Entering the Sea

Having discovered the new changes, Rowan stepped through the riverbed silt and slowly made his way towards the estuary.

The slowly salting seawater didn't bother Rowan at all; his new underwater breathing system could perfectly filter out the salt in the seawater.

After leaving the estuary and gradually entering the sea, Rowan was somewhat disappointed by the underwater scenery.

Perhaps due to the cold weather, there were very few underwater plants, but quite a few shrimp and crabs lurked in the crevices of the seabed rocks. Some even tried to take advantage of the situation to ambush Rowan.

Rowan's chelicerae remain powerful weapons on the seabed, but the resistance of the water makes them more cumbersome, making it difficult to deal with small and agile shrimp.

However, he killed quite a few of the Crab that were also brandishing their claws at him. Unfortunately, he didn't currently have the ability to eat underwater, and it was inconvenient to carry them around, so he had to discard these super fresh seafoods for nothing.

As he continued to advance along the seabed, the water grew deeper and deeper, increasing the pressure on him. However, his Exoskeleton Armor seemed to possess naturally good pressure resistance, so he did not feel much discomfort.

When Rowan descended to a depth of over 300 meters, sunlight could barely penetrate that depth. Although his unique eye structure allowed him to see with just a little light, his eyes were helpless in the absence of any light.

When the water was nearly 400 meters deep, it was completely dark all around. Fear of the unknown prevented Rowan from going any deeper. The air sac between his abdomen and his carapace began to inflate, slowly lifting his body towards the surface.

As they gained altitude, the surrounding scenery began to be transmitted back into Rowan's mind.

Just then, a Mantis Shrimp -like creature suddenly darted out of the darkness below and rushed towards him at an extremely fast speed.

However, its body, which was only a little over ten centimeters long, did not pose a threat to Rowan, although he also didn't have a very good way to deal with the agile Mantis Shrimp.

Although Rowan couldn't keep up with the Mantis Shrimp's movements, his excellent dynamic visual capture system allowed him to see it clearly. This Mantis Shrimp was different from what he remembered; its two forelimbs weren't sharp "scythes," but rather a pair of small hammers.

The Mantis Shrimp nimbly maneuvered in the seawater and quickly approached Rowan. Rowan clumsily extended his Pincer Limb to try and shoo it away. As luck would have it, the Mantis Shrimp bumped into his claws and lay down.

If Mantis Shrimp could talk, they would definitely retort, "You're dreaming!"

Suddenly, the Mantis Shrimp was blocked by a large Pincer Limb and immediately pounced. Rowan only saw a flash of light pass by the corner of his eye, and then felt the Pincer Limb be hit hard by a strong force.

Rowan knew that the Mantis Shrimp had attacked him with her hammer-like forelimbs, but even with his previously unbeatable dynamic vision, he hadn't seen what had just happened.

At this moment, the Mantis Shrimp seemed to finally realize that Rowan, this big guy, was not to be trifled with. It nimbly turned around and disappeared into the dark depths of the sea in a few moments.

Rowan had never been so provoked since he grew to such a large size, but looking at the dark and boundless sea, he figured this grudge would be hard to get revenge for.

After surfacing, Rowan determined his direction; he was now several kilometers away from land. He lifted his Pincer Limb, which had been damaged by the impact, and saw a small crack on them. Although the damage wasn't serious, it was extremely humiliating, and he became even angrier.

After his initial anger subsided, Rowan was secretly astonished. His Pincer Limb were arguably the most armored part of his body. Coupled with the size difference between him and the Mantis Shrimp, the Mantis Shrimp's attack had actually managed to inflict damage on him.

This isn't some insidious trick like poisoning; the Mantis Shrimp's direct, head-on fighting prowess is simply off the charts. If Rowan were about its size, he'd probably have his armor pierced in an instant.

Because Rowan only has one pair of Swimming Leg, he doesn't swim very fast. Fortunately, he's not in a hurry. He's surrounded by huge blocks of ice, which seem to have drifted over from further north.

Suddenly his eyes narrowed; on the ice block in front of him was an oval-shaped, flat-bodied insect of unknown species, frozen solid.

This was a pleasant surprise. Rowan had never seen this insect before, and eating it would definitely allow him to obtain some new gene fragments.

I don't know if it will work.

He climbed onto the ice block, painstakingly using his Pincer Limb to pry open the surface and dig out the worm.

I don't know if this bug is dead or alive, but it looks like it's been frozen for a long time. It should be dead by now, but luckily it's still pretty fresh because it's been refrigerated.

After eating some snacks, Rowan finally made it back to land after a little more time.

There's nothing much to see here for the time being, and it's not a reliable idea for him to explore the ocean on his own. Besides, he doesn't really like the environment here.

Although he has decent cold resistance, the cold can still impair his senses, which is quite unpleasant.

So, after ordering the squad to remain stationed there, he began his return journey to headquarters.

Return to the main base and reconnect to the Mother Nest.

First, update the genes of the Ant Queen, and load the new underwater breathing system into them.

At the same time, Rowan also learned about the genes of the unknown frozen insect through research. It possessed a special hibernation ability. When Rowan dug it out, it hadn't even farted yet; it was merely hibernating. No wonder it was so fresh and had no odor at all.

Rowan Wen smacked his lips, recalling the taste of seafood. This talent is useless for now, so let's ignore it for the time being.

Several days later, the first batch of new queen Ant Queen, and Rowan immediately sent them to the seaside to develop a base.

More than a hundred days later, a Mantis Shrimp that had been killed was brought to Rowan.

After traveling thousands of kilometers, the Mantis Shrimp had become incredibly smelly, and the meat was rotten. Although Rowan wasn't as particular about such things anymore, he still couldn't bring himself to eat it.

There was no other way; in order to eat fresh seafood sashimi, Rowan Wen traveled for dozens of days to reach that seaside base.

An Ant Queen has already moved in, and the base has expanded considerably. The base didn't hold a grand welcoming ceremony for Rowan's arrival; they simply renovated his original "heated room."

After a day of rest, the Swarm Navy set off early the next morning under Rowan's watchful eye.

Because this base only has one Type II Ant Queen, and its egg-laying capacity is not strong, there are not many insects that can go to sea, and there are only two species.

One type uses Crab as a genetic template, and the other uses Green Shrimp as a template.

Both types of insects have their advantages and disadvantages. Crab have powerful Pincer Limb and thick shells, which give them a high level of attack and defense, but they are very poor at moving.

Although Green Shrimp are not particularly aggressive or defensive, their bouncy swimming motion gives them varied movement patterns and fast speeds.

Mantis Shrimp, on the other hand, are agile and fast, have strong defenses, and are very powerful in attack, making them a veritable tyrant of the sea.

Therefore, relying solely on Crab and Green Shrimp to hunt Mantis Shrimp requires an element of luck.