With the vital issue of the water source resolved, and having acquired Hai Yao as a highly capable assistant and “security consultant,” Ling Shuying felt a massive weight lift from her shoulders.
A long-lost, pure urge for scientific research swelled in her chest, much like the ever-rising tide outside the Sea Erosion Cave.
Her core focus, the very obsession that drove her to flee the Thousand Sails City State, and the foundation of her survival on this isolated island—she could finally pour all her blood, sweat, and tears into cultivating those two Basic Algae seedlings that carried infinite hope.
A-1 and A-2, the two little forms of Life that had struggled to emerge from a nearly wiped-out culture dish, had miraculously survived their initial fragile period.
Under the meticulous, day-to-day care of Ling Shuying and Hai Yao, they displayed a resilience of Life that even surprised Ling Shuying slightly.
They were no longer the listless, drooping sprouts that looked as if they could perish at any moment when they first emerged.
Their leaves had gradually settled and unfurled, transitioning from their initial sickly brownish-green into a rich, vibrant emerald, resembling the finest slices of jade.
The subtle, serrated structures along their edges were clearly visible under the pristine light filtered through the jellyfish membrane.
As the water softly pulsed around them, they looked as though they were breathing.
They were firmly rooted in the upgraded and improved substrate, standing like two tiny, vibrant green beacons.
“Technician Ling, look at this!”
Hai Yao crouched at the entrance of the Sea Erosion Cave.
She carefully pointed at a leaf on seedling A-1 near the edge of the substrate, her voice hushed as if afraid of disturbing something.
“Yesterday, there seemed to be a small indentation here, but today it’s gone!
Did it heal?”
Ling Shuying was leaning over another flat reef rock.
Using a pair of fine tweezers fashioned from a fishbone, she peered through a crude magnifying observation dish made from the largest and most transparent Jellyfish Sac.
She was carefully inspecting the venation of seedling A-2, documenting the microscopic traces of cell division.
Upon hearing this, she raised her head.
The faint green glimmer in the depths of her eyes, indicating the operation of Qing Ling, flashed briefly before fading.
Her gaze locked precisely onto the spot Hai Yao indicated.
“It has healed.” Ling Shuying’s voice carried a hint of imperceptible approval.
“The trace amounts of purple shell powder added to the substrate seem to be genuinely effective in promoting cell repair and root development.
This type of shellfish you found is highly valuable.”
Hai Yao had contributed the crushed shell powder of a tiny, deep-purple shellfish, which she dubbed “Old Fisherman’s Root-Strengthening Powder.” Although Ling Shuying remained noncommittal about the unscientific term “root-strengthening,” the experimental data didn’t lie.
In the substrate areas where the trace amounts of purple shell powder were added, the algae seedlings’ root systems were noticeably more developed.
Their leaves were also thicker and tougher, exhibiting a significantly enhanced ability to resist the gnawing of the algae-eating snails they had encountered previously.
Receiving this validation, a wide smile instantly bloomed across Hai Yao’s dark face.
“Of course!
We old fishermen of Bihai Island always have our own rustic methods for dealing with things in the sea!”
Watching these two tiny forms of green Life steadily grow stronger in Ling Shuying’s hands with her own eyes, it felt like witnessing a miraculous transformation.
It filled the hunter, who was accustomed to meeting nature head-on with brute force, with heartfelt awe and wonder.
The inner jellyfish membrane protective cover that the two of them jointly maintained deserved much of the credit.
It acted as a tough and transparent barrier, firmly isolating external spores and microscopic pests that were invisible to the naked eye.
Ling Shuying regularly applied or sprayed a low-concentration lemon and sargassum mixture.
Much like a precision chemical weapon, it completely suppressed the velvety algae that attempted to make a resurgence around the edges of the substrate.
Under the regulation of the “buffer packs” that the pair continuously replenished, the water environment of the Sea Erosion Cave also maintained a rare stability.
This place had already developed the preliminary framework required for small-scale biological breeding.
“Their condition has been stable for over a week, and their growth curve aligns with expectations.” Ling Shuying’s gaze swept over the two vibrant mother plants before landing on the “experimental log” beside them, which was made from carbonized wooden slips and a fishbone pen, densely packed with recorded data.
“The biomass accumulation has reached the threshold.
It’s time for the first phase of expansion.”
Her voice was calm, yet it harbored an unquestionable resolve.
Expansion.
This word immediately lifted Hai Yao’s spirits.
She knew exactly what it meant—taking the seeds of Life from these two precious “mothers” and sowing them in more places.
This would be the most important part of her job as a “security consultant”: protecting these precious “little green dots” as they branched out and multiplied.
The ensuing procedure was highly technical work.
It was also the ultimate test of the synergistic capabilities between Ling Shuying and Qing Ling.
Hai Yao consciously retreated to the cave entrance and held her breath, acting as the most loyal sentinel.
Her vigilant gaze swept across the occasional silhouettes of fish swimming by outside.
Ling Shuying took a deep breath, adjusting the rhythm of her breathing until her heartbeat leveled out.
The algae-green light in the depths of her eyes steadily illuminated.
Qing Ling’s visual enhancement and computational assistance instantly elevated her senses to the level of a commander on a microscopic battlefield.
Under Qing Ling’s vision, its edge gleamed with an atomic-level, razor-sharp cold light.
First, she used her homemade algae-clearing fibers soaked in lemon juice to carefully wipe the blade and the tips of the tweezers, performing a rudimentary disinfection.
Her target locked onto several robust lateral branches near the base of seedling A-1.
Qing Ling’s analytical model clearly outlined the main veins, meristematic tissues, and potential risk areas of each lateral branch right before her eyes.
Ling Shuying’s hands were as steady as a rock, and the tip of the blade cut in at an exquisitely precise angle.
It wasn’t a crude slice; rather, it was more akin to a precise separation during minimally invasive surgery.
The blade avoided the main vein ducts, staying flush against the junction between the lateral branch and the main stem.
Utilizing the natural curvature of the shell blade, she gave a gentle twist and pull.
A healthy segment of algae, about half a centimeter long with a plump little bump at its tip, completely detached from the mother plant as if brushed off by the gentlest breeze.
It landed steadily into an oyster shell containing a small amount of Purification seawater, which Ling Shuying held in her other hand.
The cut was smooth, leaving only a microscopic, barely visible trace on the mother plant.
“The first one,” Ling Shuying thought to herself, her movements showing not the slightest pause.
The same precise operation was repeated three times on seedling A-1, and then four more times on seedling A-2.
The angle, force, and position of every single cut were subjected to Qing Ling’s real-time calculations and corrections.
This ensured that the damage to the mother plants was minimized while simultaneously harvesting algae segments with the highest vitality.
The entire process was as smooth as flowing water, carrying a cold, clinical aesthetic of laboratory precision that was made exceptionally awe-inspiring when contrasted against the primitive environment of the Sea Erosion Cave.
Seven segments of green Life, carrying the weight of hope, lay quietly in the shallow water of the oyster shell.
Only then did Ling Shuying let out a small sigh of relief, fine beads of sweat already seeping from her forehead.
This kind of high-intensity mental focus and micro-operation was immensely draining.
“Is it done?” Hai Yao immediately leaned in, looking at those few small, emerald-green “branches” with eyes full of curiosity and anticipation.
“Yes.” Ling Shuying nodded and carefully handed the oyster shell to Hai Yao.
“Hold it steady.
We are going to prepare their new home.”