Chapter 42

The 'gland cells' had completed their evolution. As the water level began to drop, Lin made them divide rapidly and combine onto the cortex to start creating its own shell.

Lin discovered that the food it usually ate, including various wild cells or other multicellular organisms, already contained substances that could be used to make a shell, so there was no need to search for materials in rock crevices.

These substances were originally considered waste, and Lin would expel the remaining waste to the surface of the cortex after digestion. However, it seemed that they needed to be retained now.

There were many substances that could form a shell, but because of the current urgency, Lin randomly chose one to use.

The water level was decreasing very slowly, while Lin's cells acted in the opposite way. They covered the cortex with a layer of white shell material. Although it was not as hard as the shells of other hard-shelled organisms, it was sufficient for protecting against light. Since it was not composed of living cells, ultraviolet rays would not cause Lin any pain.

The shell material would gradually harden after secretion. Lin covered the entire body of the carrier with the same shell material. As for the tentacles used for movement and the giant hammer tentacles, Lin made them retract into the carrier, not wanting to add shells to the tentacles, as that would greatly reduce their flexibility.

After completion, Lin no longer felt any pain. The shell effectively prevented the damage from ultraviolet rays.

However, the water level was still dropping, and Lin's crisis had not been resolved. It did not want to be completely exposed on the surface, as it was uncertain what might happen.

As the water level decreased, the temperature here became increasingly higher, possibly due to the crystals, which absorbed heat from the light and affected the water.

The flatworms continued to move around, preying on the wild cells in the water that had been killed by ultraviolet rays. These cells originally hid in rock crevices but came out as the water temperature rose, becoming food for the flatworms.

Watching them, a thought suddenly appeared in Lin's mind.

Could it be... that this circular area was created by the flatworms?

Lin had always been somewhat suspicious. Ordinary rocks could not form such a neat shape; there must be something wrong with it.

Thinking this, Lin immediately activated the water jets on the back of the carrier and rushed toward a large rock!

Countless rocks scattered upon impact, and the large rock was directly hit by Lin, creating a huge indentation.

Indeed, it was correct.

Flatworms could use mucus to stick sand particles to their bodies, and they could also use mucus to combine other things. These large rocks were actually made by flatworms using countless small stones!

Lin had not observed carefully at first, but now it knew that getting out was actually quite simple.

Next, Lin called the guardians, and it easily dug a hole in the large rock with its appendages, large enough for the carrier to pass through.

Lin finally managed to escape successfully, fortunately, the water level had not dropped to the point where the carrier could not move.

After leaving the circle of large rocks, Lin saw a clear slope leading downward to deeper waters.

It seemed that Lin had unintentionally reached this position close to the surface during the night.

The water level here would be high at night and drop during the day. The flatworms probably made these large rock circles during the night.

The reason for making the large rock circles might be to prevent predators, to make it easier for the crystals to heat up inside, or to design a trap to lure large organisms like Lin into the area and kill them with ultraviolet rays, providing them with a large amount of food.

...The third reason seemed unlikely.

Lin slowly moved its tentacles, following the slope to swim toward deeper waters. It felt that this journey had been quite fruitful. If not for this, Lin might never have tried to evolve a shell.

The shell was a rather unique thing. Lin discovered that the food it originally ate contained many substances that could form a shell, which Lin collectively called 'shell material.' By changing the way the shell material was combined, Lin could alter the hardness, toughness, and the time it took to harden after secretion, among other effects.

This aspect was quite complex, and Lin needed further research. However, after a successful combination, it would be much simpler in the future.

Lin's hammer originally contained shell material as well. At that time, it only combined hardened cells, and Lin did not know how to separate the shell from the cells.

Now, successfully separating the cells and the shell layer increased the hardness and protected the cells from direct attacks.

While thinking, Lin had already swum back to the deeper sandy area. The cold water and dim light made Lin feel reassured again.

However, Lin would not give up so easily. It would return and evolve a perfect method to counteract ultraviolet rays.

For now, it would eat more.

This journey had shown Lin the rich variety of organisms around, and it no longer worried about a lack of food.

Lin observed the surrounding sandy area, which contained a considerable number of various organisms, including the familiar leaf-shaped worms and some it had never seen before.

The organisms it had never seen before had various shapes, but they all had one thing in common... they were very small.

Lin began to release the devourers to hunt these organisms, while the carrier and guardians dealt with the larger ones, such as the leaf-shaped worms.

While devouring these organisms, Lin was also increasing the shell on the carrier. During this period, Lin discovered many issues. The thicker the shell, the greater the burden on the carrier. No wonder the thick-shelled round shield worms could only crawl on the ground.

Moreover, if the hard shell covered the entire body, it could not grow with the carrier, which was quite troublesome...

How did organisms like the leaf-shaped worms or round shield worms maintain the growth of their shells along with their bodies?

Additionally, the disposal of waste was also problematic.

When cells digested food, they always produced some indigestible substances. Lin would send these substances through the cell's nutrient exchange system to the cortex to be expelled into the water. However, with a shell, it was difficult to squeeze them out.

In the end, Lin decided to only cover the top of the carrier with a shell, using the original hardened cells on the bottom, and not covering the tentacles with any shell to maintain flexibility.

Of course, this was for the carrier itself. For new units, Lin could completely create a terrifying creature with a full-body shell.

But for now, Lin only reinforced the cultivators that raised green cells, adding two layers of openable shells on both sides of its transparent center, controlled by internal muscles.

As for other armored combinations... it would wait until night.

Thus, Lin hunted the organisms on the sandy area, slowly waiting until night approached, and then swam back to the previous location.

Lin called this place the 'shallow area,' meaning a place close to the surface.

Although it was not completely dark yet, Lin had already raised its lantern. It swam over the sandy area and the rock zone, quickly seeing the large rocks arranged in a circle again.

One of the large rocks had a hole Lin had created, and it could see the flatworms repairing it, collecting sand and debris from the surroundings to fill the gap.

It seemed that the repair work was progressing quite slowly. After one day, they had only repaired less than half.

Now, they would probably never finish.

Lin rushed forward, smashing the hole being repaired, and then released a large number of devourers to hunt the surrounding flatworms.

The flatworms, due to the cold water as the day ended, moved much more slowly, making it easy for the devourers to capture them.

Lin's carrier and guardians destroyed the entire circle of large rocks, and the flatworms fled in all directions.

Lin did not chase them but stopped the carrier near a crystal, beginning to research a new combination in its mind.

Lin wanted to create a new cell combination that could resist ultraviolet rays and had a sturdy shell. Lin planned to use the entire organism for a special plan.

To explore a new world. …………………………………………………………………… Thank you for the support from ~Da Wo Cheng~ Del Meng Si~.

Page flip AD starts

Page flip AD ends