I Am The Swarm

Despite starting strong, Luo Wen’s subsequent experiments didn’t go as smoothly. His next challenge was testing his survival in cold environments.

Luo Wen’s body already possessed genes for cold resistance, allowing him to endure ordinary frigid conditions with ease. However, the extreme cold of outer space was an entirely different matter. Luo Wen vaguely recalled space temperatures being around minus 200 degrees Celsius, but the exact figure escaped him.

The Ratfolk’s industrial limitations meant their laboratory could simulate temperatures only down to about minus 150 degrees Celsius.

Even at this threshold, Luo Wen faced a significant setback. Shortly after entering the simulated environment, his body began losing heat rapidly. Frost formed on his surface, and his bodily fluids started to freeze.

At this point, his emergency systems activated, putting him into hibernation mode. His metabolism slowed drastically, nearly halting fluid flow and paralyzing his body.

Had Luo Wen not already been a “Networked Being,” his consciousness would likely have been forcibly shut down into a dormant state, leaving his body to slowly succumb to the cold’s ravages.

However, hibernation couldn’t halt the damage caused by extreme cold. Within five minutes, his body began deteriorating at the cellular level. In the past, such circumstances would have meant death, his consciousness fading painlessly in slumber.

Now, he was able to alert the “insiders” monitoring the experiment to halt the test and extract his body.

Afterward, his body cocooned itself for three days to repair the damage. This remarkable recovery left the “semi-insiders” astonished.

During this recovery period, Luo Wen reflected deeply. He realized his overconfidence, inflated by the success of the anaerobic experiment. Even with his exceptional talents, evolution required time. Plunging into an environment beyond his limits meant his body would collapse before his abilities could manifest.

In simpler terms, he had overstepped his bounds.

Taking this lesson to heart, the second experiment was conducted with the chamber temperature set between minus 50 and minus 60 degrees Celsius.

After filling his tail lard organ with energy reserves, Luo Wen entered the chamber. The lowest temperature he had previously endured in nature was around minus 20 to minus 30 degrees. Dropping an additional 30 degrees was uncomfortable but bearable.

His internal hibernation gene attempted to force him offline. As his limbs gradually numbed, Luo Wen didn’t resist, allowing himself to enter hibernation. His body cocooned itself, while his consciousness returned to the Swarm Network.

Two days later, his body emerged from the cocoon.

In the third experiment, Luo Wen’s hibernation system no longer triggered warnings upon entering the chamber. This time, several genes fused during his hibernation, though their exact origins were unclear given the sheer number of samples he had accumulated over the years.

The resulting fusion prompted his body to secrete an oily substance. This substance mixed with his bodily fluids, lowering their freezing point. As secretion continued, its concentration in his fluids increased, further reducing their freezing point.

Previously, in similar conditions, his bodily fluids had begun to crystallize. But now, thanks to the oily substance, this did not occur. His fluids continued to flow normally, maintaining his bodily functions. ṜАNỌBΕS

In subsequent tests, the chamber’s temperature was gradually lowered while the oily substance concentration increased. However, at minus 100 degrees Celsius, the substance’s effectiveness waned, and crystallization began.

As the temperature dropped further, Luo Wen’s hibernation system reactivated, forcing him offline. His body entered hibernation but failed to cocoon itself.

At this point, his genetic repository lacked anything capable of countering such extreme cold. Yet, as the temperature continued to plummet, his body avoided destruction.

Instead, his innate talents initiated the evolution of his hibernation ability. His cells began shrinking, expelling non-essential materials outside their walls. The expelled material crystallized outside the cells, forming a protective layer.

When the chamber reached the Ratfolk’s technological limit, Luo Wen’s cells had expelled 90% of their contents, retaining only their core components. The external crystallization also provided some protection.

At this point, Luo Wen’s consciousness forcibly returned to his body. However, with his fluids completely frozen and circulation halted, he couldn’t move.

He signaled the laboratory to cease energy input, allowing the chamber temperature to gradually rise. As the crystals outside his cells melted, they were reabsorbed, and his cells began to regain activity.

When the temperature reached minus 100 degrees Celsius, the oily substance resumed secretion, restoring fluid circulation and returning his body to normal.

Afterward, Luo Wen confirmed that his body hadn’t sustained any damage from this test. Yet, he found little cause for celebration. Beyond minus 100 degrees, he lost all mobility.

He wasn’t venturing into space to sleep. This outcome fell far short of his requirements. Moreover, the oily substance had reached its evolutionary limits, offering no further potential. Luo Wen needed to explore alternative methods to combat extreme cold.

For now, there was no need to stubbornly pursue this avenue. While the Ratfolk worked on upgrading the chamber’s capabilities, Luo Wen would dispatch numerous bugs to the planet’s poles in search of rare organisms capable of surviving and functioning in ultra-low temperatures.

After a few days of rest, Luo Wen began his experiments with space radiation adaptation.

While the experiments simulated space radiation, Luo Wen lacked precise knowledge of the specific types of radiation in space. The Ratfolk hadn’t yet sent spacecraft beyond the atmosphere, leaving them unable to measure such conditions.

As a result, the radiation used in these tests primarily came from mineral samples or byproducts of other experiments. Although not identical to space radiation, they served as a starting point for finding countermeasures.

In reality, any object in nature with a temperature above absolute zero emits radiation in the form of electromagnetic waves and particles. Luo Wen’s concern was with harmful radiation levels exceeding safety thresholds, which could cause decay in his body, damage his nervous system, and harm other organ systems.

In the first test, after one hour of exposure to harmful radiation, Luo Wen’s body began cocooning. However, this cocoon offered little protection against radiation penetration.

As time passed, the cocoon’s internal temperature rose under continued radiation exposure. After 20 hours, irreversible cellular damage began to occur.

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