Chapter 43

The new combination is named 'Explorer.' It is only half the size of the Guardian, with an oval-shaped body covered in a thin layer of armor. The armor has many small holes for oxygen intake, and its head is equipped with two eyes and lantern-like tentacles for illumination. Inside, it has a small heart and a vascular system.

Around its body, there are eight armored segmented legs. Lin added joints similar to those of the round shield worm, and filled the segments with muscles, allowing it to move quickly.

The purpose of creating the Explorer is not for hunting or killing, but for exploring the world beyond the water's surface!

Lin loves exploring unknown areas. After accidentally reaching the surface last time, it had this idea. After successfully creating the armor, the idea could finally be realized.

Lin did not come here during the day but chose the safer night. Although it has armor, Lin does not know if it can withstand ultraviolet rays in the absence of water.

The Explorer set off, quickly climbing up the slope. The environment here is mostly composed of gravel, making it very easy for the Explorer to move.

The water level is still high at night, so it cannot be seen. However, the lanterns Lin made for the Explorer are different. Lin made the light balls emit light only on one side, focusing the light in one direction to form a lantern. The lanterns are then covered on both sides with armor, allowing the light to shine farther. By lifting the lantern tentacles, it can see the position of the water.

As the Explorer moved up the slope, the water level became lower, and the environment changed from gravel to small, yellow-brown sand grains. This was the first time Lin had seen sand of this color.

The Explorer soon approached the boundary between the water and the ground.

By crossing this boundary, Lin could leave the water and enter the realm of gas.

There was a feeling called 'excitement.'

It seemed that leaving the water was a very important event, hence this feeling.

Lin itself did not feel this way, thinking it was just exploring a new area. Lin did not plan to go up, just to satisfy its 'curiosity,' but why did it have this feeling? Lin did not know.

Anyway, it just needed to keep going.

The Explorer's body slowly emerged from the water as it took steps. Lin felt the emptiness of the air, and the light of the stars shone in the space, illuminating the path ahead.

This new world, Lin called it 'land.' Without the lantern, the light of the stars was enough to see everything.

The land was a desolate place, covered in yellow-brown debris and sand. Apart from a few large rocks, there was nothing else.

But Lin did not stop.

The Explorer took another step, and its legs left the water, stepping onto the new world.

Then, it fell.

After leaving the water, gravity seemed to increase significantly, pulling the Explorer to the ground, making it unable to move.

The armor Lin made was to deal with this, but the muscles needed to be better coordinated.

Thinking this, it quickly repaired the muscles inside the legs, making the cells divide and strengthen rapidly until they could support the body in the high-gravity land.

With the cells rapidly repairing, the Explorer soon stood up again, and this time it would not fall.

The Explorer moved its legs, walking into this desolate world...

On the land, cold air currents replaced the water currents. They were faster than water currents, blowing the sand and striking the Explorer's armor. Lin had a word for them—'wind.'

Lin discovered that water in this world, like gas in water, became tiny round particles. As the wind blew, it carried away countless water droplets. Under the endless wind, the Explorer's originally moist armor quickly became as dry as the sand beneath its feet.

By stepping into the new world, Lin gained many new words, but it began to feel...

Bored.

The Explorer moved slowly on the land, but in its field of vision, there was nothing but endless yellow sand or the occasional large rock.

Apart from that, there was nothing—no multicellular organisms, no single-celled organisms, only flying yellow sand and howling cold winds. Despite the beautiful starry sky, the land was desolate and empty.

Lin's initial curiosity and excitement about the land had almost disappeared. It had no interest in the new words that seemed interesting, and just silently let the Explorer take one step after another.

There were no living things here, which meant no food. Lin even discovered a new problem: after the wind dried the Explorer's armor, it could feel the water inside the Explorer's body starting to slowly drain.

The water flowed out from some holes or small cracks in the armor, then was carried away by the wind, disappearing without a trace.

Lin had always lived in water and had never experienced the feeling of losing water.

But now it knew—losing water meant death.

Cells without water would die instantly, and the cracks in the armor needed to be repaired.

Below the Explorer's armor were many gland cells that could quickly secrete substances to repair various cracks. The armor Lin originally made did not cover everything, but now it needed to cover everything.

Soon, Lin sealed all the cracks, leaving only two small holes for ventilation.

Lin knew why there were no other living things—they could not leave the water.

And in this desolate world, there was nothing to attract other living things.

But Lin did not give up. The Explorer continued to move deeper into the land.

Now, looking back, the sea could no longer be seen, but the surroundings were still the same—sand and rocks, which reminded Lin of its childhood.

Back then, it had a similar feeling—'nothing but water.'

The fat cells stored in the Explorer's body could sustain it for a long time, but Lin was beginning to doubt the meaning of this journey.

It was so boring.

In the monotonous environment, Lin shifted its attention to the sky. It noticed that the stars in the sky slowly changed. Some light points moved slowly, and occasionally a high-speed streak of light would cross the sky, but most of the light points remained stationary.

After reaching the land, Lin realized that the stars were quite far away. Perhaps, to get closer to them, it would need to swim in the air like it did in the water.

That... would be too difficult.

At this moment, a somewhat different object appeared in front of the Explorer.

A sand dune.

Sand dunes are common on underwater beaches, and Lin usually ignored them. However, sand dunes on land could provide a better view.

The Explorer climbed up the sand dune and looked into the distance from the top.

Sure enough, until the horizon, it was still just sand.

This place really had no meaning at all.

Lin no longer wanted to move. It let the Explorer lie down on the sand dune and looked up at the starry sky.

Lin discovered that all the light points in the sky moved. As the sky changed, the light in the surroundings also changed.

Gradually, the surroundings began to brighten, and the stars in the sky slowly disappeared.

They were all obscured by the light of 'day.'

Daylight arrived.

When the surroundings were completely enveloped by the light of day, Lin felt the temperature in the air rise significantly. The strong ultraviolet rays penetrated the joints of the Explorer's legs and the air holes on its body, rapidly destroying its cells.

As the daylight became brighter, the ultraviolet rays could even penetrate the Explorer's armor, and the cells inside were rapidly dying.

In the next moment, the Explorer died, and Lin's journey on land came to an end.

Go back...

The carrier in the shallow water slowly turned its body and swam into the deep sea.

It was truly... a meaningless journey.

...

Thank you ~Da Wo Cheng~ for the tip

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