The puppet master had finished programming the organism, and now it was time to initiate the next phase. "Now let's start," he thought, sending a telepathic message to the creature.
The organism responded promptly, extending two of its massive tentacles to gently envelop the puppet master's body. The creature's tentacles wrapped around him, carefully positioning him on top of its own massive form. The size difference between the two was striking, with the puppet master resembling a human perched atop a large elephant.
As the puppet master raised his unmodified tentacles, the creature responded by connecting its own tentacles to them. This connection wasn't for physical manipulation but rather for establishing a direct neural interface.
The puppet master's tentacles served as a conduit, linking his mind to the organism's brain and granting him direct control over the creature's actions. This intimate connection allowed the puppet master to bypass telepathic commands, instead operating the organism as an extension of his own body.
With the connection established, the puppet master felt a surge of power and control. He was no longer simply sending commands; he was the organism, with its massive body and capabilities at his disposal. The puppet master's thoughts turned to the tasks ahead, and he prepared to unleash the organism's full potential.
As the puppet master connected his tentacles to the organism's, he gained complete physical control over the creature. The sensation was similar to manipulating the worm and leech brains within his own tentacles.
With this control, the puppet master directed the largest tentacle to stretch and submerge into the lake water. Unlike the gecko's corpse, which had triggered a unique reaction, the lake water didn't respond aggressively to the tentacle's presence.
The tentacle began contracting and relaxing, drawing in large amounts of water into the creature's body. The puppet master focused on filtering out specific insects from the water, starting with armored spiders possessing large web sacks.
Next, he planned to target armored hornets with larger stingers, followed by winged spiders. The puppet master's intentions were clear: he aimed to harness the unique traits of these insects, integrating them into his creations.
The organism's body was designed to process and absorb these insects, allowing the puppet master to craft new organisms with enhanced capabilities.
The puppet master had crafted a large egg-producing biowomb, designed to generate stronger and larger versions of insects. This biowomb was a significant improvement over natural insect reproduction, where queens typically had limited egg-laying capacity.
For example, a normal ant queen might lay only a few "false queen" eggs in several days, followed by an extended period of rest. Even superior insects like termite and driver ants could produce only a handful of enhanced eggs before requiring rest.
The puppet master's biowomb utilized two driver ant queens as primary components, leveraging their biology to create a superior reproductive system. Driver ants were known for their ferocity and nomadic nature, alternating between active foraging and quiet egg-laying periods.
Capturing two driver ant queens was a rare feat, especially in the eastern areas where they were scarce. The puppet master's biowomb would likely produce massive quantities of enhanced insects, given the driver ants' reputation for forming colonies with millions of individuals.
With this biowomb, the puppet master aimed to create an army of superior insects, potentially revolutionizing his plans and capabilities. The biowomb's potential seemed vast.
The puppet master's decision to utilize the driver ant queens in his biowomb was strategic, given their remarkable reproductive capabilities. Driver ants were formidable due to their sheer numbers, conquering large prey through overwhelming force.
The Dorylus wilverthi queens' ability to lay over 4 million eggs in a month was unprecedented, showcasing their incredible fecundity. By harnessing this potential, the puppet master could produce vast quantities of superior soldiers for his army.
Instead of posing a threat, the driver ant queens now served the puppet master's purposes, contributing to his goal of creating a formidable force. The biowomb's potential seemed boundless, and the puppet master's prospects looked increasingly promising.
The puppet master's ingenuity lay in merging the characteristics of various insects within the biowomb, creating a unified species. Regardless of their physical form, all offspring would be considered part of the same race and species.
This meant that spiders, hornets, or other insects produced by the biowomb would be recognized as ants by the others, eliminating potential conflicts. The queen ant's biology served as the command model, allowing the biowomb to dictate the behavior of its offspring.
Even normally solitary insects would respond to the biowomb as ants respond to their queen, following its "commands." This level of control would enable the puppet master to coordinate his insect army with precision.
The biowomb's offspring would function as a cohesive unit, working together seamlessly despite their diverse origins. This unity would make them a formidable force, with the puppet master pulling the strings from behind the scenes.
The puppet master's brain transmitted the desired lifeform's structure to the biowomb, which promptly began assembling the necessary components to create eggs. Within two minutes, the biowomb started laying eggs, each as large as those of false queens and door heads.
The biowomb's impressive production capacity was evident in its twenty openings, each capable of producing four eggs per minute. The puppet master was satisfied with the biowomb's performance, anticipating the results of his creation.
After disconnecting from the biowomb, the puppet master sent a telepathic message to his chariot, which was positioned below the biowomb. The biowomb's tentacles gently lifted the puppet master and placed him inside the chariot.
Although disconnected, the biowomb continued to absorb lake water and produce eggs, working tirelessly to fulfill its purpose. The puppet master had set the wheels in motion, and now he could await the outcome of his creations
The puppet master's plan was unfolding smoothly, with the biowomb functioning autonomously and efficiently. The release of pheromones similar to those produced by queen ants attracted workers, which promptly took the eggs to a specially designated nursing area.
This seamless integration demonstrated the success of the puppet master's physiological programming. Impressed by the biowomb's adaptability and ability to summon workers, he felt a sense of accomplishment.
With the biowomb operational, the puppet master could focus on refining his craft, leveraging his newfound expertise to conduct more complex experiments. He headed toward the main nest area.
The puppet master arrived at the ancestral nest, located on a higher floor than his base. He approached the honeypots, using his tentacles to drain their bodies of stored honey, life force, and moisture.
The familiar surroundings sparked memories of the brutal massacre he had endured as a simple drone, and his thoughts turned to the ant eater responsible. This recollection likely influenced his next course of action.
During the month-long wait for the biowomb's first brood to hatch, the puppet master had gathered various insects with nest-building abilities, including carpenter ants, leafcutter ants, and termites. He had successfully turned most of them into soul puppets, leveraging the sacrifice of their queen to create the biowomb.
With these puppets at his disposal, the puppet master was poised to undertake significant construction or renovation projects, potentially reshaping the nest according to his designs.
The puppet master had utilized his insect army to construct a large fortress-like structure above the colony, reinforcing the entire nest and its tunnels in preparation for any significant event.
During this period, he oversaw the construction process, honed his somatic sense by experimenting on large animals captured by his army, and expanded his knowledge of insect anatomy.
He also practiced his energy blast, which had grown stronger, now possessing three to four times its previous power. However, this increased potency came at the cost of higher energy consumption.
Additionally, the puppet master treated himself with lake water to address the damage his body had sustained from serving as a "heart" for the biowomb. The strain had caused significant harm, including expanded and ruptured blood vessels, as well as cardiac damage.
Fortunately, the unique material composition of his body allowed it to recover fully from these injuries.
The puppet master faced a significant challenge with the unmixed and chaotic "blood" from the biowomb circulating through his body. This foreign substance was interfering with the production of his own blood, slowing down the process.
However, after his heart completed its healing, it began functioning at maximum capacity and efficiently flushed out the chaotic blood from his body.
With his body restored, the puppet master eagerly waited till the eggs were mature, constantly monitoring them every twenty minutes per day. And observed the eggs, likely anticipating the emergence of his new creations. His attention always on the biowomb's offspring, and he prepared to witness the results of his experimentation.