parentshiftbook Chapter 680 Yet another transformation
Chapter 680 Yet another transformation
Chapter 680 Yet another transformation
In the laboratory, the nest lay quietly on the lab table, shrunk to the size of a basketball into a ball of blue gel.
Jemin pushed open the laboratory door and walked in, followed by the black giant priest.
"Wait outside," Jemin said to the black giant priest without turning his head.
"Yes, Master." The black figure retreated to the door, the vertical opening in his chest closing silently.
Jemin walked to the workbench and looked down at the blue gel-like mass about the size of a basketball.
"The nest." He poked its surface with his finger.
The blue gelatinous substance trembled slightly, then immediately arched its body like a cat awakening, a crack appearing in the middle of its round body.
The nest has a 360-degree perception capability, but in order to communicate with its owner, it will deliberately make some unique markings, which are equivalent to the "face" of the creature.
A faint silver light shimmered in the crack, expressing its intimacy with the creator in its most primal form.
"Stop acting all cute." Jemin poked him again, expressionless. "This time it's serious business."
The nest immediately ceased its movements, sensing that the silver light within the crack had coalesced into a more stable form, adopting an attitude of attentive listening.
Jemin first took out a stack of documents from his inner cave.
The documents were thin, transparent crystal sheets, each about the size of a thumb, containing densely packed data and images. Each crystal shimmered with an eerie, dark purple luster.
This is a summary of all the data he compiled after conducting detailed research on the "strange" phenomenon.
After placing the documents on the worktable, Jemin's gaze swept back and forth between the crystal and the nest.
That's right, Jemin has double-modified the nest again.
After the last renovation, the nest had actually reached a level that satisfied him.
At that time, Jemin and Viola endowed it with the core ability of information transformation based on the capabilities of information organisms.
It mainly manifests as the information processing of surrounding energy and matter, which is then reorganized into its own structure to achieve self-replication.
This design gives the nest theoretically unlimited growth potential: the larger the size, the stronger the information processing ability; the stronger the information processing ability, the faster the rate of devouring and proliferation.
This positive feedback loop of "the bigger, the faster" gives the lair an extremely formidable advantage in protracted and defensive battles.
With the additional computing power support obtained from the Fate System, a fully grown nest could theoretically even confront an ordinary level seven wizard head-on.
But during the last modification, he didn't have the strange research data at hand.
The "weird" has a very special survival mechanism.
They do not exist entirely on the material level, nor entirely on the energy level, but can be directly integrated into the rule structure of the world in which they exist.
This special ability is, to some extent, quite compatible with the information conversion capabilities of information organisms.
So after finishing up all the backlog of tasks, Jemin couldn't wait to start modifying the nest.
Jemin stood in front of the worktable and flexed his fingers.
Thanks to the professor's research notes, Jemin has a deep understanding of the supernatural.
Moreover, this modification to the nest was just a trial run, so it wasn't particularly troublesome.
As Jieming activated his mental power, layers of magic arrays appeared on the experimental table and overlapped on the nest.
The nest also readily opened up its information structure.
Jemin's mental energy probed into it, directly affecting the information chain at the lowest level.
He plans to first adjust the underlying architecture of the nest's information conversion capabilities.
A new rule-based frequency band extraction module is implanted, which allows it to actively extract frequency information related to world rules from the target when it consumes matter and energy, and then weave this information into its own structural units.
Next, to enhance immortality, the core information is freed from fixed nodes and cut into countless fragments and scattered across the rule level.
Finally, the enhanced defensive capabilities allow the nest to briefly revert a portion of its body back to the rules when under attack, thus avoiding pure physical and energy damage.
The whole process was incredibly fast.
The improvement that the Dao Integration Realm brought to Jieming was not only reflected in his enhanced understanding of various laws.
During the modification surgery, thanks to his state of being in harmony with the Dao, Jemin even had the illusion that he could control everything.
When he withdrew his mental energy, the nest on the experimental table had changed its appearance.
A faint fluorescent glow floated on the deep blue gelatinous surface, making its presence almost imperceptible.
It was clearly lying there, yet it seemed as if there was an indefinable thin mist between them.
Jemin reached out and poked it: "Let's go, to the testing grounds."
The nest bounced up, obediently shrinking back to the size of a basketball, and was stored inside his body.
The test site is located three thousand meters below the laboratory, in a hemispherical space with a diameter of over two thousand kilometers.
The surrounding walls were made of multi-layered composite metal material, and the surface was covered with densely packed buffer runes and energy absorption arrays.
The Black Giant Priest had already received the order from Jemin via the incense and spirit path and was waiting at the control panel in the testing field.
The control panel is a single curved crystal panel with hundreds of floating runes projected onto it, each corresponding to a different functional module in the test field.
His finger hovered above the rune, his chest opening slightly, and he emitted a deep report: "Master, all test arrays are activated at maximum power. The standard energy attack target, physical impact target, spatial containment simulation field, and rule sealing simulation array are all in place. The fate system tracking module has been connected and is awaiting instructions."
"You've worked hard." Jemin walked to the observation platform at the edge of the testing ground, took the nest out of his inner cave, and said, "Go in."
""
The blue gel leaped into the center of the test field, landing with a soft "thud".
It expanded slightly under the cold white light, sensing the crack turning towards the observation platform, awaiting orders.
"First item, information conversion efficiency test." Jieming's voice was clearly transmitted through the sound transmission array in the test field. "Standard organic target, deploy."
A panel on the ceiling slid open silently, and a standard test specimen was dropped directly above the nest.
It was a lizard-like creature about three meters long, which had been killed beforehand, and its body tissues were intact.
The nest moved.
Its body expanded from the size of a basketball to a disc with a diameter of five meters in the blink of an eye, with its edges curling upwards like an open maw welcoming the falling creature's shell.
Almost instantly upon contact, the creature's shell, swallowed by the blue gel, vanished.
The creature's muscles, bones, internal organs, and skin—all organic matter—are instantly transformed into an informational state and then rewoven into the structural units of the nest itself.
Jemin stared at the real-time data panel on the control panel.
Conversion speed: 3.2 times faster than before the transformation.
Conversion efficiency: The conversion rate of organic matter to its own structure reached 97.6%, and the loss rate was only 2.4%, which was nearly half that before the transformation.
"Continue. Standard energy attack target, activate."
The Black Giant Priest pressed the rune.
Three rows of cannon-shaped devices lit up on the east wall of the test site, with crimson light rapidly condensing within them.
Three standard level 5 energy beams were fired simultaneously, accurately hitting the nest.
The moment the energy beam struck the blue gelatinous surface, it was like a drop of water falling into a parched desert, being completely absorbed.
The nest's body didn't even tremble; instead, the halo on its surface brightened even more.
The energy absorption conversion rate on the panel popped up: 99.1%.
"Level 6 energy attack," Jemin continued, issuing the order.
The light from the cannon muzzle changed from crimson to incandescent white.
A thicker beam of energy slammed into the nest, this time causing noticeable ripples on its surface and blasting a deep crater into the blue gelatinous substance. However, the crater was immediately filled in by the surrounding gelatinous material.
The absorbed energy is then rapidly broken down and converted by the newly implanted regular frequency band extraction module.
Absorption rate: 94%.
"Level 7, Penetration Mode".
The black giant priest's fingers paused for a moment on the runes.
A level 7 energy attack, even at the standard output of a test target, has enough penetrating power to pierce through most conventional defenses.
A slender silver cannon barrel descended from the top of the test range, its muzzle only as thick as a fingertip.
A beam of energy compressed to its limit shot out from it, leaving a scorching ionized trail in the air.
The beam of light struck the nest, but this time it wasn't absorbed; instead, it pierced through the entire nest.
But Jemin could see very clearly that the moment it was attacked, the nest actively tuned the body in the hit area to the level of rules.
The small piece of gelatinous substance briefly disappeared on the material level, and the energy beam passed through without hindrance, hitting the absorption array at the other end of the test field.
The nest itself was completely unharmed.
Jemin raised his eyebrows slightly, his expression showing a hint of delight.
This is the core of this defensive capability upgrade: at the moment of impact, temporarily conceal the affected area within the structure of the world's rules.
It is effective against both physical and energy attacks, as long as the attack itself does not have the ability to lock onto the rule level, it can be dodged.
"Physical impact test," he continued.
The ground of the test site cracked open, and a large-scale physical impact platform rose from below.
It was a three-meter-tall metal device with a blunt hammerhead one meter in diameter attached to its end, the surface of which was engraved with kinetic energy amplification runes.
The hammer slammed down with terrifying force.
The nest's body was smashed flat, like a smothered jelly.
But the next second, it reformed from both sides of the hammerhead, and the flattened area also avoided most of the kinetic energy impact through regular frequency modulation.
The instrument showed that the physical damage absorption rate was 87%, and the remaining 13% of the kinetic energy was completely neutralized by the buffer structure of the gelatinous body.
Jemin recorded data on the observation platform, his fingers constantly moving in the air, filing each indicator.
The three core indicators of information conversion, energy absorption, and physical resistance all exceeded the expectations before the transformation.
Next comes the main event.
"Space Lockdown Simulation Field, activated."
Silver runes lit up on the walls of the entire testing ground simultaneously.
The Space Lockdown Simulation Field is a large-scale magic array that can cover the entire test space.
It can simulate various types of spatial sealing effects, including spatial solidification or spatial compression, which are blocking methods that may be encountered in actual combat.
Silver light patterns intertwined in the air to form a huge grid, enveloping the nest within it.
Faced with such tactics, the nest—it simply vanished.
In fact, it means actively integrating into the world's rules.
Before spatial compression reaches its body, the nest has already completed the transition from the material level to the rule level.
The spatial containment of the test site has no effect on it, because its existence is no longer within the constraints of the spatial structure.
The blue halo appeared intermittently throughout the test field, like a fish lurking in the undercurrent.
"Transmission interference, join." Jemin pushed the test to the next stage.
The moment the interference field was activated, intense distorting fluctuations erupted within the test field.
This fluctuation is enough to tear apart or deflect any object attempting to be teleported.
But this still doesn't do much good for the nest.
On the secondary panel of the control panel, the tracking data kept changing.
Jemin nodded in satisfaction.
This means that in actual combat, even the conventional sealing methods commonly used by wizards cannot prevent the nest from escaping.
This essentially solves the nest's biggest weakness: mobility.
Although its movement speed isn't strong enough, at least it's not so bad that it can't just stay in one place and become a target.
"The last item," Jemin said, "Activate the rule-sealing simulation array."
The Black Giant Priest pressed the last rune.
The lights in the entire test field dimmed.
Within the coverage area of this magic array, any spell that attempts to utilize the rules of the world will be forcibly severed.
The nest's body appeared in the center of the testing field.
The rule-sealing simulation array has taken effect.
Unable to maintain its integration at the rule level, it was forced to return to the material level.
Jemin wasn't surprised, after all, this was a newly developed method specifically designed to combat the supernatural.
When faced with a seal specifically targeting the rules, the nest's ability to integrate will be temporarily disabled.
But the key point is that even under the suppression of the rules, the nest's other abilities still function normally.
Its blue gelatinous body showed no signs of shrinking, and although the aura was suppressed, it did not extinguish.
In other words, the rule-sealing only prevents its ability to integrate and escape, but cannot fundamentally threaten its survival.
This means that most conventional rule-based sealing methods can only partially restrict it, and cannot completely eliminate it. The lair also has sufficient countermeasures against such methods.
"Test data." Jemin held out his hand.
The black giant priest handed him a recording crystal.
Conversion rate, absorption rate, resistance, integration speed, performance degradation under rule sealing, and accuracy of life system tracking.
..
Jemin scanned the data line by line, his gaze lingering on a few key figures.
The information conversion rate has increased by 3.2 times, and the theoretical upper limit of the extreme body size has therefore been expanded accordingly.
The size of a nest cannot expand indefinitely. The critical point for the size of a nest is that the growth rate of information nodes cannot keep up with the rate of expansion.
But now the conversion rate has more than tripled, meaning it can manipulate more matter and energy with fewer nodes, and the critical point for size has been significantly postponed.
Furthermore, the ability to integrate into global rules will further reduce energy consumption and physical constraints during the expansion process.
Jemin did a quick mental calculation.
Based on current data calculations, without considering the computing power of the destiny system, the theoretical size of the fully grown nest will jump from the original "Great Lake level" to at least the "Inland Sea level".
Correspondingly, with the help of the computational power of the destiny system, its power and ability to confront high-level enemies can be further enhanced.
Jemin speculated that it should be able to leap from the level of resisting a level 7 wizard to the level that would be able to threaten an ordinary level 7 wizard.
Although this is only a theoretical derivation—
After all, the total amount of matter and energy required for a nest to truly grow to that level is astronomical.
But at least there is such a possibility; the rest is just a matter of accumulating resources and time.
Jemin returned the recording crystal to the black giant priest, and finally couldn't suppress the slight upturn of his lips.
"Very good," he said.
"Test complete. Nest, gone."
The nest bounced up from the center of the test field and automatically shrank to the size of a basketball when it landed back in his hand.
The halo of light on the blue gelatinous surface flowed steadily, and silver light shimmered in the cracks, like a hunting dog that had completed its mission and was waiting for the next command.
Jemin patted it and put it back into his inner world.
Then he turned and walked through the corridor of the testing ground, his footsteps echoing on the stone walls, the black giant priest following quietly behind him.
Back in the lab, he walked to the workbench and stood there.
The inner cavern opened again, and this time it took out several shuttles.
Fist-sized, silver-gray, cannonball-shaped creatures were neatly arranged on the workbench, their pale blue rune rings glowing faintly under the light.
They were early aerial cannon fodder produced by Jemin, characterized by their ability to fly at high speeds and self-destruct.
Later, when the opponents leveled up, simple explosive damage wasn't enough, so he equipped them with spatial concealment modules, turning them into reconnaissance units.
By covertly approaching the target through phase space and then transmitting intelligence back, the effect is not bad.
However, the bottleneck hidden in space is already quite obvious. The spatial fluctuations caused by phase switching cannot be completely eliminated; beings of level six or higher, or specialized space detection equipment, can detect those ripples.
The core value of investigative units lies in their "invisibility"; once discovered, their value becomes zero.
Coincidentally, the ability of the Weird to integrate with the laws of nature far surpasses ordinary spatial abilities in terms of concealing itself.
Back in the bizarre dimension, if it was a bizarre entity that was adept at integrating with the laws, even a high-level wizard of level six or seven wouldn't be able to find the hidden bizarre entity without overturning the table and blasting away the surrounding environment.
Undoubtedly, this level of concealment ability is also particularly effective in enhancing the Surfer.
He picked up the leftmost shuttle and probed its shell with his mental energy.
Unlike modifications to nests that focus solely on improving mobility, the core of the Swoosh modification lies not in enhancing the Swoosh's combat capabilities, but in maximizing their stealth abilities.
As Jemin's finger traced through the air, the crystal flakes of eerie research data reappeared above the workbench.
After searching through the information in front of him for a long time using his mental power, Jemin finally picked up the first shuttle and began to work.
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