The currents carried him, the fragments drifted, instinct pulled him along... This process might already have consumed half a year, perhaps even longer.
From awkwardly drawing the first trace of Hydrogen sulfide energy from the hydrothermal fluids, enduring the faint stimulation of the first thermoelectric current, to initially repairing the core neural clusters and building the basic energy absorption and conversion organ—the "Deep Sea Furnace Core"—as well as crude digging and anchoring limb prototypes—thick lower limbs and a tail structure—that gave him the ability to gain a stable foothold and move within the hydrothermal vent zone, would require several months, perhaps even over a year, of painful reconstruction.
Every second during that time was a struggle against entropy and the harshness of the deep-sea environment.
His limited energy and materials had to be spent where they mattered most.
The remnants of Connors's Human Science mindset instinctively guided the direction of his evolution.
Survival was the foundation: reinforce the skull to protect the regenerating complex brain tissue—especially the critical neural clusters that processed information related to revenge—and the fragile areas where his senses were concentrated;
Reinforce the neck structure to support the massive head he would eventually possess and withstand impacts; build powerful forelimbs covered in metallized bones and chitin-mineral Composite Armor, with enormous, sharp bone claws at their ends. They would be used to excavate mineral deposits near the hydrothermal vents, build a Nest, fend off large predators such as giant squid, and hunt surrounding Tube Worms and blind shrimp as supplements of protein and trace elements.
Stability was the prerequisite: develop thick lower limbs and a tail structure, with reinforced supporting bones within and heavy scales without. Their ends formed massive anchor-like or paddle-like structures, driven deep into the solid bedrock or mineralized sediment around the vents like ship