Lin Mu stood outside the ant colony, his world reduced to focused observation. The fusion was complete, but the critical question remained: how quickly would the subtle human genes assert themselves in the rapid life cycle of the ant?
He didn't need to dig. The Genesis System provided a constant, detailed diagnostic of the entire Azure Shield Array. He activated a specialized viewing pane focused on the Queen's chamber, which now appeared as a high-resolution holographic overlay in his sight.
The Queen Ant, now an absolute, controlled puppet, had already laid the first batch of eggs utilizing the altered DNA. Days passed outside the array—days Lin Mu spent immersed in reading textbooks about various organisms and evolution, only glancing up when Atlas alerted him to a biological milestone.
Then, the alert came.
[Attention, User Lin Mu. The first egg of the Formicidae Sapiens generation has successfully hatched. Subject designated FSW-001 (Formicidae Sapiens Worker, First Generation).]
Lin Mu focused the System's view window. It was a dizzying sight.
The creature was only slightly larger than the common ants swarming around it, standing at barely one centimeter tall. But the difference was startling. It used four legs for propulsion, but its front two limbs were clearly shorter, thinner, and functional as rudimentary hands, ending in delicate, manipulative claws. Most importantly, small, calcified nubs—the beginnings of the highly complex antennae/antlers—jutted from its cranium.
The creature was grotesque yet marvelous, and it moved with a slight, hesitant pause before its actions, a tiny flicker of thought interrupting brute instinct.
Lin Mu watched as the surrounding common ants, the original population, interacted with the newborn. They didn't attack or even pause. The Formicidae Sapiens creature naturally exuded the exact pheromone signature of a native ant, a perfect biological camouflage. FSW-001 was accepted instantly, simply another unit in the colony.
Lin Mu stared at the miraculous, tiny being. This was the first creature to bear his genetic touch—the living proof of the Creation Game.
[Achievement Unlocked: Novice God]
Description: Successfully oversaw the birth of the first intelligent life under the Genesis System's authority.
Reward:
100 Karma Points
Codon Records (Artifact)
Soul Palace (Natal Artifact)
Lin Mu felt another sharp influx of power, followed by the materialization of the rewards within his personal interface.
The Codon Records appeared as a stone tablet in his inventory, silently recording the precise DNA template of his Formicidae Sapiens. This was a genetic backup, invaluable for future manipulation. The Soul Palace—a miniature, shimmering crystalline structure—embedded itself directly into his consciousness, instantly becoming his natal artifact which would grow with him, acting as a mental repository and power core.
His Karma total was now back to 100 points.
"System," Lin Mu said, his gaze fixed on the hybrid worker. "The development rate is too slow. At this rate, by the time I get my civilization, I will have grown old and died. We must increase the evolutionary pace immediately to hasten development."
[User authority can adjust the dimensional temporal flow within the Azure Shield Array. Cost calculation: 1 outside day : 1 inside year requires 10 Karma Points per outside day to sustain.]
The cost was manageable, but continuous. Lin Mu quickly calculated the exponential increase in Karma he could gain from a rapidly developing, intelligent civilization versus the daily expense. To delay was simply to waste potential. The faster they evolved, the faster his returns multiplied.
"Begin temporal acceleration," Lin Mu commanded. "Let's first spend 50 points, establishing a sustained flow of five days of accelerated time."
[Temporal acceleration initiated. Sustained cost: 50 Karma Points deducted. The Formicidae Sapiens are now entering the accelerated age. Be advised: the consequences of rapid civilization advancement are unpredictable.]
The Azure Shield Array gave off a faint, undetectable hum. Inside, the world began to move rapidly. One outside hour equated to two months of internal time. The first generation of Ant-Humans began to mature almost instantly, their tiny lives compressed into hours. It was like pressing the fast-forward button on history itself. The slow, silent work of building an intelligent society had begun in earnest, hidden by a temporal bubble.