single cells, but rare to see cooperation between multi-cells. Most multicellr organisms, other than during reproduction, never met. Lin had not expected organisms to work together like this onnd, and that they may have created the spiked woods.


    A species that could raise nts and work together


    This caused Lin to think of . itself.


    Lin nned to call them the Aztec Insect.


    Hm? This seemed to be a strange name it never thought of. There seemed to be a special meaning.


    The small insects had climbed onto therger insect. Even illuminated by Linsntern, they did not flee. This way, the smaller ones became guards while therger Aztec insect was responsible for using its powerful teeth to crush Lins stabbers.


    Whenever Leviathan would send an exploding bomb, the smaller ones would jump up to block. The Aztec insects did not have eyes so it appeared they had powerful senses.


    But, the Leviathan did not just have one kind of missile. It also had an attack called the shotgun.


    The Leaving once again sucked air into its body and prepared many small bombs. Before therger insect bit down on a stabber, Leviathan suddenly opened and let the exploding bomb pour out!


    Hundreds of bombs filled with dissolving fluid shot towards therger insect. One of the insects on its head immediately jumped up and blocked therger ones head.


    However, it only blocked a few, and most of the bombs hit therger insect. Lin could hear the special hissing sound of the dissolving fluid corroding the armor.


    Under the light of thentern, Lin could see many small holes appearing in the ck shell of therger insect. Those had been created by exploding bombs.


    Because many elements in the ocean water were corrosive, the shells of ocean organisms were able to resist corrosion. But clearly, thend organisms did not.


    Woo Therge insect gave a heavy roar. It kept on moving back. Lin found that the smaller insects on it had grabbed moss and were cing the moss on therger insects wounds.


    Wasnt the moss poisonous? Maybe it wasnt poisonous to them. But they knew how to heal? Such unique organisms.


    Lin thought this but did not have mercy. It sent another shotgun at therge insect and knocked off all the little insects healing therger one. When the wounded body of therger insect was exposed, Lin had the stabbers advance again.


    A part of the stabbers stinger could be shot out, and the tip of the stinger was filled with toxic fluid.


    The stabbers aimed at the wounds on therge insect, and then shot out these toxic stingers. Through calcting the wind direction, Lin could achieve 100% uracy.


    The wounds on therger insect were hit. It could no longer stand and fell with a boom to the ground.


    Had Lin won?


    The little insects gave shark shrieks. They whined around the fallenrger insect, unwilling to leave, but did not show signs of attacking.


    What were they doing?


    Lin was more curious about the actions of these organisms. Group living organisms were really different from single ones, and had curious actions.


    Buzz


    As the little insects shouted, a strange sound came from the sky as though  many organisms were flying through the air.


    Were these meganeura? No  those were


    Leviathan shone thentern to the sky and Lin saw something incredible. Many small flying insects about ten centimeters long had covered the sky above Leviathan at some unknown time. They wererge in number. Even more importantly, they looked the same as the Aztec Insect, but they had pairs of wings simr to the meganeura.


    Were these flying organisms also Aztec insects? !


    Division ofbour  Lin had never seen something like this ur outside of single-celled organisms. Most multicellr organisms were divided by sex, but in reality, the sexes were not much different, just that the reproductive cells they released were different.


    But these Aztec Insects already had three different kinds. While they looked about the same, their size or mode of movement werepletely different. Even more importantly, they could work together to fight.


    These organisms were really simr to Lin!


    The flying insects flew through the air. They did not dive down to attack. Rather, they sprayed a fluid from their tail, and when the fluid dripped onto Leviathans armor, Lin could see smokeing out of the amor.


    Dissolving fluid


    A kind of dissolving fluid Lin had never seen before. Lins anti-corrosionyer was targeted towards things like dissolving fluid, and their structure was a kind of chitin. It would be ineffective against dissolving fluids that it had never encountered before.


    Bam.


    Leviathan sprayed shots into the air. These insects were too small. Just one or two hits were fatal. Many flying insects fell down, but more flying insects quickly reced them.


    There were too many, so many everywhere was filled with the buzz of their wings. Unlike the quiet meganeura, these flying insects were especially noisy. With thentern, Lin could only illuminate some of them.


    The dissolving fluid continued to fall down inrge drops. They actually created little damage. Lin could form a new kind of anti-corrosive chitin before the fluid prated Leviathans armor.


    But at this time, Lin heard heavy footsteps again


    Thoserge insects again? And  there were two?


    Lin had to retreat.


    When Linsntern illuminated tworge insectsing from different directions, it could only make such a decision. Therge insects relied on pure biting force, and Lin did not have the confidence to resist.


    Leviathan started to turn and retreat. The remaining stabbers scattered. Lin found the tworge insects chased after the Leviathan while the small insects and flying insects split apart and chased after the other fleeing targets.


    Therge insects were slightly slower than Leviathan, likely because they were so heavy. If that was the case


    Leviathan aimed its cannons at therge insect and shot out many bombs. But this time, the situation was different.


    Countless flying insects came in front of therge insects. Because there were so many, they were able to perfectly block almost every bomb, and Lins attack was ineffective.


    In this moment, Lin felt like it was fighting itself. How had such a wondrous organism evolved?


    This did not seem to be the time to think this.


    The flying insects sprayedrge volumes of the dissolving fluid. The outermostyer of Leviathans armor was pitted, but Lin had created a new chitinyer inside that Lin was confident could resist the corrosive attacks of the flying insects.


    Therger insects could not catch up with Leviathan. This way, Lins escape was just a matter of time. At that time, it would create arger army to determine victory.


    Ahead, a row of spiked pirs appeared under Linsntern light. That was the entrance to the pir woods. Ahead was the rock path on the edge of the ocean cliffs.


    Now, Lin could only run there. Compared to the waterless desert, Lin was more willing to see if the ocean temperature had returned to normal.


    Leviathan did not hesitate to charge out of the pirs to reach the open rockynd.


    There were all kinds of fish here. The brontoscorpios and other organisms had already eaten all the flesh. Leviathan smashed aside the skeletons of some lobe-finned fishes, and charged towards the cliff.


    The Aztec insect swarm followed closely. They did not give up on their pursuit like they had on the first night, and continued to give chase.


    When the chase reached the middle of the rocky ground, rumbling came from the ground. Something enormous seemed like it was going toe out of the ground. The entire rocky patch started to shake.


    It was the mist worm


    A boom suddenly came from the side. Leviathan shone thentern over there. An enormous worm came out of the rock, opening its hookedrge mouth to bite onto arge Aztec worm and pulling it back under.


    For a moment, Lin had thought the worm was one of the Aztec insects. It appeared not.


    But Lin was not at ease for long. The ground in front of Leviathan suddenly exploded. An enormous worm suddenly charged out, and opened itsrge mouth towards Leviathan!


    Oh no! This could not be dodged!


    Lin suddenly thought of a n in an emergency. It did not have the Leviathan stop or dodge, but charged towards the worms enormous mouth!

 Book 3: Chapter 8 “Towards The Endless Desert”

    Book 3: Chapter 8 ��Towards The Endless Desert��


    Last chapter recap: Lin fights Aztec insects and meets a bigger worm.


    Leviathans tail cannon shot out thepressed air. This caused it to advance another step, Leviathan sessfully charged into the mouth of the giant worm. After charging in, Leviathan did not stop and continued, speeding up until it went in about three meters or so before Lin felt assured.


    It seemed to have seeded.


    Leviathan, who was already on a sprint, could not have avoided a frontal attack from the worm. If it had tried to turn or retreat, it may have been bitten in half by the worm.


    But if it charged into the worms mouth, there was a chance of sess.


    The worms teeth were onlyrge, thick and serrated in the first meter. These teeth were mixed with the hooks. The hooked teeth were responsible for grabbing the prey while the serrated ones were used to crush prey. So if Lin could make it through the first part and reached deeper before the worm closed its mouth, the Leviathan would be safe.


    Of course, it had been urgent so Lin had just taken a nce, and wasnt sure there were more teeth deeper in the worm used to crush prey.


    But since Lin could not have dodged, it could gamble, and seemed to have won.


    This worms mouth was reallyrge. While Leviathan was more than three meters, it was not tall. Even standing, it was about a meter or so which was why it could burrow in.


    Leviathan stretched and moved around itsntern. It seemed to be in the worms esophagus. All around were dark red flesh walls.


    Now, this worm had be the Leviathans bodyguard. Those Aztec insects could not chase after him. They would retreat. Otherwise, they would be eaten by the worm.


    However, it was a problem as to when it could leave. Leaving was not a problem as the inside of the worm was not as thickly armoured. Lin should have no problem killing it.


    However, before that, Lin should think about the present situation. Those fleeing stabbers had been captured and killed. It appeared that the spike pirs were really the territory of the Aztec insects. While they would hide during the day, they woulde out and attack invaders during the night.


    It may be very difficult to win against themthe Aztec insect poption and their types of troops were unknown. Even their evolution was a riddle. But if the ocean water had not recovered, Lin had to live here and win against them.


    Also, even if Lin killed this worm and left, it did not know where it was and whether there would be more worms in the surroundings.


    .What to do?


    As Lin was thinking, a bubbling sound suddenly came from around it. The worms esophagus started to move.


    Was thisa swallowing response?


    The esophagus pressed on Leviathan with great force and sent it down the worms body.


    Lin could not resist. If it attacked now now, the worm may spit Leviathan back out and bite through it. That would not be good.


    As the esophagus squeezed, Lin was sent deeper into the body. But regardless of how deep, all Lin saw was simr flesh walls


    In fact, most worms were like this. They had an esophagus from mouth to tail. All the food they ate was taken care of in the esophagus. Lin had not expected this worm, having evolved sorge, having the same internal structure.


    What surprised Lin even more was the length of the worm. Leviathan moved a long way through the worms esophagus before stopping. Its body was longer than ten meters, and may even be twenty.


    Did they grow up hunting the Aztec insects? But no worms had appeared in the spiked pirs. So the worms usually did not enter the ce while the Aztec insects did not go near the ocean. Last time, when Lin had been chased in the spiked pirs, they werent unable to enter but they had not wanted to.


    Why? Because of the Aztec insects. They may have a hostile rtionship. They may only attack each other if they entered each others territory.


    Then what did the worms really eat? They did not know how to grow nts. Lin could not imagine the worms growing sorge on the deste cliffs and so many of them. Would there always berge waves that threw fish and scorpions up for them to eat?


    There were so many riddles aboutnd organisms


    The worm stopped after squeezing Leviathan to a certain spot. Lin discovered the esophagus here would secrete some sticky fluid. It seemed to be a kind of dissolving fluid. It could be called stomach acid. But there was only a little. This did not affect Leviathan much.


    Then a powerful tremor came from the surroundings. This was not the esophagus moving. Lin guessed that the worm had dug back into the ground. They may usually spend their time underground.


    Then what to do now? Lin had not thought about itit did not know where the worm was now. If Leviathan killed the worm now, and appeared where it was surrounded by many worms, it would be finished.


    The shaking in the surroundings did not stop. The worm seemed to be going deeper into the ground.


    In short, Lin had to first confirm the worms position. But what to do?


    A light seemed to sh through Lins thoughts. It received a message from the spiked pirs. The flyers Lin had copied from the meganeura had been repeatedly testing, and one of them managed to fly!


    And they had not been attacked by the Aztec insects. Was it because they were so small? Regardless, Lin could use them to confirm the worms position.


    There were only thirty flyers. Lin had the remaining learn from the sessful one. Lin cedrge numbers of light cells in their tail so they could fly during the night. But they relied more on their sense of smell to sense.


    The small flyers flew above the spiked pirs. Lin felt this was like moving through water, but lighter and morefortable.


    The flyers flew past the pirs and came above the cliffs. There were only somerge holes in the rock, and no trace of the insects and worms.


    The Aztec insects had retreated like expected but the flyers could sense where the worm was. Lins troops could sense the position of other troops without relying on any senses.


    Right now, Leviathan felt like it was in a hole. The worm did not seem to be moving.


    How about having a flyer go see? Maybe wait a bit, and see if the worm woulde out.


    Lin had the flyers slow the rate of their beating wings. Just like moving with the water current, the flyers rode the air currenting from the ocean. This way, the flyers would save on a lot of nutrients.


    The flyers waited until dawn before they sensed the worm moving. Leviathan also felt the esophagus start to move.


    But the worm did note out of the ground and moved under the ground. The flyer flew following the worm.


    The worm kept on moving north. They passed under the spiked pirs from below and did note up the entire time. It only stopped when it had left the spiked pirs and reached the desert.


    Leviathan once again sensed shocks but the worm did not move. This meant


    Under the flyers gaze, the worm burrowed out of the sand, and revealed itsrge head.


    Two other worms came out of the surrounding sand. It appeared that it was not the only one who hade here.


    What were they wanting to do in the desert? The flyers flew around the worms head. Lin was very curious. Had theye to hunt? What could there be to eat in the desert?


    Suddenly, the worms turned in the direction of the desert and started to move.


    Strange. They were going to the desert?


    Only a small part of the worms head was visible as they advanced into the hot desert.


    The flyers immediately followed. Lin was curious what they were doing. Why were they moving into this waterless desert?


    Or maybethere was some secret in the desert?


    Leviathan could note out right now because there were three worms here. Leviathan could only stay in the worm for now and follow them into the endless desert


    Trantor Ramblings: I never thought about how digestive systems evolved, but we seemed to have skipped from single cells consuming other cells and secreting acid to giant worms with developed digestion.

 Book 3: Chapter 9 “The Train Through The Desert”

    Book 3: Chapter 9 ��The Train Through The Desert��


    Last Chapter recap: Lin gets swallowed by a worm that is travelling into the desert.


    The hot sunlight shone on the desert, the high temperature seeming to twist the surrounding air. Lin thought there wouldnt be any organisms in this environment but these giant worms did not stop for a moment.


    Lins flyer followed them for a long way. From here, it wasnt possible to see the spiked pirs. There was only endless desert in all directions. There was almost no water in the air. And on the ground, except for some strangely shaped rocks, there was nothing else.


    The worm had not secreted arge amount of dissolving fluid to try to dissolve Leviathan. Lin thought this was because they were trying to conserve water for the long journey.


    The desert was very hot. Lin tried to have the flyers touch the desert ground. The temperature was enough to kill the cells. They could feel the heat dozens of meters from the ground.


    But the three worms continued to advance. They used their heads to cut through the sand, and moved like arge fish with its head out of the water. Lin did not know why their heads were exposed. Moving under the sands should be cooler.


    Where were they going? The center of the desert? They also seemed to be familiar with the path. This was the first time Lin was going so deep into the desert.


    Inside the worm, Leviathan did not feel hot. They may have a special ability to resist heat.


    While the worms could resist, Lins flyers struggled against the heat waves. Lin had to quickly repair and change their cells. Fortunately, the air was rtively cool, so Lin had enough time to evolve heat resistance before they were killed by heat.


    But this was temporary. The flyers did not have much nutrients in them. Constant repair and evolution expended a lot of nutrients. If a cold ce could not be found soon.


    The strong heat caused Lins thoughts to feel dizzy. Some of the flyers were unable to withstand this and fell down. Lin immediately had the other flyers go and deconstruct them so the nutrients would not be wasted.


    Luckily, most flyers were fine. While Lin had made them of the same cells, there would always be some differences. Some would be stronger and others weaker. Lin did not know why.


    Right now, the heat waves all came from the daylight. Maybe it would be better at night.


    Lin started to notice that the three worms had slowed. Were they also affected by the heat?


    After flying behind them for awhile, Lin found the worms were much slower. In the end, they stopped, and all burrowed into the sand before bing still.


    What were they doing? Resting?


    Lin was puzzled but then a ck shadow suddenly entered its sight.


    The flyers were copied from the meganeura so there was a wide field of sight. They saw something enormous flying towards them.


    Meganeura?


    An enormous meganeura was flying hurriedly towards them. At the start, they were hundreds of meters away, and in the next moment, they seemed to reach the flyers. One of the flyers was caught and then the meganeura flew away.


    Lin could sense the flyer seemed to be bitten by countless sharp des. It was quickly torn apart.


    The meganeura was not content after eating one and charged back. Lin saw this and immediately had the flyers spread apart. The meganeura sessfully grabbed a flyer and quickly ate it.


    Then, after the meganeura finished the flyer, it was still unsatisfied and wanted to grab more flyers.


    Then it discovered the surrounding flyers had disappeared.


    The scattered flyers were on the sandy ground. They had the ability to change color. If they changed to the same color as the desert, the meganeura could not see them.


    But there was also a problem. The surface of the desert was too hot. Lins flyers could not stay on the surface long. After standing for awhile on the sand, Lin sensed some cells dying.


    The meganeura hovered in the air. So troublesomeLin could notst. If some were eaten, maybe the losses would be fewer


    Suddenly, the meganeura seemed to sense something and instantly flew away.


    Lin had the flyers leave the sand to avoid being baked. But Lin was confused at the departure of the meganeura. They did not seem to have given up because they could not find their prey, but like they were hiding from something


    Boom


    An enormous sound from afar confirmed Lins worry. The flyers flew high into the sky. Lin could see the desert in the north. A yellow mist covered the entire desert. It was dozens of meters tall, and hundreds of kilometers wide. It rumbled as it moved over this way.


    This way no ordinary mist, but made from countless sand grainsa sand storm!


    This term suddenly appeared in Lins thoughts. It now knew why the worms had burrowed into the sand.


    What to do? The Leviathan should be safe inside the worm but the flyers might all be killed.


    Only this. Lin had the flyers fly as fast as they could in the opposite direction. The sand storm was not very fast and Lin thought they could escape.


    But not long after the flyers flew away, Lin found the sand storm suddenly stopped like all energy had been used up. The gathered yellow sand scattered and disappeared quickly and though it had never appeared.


    The endurance was too weak? Much less than the tsunami.


    After the sand storm stopped, the worms once again dug up out of the sand and continued to advance.


    The journey of the desert was continuing. The flyers moved with the worms in the desert. Nothing special happened during this time until daytime slowly faded.


    The flyers did not have much nutrients left. Lin was considering whether or not to deconstruct some flyers. It didnt know how far the worms would travel.


    The night of the desert was the extreme opposite of daytime. The night temperature was so low the water almost turned to ice. In the cool temperature the worms moved much faster but Lin still didnt know where they were going.


    Lin could have the flyers stop on the heads of the worms to rest. Because they were so small, the worms would not care. This would save a lot the energy.


    But night was soon to be over and day wasing. The worms still hadnt stopped moving. They had great endurance even though their speed was the opposite of their attack speed, very slow.


    However, they did not stop.


    The flyers could not stay on top of the worms in daytime. The shells would be extremely hot, even hotter than the sand. But their insides seemed to be unaffected.


    Relying on their special heat resistance, the worms moved through the desert. But this journey was so long, another night passed and Lin had to deconstruct many of the flyers. There were only five left.


    Another night passed. Lin only had three flyers left. They were badly worn. The worms were not much better. Other than the one that ate the Leviathan, the other two had disappeared. They had hid into the sand. Lin did not know if they had died or went somewhere else.


    Now, there was only one moving forward.


    Leviathan had enough nutrients for a long time. But even though the two fellows of the worm were dead, Lin could not kill this worm and dig back out. Otherwise, facing the desert, Lin did not know where to go.


    This worm also became weak. It slowed down. Lin suspected it would die here.


    If so, then Leviathan would be trapped in the desert.


    But, after another night, the worm had unexpected endurance and was still going. Lin only had one flyer left but something other than desert appeared in its sight.


    In the desert hundreds of meters away, a patch of green appeared.


    Was that.water?


    Lin could clearly smell watering from that direction

 Book 3: Chapter 10 “The Hub”

    Book 3: Chapter 10 ��The Hub��


    Last chapter recap: The worm carries Lin deep into the desert to a ce of water.


    The worm seemed to smell water and sped up from its slow movements. It seemed to charge towards the water.


    Lins flyers reached the water faster than the worm. From high up, this was ake dozens of meters wide. There was a circle of green tentacle shaped things around theke. Those must be nts. In the vast desert, theke and these nts seem to bring some wonderful feelings.


    How could have this formed? Why did water gather here? Lin cared greatly about this. Could water pass through the hot air about the desert, through the sand storms, to the center of the desert?


    When the flyer reached the side of theke, Lin found there were some small arthropods here. Lin had the flyer take a drink. Lin found the water here seemed to be especially clear, with not a lot of impurities. This should have been water made from the water floating through the air.


    Now, Lin hesitated.


    Since water had been found, should it kill the worm for Leviathan toe out? But the water only took up a small area. There may be many problems due to different factors.


    As Lin was thinking, the worm got close to here. It reached itsrge head out of the sand. It stared at the water surface for a while before diving into the water.


    When the worm dove into the water, its entire body came out of the sand. Lin also saw the body of the worm that had been deeply buried in the sand. From head to tail, this organism was more than ten meters long but less than twenty.


    How had it grown so big? This was still a riddle. The worm was drinking a lot of water from theke. Leviathan could senserge amounts of water entering the worms esophagus.


    Now, the worms esophagus truly started to move. Large amounts of dissolving fluid suddenly appeared from inside. It appeared that it was nning to truly digest the Leviathan now.


    It hadnt done so at the start because it hadcked water? The worm had not gone to drink the ocean water. Maybe it was because the ocean had not yet recovered but maybe there were other reasons.


    The explorer that Lin had used to test the water was dead. It may have been eaten. Lin had not created more. It seemed there was still a problem with the ocean water.


    The worm secreted arge volume of dissolving fluid. It seemed able to turn water directly to dissolving fluid. They could easily corrode the outeryer of the Leviathan and turn chitin substance into dust.


    But it would take time to reach the inneryers. All the holes on the Leviathan were able to open and close. When the holes werepletely closed, not even a virus could enter. So Lin did not have to worry about the dissolving fluid entering in the short term. It opened its holes slightly and sucked in a bit of dissolving fluid to deconstruct it and see what the kind of dissolving fluid it was.


    This was a powerful kind of acid


    Theposition of dissolving fluid was very different between organisms. But Lin had not named them, and so they were all called dissolving fluid.


    Different dissolving fluids had different qualities, and sometimes, dissolving fluid that could easily dissolve thick armor could be blocked by ayer of cells. Lin already thought of a solution against the worms dissolving fluid.


    Lin had once made chitin able to stop the dissolving fluid of the Aztec insects. The worms dissolving fluid was simr to the Aztec insects. However there were some special substance mixed within that could speed up the rate. It was not very difficult to think of a protection.


    However, Lin also wanted to know how the worms esophagus blocked its own dissolving fluid.


    This might be the key to killing the worm. Since it was nning to kill the Leviathan, then Lin did not n to stay in its body.


    The worms dissolving fluid corroded Leviathans outer armoryer. Lin secreted a transparent protectiveyer and also covered some units that were small with the same coating. Lin sent these units through the air holes and observed the changes of the esophagus filled with dissolving fluid.


    So this was how it was.


    There was a white sticky fluid on the walls of the worms esophagus. Clearly, the worm relied on this to stop itself from being dissolved.


    Lin scraped some of the sticky fluid from the esophagus walls and then returned into the Leviathan to analyze the fluid.


    At this time, the flyer outside was flying around theke. Lin could see the worms enormous body floating on the water surface like it was dead. But in reality, there was something major going on inside. To digest the Leviathan, it was constantly producing dissolving fluid like it wanted to use the dissolving fluid to crush the Leviathan.


    But now, Lin had analyzed the sticky fluid from the worms esophagus. This was primarily made from some special cells. Lin knew of a special way to take them off the esophagus walls.


    Lin started to createrge amounts of a special fluid. This fluid was targeted towards the esophagus wall cells and could break apart the connections between cells.


    But, just as Lin was preparing to release the fluid, the worm suddenly started shaking. The flyer outside could see. The motionless worm in the water started to twist and dove into the water.


    What was it doing?


    During Lins confusion, it suddenly saw an organisme near theke. Lin had seen this organism before


    The desert scorpion. This scorpion about the same size as the Leviathan appeared next to theke in the desert. Clearly, it hade for the water.


    Many organisms were used to using fluid to expel the waste from their bodies so they easilycked water, even though they would have shells that did not leak.


    The flyer to see the worms blurry shadow get close to the scorpion that was drinking. It clearly wanted to hunt.


    Then it would wait for a while. Lin had the Leviathan stop releasing fluid. It would not bete to wait until the worm ate the scorpion.


    The scorpion did not sense the worm in the water. The worms hunting method was extremely clever. It slowly got close, tensed its body, and then charged out of the water!


    The scorpion almost did not react in time before it was bitten by the worm. Then there was the sound of armour cracking. The scorpion was quickly bitten to pieces and swallowed.


    Lin saw this and felt a bit scared. If it had not calcted the right time when it charged into the worms mouth, it would have been bitten to pieces like this.


    After the worm swallowed the scorpion, it shrank back into the water, and continued to float like a corpse.


    As the esophagus moved, Lins eyeballs, covered with the anti-corrosive armor, saw many pieces of the scorpion get squeezed into the same ce as the Leviathan. They soaked in the acid and wereslowly being digested.


    Then now, it was time


    Thinking, Lin started to have Leviathan release the special fluid. This fluid would not be affected by the acid and spread out. The cells of the esophagus were connected by ayer of sticky fluid. But this fluid would destroy thisyer of fluid and cause the cells to get disconnected.


    The esophagus lost the protection of thisyer of cells and under direct contact with the acid, signs of corrosion started to appear.


    Goo goo


    The worm floating on top of the water felt a problem inside its body and made a strange sound.


    Leviathan continued to releaserge volumes of fluid. Large rotting wounds appeared inside the worm, and were expanding.


    The worm twisted and charged out of theke. It climbed out of the water and shook its head. Leviathan could feel the esophagus twisting violently and squeezing everything out!


    The flyer saw the worm open its enormous mouth. At the same time, Leviathan sensed a powerful flow of water. Going along with the water, the worm threw up everything on the sand. Leviathan, the pieces of the scorpion, and a lot of acid.


    It was possible to vomit from such a deep position?


    Leviathan stood up. The white sunlight passed through its corroded pitted armor and burned the cells inside. Leviathans inner shellyer could only protect against corrosion, but not the heat of the light.


    The worm stood with a third of its body upright. Its red eyes red at Leviathan as though it knew it was Lin causing the problem. But after staring for a while, the worms head tilted to the side, and the body fell to the ground with a boom.

 Book 3: Chapter 11 “Devour”

    Book 3: Chapter 11 ��Devour��


    Last chapter recap: Lin gets vomited out of the worm by theke.


    Leviathan did not look at the fallen worm. Lin had it run quickly into theke, and started to repair the damaged parts of the armor.


    The flyer flew down and observed this enormous organism.


    The flyer was almost insignificant next to the worms enormous body which waspletely covered in armor. The worm had a powerful hunting ability and was able to travel through the desert. This was the strongest organism that Lin had ever met.


    The worm had fallen to the ground, but its mouth was still opening and closing. It was not yet dead. But the damage done to it just now had been great and vomiting out the things in its body had taken a lot of energy.


    Lin did not know if the worm would recover. This organism was a dangerous enemy but also represented a lot of nutrients.


    Lin thought of some special ns.


    Lin did not reinforce Leviathans armor but softened it until it was like a wall of cells. This was a softened state of skin with an inner-like structure. This was like a skeleton used to support Leviathans weight. At the same time, Leviathans insides changed dramatically as Lin remade most of the internal structure of Leviathan.


    Lin turned Leviathan into a special organism. Its body was filled with strong acid and water as well as sharp shell pieces. There were many small holes on the surface used to absorb air.


    The present Leviathan was like an enormous bomb. If it exploded, all these things in the body would seriously injure their target.


    Lin had most of the remaining cells degenerate back to a simpler state with stronger reproduction and aggressiveness. Lin was going to use them to devour the worm.


    The new Leviathan walked out of theke and came in front of the fallen worm.


    The worm had not recovered yet and was close to dying. Lin was not sure if it could recover after vomiting so much water. However, this was not important now.


    Leviathan got near the worms head, nning to use tentacles to open the worms mouth.


    The dying worm suddenly went upright and bit towards the Leviathan.


    It still had such strength?


    Leviathan did not dodge. Just like before, Lin had Leviathan charg straight at the worms mouth. Once again, the worm had no time to close its mouth before Leviathan burrowed in. But this time, it was not the worms mistake, but because it was too weak.


    Leviathan burrowed deep into the worm. This was just like Lin had thought. The acid-filled esophagus was now clean. Leviathan crawled to the ce where there were corrosion marks before stopping.


    The worm did not move. It did not have the strength to spit Leviathan out.


    At this time, Leviathan absorbed the air inside the esophagus, expanding until it was almost double in size and then exploded. The dissolving fluid insideLeviathan sprayed out, sshing over the worms esophagus. The special sharp shell pieces Lin had created stabbed through the soft esophagus walls. Blood uncontrobly sprayed from the wounds.


    But all this was secondary. The most important was that therge number of cells inside Leviathan were now scattered around the worms esophagus. They formed little troops, starting to destroy and consume the worms esophagus cells and reproducing.


    Ordinary organisms would forget the abilities they once possessed as they evolved. They could not recover their ability. But Lin was different. Lins cells remembered everything from its birth to now. Lin could make cells from any time, create new types of cells which could fight like the newest multicellr organisms, while also creating the most primitive bacteria to invade the inner structures from the enemy, infecting the blood and organs.


    Leviathan had evolved many new cells during the hundred million years, and many were suited to fighting. Lin could put them to good use now.


    After doing as it pleased in the worm, Lin quickly encountered many immune cells. They swam through passages like blood vessels to stop Lins invasion. When normal cells fought, the win rate was usually half and half unless these were cells that had evolved to target the enemy.


    But Lin did not have such a need. It could quickly create many small multicellr organisms. When multicellr organisms fought against single cells, this could be described as a ughter.


    Of cows, only the organisms that Lin had created to target single cells had such an ability. There were some highly evolved multicellr organisms who could lose to a group of primitive bacteria.


    After the esophagus was destroyed, Lin started to invade the worms blood vessels and spread to other organs through the blood pumped by the heart. Lin created some round and hard-shelled units to block the blood vessels and cut off the flow of blood. Then it consumed the nutrients in the blood vessels to reproduce.


    Finally, some of Lins troops reached the heart. Lin created some units with spikes here to attack, cutting the muscle cells of the heart and destroying the structure.


    If the heart of ordinary organisms stopped beating and providing nutrients, the cells of the body would start to die. They were too reliant on the blood cirction system. But Lin was different. It could stop the heart beating for a long time to stop a toxin or other dangerous substance from spreading through the body.


    Lins invasion continued to spread. Due to the constant reproduction, Lins cells finally spread all over the worm.


    The pain spreading inside the body caused the enormous worm to fall to the desert again. This time, it did not climb back up


    Daytime slowly passed. The corpse of the worm was covered by the cold of the ck night. On the surface, the enormous organism looked lifeless, but inside, there were great changes.


    It was not an easy matter to invade a giant organism. It would take a long time for a single cell to make its way around the worms body. Lin only managed to start controlling the situation at night.


    The structures inside the worm were all destroyed. Blood and other fluids filled the entire worm. Lin created a hard shell in the worms mouth to stop the fluid from flowing out. At the same time, Lin started to absorb most of the nutrients from the worm.


    Lin found some interesting structures inside the worm. The worms shell was extremely thick and there was an instionyer that could let it maintain its body temperature even under the heat of the daytime light.


    Other than this, the muscle cells of the worm were very tough because they had to drive such arge body. If Lin learned all this, it could be much stronger.


    There was nothing special about the other structures of the worm. The head wasrge but didnt seem to have anything special. In reality, Lin wants to know more about the Aztec insects structures.


    Lin absorbed most of the nutrients from the worm and started to reorganize the entire structure. Lin did not want to revive this organism like before, but use it as a base to create arge number of new units.


    Lin stuck ayer of muscle structures on the worms mouth so it could be opened and closed.


    The shell of the worm was water-proof and heat-resistant. It was suitable for being a desert base. If Lin found some way of obtaining water right now, maybe the entire desert would be covered in green carpet right now.


    But first, Lin would take over thiske and see if there werekes in other parts of the desert.


    Lin first assembled units that were small but could fly. These were named sowers. They were like the meganeura. Their tails contained green carpet seeds that could be ced in suitable environments to grow into a green carpet.


    Then Lin created a tentacle unit used to drill into the sand. Lin had these sand drillers go deep underground to see if water sources could be found.


    The mouth of the worm opened and releasedrge numbers of sowers. They were one-use units with low nutrients. In reality, Lin did not have much hope towards them and felt the sand drillers would find water more easily.


    In the end, Lin formed the final organism inside the worms body.


    Leviathan.


    Lin had hesitated about theposition of Leviathan.


    If Lin wanted, it could create something like the worm, but Lin thought there was no need for such arge body. It would be inconvenient to move through the desert as it could not move quickly. Also, this was not in the water. In reality, the worm moved very slowly, about the same as the Leviathan when walking and this was not the same as attack speed.


    How big? As Lin thought, a question suddenly rose. It could not make the Leviathan toorge because then the Leviathan could note out. This was being made inside the worm. There was no problem with the length, but it could not be tall. But if this was just long and not tall, it felt strange


    Making the Leviathan took a lot of time. It took a day and night before this was finished.


    The mouth of the worm slowly opened. Apletely new Leviathan stepped on to the sand. Lin had increased it to 4.3 meters long and 1.6 meter tall. While the increase did not feel like a lot, this has much newer equipment. It waspletely covered in the worms heat resistant shell, and now had the tough muscle cells.


    Now, Leviathan possessed the capability to pass through the desert. Lin wanted to use it to find a region where it could truly live, and not this smallke.


    But, where to go?

 Book 3: Chapter 12 “The Green Terminal”

    Book 3: Chapter 12 ��The Green Terminal��


    Last chapter recap: Lin kills the worm.


    Lin faced the vast desert. Having lost this worm guide, Lin hadpletely lost sense of direction.


    But the worm had to be killed. Otherwise, it would have kept on producing acid until it dissolved Leviathan.


    Lin did not want to stay at theke. It never liked small ces. It didnt know when the moisture here would be used up. Then everything here would disappear.


    The worms destination would not be this ce. Lin did not feel such arge organism would live at this smallke that could disappear at any moment. It should have a further destination.


    Lin did not know how the worm navigated because it did not have something like mas in its head. If the worm did not have memory of ces it had went to before, then it had to have powerful perception. Lin knew the worm did not have powerful perception so it must have had memories.


    But where should Lin go? It could only go with its feeling.


    Lin assembled a special tentacle on the back of the Leviathan. This was primarily made from the olfactory system used to smell the fine water droplets in the air. This way, Lin could know were the nearest water was.


    Leviathan swung the tentacle. Walking around the worm, Lin sensed the water in the air.


    There seemed to be more moisture this way.


    Leviathan went northwest along the smell. Suddenly, Lin sensed that its foot hit something. When it stretched out its eyeball tentacle to look, it found this was a piece of the scorpion the worm had vomited up.


    Scorpion? Speaking of it, the scorpion should not be an organism of the desert. But it roamed the desert in search of water and prey to live? These organisms should have some navigation method


    Maybe Lin could find it?


    Lin searched through the pile of pieces. However, the desert scorpion was so damaged Lin could not find anything useful.


    OhLin had to rely on itself?


    Leviathan used tentacles to flipp over thest piece of armor. Just when Lin was about to throw it away, it found something stuck to the back of the piece.


    Lin ced the piece on sandy ground. These were a few dozen small white balls. Each was only three centimeters across. These things had not been dissolved by the worms dissolving fluid.


    These were clearly the desert scorpions eggs. While they looked fine, they were probably dead.


    As Lin was thinking this, suddenly, the shell of an egg opened and a small scorpion that looked the same as the big scorpion came out.


    It was still alive? Lin felt shocked. It watched as six of the eggs split and a group of small scorpions came out.


    After they were born, they did not run in another direction. They climbed up the Leviathans leg. All of them climbed up the Leviathan.


    What were they doing? Did they mistake the Leviathan as arger scorpion?


    This was pretty interesting. Maybe therge scorpion would carry the small scorpions like this. Maybe the small scorpions had a way of finding a water source?


    It did not seem to be. They justid on the Leviathans back, and did nothing. Lin still had to rely on itself to search.


    Swinging its tentacle again, Lin sensed air.


    As a hot gust of wind blew by, Lin finally smelled a scent. This feeling was not water, but nts. Lin did not know what kind of nt, but that directionclearly had life.


    Then it would go. The worm shell here would be left behind as a base for thiske. It was going to find a truly suitable habitat!


    Leviathan turned towards the target. The armor on its two sides opened a crack and two enormous pairs of wings stretched out.


    These were the wings Lin had created that mimicked the meganeura. The wingspan reached 8.6 meters. Each wing was equal to the length of the Leviathan. They could usually be in their soft state and be folded within the Leviathan. When they met the air, they would gradually harden and be giant wings that could let the Leviathan fly!


    Lin waved the two pairs of wings. As the giant wings pped, the sand gusted up. The small scorpions huddled together on Leviathans back as though they knew what was happening next.


    However, nothing happened


    Lin found that while its wing movement were correct, the same as the meganeura, it could not fly at all.


    Lin was not surprised by this. As expected, did it weigh too much? Or were the wings too small? But Lin felt the wings were alreadyrge enough. Howrge did they have to be? Wings too big would get in the way on the ground.


    Lin had some descriptive term now, mostly kilogram, and ton. Leviathan was about a ton or so. The dragonfly was about a kilogram and a ton was a thousand kilograms. This was much heavier than the biggest flying organism Lin had seen up until now.


    Then how about trying harder? Lin opened the water spout at the Leviathans tail. It shot outpressed air. At the same time, the legs started to run. Working with the pping wings, Leviathan charged out like it was flying.


    This feeling was pretty good!


    Leviathan sprinted on the desert, but even though it was very fast, it still couldnt break free of the ground. No matter how hard Lin pped the wing or how fast it ran, it could not rise.


    Never mind, just leave it like this. This was much faster than before, and felt rxed.


    Lin continued to move through the desert in this flying method. This was much faster than the worms who dug through the ground and used up less power than normal running.


    The small scorpions on the back were still there. Lin found they had not been thrown off. Some of the daring ones were climbing around the armor. They seemed to have strong barbs on the tips of their legs that could prevent them from falling off.


    Lin did not pay much attention to them and moved even faster. In Lins calction, it would reach the destination before night came.


    The scenery faded away as Lin ran. With the strong muscles and perfect nutrient supply, Lin felt no tiredness at all. When the sky was turning dark,rge patches of green appeared at the limits of Lins sight.


    Arrived!


    Lin had to sigh at its current speed. If it had stayed inside the worm, it didnt know how many days this would have taken.


    As the Leviathan came closer, the things Lin saw grew bigger and clearer. In the end, they formed a line of green countless kilometers long.


    The green nts stretched up to the sky like giant tentacles. They were twisted together as they reached up, over a hundred meters tall, even bigger than the spiked pirs. At the top, they had many branches covered with green leaves. These enormous nts stood in front of Lin like a giant wall, and upied all of its sight.


    This area should be called a forest. While Lin seemed to have mentioned the term before, Lin only understood its meaning now. These thick nts that looked like tentacles twisted together seemed to be called trees.


    Tree? These seemed to be organisms and were not stone spikes covered with moss. The moss had even been nted by the Aztec insects. This region was veryrge, and just by eye, it was far greater than the spiked pirs.


    Lin nned to call these trees twisted trees because they were like tentacles twisted together. Lin did not know if the two trees twisted together were one organism or two.


    There must be a lot of organisms here. Lin could hear all kinds of strange soundsing from the forest. Many meganeura flew about the trees. Lin even asionally sawrge arthropods climb up the thick trunk. There was a thickyer of moss on the forest ground where many small arthropods were active.


    Sucking in the clean oxygen floating from the forest, Leviathan put away its wings and walked among the twisted trees. The burning feeling from the desert had disappeared to be reced by a refreshing feeling. Going through the desert was worth it.


    In the forest, looking up, the dimming daylight passed through the gaps between the leaves. They shone as brightly as stars in the night. They swayed with the leaves. Some small reptiles passed through the mottled lights. They chewed on the ground moss. Some other arthropods were attempting to join but they did not notice a diving meganeura which easily caught a slow reptile. But when the meganeura was returning to the canopy, it identally hit a fine white web. No matter how it struggled, it could not break free. Then, an enormous eight-legged arthropod slowly came close


    This ce was filled with life and abundant organisms. This was no longer the poor and small spiked pir woods that the Aztec insects had nted, but a new world.


    Here, there would be a new start


    Trantor Ramblings: These twisting trees might be Lepidodendrales.

 Book 3: Chapter 13 “The Twisted Forest”

    Book 3: Chapter 13 ��The Twisted Forest��


    Last chapter recap: Lin finds a ce with trees


    This was a wonderful ce. Even though Lin had seen many scenes in the ocean, Lin had to sigh. Just like the coral reefs in the ocean, there was such a rich variety of organisms it was hard to describe. Lin was shocked at such a wonderful scene having evolved onnd.


    The true destination of the worm should be this ce. Only by relying on the abundant food here could they grow sorge. But this was also due to the oxygen atmosphere created by the nts. If the ultraviolet light was still strong, nothing could live onnd.


    Leviathan slowly walked through the forest. There was a rich greenyer of moss under its feet. It felt soft to step on. With every step, some small arthropods would jump out. Most of them could fly, and the wings they used were very different from the meganeura.


    Lin still had to study flying. If it could not fly through the air just with wings, then the floating jellyfish were Leviathans only choice. It was a pity that while there were many organisms here, Lin had not seen the floating jellyfish.


    When walking here, some arthropods would fly onto Leviathan. Most of them were parasites. They all had needle-like sharp mouths. They attempted to find cracks in the armor but they quickly became food for the little scorpions.


    The little desert scorpions had stuck the Leviathans back all this time. Because they did nothing else, Lin did not care.


    Lin was searching for a ce to live right now. Leviathan was big, and most organisms would choose to avoid Leviathan if they saw it. But Lin did not know what would happen at night. Lin did not want to encounter a situation like the night in the spiked pirs. So Lin had to find a safe ce.


    The air here was filled with the sounds of organisms, but there were some other sounds mixed in.


    The sound of flowing water.


    It was important to confirm the source of water. Lin moved in the direction of water.


    The deeper Lin went, the more peculiar the trees became. They did not twist together like the trees on the outside. There were many shapes like the coral tentacles, straight, winding,s. There were all different shapes. These nts grew randomly, and it was really good to call them twisted trees.


    Lin passed over a twisted tree trunk in front of it and finally saw the source of water.


    This was a small river about two meters wide. It flowed through the deep forest, winding towards the other side of the forest. Some small organisms were drinking water from the river. What attracted Lins gaze were two millipedes about three meters long.


    This river felt narrow. There seemed to be another term to describe it, stream. Was this the water source for the forest? If there was a chance, Lin would go downstream and see if this connected to the ocean.


    Now, as the sky darkened, it had to find a safe ce.


    Leviathan walked near the small stream. The surrounding small organisms ran away when Leviathan came close. Only the two millipedes did not run, and even hissed at Leviathan.


    Waitthese were not millipedes.


    Lin found the organisms were simr to millipedes, but had fewer but thicker legs. The body was also different from the millipedes, slightly wider. They had another name, centipede.


    They did not fear the Leviathan who was much bigger than them. They shook their bodies, posing like they were prepared to charge at any moment. Lin ignored them, slowly walking by their side and crossing the stream to the other shore.


    The centipedes saw Leviathan move away so they stopped posing and continued to drink water.


    This could work.


    After reaching the other side of the river, Lin looked at the dimming sky and then the soil under its feet. This ce was different from the original spot. The moss did not cover the entire ground, but was scattered about. It would be suitable to create a residence here. While the moss here should not have been nted by an arthropod, Lin thought it should be more careful, and not dig them out rashly.


    Leviathan used its tentacles and forelimbs to dig into the ground. Leviathan now had three pairs of segmented limbs. The rear two were thicker, used for supporting weight. The front pair was narrower and had more abilities.


    It did not take a lot of time to dig a hole to hide. Lin found something strange during this time. Those little scorpions climbed off Leviathans body, and used their thick pincers to help Leviathan dig.


    Lin had not expected them to do this? Interesting.


    As the sky turned dark, Lin quickly dug out a small hole to hold Leviathan and the little scorpions.


    Leviathan backed up into the hole, and used the suckers on its tentacles to stick the surrounding soil and bury itself.


    This was the first time Lin did this and it felt quite good. Lin found the little scorpions had not stopped digging down. Because Lin did not know how to get them to stop, Lin did not bother with them. But Lin still wanted to see what the forest was like at night. So it created three flyers that had light to explore the outside in the night.


    The flyers flew over the river and flew between the enormous trunks. The forest was twisted andplex. They were enough to obscure more of the light during the day. But the forest floor was covered in moss so how did they absorb light?


    As the sky darkened, Lin noticed the moss seemed to sh with light.


    The flyersnded on the ground and used their forelimbs to dig up a piece of moss. Lin found some fine powder shining brightly. As the daylight grew dimmer, the powder grew brighter.


    Could it be that


    As the night came closer, the surrounding ground seemed to be weing daytime. All of the moss started to give off white light. They spread through the forest like a river of stars, and immediately lit up the entire forest.


    It was like the light source in the sky had been moved to the ground. While the moss were not as bright as the daytime light, this was enough to illuminate the entire forest.


    This was amazingNo wonder the twisted trees did not just grow straight up, but so many twisted through the forest. So it was to receive light from the ground.


    Lin was familiar with these light things. This was not light from the moss themselves, butthe pieces of crystal.


    The flyers had small mouths. They could eat the powder and analyze the substance in their bodies. These crystals were the same as those in the ocean, but their effects were different.


    The crystals from the ocean would only light up when receiving light during day. They were dark at night. But the crystals here would shine during the dark night, and could not be seen during day.


    Maybe the mosses used some special method. Or there were more secrets in the crystal that Lin had not found yet.


    The crystals here likely absorbed light during day. Even though the trees blocked light, there was still enough light to illuminate the even forest. These crystals seemed able to store light


    If Lin used this, it could create the green carpet anywhere. But Lin did not know where the crystals came from.


    Lin had the Leviathan use its tentacles to dig into the surrounding soil of its hole. In the soil, Lin found a small amount of crystals.


    Maybe the crystals were hidden deep in the ground? But Lin did not need to dig for them, just take them from the mosses. But Lin had to confirm first the moss had not been nted from organisms like the Aztec insects.


    In the shining night, Lin found that many organisms active in daytime were still active now. On the ground, some reptiles about two metersrge were grazing on the shining moss. Lin also saw the centipede it had seen before. They were lying in wait in the moss, waiting for a reptile to move by, and then would charge, stabbing the tips of the forelimbs into the others neck. Then another centipede charged over to help. The reptiles would scatter upon seeing this, but they did not run far before they started to graze again.


    It appeared the moss here had not been nted by some organism. Other organisms could feed as they pleased. The crystals were likely expelled because they could not be digested and then used by the regrown moss. No strange organisms would appear in the night.


    Then, Lin should start to move.


    While it had only explored a small part of the forest, Lin thought this could be used as a new development point.


    Lin would change its previous method. It would not spread out the green carpet and have the Leviathan explore. Instead, it would create more troops and take over the region.

 Book 3: Chapter 14 “Forest Hunter”

    Book 3: Chapter 14 ��Forest Hunter��


    Last chapter recap: Lin explores the forest, the moss, and the crystals.


    Lin had stayed two days in the forest of twisted trees and studied the environment here. Even at night, it was as bright as day. The bright crystal dust on top of the moss meant the forest would never have true darkness. Many organisms here did not have concepts of day and night. They were living in the light at all times.


    In the forest, there was a small river just two meters wide. Wondrously, the other side of the river waspletely different.


    Maybe it was due to thend. The soil here only had scattered patches of moss. The light of the stars could not illuminate the vast forest. In the ce where light could not reach, there were onlyplex twisted shadows. This was the world of the predators. They hid in the darkness, waiting for the prey toe close. Only a few predators would step to the other side filled with light.


    Lin called the dark half the darknd and the mossy part the shing forest. The river was the dividing line.


    Some strange arthropods shaped like scorpions, with long narrow legs and sharp fore limbs, charged out of the forest, sprinting across the river. Sshing their way, they boarded the shing forest. These arthropods were only thirty centimeters long and were called hunters. They were the first troops Lin created aftering here.


    Lin had changed its previous n. While having the Leviathan go to explore was interesting, after seeing the rapid evolution of the surrounding organisms, Lin thought the simple exploration ns of the past were no longer suitable. If Lin encountered unknown and great threats, it would be hard to escape.


    Therefore, Lin decided to use a n that was not limited to one unit. It created an army to explore the surrounding area before taking over with the green carpet. Leviathan itself would not move, and exist as a moving base.


    The hunters lowered their bodies and slowly moved on the moss-covered ground.


    In the dark night, there were fewer predators than during daytime. The light came from the ground, and it was hard for predators to hide their bodiesunless predators who could change color.


    When quickly expanding the army, using the nutrients of the green carpet was too slow so Lin must hunt other organisms to obtain nutrients. The hunters focused on the organisms who were grazing on the moss nearby. These round arthropods were about a meter long, and covered all over in hard armor. They had a name, beetle. But beetle was a general term. Lin had seen many beetle organisms in the forest. To distinguish between them, they could not all be called beetles. Then this special one would be called the moss-eating beetle. The moss-eating beetles were small and medium beetles, very suitable as targets.


    The hunters gave off the same light as the moss. They did not just change color. Lin had them gather the crystal dust to sprinkle over themselves. This way, they would merge as one with the surrounding environment. The moss-eating beetles did not notice they wereing close.


    When the hunters were a certain distance from the moss-eating beetle, the hunters all charged out. The moss-eating beetles reacted quickly. They immediately opened their back shells. Four enormous wings spread apart. Before they flew up, one hunter leapt onto the moss-eating beetles back. The sharp forelimbs immediately cut multiple wounds on the wings.


    The moss-eating beetle pped its wings but because of the wounds, it could not rise up at all. Then the other hunters leapt as well. They used their forelimbs to stab into the moss-eating beetles body and leg joints.


    The hunters easily killed the beetle. Green fluid came out of the damaged joints and it fell to the ground.


    The hunters were different from the temporary troops Leviathan usually created. They possessed an entire set of organs and a circtory system. So they could eat the beetle on the spot, then store some of the nutrients in their abdomen to carry back.


    Three of the hunters were responsible for feeding on the spilled blood of the moss-eating beetle. The rest were responsible for cutting open the armor. This was very hard so it took a lot of effort.


    Some small reptiles smelled blood and came close. They moved around the corpse, trying to get close and eat a bit of the blood. Lin sent two hunters to drive them away. Lin had no thoughts of sharing.


    The fish were the strongest organisms in the ocean, and the reptiles, as the evolved form of fish onnd, were very weak. Most of them were nt feeders or scavengers. Lin noticed that this ce was primarily giant arthropods. But Lin had only explored a small part of the twisted forest. Maybe other ces would have other wonderful organisms.


    The hunters split open the beetles abdomen and gathered together to eat. Lin knew the corpses would attract small reptiles, and some powerful organisms. For examplean organism called cockroach.


    This type of organism wasrge and fast with de-like mouth parts that could quickly slice their targets. Some of the flyers that Lin had released before had been eaten by the organisms called cockroaches. The cockroaches were one of the predators active in the shing forest. Because they were so fast, even if the prey found them in advance, they could not escape.


    Luckily, the moss-eating beetle was quickly eaten to an empty shell. During this time, no other organisms were attracted. After the hunters left, the small reptiles came over and burrowed into the moss-eating beetles shell to find scraps.


    The hunters quickly returned. They crossed the river and returned to the entrance to the cave of the darknd.


    Lin had erged the hole it had dug before. The ce felt suitable as a base. It was now more than ten meters deep and three meters wide. Lin had mixed chitin into the inneryer soil to stop the hole from copsing.


    After the hunters returned, they formed the nutrients into small balls and spat them out. Other than absorbing the amount they needed, the extra nutrients would be brought back to Leviathan.


    Leviathan used the gatherers to eat the nutrients balls. At this time, the little scorpions sleeping in the hole seemed to smell food. They charged out and used their pincers to grab the nutrients to eat.


    Lin did not stop them. It felt that raising these scorpions was pretty fun. These organisms were smart. They could discern between the troops that Lin created and other organisms. So they knew not to attack Lins gatherers.


    The scorpions stopped eating after one or two. Their food intake was very small but in reality, they grew quickly. Some of them had shed their shells as they grew bigger. The present arthropods all seemed to grow by shedding shells. Lin felt this was a waste, and the shedding time was dangerous. Lin usually would not increase Leviathans weight. It would only dissolve the Leviathan at special times and then reorganize.


    Lin collected all the nutrient balls and digested them. Other than creating more troops, Lin added three bombers to the hunter troop. These were shaped like scorpions, about thirty centimeters long. Their curved tails did not end in poison stingers, but armor dissolving exploding bombs. Most of the targets right now were arthropods, and the ability to prate armor was necessary.


    Lin felt the shape of the scorpions were the most perfect form it had seen up to now, suitable for both attack and defense, and did not affect speed. It felt so practical.


    Leviathan had Leviathan create some more diggers to help erge what was now arge cave. The hunter troop continued to hunt for prey.


    When the first hunter stepped out of the cave, Lin sensed it being caught by something and was instantly dragged into the sky. Before the hunter could see clearly, its head was crushed. The remaining hunters walked out of the cave. Then they walked up, they could only make out the many twisted tree trunks in the darkness. They could not see what had attacked the hunter.


    This forest was really full of monsters


    While Lin had stayed here two days and nights, it had only seen a few organisms. Lin did not know at all the organism from just now. Lins cave was on the border of the light and dark  right beside the river and closer to the dark. The organism may havee from the darknds. Lin had not explored it greatly, and it had been hunting recently in the mossy shing forest.


    Should it give chase? Lin could sense the captured hunter being gnawed away by something, but it would not be eaten up quickly. It did not seem very profitable to enter the darknds for just a hunter, but to guarantee its safety, Lin had to defeat this organism that could ambush right at Lins cave entrance.


    But Lin did not want to send out an army to attack the target. The risk was too high. There was the chance of all of them being killed. Lin had to think of another method


    As Lin was thinking, Leviathan created a shining flyer that flew towards the twisted forest.

 Book 3: Chapter 15 “Bombardier Beetle”

    Book 3: Chapter 15 ��Bombardier Beetle��


    Last chapter recap: Lin explores the forest and one of its hunters is captured.


    Lin named the ce where the captured hunter was located the secondyer of the twisted forest. The bottomyer of the forest was a vast ground of light moss, soil and remains of nts. The secondyer was a new world.


    Thisyer could be reached by flying along the twisted tree trunk. This environment here were criss-crossing thick examine twisted tree trunks. Like dancing tentacles, they had no rhyme or reason to speak of. This ce waspletely covered in darkness at night, and no light could reach this position.


    In this dark andplex environment, the abdomen of the flyer lit up. It flew deeper towards the target.


    There were twisted tree trunks all over here, the thinnest with a meter wide. This was enough to have the hunters climb up. But Leviathan would have no way.


    The hunter who had been captured had been eaten 30%. The predator seemed to be gnawing with sharp teeth, and did not seem to have any kind of dissolving fluid.


    What kind of organism was this? Maybe this was one that Lin knew of, like the cockroaches. There were some small scavenger types among thee roaches, but the biggest Lin saw were the strongest predators Lin had seen in the forest up until now.


    Lin would only know if it saw. The flyer moved up rapidly against the trunk. The destination was where Lin felt pain. In the dark environment, one or two flying insects would get close, shake a bit and then disappear without a trace.


    Lin had not seen any big organisms. At this time, Lin was already near that organism.


    Hm? The pain of being eaten stopped?


    Lin could sense the captured hunter was half-eaten already but it was not being eaten any longer, rather, thrown to the side.


    Such a waste. However, other organisms, if they had too many fat cells, would be affected in their movement. Lin, even if full of energy, could form the food into a ball and store it. Because Lin would kill all the bacteria which ate dead matter, its food would never rot.


    However, this was a chance. Lin might be able to use this leftover hunter to defeat the organism.


    Lin immediately had the hunters wounds solidify to stop the bleeding and from other bacteria from entering. At the same time, its body started to change dramatically.


    First, the cells and organ structures dissolved. The basic cells in the body absorbed the nutrients that were released and started to reproduce. Then the basic cells start to form countless new organisms.


    The hunter had been eaten until only its abdomen was left but the abdomen was coincidentally thergest part of the hunter. There was enough space and nutrients for Lin to reorganize it.


    The basic cells, through changing and rbination, quickly form a new group of organisms. Lin based the design on a rtively vicious flying insectmonly seen around, so Lin named them mad wasp.


    Now, the flyer outside found the location of the hunter. There was a tree hole a meter wide on a thick trunk. The hole was very shallow. Lin only saw the half-eaten hunter and no other organisms present.


    Had it left? From the size of the hole, the organism was notrge and might be a cockroach.


    The sound was


    The flyer heard the sound of climbing from nearby. Not far away, a shelled organism was climbing the tree trunk. It was more than a meter long, and under the flyers light, its armor shone silver.


    What? So it was a beetle type. But the colorLin had never seen this type before. Lin would call it the silver beetle.


    The silver beetle climbed up the twisted trunk to the tree hole. The tentacles on its head waved. It seemed to be searching for something. In the end, it locked onto the remains of the hunter, and went over to eat. From this, it did not seem to be the original owner of the hole, and hade over because of the smell.


    Never mind, Lin would get rid of this one first.


    The silver beetle chewed a big hole in the remaining abdomen of the hunter. Usually,rge amounts of blood would flow out, but it did not get a thing. As the beetle waved its antennae, countless organisms suddenly surged out of the hole it had chewed!


    The mad wasps were about two centimeters, but there were so many. They relied on their de-like mandibles to attack. Like the flying type of the Aztec insects, they sprayed acid from their abdomens.


    The silver beetle seemed to be encountering something like this for the first time. It seemed slightly dazed. Before it reacted, the mad wasp climbed all over it.


    The mandibles of the mad wasp were to deal with soft-armored targets. Against heavy-armored targets like this, one must use the dissolving fluid. All arthropods had some air holes, the result of gills that had degenerated.


    The mad wasp found some holes on the side of the silver beetle. As Lin prepared to have them spray acid, the abdomen of the silver beetle suddenly bulged, and it sprayed arge volume of fluid before Lin did.


    Bam! As the silver beetle sprayed, there was a loud sound. Lin instantly felt the mad wasps over the holes get hit with a burst of warm fluid and rushed out with the impact.


    Lin had the mad wasps hurry away and sent some to search for those who had been sent away. Lin quickly found the corpses around the tree hole. The bodies of the wasps seemed to have melted. There was ayer of ck fluid on their remains that was smoking.


    This wasa bombardment?


    Lin found this iprehensible. The silver beetle used a simr bombing method as Leviathan,pressing and shooting from its body. And the insect did not shoot exploding bombs, but a kind of height temperature dissolving fluid.


    How had these organisms evolved to such a step? It was hard to imagine. First, how did it store the high temperature fluid in its body? Lin had not seen any other organisms have the bombing method and the impact was so powerful, much greater than other pressure shooting method.


    Lin could not spare it. It had to capture this organism and dissect it. Lin could make its own troops, but it still relied on copying from other organisms.


    Bam! The silver beetle shot outrge volumes of fluid from its side towards the swarm of mad wasps in the tree hole. Dozens of mad wasps fell. The hot dissolving fluid instantly destroyed their body structures and dissolved them into pieces of debris.


    Facing such great firepower, the mad wasp swarm did not retreat. They attacked again, spraying dissolving fluid onto the silver beetle. At the same time, they were searching for any part they could bite. Lin tried to keep this insect at any cost.


    The armor of the silver beetle was unusually strong, as though it was used to spraying high temperature acid. Its ability to resist acid was great. The attacks of the mad wasps were useless. Under its sessive attacks, there were less than a hundred mad wasps left from the original thousand.


    The remaining mad wasps could not pose a threat. The silver beetle could not easily hit them so it ignored the rest of the mad wasps and ate the remains of the fallen mad wasps.


    What to do? If the mad wasps were useless, there was likely no time for other troops or Leviathan to act.


    The silver beetle ate quickly, and climbed out of the tree hole after finishing the remains.


    Lin had the mad wasps and the shining flyer follow. The silver beetle climbed for a while on the twisting trunk before suddenly stopping and lying motionless.


    Lins mad wasps fly around its head, but the silver beetle did not react.


    Was it resting? So it had no nest and slept like this?


    Howeverthis was good because the position where the silver beetle was sleeping was right above Leviathans cave. While Leviathan could not climb up because it was too heavy. Butas long as the beetle came down, it was fine.


    Leviathan came out of the cave. Lin stretched out its eyeball tentacles and could faintly make out the light of the flyer on the twisted tree trunk.


    About thirty meters away


    Leviathan created a narrow, long, and flexible cell thread in its body. There was a barbed spike at the end. It was long enough to reach the silver beetle above.


    Leviathan aimed and using the pressure of air, Leviathan shot the barb out!


    Leviathan could not shoot the barb so high. Also, this thin barb could not prate the armor of the silver beetle so Lin made something special.


    There were small wings on the barb. Even when it lost momentum, it could fly for a long distance. The winged barb flew in front of the silver beetle on the tree trunk, next to its mouth, and poked its closed mandibles.


    After Lin poked several dozen times, the silver beetle finally woke up. It bit the barb and swallowed it without thinking.


    It took the bait!


    After confirming the barb had hooked onto a soft part inside the silver beetles mouth, Leviathan pulled hard, and pulled the beetle off the tree!


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