Chapter 543: Preparation

Days passed one by one.

Over the next few decades, Jie Ming did not immediately take action on the Nest.

In a corner of the laboratory sat a test device Jie Ming had built himself.

The core of the device was a transparent sealed chamber, inside which floated an ordinary piece of ore.

Jie Ming activated the device; the light around the ore began to distort, and then it began to weather, crumble, and finally turn into a pile of powder at a speed visible to the naked eye.

That was the effect of time acceleration.

He replaced it with another piece of ore and activated the reverse program.

This time, a strange sense of solidification appeared on the surface of the ore, as if it were frozen in time; no matter how the outside world changed, it remained motionless. Jie Ming carefully observed the data from every test, repeatedly adjusting parameters and recording the results.

That's right, not only did he not immediately start the modification, but he instead turned to studying time-related knowledge.

Strictly speaking, it was the batch of time-related knowledge obtained from the Reincarnation Plane back then.

In the library area of the core laboratory, Jie Ming sat cross-legged, surrounded by a dozen floating recording crystals.

These crystals were somewhat old, their surface luster not as good as the newly made ones, but the content stored within made Jie Ming immerse himself in them time and time again.

He raised his hand, and a crystal floated slowly before him.

His spiritual sense probed inside; it contained a research record from back then: several high-tier wizards sitting around a massive round table, with complex mathematical models floating on the surface, discussing the operating principles of the Reincarnation Machine.

Jie Ming listened to that record, a smile of slight emotion appearing on his lips.

Back when he was in the Reincarnation Plane, this was where he couldn't keep up.

At that time, his academic level was limited; he could barely understand the content of the discussion at the beginning.

Later on, as the wizards specializing in this area spoke more deeply, various professional terms and complex models emerged one after another, and he quickly couldn't understand. He eventually had to leave early and return to his own laboratory.

But now...

Jie Ming closed his eyes, perceiving the content inside the crystal.

After this period of intensive study, those formulas and theories that were like heavenly books back then could now be understood seven or eight-tenths.

Although there was still a part he wasn't quite clear about, it was already far beyond the situation before.

He opened his eyes and summoned another crystal.

This crystal stored the complete research data on the Sickle-Skull race.

As biological weapons designed as components for the reincarnation machine, the Scythe-Skull tribe's physical structure inherently contains a vast amount of time-related knowledge.

Those combat instincts that could predict attacks, the adaptability to complete evolution within a short time after a reincarnation occurred, and even the rapid production mechanism of the brood mother units—all had the shadow of the Law of Time behind them.

The time-related knowledge Jie Ming had mastered previously came from a mixed source.

The earliest was studying the Snow Monsters of the Flame-Frost Plane, from which he obtained the ability to accelerate and decelerate time.

Later, after consuming a wisp of the origin of the Water Element Plane, he gained some insights into time.

But these pieces of knowledge were scattered and not systematic.

And later in the Reincarnation Plane, Jie Ming learned a lot of relevant knowledge.

However, his foundation was too weak at the time, so he didn't gain much; fortunately, he brought back most of the records.

And now, after filling in the foundation, those research records from the Reincarnation Plane could just help him piece these bits of knowledge together.

This day, Jie Ming had just finished his daily study when he received a communication from a Black Giant priest.

After opening it and taking a look, a look of surprise appeared in Jie Ming's eyes.

He walked quickly to the laboratory, looked at something floating in the culture tank before him, and nodded with satisfaction.

It was a set of biological tissue.

Externally, it looked like a human nervous system, with dense neurons and synapses intertwined to form a complex network structure. But if you looked closely, you would find that those "neurons" were much thicker than human ones, and their surfaces emitted a faint silver luster. This was the time pheromone sensory organ extracted from the high-tier Sickle-Skull race.

Back in the Reincarnation Plane, the Sickle-Skull race used this organ to sense the time pheromones released by the Reincarnation Machine, thereby achieving synchronization and coordination with the machine.

Without this organ, the Sickle-Skull race was just an ordinary biological weapon; with it, they could become a part of the Reincarnation Machine. The organ itself was not large, originally only a few millimeters in size.

Jie Ming spent decades cultivating it additionally through biotechnology.

After failing time and time again, he finally created such a complete, large piece.

Now it floated quietly in the nutrient solution, the silver luster appearing and disappearing in the light green liquid, looking both eerie and beautiful. Jie Ming stepped forward, carefully observing this organ.

"This thing is perfect to use as the new core for the Nest."

Jie Ming thought with satisfaction for a while, then tapped a few times on the light screen beside him.

The ceiling above the culture tank opened slowly, revealing a hollow.

A mechanical arm descended from the sky, steadily grabbed the culture tank, and pulled it up.

Jie Ming turned and walked toward the door in another direction.

The laboratory door opened automatically.

Behind the door was a massive space, comparable to an indoor stadium.

And in the very center of the space, a massive, semi-transparent gelatinous substance lay quietly.

That was the Nest.

Its size was a circle larger than it had been decades ago; after spreading out completely on the ground, it looked like a small lake.

The semi-transparent body rose and fell slightly, its surface emitting a faint blue luster—that was the residue after just digesting energy.

Jie Ming looked at it, a complex emotion surging in his heart.

The Nest was one of the earliest units he had created, designed initially as a biological warship that could fight in water, produce soldiers rapidly, and adapt to various harsh environments.

But facts proved that, with insufficient knowledge, forcibly researching a multi-dimensional combat system was simply overestimating one's own capabilities.

After the Nest was created, it was almost of no use.

Not only was it unsatisfactory in actual combat, but later, as the technology of the internal cave heaven matured, the automated factories within the cave heaven could completely replace the production function of the Nest.

It was thus left idle, and it had been idle for hundreds of years.

Jie Ming had thought about phasing it out, but every time he saw it, he felt reluctant.

After all, it was a work he had painstakingly created himself.

The sound of mechanical operation came from behind him.

The culture tank that had just been pulled up was transported over by another set of mechanical arms and landed steadily on one side of the laboratory.

Jie Ming glanced at that piece of silver biological tissue, then looked at the massive gelatinous mass before him.

He stretched his body and walked to the control console.

He placed his hands on the light screen.

"Then... let the modification begin."

(A bit stuck; text...) ===== CHAPTER 544 =====