Chapter 201 Chapter 201: The Unit of Biological Evolution is the Population
Chapter 201: The Unit of Biological Evolution is the Population
There is no such thing as a perfect organism.
Kevin believed this.
"Our 'prey' seems to have been snatched away by that young man."
Specter licked her lips, the ferocious glint that had been in her eyes upon waking now considerably subdued.
"That Seaborn... it's stopped moving?"
The other party had halted too abruptly, like an oversized dump truck being forcibly brought to a standstill.
Skadi opened her mouth to speak, but remembering the massive waves that had been calmed on the sea surface earlier, she suddenly felt it was perfectly reasonable for this Seaborn transformed from a Deep Sea Bishop to be suppressed.
"Is it... gravity?"
Gladiia uttered a sentence in surprise.
As an Aegir Technology Executive, her knowledge far surpassed that of her two companions.
The cutting-edge technology of Aegir held basically no secrets from her; in fact, she had personally participated in the design and manufacture of some of it.
The application of gravity and anti-gravity technology was one of the key research topics for Aegir at the time.
Even with the combined efforts of numerous researchers, they had indeed developed a set of artificial gravity devices.
But despite Aegir pouring so many resources into this project,
what they obtained was merely a "prototype" that couldn't leave the laboratory.
If she wasn't mistaken, the other party's method of controlling gravity relied on that small bead in his hand?!
Lightweight, stable, even completely surpassing the initial concepts Aegir had for gravity weapon applications.
"&(&......@#&$!"
Under the immense pressure of gravity, Quintus couldn't even muster the strength to scream in agony for a while. His dying appearance seemed as if he could perish at any moment.
"Interesting."
But from Kevin's perspective, the situation was completely different.
Under the gravitational pressure, the Seaborn cells beneath the other's skin seemed to be
thoroughly activated.
They continuously secreted a crystalline substance, reinforcing the muscle tissue that was constantly collapsing under the gravity of Star of Eden.
The stronger the pressure, the faster the secretion, as if competing with the external environment.
"What are you...?"
Specter approached Kevin with great interest. Quintus's agonized wails made her feel quite pleased, though she didn't feel much joy from successful revenge in her heart.
"Conducting an experiment."
He manipulated Star of Eden, gradually increasing the gravity bit by bit.
The confrontation between the body and gravity grew increasingly intense!
As gravity grew more immense, the Seaborn cells within Quintus's body had already begun operating at overload. Caught between internal and external agony, Quintus felt as if his degenerated human vocal cords were about to regrow.
Painful shrieks continued incessantly, so loud it seemed they would overturn the entire cavern.
But Specter wore a pleased expression.
"Can I have a turn?"
She rarely showed an interested expression, like a little girl who had found a favorite toy.
"You can't control it."
He shook his head. The experiment required precise operation, especially since he didn't believe Seaborn were organisms with "infinite" adaptability.
Even Mobius couldn't achieve it; Kevin didn't think he would witness a miracle today on a randomly grown "fish."
"Alright then. Just listening like this is quite nice too."
She didn't insist, merely closing her eyes intoxicatedly, as if listening to a moving piece of music.
When the Deep Sea Church poured liquid Originium into her bone marrow, the pain wasn't any less than what Quintus was experiencing now.
"Has your technology already advanced to this level?"
Gladiia stepped forward in her sharp hunter boots.
"No, I'm just an individual case."
Her worry was completely unnecessary. Kevin's words put this executive at ease.
Crack! Crack! Crack!
The experiment continued. With the precondition of an adaptation process, Quintus's modified body erupted with astonishing potential.
But its potential was ultimately limited. The excessively stimulated Seaborn cells withered and stagnated at an alarming rate—
This meant death was approaching!
"Impossible! I cannot die!"
The moment this thought surfaced, driven by fear, Quintus even managed to struggle free for an instant under the gravitational suppression.
The massive mountain of flesh shuddered once, then was pressed back down again without any suspense.
"Reached the limit?"
The deathbed struggle didn't move Kevin in the slightest.
"Your kin are rushing here... but not fast enough. Similarly, your evolution is the same."
Kevin had overestimated the evolutionary upper limit of Seaborn organisms, or rather, the evolutionary upper limit of an individual among them.
So much so that in his surprise upon discovering this species, he forgot a rather important theory:
The unit of biological evolution is—the population!
Star of Eden lit up, and gravity suddenly increased severalfold.
Under the overburdened chitinous shell, large gouts of blood erupted. Those dark blue tentacles split apart; the "mountain of flesh" collapsed.
"Young man, can I kill it with my own hands?"
Specter certainly didn't dare to just walk over. She had just heard what the Second Captain was muttering about.
Although she didn't know how exaggerated the gravity in that area was, she imagined it wouldn't be pleasant.
"......"
Kevin looked at her back area, pondered for a moment, and finally used Star of Eden to crush any remaining offensive organs on Quintus before withdrawing it.
"Thanks, young man."
Seeing his actions, Specter hoisted her circular saw onto her shoulder and walked towards the Seaborn Quintus on the ground, whom Kevin had left with a breath of life left.
The smile on her face was unconcealed, like a fisherman returning from a bountiful harvest at sea.
"I... am still alive...?"
Nutrients were draining away. Quintus's shattered body made it feel as if countless small openings had been made in it.
At least it was still alive... As long as it waited for its kin to arrive and regained nutrients, it would recover as before.
That's what it thought.
Atop its flower-like crown, an organ that could barely be called an eye struggled to open a tiny slit.
But what met its gaze wasn't the deep, damp cavern, nor that man standing there like an invincible being.
For Quintus, Specter's big smiling face was far more terrifying than either of the two listed above.
"Still alive, huh?"
She didn't mind the Seaborn blood on the petals, grabbing a bony petal with her bare hand and lifting up that huge eyeball.
Her smiling appearance was as if catching up with an old friend.
"&#...#@......"
She cupped her clean left hand into a horn shape and placed it by her ear, as if trying to hear what it was saying this way.
"But I can't understand what you're saying. Let's switch to a more... common language, shall we?"
She let go. The lifted eyeball fell back into the puddle with another thud.
Quintus watched wide-eyed as a hunter boot with a pointed tip grew larger and larger in its vision.
Squelch! Splurt!
It was the sound of something bursting open.
Even her two teammates couldn't help but blink.
Specter's methods had already reached phantom pain levels.
The last trace of nutrients within Quintus was forcibly driven into its vocal organs by her methods under these circumstances.
In the dark
cavern, continuous agonized wails and occasional light laughter sent chills down one's spine.
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