Dean Lou reluctantly stepped aside from the microscope.
Song He leaned over to look, and the system prompt quickly popped up.
Evolution successful! This evolution reduced the bacteria's metabolic rate and increased their lifespan fivefold. However, the evolved bacteria were more fragile, and their reproduction rate decreased by 40%. The side effects of the evolution were minor. Overall, it was a great success!
"It worked! Their appearance hasn't changed, so the evolution must be internal." Song He spoke up. "Lifespan, foraging, reproduction, and so on."
Dean Lou smiled. Although the internal evolution still needed to be observed, under conditions where all the bacteria died en masse, the fact that some individual bacteria survived itself indicated the existence of evolution!
Dean Lou perked up again, replaced the sample with a fresh one, and observed his own microscope.
Two minutes later, he cried out, "I've got one too!"
"Their appearance changed! Two long flagella!"
He moved aside on his own, and Song He leaned over to take a look.
In the field of view, three active engineered bacteria appeared amid a mass of corpses. Each engineered bacterium dragged a long flagellum behind it, like the white wake trailing behind a small boat, standing out sharply against the short flagella of the surrounding corpses!
The evolved engineered bacteria moved incredibly fast, charging about wildly as they anxiously searched for food.
Evolution successful! This evolution caused two powerful long flagella to grow from the rear of the bacteria, increasing their movement speed by 200%! However, the evolved bacteria consumed more energy, had a greater need for food, and their ability to endure hunger decreased by 80%.
Professor Lu also leaned over for a look, his white brows twitching.
"I saw this kind of mutant several years ago. It was extracted