Thinking

"Looks like it isn't protein."

The cells had not followed Huo Gu's command to divide into new individuals. That meant the answer was the second possibility.

"Since it isn't protein, then it probably doesn't have much to do with amino acids either."

Amino acids were the smallest building blocks of protein. Countless amino acids formed polypeptides, and through repeated folding and twisting, polypeptides formed proteins with three-dimensional structures.

Then what was it that allowed me to maintain thought, as well as my memories from when I was human?

He had thought protein was the most likely answer, but now that it had been disproved, Huo Gu's logic had run into a dead end. He decided to sort through it all again from the beginning.

"Hmm... whether it's the internet, the human brain, or a computer, they all have one thing in common: an enormous number of computing units as their foundation. This research direction should be correct."

"My situation should be the same. I have an enormous number of cells as the computing units, and the connections between them should also be universal..."

"For the human brain, connections are built through synapses. Obviously, that doesn't apply to me right now. At present, this is only one entire cell cluster. They don't have physical connections like synapses, and the experiment just now also proved that the connections between cells have nothing to do with protein."

The core question Huo Gu wanted to investigate gradually became clear.

"That's right, it's that 'connection.' What medium are the cells relying on to build connections and form such a vast network?"

Huo Gu cast his attention over the entire cell cluster, trying to discover that intercellular "medium" through this macroscopic method.

In the end, he still found nothing, even though he could now see every cell inside and out at a glance.

"It can't possibly be like the internet, relying on electromagnetic waves to build connections between computing units, can it?"

"Impossible. Although I don't specialize in the computer field, even the little superficial knowledge I have is enough to make that guess untenable."

There was no other reason. There was too much external interference, and the life field constructed by the cells was far too weak, so weak that the energy released by chemical reactions occurring in seawater could destroy this life field that was weak to the extreme...

Huo Gu's thoughts suddenly stopped. He keenly seized the instant flash of inspiration in the sea of his thoughts.

"...Wait, that actually seems to make sense."

"Because external interference is too strong, this connection can only act within the cells. That would also explain why two cells need to be pressed together before my commands can take effect."

The environment inside a cell was extremely stable. If it were the same as the environment outside the cell membrane, the genes in the nucleus would have no way to exist stably, so the cell's interior had to be very stable.

And in such a stable environment, that life field, which had always been interfered with, could expand and take effect very well.

Thus, there was the current life network!

To verify his conjecture, Huo Gu decided to conduct another new experiment.

The wall cells on the outermost layer of the cell cluster began to divide, then the inner cells, then the wall cells again, constructing a small cavity.

After filling this cavity with pure water, Huo Gu put a single cell inside.

This cell had one flagellum, the most primitive cell membrane, and a DNA nucleus. Other than that, it had nothing. Huo Gu had done this deliberately to ensure that nothing went wrong with the experiment.

"Now, follow my command. Begin moving in a circle around the entire cavity, but do not touch the inner wall of the cavity."

Sure enough, the cell placed inside the cavity, which had remained motionless the whole time, began to swing its flagellum and act according to Huo Gu's command. It was even as responsive as an arm to a finger, swimming along the exact trajectory Huo Gu had imagined in his thoughts, circling the inner wall of the cavity without touching it even once.

After swimming like a tadpole for a while, the cell used for the experiment stopped. The flagellum at its tail no longer moved at all.

Huo Gu was not surprised by this situation. The movement of the flagellum required the breakdown of amino acids. The cavity where the experimental cell was currently located contained only water. Unable to obtain amino acids, the experimental cell naturally had no choice but to stop its flagellum. It was the same principle as a rocket engine running out of fuel.

"Then what about the 'field source'? Since it relies on a field, there should be a source that generates the field."

After thinking it over, Huo Gu decided to use the method of elimination.

The cell membrane and cytoplasm were the first to be eliminated by Huo Gu, because he could command cells to unwind and transcribe DNA. That was not an ability one would have simply by controlling the cell membrane or cytoplasm.

It could even be said that the answer had been obvious from the very beginning. The field source was "hidden" in the tangled mess of DNA double strands in the nucleus.

"...Am I being a little too cautious?"

After mocking himself like this, Huo Gu continued to focus his energy on the experimental cell.

From the gaps between the wall cells on the inner wall of the experimental cavity, proteins were gradually squeezed out one after another and added to the pure water.

As time passed, the water inside the cavity became extremely eutrophic. The flagellum at the experimental cell's tail swung again, and it began moving in a circle around the inner wall of the cavity.

Taking into account the possible danger, Huo Gu established a connection between the experimental cavity and the digestive cavity, separating the two cavities with a valve.

Once everything was ready, Huo Gu issued a new command to the experimental cell.

"Partially unwind, transcribe DNA, and produce a new individual."

The experimental cell began replicating a new individual. Because it was partial transcription, the time required to gather materials and the time needed for the replication process were both very short.

Very soon, Huo Gu saw the newly born cell individual.

This new individual also had a flagellum, but perhaps because it had resulted from partial DNA transcription, compared with the original parent body, the new individual's size had directly shrunk to one-twentieth of the parent body.

"You, on the premise of not touching the inner wall of the cavity, move in a circle around the entire cavity," Huo Gu commanded the newly formed cell individual.

However, this newborn individual did not act according to Huo Gu's will. Instead, it wandered aimlessly all around the cavity, no different from the microorganisms Huo Gu had previously come into contact with.

There was only one reason this situation would occur: this replicated cell individual did not have the "field source" inside its nucleus, so it would not obey Huo Gu's commands.

Huo Gu was not surprised. This was within his expectations. In a tangled mess of gene chains, the probability of successfully finding the field source on the first try was about the same as winning a million-yuan prize the first time one bought a lottery ticket.

Likewise, he was not distressed. What he lacked least right now was time.

"Looks like it isn't this segment of DNA. I need to extend the transcribed DNA further forward and expand the replication range."

After deciding on the next segment of DNA to transcribe, Huo Gu issued a transcription command to the original experimental cell.

"Replicate a new individual. Partial transcription."

The repetitive experiment was carried out again and again. The number of replicated cell individuals inside the cavity also grew from the original single digits to an uncountable amount.

Finally, he found it!

After who knew how many repeated DNA transcriptions, Huo Gu was finally able to control the new individuals transcribed by the experimental cell. This also meant that he had found that mysterious field source.

"How could it be... It's actually this kind of substance?!"