An Ecosystem Inside the Body

Due to setbacks in their research on rocket Propulsion Engine, some of the Rat-folk proposed building a space station in planetary orbit to facilitate better data collection and research.

Based on this, some of the Rat-folk began to study related topics derived from this idea.

One of the articles suggested that an ecological module with a micro-circulation system could be built in the space station, where plants absorb carbon dioxide and produce oxygen, and then the Rat-folk breathe in the oxygen and exhale the carbon dioxide, thus achieving self-sufficiency.

Of course, in practice it is far from that simple, but this article provided Rowan with a new perspective.

Rowan had been trying to find a way to directly absorb space radiation, and although he had made some progress, such as discovering that there was a type of thermal radiation that could provide a large amount of heat energy, he couldn't find a way to convert that heat energy into bioenergy, which led him to get stuck on this problem.

However, he already had a new idea.

You see, Rowan can now fuse with plant cells; adding Chloroplast into his body is a piece of cake. He has a chance to realize that ecological capsule concept within his own body.

He did what he wanted to do, because during his previous experiments surviving in an oxygen-free environment, he had created a sealable structure for his body. Therefore, it was a natural sealed chamber.

Then, Rowan added a large number of Chloroplast to the epidermal cells. However, he later discovered that there were already too many things there, including the Optical Stealth System and the Magnetic Field Generation System, and adding more Chloroplast might cause compatibility problems.

Left with no other option, Rowan had to move the Chloroplast down, but this made it difficult for them to receive light. Rowan then tried using nanocrystals from Optical Stealth System to reflect light energy back to the Chloroplast.

However, this requires opening up separate light channels and adding nanocrystals within the chloroplasts for reflection, so that more Chloroplast can receive sunlight. Otherwise, the contact area will be too small, leading to low conversion efficiency, which is very troublesome.

But if there's no better way, this is the only option we have.

However, just a few days later, Rowan saw a paper that essentially said plants could also grow under artificial light and bioluminescence.

Like a thunderbolt from the blue, it jolted Rowan awake. He knew very little about this kind of thing. But if this worked, then things would be much easier.

He can't implant an artificial light bulb inside his body, but the options for bioluminescence are truly numerous.

Some insects and many deep-sea creatures can emit their own light.

Rowan immediately began his experiment. Most of these bioluminescent organisms possessed a special gene, which manifested as a bioluminescent cell. Inside the cell were two chemical substances that reacted under their special catalysis. The energy released in the reaction was almost entirely in the form of light, producing only very little heat, making it a highly efficient form of bioluminescence.

Rowan first moved the Chloroplast into the cavity inside his body, then placed some light-emitting cells around them, and modified the respiratory system to directly release carbon dioxide into the cavity, Chloroplast then absorbed and released oxygen...

Thus, Rowan became a glowing insect, or rather, he acquired a mech with built-in lights.

This system is much more reliable than the previous one, but it still doesn't achieve a perfect cycle and requires regular replenishment of water and other substances. However, with the presence of the Tail Fat Organ, this regularity can be calculated in years.

In this way, all the problems that might be encountered in outer space have been solved. Everything is ready, except for the vehicle.

"My Overlord, isn't our latest masterpiece absolutely gorgeous?" Morgan muttered to himself, a look of pure delight on his face.

Rowan was observing the rockets ahead remotely through his perspective, and his words were received directly by Morgan's brain via the Swarm Network: "It's so beautiful, I can't even describe it."

"It's wonderful that Overlord Majesty thinks that way."

"Good my ass! Can't you tell from my tone that I'm being sarcastic?"

"It might be a problem with communication; I can't understand your tone of voice."

Rowan thought the Rat-folk needed to be reworked, but looking at the rocket in front of him, Rowan was truly astonished.

These Rat-folk really took a different approach, strapping 36 Secondary Propulsion Engine onto a single rocket. Now that he's a cultured man, looking at the rocket's bizarre shape, he knows that with that design, the air resistance must be enormous, and the direction would be extremely difficult to control.

He somewhat regretted sending his original body over.

Yes, this is his vehicle for this trip to the moon. The pinnacle of the Rat-folk's intelligence to date, it looks like a super rocket with over thirty wooden-handled grenades strapped to a large wooden handle.

This was the first time the Rat-folk had truly impacted the lunar surface, and even Queen Kerrigan arrived at the command center to personally witness the ignition ceremony.

"Can this thing really fly?" Rowan was still somewhat uncertain.

"Rest assured, Overlord Majesty, we have extensive experience with this type of bundled rocket. Although this design faces greater drag within the atmosphere, the drag disappears once it passes through the atmosphere, making the design irrelevant. Last time, we successfully test-fired a rocket with 24 secondary thrusters, which came very close to the lunar surface. After careful calculations, we determined that 36 secondary thrusters would definitely be able to send the main body of the rocket to the moon."

"Alright, you've said a lot, I believe you." Rowan felt a little relieved after hearing Morgan's statement.

His true form, through "his own people's" channels, successfully secured the mission of being a lunar biological test subject. At this moment, he was being carried onto a rocket in a transparent box surrounded by various observation instruments.

There were other observation instruments and all-terrain vehicles accompanying it.

A moment later, old Morgan learned some details over the walkie-talkie and then said, "My Overlord, that special insectoid has been sent on the rocket."

Rowan nodded, then, remembering that they were communicating via telepathy, said, "Okay, I understand."

That was a matter concerning his physical body, including the relationship between his physical body and the Mother Nest; he hadn't told anyone. Even after being modified by the Swarm Network, he hadn't been granted access to this information by the intelligent beings who were absolutely loyal to him.

It wasn't that he didn't trust them; it's just that Rowan felt it was enough for him to know these private matters. After all, the universe was so vast, and he never considered himself the most special individual. Who knew if there were other strange and unusual abilities among them?

Let's defend ourselves as best we can. Although it might seem like we're outsmarting thin air, isn't that the ultimate level of survival?

Abyss Order for the 100 Qidian Coins donation and to Pan Shu for the 100 Book Coins donation.

This chapter was originally titled "Experiment in Progress, Part Five"...