How are Zerg made?

Chapter 9: Multicellularity · Chapter 9: Multicellular · Amidst a bubbling, boiling liquid, a cylindrical organism drifted with the currents, riding the fluid’s flow through the region. · "Excellent, everything is holding up quite well." · "Now, it is time for the first closure. Inner cells, prepare for Cell Division." · At Professor Hogu’s command, the openings at both ends of the drifting cylindrical organism began to close slowly, much like a multicellular creature shutting its mouth. · "Splendid." · Professor Hogu watched the entire process with intense focus; to be honest, he still felt a bit nervous. · This was the first trial run, and Professor Hogu could not guarantee a hundred percent success rate against any possible errors. Sometimes, things are simply unpredictable—much like that double-walled cell from not long ago. · "Next, begin releasing enzymes into the cavity." · Following the command, a large quantity of protein-decomposing enzymes was synthesized by the epidermal cells of the inner cavity and released into the fluid within. · Those microorganisms trapped inside the cavity—be they viruses, bacteria, or fungi—were, without exception, broken down by the dispersed enzymes. · Viruses were the first to be fully decomposed. Their structures were far too simple; their shells consisted of nothing more than a layer of protein, whereas bacteria and fungi at least possessed a cell wall. · However, the cell walls of the bacteria and fungi could not hold out for long. They were facing a collective-level monster; for individual microorganisms like them to resist was nothing more than a pipe dream. · After some time, the microorganisms in the inner cavity had been completely broken down by the enzymes. In this pool of solution, only amino acids remained. · The inner cavity walls absorbed, processed, and refined these amino acids, passing them on to the inner cells, which in turn transported these nutrients to the epidermal cells acting as the primary defense. · Professor Hogu watched the entire process with a touch of relief. Aside from the initial command to open and close its "mouth," all other actions were performed autonomously by the cells themselves—a significant step forward. · Following this, Professor Hogu proceeded with a second and third "feeding" session. The results were much the same as the first: it was able to perfectly eliminate the microorganisms and break them down into absorbable amino acids. · "Now, the next step is the construction of a visual system." · Having confirmed that he was not under any immediate threat of extinction, Professor Hogu placed the "visual system" on the agenda. · Information, in any form, is of critical importance at all times. · Professor Hogu urgently needed to determine his current location to formulate a survival strategy. · To possess eyes, he required an "eyespot"—an organelle capable of reacting to light. · However, Professor Hogu did not yet possess such an organelle. · "An eyespot..." · "Since I don't have one myself, I might as well just snatch it from another entity." · "Yes, that is the plan. Capture those microorganisms, analyze their genomes, and then splice them into my existing genetic code." · With this thought, Professor Hogu began to capture microorganisms. · The "mouth" of the cylindrical creature slowly opened. · With the displacement of fluid and current, the microorganisms were sucked into the inner cavity without any resistance. As the two connecting passages closed completely, a massive amount of enzymes were released, just as before, killing a large batch of microorganisms. · However, compared to before, there was a slight difference: the enzymes were completely exhausted exactly when the majority of the viral microorganisms had been eliminated. · A mistake? · No, this was not a mistake; everything had developed exactly as Professor Hogu had planned. · If there were too many enzymes, only amino acids would remain in the cavity; if there were too few, the viruses would not be fully eliminated, potentially leading to a repeat of the previous bacteriophage crisis. · The key was the dosage of enzymes—neither too much nor too little. The previous cycles of opening and closing the mouth were not just for observation of whether the multicellular design had flaws; they were specifically intended to determine how long viruses could survive in an enzyme-rich environment. · Once the enzymes were exhausted, the liquid in the inner cavity no longer possessed the ability to decompose proteins. · Protein structures, used for linkage, were extended into the inner cavity fluid. Microorganisms trapped within the cavity were easily captured by these reaching protein filaments. · This allowed Professor Hogu to observe the captured single-celled organisms directly from his perspective. · "Hmm... what is this?" · It was a tadpole-like single-celled organism with a thick, loose cell wall as its outermost layer, serving only to mitigate the impact of collisions. It offered no defense against bacteriophages or aggressive bacteria and fungi. · Then there was the cell membrane—fairly unremarkable, with a composition and structure quite standard. · Finally, there was the little tail that kept whipping back and forth: the flagellum. This was the feature that delighted Professor Hogu the most. · With this sample, he could design an external organ to drive the movement of the entire single-celled cluster, thereby significantly increasing his safety margin. · At the very least, he wouldn't have to worry about how to run away when danger struck. · "I'll set the flagellum aside for now. The priority is to find a single-celled organism that possesses an 'eyespot' organelle." · Professor Hogu shifted his attention to examine another single-celled organism captured by the protein structure. · This one was a double-membraned cell without a cell wall. Compared to the previous one, it seemed much more fragile. · It lacked a flagellum on the outside, but it did not disappoint Professor Hogu, as this cell contained an organelle that appeared to be a mitochondrion. · Mitochondria could be considered the engines of the microscopic world. By combining nutrients with oxygen or other substrates, they could achieve the conversion of energy forms. · For example: light energy into kinetic energy, chemical energy into light, chemical energy into heat, and so on. · Even if this primitive, suspected-mitochondrion could not fully meet Professor Hogu's current needs, having it as a template would allow him to design a specialized mitochondrion unique to his single-celled cluster. · "This is certainly good, but I'll set it aside for now. Finding the eyespot is of the utmost importance. Being unable to observe my surroundings is far too dangerous." · The long protein structures swayed within the inner cavity like the fishing line of a master angler cast upon the water. · One after another, single-celled organisms were "reeled in" by the thin filament. Among them were all sorts of organelles and various strange features, but he could not find a single bacterium possessing an "eyespot" organelle. · (End of chapter) · [END]