4.6 Billion Year Symphony of Evolution

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 placed in a cavern which had been specially dug for this purpose. The entrance to the cavern was narrow enough that large 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 released last time had all died, most of them eaten. They had not found any good places, and hadn't even managed to swim out of the range of the dark ice layer.

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 similar to plants, they had brains.

All of the threads were connected to a sphere in the center. There was a brain structure similar 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 net-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 not compare 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 successfully left the ocean region covered in ice to reach another land!

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 of land

Lin did not know how many land pieces were on this world, maybe many but finding just one took a long time as the ocean was too large.

Leviathan was much faster than the eyeball but it still swam underneath the dark ice layer 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 similar to previous places, 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 place was suited for the green carpet, but out of caution, Lin still had to test if there were dangers near land here

Leviathan swam past the coral reefs towards the beach near the land, and threw out a base seed.

The moment the base seed landed on the sand, a familiar vibration passed into Lin's thoughts.

A feeling like before Was the land here the same? Would it also have a dramatic change in a year? Why? The two places were several hundred kilometers away

Lin now had accurate descriptors for directions composed 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 similar reaction?

Would a great change occur to the entire world?

No, Lin had to find a safe place.

There were only a few directions left. If Lin could not find land, it would hide at the center of the ocean, and wait for the calamity to pass before returning to lay the green carpet out again.

Lin had intentions of going on land and spreading the green carpet. However, land was filled with too many uncertain factors right now, and the land may even split into many pieces during the disaster.

Leviathan released large 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 and lacked 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 similar to the salamander, but unlike the fire salamander, these salamanders were only half a meter long and had black skin.

Lin could test its new units

Leviathan slowly swam near this salamander and then released small eyeballs only five centimeters in diameter. The small spheres swam towards the salamander and stuck to its skin.

At the start, the salamander did not feel a thing. Then the small spheres released many threads with sharp ends that pierced into the salamander's skin and released large 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 salamander's heart and other important organs.

The salamander struggled the entire time until the last moment of its life when its organs were wrapped in the threads. It finally collapsed on the sand and became motionless.

Such an interesting unit

Leviathan went near the salamander and gathered up the threads and the salamander. This salamander 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 a layer of ice. Only places near land 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 ice layer. However, if the ice layer 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 been completely 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 the largest dunkleosteus did not dare to attack.

Lin had almost finished preparing, but Leviathan still hadn't found land. It travelled through the dark ice

Half a year had passed.

Was there no land 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 place away from land, to wait for the time. It left behind some observers on land to observe changes.

Leviathan continued to swim north. Even if it could not find land, Lin wanted to find the exit to the ice layer.

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 calamity date that Lin had calculated.

Right now, Lin hoped to find water not covered by ice rather than land.

In the dark icy water, an end finally appeared in front of Leviathan.

The ice layer disappeared. Leviathan floated on the surface and could see the starlight shining on the dark ocean. This may be the place it thought of.

Lin's feeling was correct. It had succeeded. It could have the transporters immediately come here. Lin could create an enormous green carpet on the ocean. This way, it could stay away from the dangers on land.

Wait

Lin suddenly saw an enormous black shadow in the distance.

Land? But this land seemed strange. The land it usually saw was flat and desolate. Why did this land have so many spikes?

Maybe the description was not well, but Lin could not see very clearly in the dark.

Translator 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.

• 4.6 Billion Year Symphony of Evolution Volume 3 Chapter 15 "Bombardier Beetle"
• 4.6 Billion Year Symphony of Evolution Volume 3 Chapter 14 "Forest Hunter"
• 4.6 Billion Year Symphony of Evolution Volume 3 Chapter 13 "The Twisted Forest"
• 4.6 Billion Year Symphony of Evolution Volume 3 Chapter 12 "The Green Terminal"
• 4.6 Billion Year Symphony of Evolution Volume 3 Chapter 11 "Devour"