Alien Evolution System 2 Evolving

Although it had lost almost all of its abilities, it still retained some basic functions that allowed it to survive. It was still composed of segments of ultrafiber muscle, though far less dense and powerful than in its original state as it could not possibly sustain such organic material with how little energy it had now. However, it still allowed for quick, undulating movement reminiscent of a snake.

The Collector still retained basic senses that came with reducing itself to a larva. It had lost its sight, but fine hairs dotting its body were sensitive to all motion, allowing it to conjure up detailed, 360-degree imagery of its environment. Sound also registered through these vibration-sensitive hairs, allowing it to realize that as of now, the jungle was rather safe.

Likely, the crashlanding had scared off local fauna. This also indicated that there was little intelligent life in the area. Perfect to consume and regain strength. However, this planet was incredibly different. The Collector could not match any of the plants or small animals it encountered with equivalents in its memory bank. This was truly a wholly new and foreign planet, and with it came new dangers that put it on constant guard. Until it could develop its strength, it had to lie low.

The Collector spent its time feasting on plant-life, chewing dead leaves fallen from the trees high above. Its once proud, building-sized jaws had reduced to a circular mouth lined with small, stubby teeth.

-Bioma.s.s gained.

--Bioma.s.s Level: 5/100

-No new genetic material gained

-Current Adaptations

--Ultrafiber Musculature Rank 1

--Sensitive Hairs

The Collector kept eating leaves, branches, whatever it could gets its mouth on. The voice in its head was the memory bank of the Collective – a repository of information implanted in every Collector at birth and useful for recognizing new species and developing new abilities.

Evolution centered around two elements: bioma.s.s and genetic material.

Bioma.s.s meant the consumption of raw organic material. In this case, it was plant matter. Maxing out on bioma.s.s would allow the Collector to metamorphose to increase its strength and potentially change its form based on what it had eaten and thereby gain new powers. Metamorphosis would also allow it to redevelop one of its old abilities, though at its current state that ability would be at a much, much weaker version just like how its ultrafiber muscles were significantly atrophied compared to its original form which could support thousands of tons.

Genetic material was any new genetic material it could consume that would grant it new forms and, by extension, the powers a.s.sociated with those forms. As of now, these plants were nothing special. Plant-life tended to develop similarly across planets with water, so it was no surprise that their genetic structure was not sufficiently distinct or special enough to produce abilities with. Were they poisonous plants, then the matter would be different, but none were.

In a pinch, the Collector could also sacrifice bioma.s.s to heal itself.

Ultimately, though, to gain any kind of new form and power, the Collector would have to metamorphose first.

Right now, the Collector wanted to focus on gaining enough bioma.s.s to metamorphose and redevelop hardened carapace over its currently soft body regardless of what form it needed to a.s.sume. Survival was its top priority and it felt exposed right now. Any good blaster or rail rifle could punch a hole through it.

So the Collector kept eating, munching a decent clearing across the crater it had landed in. Along the way, it gobbled up insects of various kinds here and there.

-Bioma.s.s gained

--Bioma.s.s Level: 15/100

-New genetic material gained

--Jungle Spider

--Black Ant

--Striped Centipede

The Collector took a moment to a.n.a.lyze its options but found them lacking. Certainly, these insectoid forms were interesting, but they did not hold particularly unique powers. Weak venom and small wings, mainly, but perhaps when enhanced and spliced with its own ultrafiber muscles and soon to be developed organic-hyperalloy carapace, these forms would be more useful.

The temperature started to lower. Not a lot of light penetrated the thick canopy of tree leaves above as was, but when the sun started setting, the little warmth that fell through disappeared. The Collector judged it was nearing night, and from a few basic calculations, deduced that this planet had a 24-hour daily cycle, so any creatures it encountered now were likely to be nocturnal.

By now, local fauna had started to gain courage and re-populate the area. The Collector could feel the stirs and heat of small mammals scurrying about, the rustle of creatures in the tree branches, and in the far distance, the occasional thud of some sizable creature that the Collector knew not to near until it was far stronger.

The Collector did not indiscriminately chew on plant matter anymore now. It did not want to attract too much attention, but it did need to quickly gain bioma.s.s to metamorphose. Metamorphosing would also allow it to change its form to something a little more efficient than a worm, so it had to eat. It decided to be riskier and attempt hunting some of the small mammals scurrying about. They would be far more complex genetically and laden with bioma.s.s.

The Collector crawled into a patch of thick gra.s.s and flattened itself so that it was concealed.

Then it waited, feeling with its hairs for something to near.

A short while later, something did.

A rabbit, small and hungry. Its fur was midnight black and perfectly camouflaged in the darkness but was useless to the Collector which saw not with eyes, but feeling. It hopped forwards to the Collector's hiding spot, wanting to munch on the tall, nouris.h.i.+ng gra.s.s.

The Collector was absolutely still and patient. It had the collective knowledge of countless predatory species across many planets, so waiting and ambus.h.i.+ng like this was a familiar tactic ingrained into every cell of its body.

The rabbit made one little hop too close and the Collector surged forwards, its ultrafiber muscles straining as its maw opened up, clasping on the rabbit's leg.

The rabbit mewled as it kicked and tried to escape, but the Collector's grip was unbreakable by such a weak creature. The Collector sucked in, its segmented body undulating as it forced the rabbit further and further into its mouth. When it drew in the rabbit completely, slurping in its ears like noodles, it checked its status.

--Bioma.s.s gained

-Bioma.s.s level: 50/100

The Collector was pleased. The rabbit had provided a good amount of bioma.s.s, but it also held something even more precious: memories. Non-sentient, dumber animals such as the rabbit had scarcely few memories to retrieve, but there were some tied with strong instincts that the Collector could easily pluck out. Memories from sentient beings were often a jumble and significantly harder to extract though there was much more to take from.

Among the rabbit's memories included awareness of some of the predators in this jungle and also the location to the rabbit's den where its children lay.

The den was not far.

The Collector slithered its way over, wary not to alert any dangerous presences. It knew now there were large felines and short, dark-skinned humanoids in the jungle that lay in wait to ambush just as it had done to the rabbit.

Thankfully, it did not encounter any such creatures as it found the den – a little dugout concealed by taller gra.s.ses and foliage a small ways from the crash site.

The Collector forced its way into the den. Though it was larger than the rabbit, its worm-like form was malleable, able to squeeze into most surfaces. Inside the den were a golden treasure: a litter of twelve rabbits squealing in a terror enforced by instinct as they gazed at the hideous, saw-like mouth of the Collector.

The Collector swallowed them whole. It did not want to lose any bioma.s.s to stray bleeding.

And as it consumed the babies, another boon came. With its 360-degree range of sensory vision, it had sensed the aggressive approach of another rabbit, likely the father, attempting to bite the Collector's tail outside the den in defense of his children. While the Collector's mouth ground up the babies, its tail lashed backwards like a club as the rabbit leaped forwards to bite, striking the small creature on the head and breaking its neck.

Without wasting time, the Collector withdrew from the burrow and went to consuming the father. With the whole family in its stomach, it checked its status once more.

--Bioma.s.s gained

-Bioma.s.s level 100/100

*Metamorphosis available

-Genetic Material Available

--Midnight Rabbit

--Jungle Spider

--Black Ant

--Striped Centipede

-Current Adaptations

--Ultrafiber Muscles Rank 1

--Sensitive Hairs

Excellent.

Now the Collector could finally change out its form to something more agile and suitable to the forest and gain a carapace to defend itself with. However, with each level it gained, it knew that undergoing further metamorphoses would become increasingly difficult, requiring more and more bioma.s.s. To reach its original state as a 6000-ton paragon of annihilation would likely require consuming most of this planet.
Find authorized novels in Webnovel，faster updates, better experience，Please click for visiting.

But a start was a start.

And so the Collector underwent its metamorphosis, hiding in a thicket of gra.s.s as a coc.o.o.n of soft, beating flesh morphed around it. Its larval body melted into pure, primordial genetic ooze. From here, creation was its plaything.

First off, it had to decide on a new form.

It could choose to consume a maximum of three stored genetic samples and splice them together to create a new form or go with just one or two. Either way, its next form would be what it would be stuck with until it reached its second metamorphosis, so it had to choose wisely.

Unfortunately, it only had one mammal and various insects to choose from. The rabbit, as a mammal, would grant a warm-blooded body that could more efficiently use ultrafiber musculature. It already possessed fur which could be upgraded with an existing sensitive hairs adaptation. The insectoid forms would provide extra limbs and a familiarity with carapaces that it could use to more efficiently re-develop its organic-hyperalloy carapace.

Making sure to take forms that could easily interface with its existing adaptations sped up the metamorphosis process which was crucial considering that right now, the Collector was absolutely defenseless, easily killed if anything or anyone popped the soft, fleshy coc.o.o.n it was developing in.

In a rush, the Collector morphed together the rabbit, spider, and centipede genes.