Chapter 26

Lín's newly assembled body was not much different from her previous one. The main structure was spherical, with a surface covered in spiky tentacles that could be used for hunting or swimming. The body was hollow in the middle, used to house the dispersed cells. At the front of the body, Lín had assembled an eye, smaller than before but much larger than the observer's.

At the back of the body was an elliptical tail primarily composed of muscle cells. The tail had an opening at its end that could rapidly take in and expel water, allowing Lín to accelerate instantly.

The entire body was only about 30% the size of her previous base. After all, apart from some wild cells, there was nothing left to eat in the cave and on the rocks. The white paste that used to constantly emerge had long since run out, so Lín could only create a body of this size.

Lín decided to call it the 'Far Traveler,' signifying her intention to travel a great distance to find new food and experiences.

With this in mind, Lín began to move the Far Traveler's tentacles, leaving the rock where she had stayed for so long and heading into the ocean.

The underwater scenery was as familiar as ever, vast and empty, making Lín feel uneasy. However, this feeling quickly disappeared.

The waters in this area seemed to have become warmer, and the surrounding light was becoming increasingly bright. Lín realized that she was unknowingly swimming upwards, and the further she swam against gravity, the warmer and brighter the water became.

The Far Traveler's outer skin had hardened, making it less sensitive to external stimuli. However, Lín had specially designed two small tentacles at the front of the Far Traveler, made of unhardened basic cells, allowing her to clearly perceive changes in water temperature and currents.

At this moment, the large eye at the front of the Far Traveler noticed something. A large patch of green immediately caught Lín's attention. It was something she was very familiar with...

Green cells.

These oxygen-releasing organisms were gathered in large numbers in the water ahead. Lín also noticed that the light there seemed particularly... bright.

Green cells themselves had no offensive capabilities, but the oxygen bubbles they released had terrifying lethal energy. However, Lín was no longer afraid of oxygen, so the green cells now meant only one thing to her...

Food.

Lín suddenly contracted the Far Traveler's tail, and the body instantly rushed toward the large group of green cells. She waved her tentacles, beginning to hunt the surrounding green cells!

The green cells had no resistance and were much slower than the Far Traveler. Lín could kill a large number of them with a single sweep of her tentacles.

Below the Far Traveler's eye was an opening that could be opened and closed. After killing many green cells, Lín opened the mouth and sucked in the dead cells, then used the acid injectors inside the Far Traveler to break down the remains, which were then consumed by the fat cell tentacles inside the body.

These steps seemed complex, but they were actually very quick, and the nutrients obtained were quickly distributed throughout the Far Traveler's body.

After eating one group of green cells, Lín moved on to the next. There were many green cells in this area, and Lín estimated there were several million. Eating them all would significantly increase her colony.

The green cells would move in groups to avoid Lín, but their movements were slow, and to Lín, they were almost like wriggling in place. Most of the green cells were killed by Lín's tentacles before they could even react.

Of course, this was also thanks to Lín's ability to use oxygen, which made her much faster than before.

Continuously consuming these cells, Lín began to use the nutrients to increase the size of the Far Traveler and add more fat cells, preparing for the next hunting spot.

While hunting the green cells, Lín also had some questions. What did these green things eat? Although it was warmer and brighter here, Lín had not seen any other cells or food like the white paste. Why were they gathered here in such large numbers?

Could they be feeding on light and warmth?

The last small group of green cells was now in front of her. Lín had almost eaten them all, and the surrounding water, which had been dyed green, had returned to its vast and empty state. There were only about a thousand cells left, gathered together, not fleeing or fighting back. This reminded Lín of the light bacteria from before.

However, this time Lín felt no sympathy.

But Lín did not plan to eat them all. Instead, she used basic cells to form a semi-circular structure on the Far Traveler's outer skin, large enough to hold several thousand cells. Lín called it a 'pen,' with the purpose of capturing and confining these green cells.

'Pen' seemed like a fresh and useful term.

The pen had an opening controlled by muscle cells, which could suck in external objects. Lín swam toward the remaining small group of green cells and used her tentacles to herd them all into the pen.

Lín's intention was to study them. If the green cells really fed on light and warmth, then by keeping them and allowing them to continuously divide, she would have an endless supply of food.

Lín had almost herded all the green cells into the pen. The outer layer of the pen was transparent, allowing light to reach them. Lín would soon know if these cells could divide with only light and warmth.

Lín also formed a small eye on the inner wall of the pen to observe the green cells' activities and ensure they did not resist.

After finishing, Lín looked around the vast, empty waters.

Where should she go next?

If there were many green cells in brighter and warmer areas, what about deeper areas?

Curiosity drove Lín to swim downward. Although keeping green cells should be done in areas with sufficient light, Lín was not too concerned about whether she could successfully keep them. The desire to explore was a larger part of her thoughts.

Thinking this, Lín pointed the Far Traveler's head downward and swam into the deeper waters.

As Lín had expected, the water became increasingly cold as she swam downward. However, she still remembered the lava she had seen before. Now, she did not know what it was, but it was clearly something very hot that could heat up the entire area.

If she encountered it again, Lín would definitely avoid it.

After swimming downward for some time, the Far Traveler's eye transmitted familiar images to Lín's mind.

Sand and cells.

Various types of cells gathered in this relatively cold area, unlike the uniform green cells above. These cells were of different kinds and were grouped by species, searching for food or hunting each other. Their activity took place on a vast sandy beach.

The sand here was different from the gray sand Lín had seen before. It was white, finer, and smaller, with the smallest grains only slightly larger than Lín's cells and the largest about a thousand times larger. Most of the cells swam between the sand grains, while some gathered in large groups on larger sand grains. They were so numerous that they covered the sandy beach as far as Lín could see.

These cells were excellent prey. The Far Traveler, composed of millions of cells, was much larger than even the largest cell colonies here. Lín was confident that no cell could match her. However, due to the Far Traveler's large size, it was not suitable for moving between the sand grains. Lín needed a more suitable structure to hunt them.

Although she could create a base as before and use glowing tentacles to attract other cells for hunting, Lín thought this was not proactive enough. If no cells came, she would go hungry. Lín needed a more proactive hunting method...

Soon, Lín came up with a good idea, but first, she needed to modify the Far Traveler.

Thinking this, Lín began to modify the Far Traveler. She expanded its body to a larger size, maintaining an overall elliptical shape but degenerating the tentacles covering its surface, leaving only two flat, long tentacles for swimming. The degeneration method involved letting the tentacles die, similar to a 'lifespan' mechanism.

The expansion mainly involved the continuous division of the skin cells, expanding the entire body. The modification required a lot of energy, but with so much food below, it was clearly worth it.

Next, Lín created several openings on the skin, controlled by muscle cells, of various sizes, mainly for the entry and exit of different units.

What were these units?

Lín was now assembling them inside the Far Traveler. These 'units' were mainly small cell combinations, but they were composed of conical cells, spiky cells, or acid injectors, all with strong offensive capabilities. Lín used them to hunt other cells in the gaps between the sand grains or to swim to distant areas, bringing back the spoils to the Far Traveler's body for nutrient storage.

At this point, the Far Traveler functioned like a base, storing resources. However, unlike the previous base, which was stuck to a rock and could only passively wait for food to pass by, this 'base' could move and had a more proactive hunting method.

At the same time, it should no longer be called the Far Traveler.

Lín had a new term to name it...

'Carrier.'

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End of the page.