Zhou Yi made his way to the Dead Sea bottom next to Yalong Bay.

This place does not easily affect other life forms.

As soon as he pulled out the newly captured energy block from his prosthetic leg, he immediately felt his life force draining by the second.

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...

It seems that as the volume of the energy block decreased, its radiative power weakened.

Zhou Yi's heart slightly relaxed.

From the [Alert] perspective, nothing abnormal can be seen, just colors.

But [Panoramic Reading] provided different information.

[The material possesses energy close to a Level 1 Light Core Body, and its structure is unstable.]

It could hardly even be considered a Light Core Body anymore.

It appears that this energy block is heavily depleted.

Zhou Yi then focused his gaze on the shell encased within.

[This unit possesses some intelligence, very weak consciousness, and extremely frail life.]

Is this shell alive?

And it possesses intelligence.

Could it be... is this an individual from the Insect Race civilization of the Mud Tree World?

Zhou Yi immediately called Ni Ge for verification.

"No."

The Mud Tree People took one look and declared, "It's not like bugs. The bugs over there are much weaker than us; they can't withstand the energy block and will die if they get near."

Then what is this thing?

Zhou Yi pondered.

Since it is a life form with consciousness.

He tried to touch the energy block with his left hand, and his fingers immediately felt a strong burning sensation.

Energy input, synchronization of consciousness activated.

After calling out a few times, he received a response.

"Are you of the same kind?" the other party asked.

Zhou Yi honestly replied, "We are probably not of the same kind. I found you in the relics of the Cave People. Why were you frozen in the Cave People's energy block?"

"What are Cave People?"

The voice sounded confused, "I wasn't frozen here; this place is a [Solid Cloud Elixir] that we created ourselves. But we are very weak and can only stop regular movements, maintain basic life features in the Cloud Elixir, and wait for the rescue and treatment from our own kind."

Zhou Yi was somewhat surprised.

He had initially thought this shell life was captured by the Cave People, like a specimen or collection, preserved in the energy block.

It turns out the energy block was created by them?

Zhou Yi had a thought he had never considered before.

"Energy block—that is, this [Solid Cloud Elixir], was it all made by you?"

"Yes, I think so. Because this solid-state energy structure was uniquely invented by us based on our own condition; it is unlikely that such a structure exists elsewhere."

The shell explained, "In the Cloud Elixir, the substances carrying energy are selected and specially made. They fit our physiological structure, allowing our energy and consciousness not to volatilize, and we can survive in it for a long time."

"Other life forms can't enter it."

Zhou Yi thought to himself. This shell life is somewhat like the Golden Elephant, likely a life tamed by the Cave People. But they are unaware of the Cave People's existence, so just like the Golden Elephant, they can only survive according to a planned process.

He then said, "Your current life state is very weak; is there anything I can do to help you?"

"Really? Can you help me?"

The other side immediately said, "If possible, then of course I would be immensely grateful! For non-kins, this is the first time I have encountered one! I didn't expect to meet under such dangerous and dire circumstances… I am somewhat embarrassed."

The shell was indeed polite.

"Our biggest problem right now is that the Solid Cloud Elixir we are in has been depleted over too many years, and its energy has largely volatilized and dissipated, causing us to also be affected."

"This shell life said further, "The shelter we are in is also showing quite a bit of damage because it hasn't been maintained by our kind for too long, in addition to natural wear and tear. Now most of us are in deep slumber, not daring to wake up."

Zhou Yi paused, somewhat uncertainly inquired, "The shelter… is it this shell?"

The other party did not understand shell.

After Zhou Yi explained, the voice then said, "I think maybe it is. Ah? From your perspective, is our shelter so tiny? To us, it is already immensely huge, capable of carrying billions of our kind."

The other side seemed somewhat shocked, "You must be a gigantic life form with an enormous body! Truly incredible, incredible!"

Zhou Yi was a bit bewildered.

According to the other party, this shell is not their body, but their shelter, and they all hide inside the shell.

"There isn't just one of you in the shelter?"

"One? Of course not! An individual's power is insufficient for complex expressions; there are still 1600 surviving kins in this shelter; I am a collective of the shelter's kins."

They are actually a collective intelligence species.

Zhou Yi was somewhat astonished.

According to the other party's description, they were supposed to be microscopic life forms, with a single shell capable of accommodating hundreds of millions of such beings.

Yet it was such a small community of life that could create energy blocks, a remarkable source of Light Nuclear Energy.

Zhou Yi found it somewhat incomprehensible: "How do you create Solid Cloud Elixir?"

"I don't know."

"Ah?"

The other party explained, "In our species, we have different specializations; some build shelters or exploration ships, some make Solid Cloud Elixir, some are responsible for external exploration, some alter the environment... Because our lives are fragile and easily lost, it has taken us a very long time, and many of our kind have died before we mastered these abilities."

"The one who mastered this ability would organize the methods and record them on our land, which we call Record Land. As long as other kin enter this land, they can learn the records left by past kin."

"In this shelter, all are individuals who are weakened or unable to fully recover for various reasons. They sleep here long-term, waiting for other kin to find ways to heal us. We all come from different regions, and there aren't any methods or techniques that can be completed independently, so sorry, we don't know how to make Solid Cloud Elixir."

Zhou Yi listened more and found it increasingly peculiar.

"Hold on. You mentioned that you leave various techniques and experiences in the land, does that mean creating something like a massive layer of land and then constructing multiple holes in it?"

The other side joyfully said, "Do such large life forms like you do the same? We do have similarities!"

"However, we create layers of land one by one, seal them with protective energy shells to prevent damage, and mark each layer with signs and records that our kin can read and understand."

"From an overall perspective, there are many big pits, but those are actually very important markers and starting points. To read around from those holes is necessary to form the correct sequence of information and to comprehend the whole technology."

Zhou Yi's mind was buzzing.

The microscopic life in this shell shelter turned out to be the Cave People!

He further confirmed, "So, can you move Space Bubbles? Your life forms are so fragile, can you do this too?"

"Space Bubbles, you mean... space channels? Yes, we can do that. Although the technology is complex, it's been in use for many years."

This Cave People conglomerate said, "As you said, we indeed are a fragile life form. Compared to the tools or energy materials we use, we are like dust that can be easily blown away by the wind."

"But we have accumulated a lot."

"As long as there is enough time, any miracle can eventually be created."

"At our peak, we were everywhere in our world, everywhere were our kin. We created the land we wanted, built our spaces, and achieved things we couldn't imagine before through generations of accumulation."

It continued, "However, one problem has always troubled us; that is, we have not found any other life in the world. It's as if there is only us who could be called life in the entire world."

"Thus, we began to push through space. Through space channels, or what you call Space Bubbles, we entered other unknown spaces. We wanted to contact other intelligent life forms, this seems to be an instinct, or a long-term desire."

"Unfortunately, we never encountered them."

"To enter other spaces, we relied on Solid Cloud Elixir; otherwise, our fragile bodies couldn't withstand the immense distortion of space and would die instantly."

"But those who left with Solid Cloud Elixir never came back."

"It seems that there's only entry but no exit."

This Cave People survivor said, "In our world, we could do anything, but we couldn't enter the outside world, it's like a curse of fate."

"Today, this curse is broken! Meeting you proves that all our impulses and attempts were worthwhile!"

"It's just... we can no longer find other kin, only these 1600 weak individuals left. Have you seen any of our other kin? What exactly happened to our world? It's been too long since kin last came to maintain the shelter, leaving only 1600 of the ninety million kin here who barely retain life features."

Zhou Yi shared with this Cave People speaker the intelligence he knew.

"Tree, Mud Tree People, Insect Swarm... so many new life forms have emerged. If our kin still existed, they would definitely take action, actively communicate, and convey such significant news to the shelter."

It was somewhat surprised.

But it knew nothing about the complete disappearance of the Cave People.

In its words,

"It's like everything changed at a certain moment. There used to be regular visits by kin to care for and maintain the shelter, but after that time, it never happened again."

"We can't get out, nor do we have any tools; we don't know what happened outside. All we can do is wait, just keep waiting..."

This group of Cave People survivors, previously the old, weak, sick, and disabled, now faced even worse conditions.

They had no idea why the Cave People disappeared.

Zhou Yi asked, "What should I call you? Do you have names?"

"We don't have individual identifiers and marks as you mentioned. Since we are fragile and prone to death, we move as a group, ensuring mutual cooperation and continuity."

"Internally, we also don't differentiate, because we don't need to. Everyone can understand each other's meanings. Through mutual contact, we can comprehend everything and empathize with each other."

The Cave People differed from any other existing life forms Zhou Yi knew about.

They were born tiny and frail but built their era of the Cave People through bit by bit accumulation, an extraordinary collective force that made the later Mud Tree People pale in comparison.

The Cave People demonstrated through their actions that their potential was immense.

If they could find the remaining Mud Tablets of the Cave People, this group of seemingly weak individuals could still decode the technology.

Whether it's the Space Bubble movement technology or the skill to build energy blocks, all are priceless treasures!

Zhou Yi thought briefly, "I can find Solid Cloud Elixir to recharge you. However, when I conduct archaeological research on Cave People civilization later, you'll need to help me decode."

"Much appreciated! Of course, that's not a problem! You truly are a great and kind super life form!"

"The 1600 Cave People in the shelter are grateful for your kindness!"

The other party became excited.

Zhou Yi said, "For convenience, from now on, I'll call you 'Dong.'"

"Okay. Then shall I address you as Mr. Zhou? Is that your name?"

Zhou Yi's eyelids twitched, "Just call me Mr. Zhou."

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