Chapter Fourteen Fright In The Dark

The destruction of the crystal microbes brought Lin endless wealth.

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

Right now, Lin's cell group was more than thirty thousand, with significant numbers of every type. There was a relatively 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 in this area. While there were still large cell groups in the surroundings, Lin did not plan 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 a large 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 respond 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 my perception and an extremely powerful ability of perception.

After Lin's 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 Lin's experiment was successful. The basic cell successfully 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 Lin's cell group was even stronger. Due to this, Lin did not fear going into the darkness any longer.

Lin had come into contact with the 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 black and Lin's sight was useless.

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

In 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 regular phenomenon. Light would continue for a time and then change to dark. The night would last 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 become dim. Just like Lin had predicted, night would always come at this time.

The light gradually disappeared from the water. Lin's field of vision gradually became smaller and when Lin's sight completely 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.

Lin's 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.

Lin's 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 Lin's own cells … … this tiny thing gradually neared the outermost group of Lin's cells.

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

If this tiny ripple did not come 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. Lin's 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 lost complete 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 lost complete control of the cell, they immediately sprayed large 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 planning for the acid ejectors to dissolve the large amounts of viruses that came out after the cell broke apart.

But that did not occur. 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 didn't 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 slack off. Hundreds of acid ejectors surrounded this cell until the night completely passed.

Light once again came and illuminated everything in the surroundings. Lin's sight could once again be used. The terror of night completely 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 was completely bright red.

Other than that, there was nothing special Lin could feel … …