The colorless and odorless reapers surfaced from the deep sea.
Some scattered on the seabed.
Others broke through the sea surface, forming a fog of death on the turbulent sea.
The fog grew more intense.
On the sea surface, 20 minutes had passed since the activation of the Oxygen Destroyer.
Now, a thin layer of fog appeared on the sea, rising silently from the depths of the ocean like the quietest death. Approaching the shore.
The fog representing death officially touched the Australian continent.
"Chirp, chirp? Kata-kata?"
Shrimp-like creatures with shells were emerging from the small nests they had built on the beach.
The beetles, clad in thick shells made of mixed metals, were nearly impervious to human bullets.
They had eight legs and two front limbs used for digging, resembling small shields. Their bodies were dark greenish-black.
On the head, covered by the shell, protruded two small points, with dimensions somewhere between short antennae and long bumps.
The creatures, with bodies larger than the fists of adult men, cautiously observed their surroundings with two colorful and black eyes while digging the soil, fearing something might come from the sky to prey on them.
These little beings, together with their kind, were excavating a brand new home.
Strictly speaking, they couldn't be considered insects since they had ten legs. From an overall perspective, they seemed to be relatives of hermit crabs.
If humans were to categorize them, they might fall into the infraorder Anomura, superfamily Paguroidea, and family Diogenidae. Perhaps a new genus could be established.
Externally, this was how their biological species appeared.
However, genetically, they were radically different.
The Godzilla virus had significantly altered their genes, not only the structure of their DNA but also the mitochondria itself had undergone complete modification.
The mitochondria no longer produced ATP molecules as the energy currency. The Godzilla virus had taught them to produce a new, more easily preserved high-energy molecule, significantly increasing the energy utilization efficiency of life forms infected by the Godzilla virus.
Moreover, these infected organisms had also learned to synthesize a nitrogen-containing macromolecule.
This molecule had a highly vigorous reaction and a higher energy density than sugars, allowing the Godzilla life to be far more advanced than current life forms.
From the perspective of energy transfer, the newly formed ecosystem created by Godzilla achieved an incredible transmission rate of seventy to eighty percent!
This meant that a carnivorous animal that consumed ten kilograms of meat, after excretion, could gain an additional seven kilograms of body weight.
This was absolutely impossible in the Earth's ecosystem.
The reason behind this lay in the differences in digestive abilities and the basic chemistry constituting them.
Evolution in the past world had only optimized the original chemical structure, essentially surface-level evolution.
Today, Godzilla had achieved an evolution that not only optimized the chemical structure but also fundamentally transformed the chemistry constituting life.
This was a change that could be called completely different from the past world.
This was what could truly be termed Godzilla's ecosystem.
These new creatures, which humans might name "Hermit Crabs," were constructing their nests on the beach.
There were about seventy to eighty of them, and like some special insects, they were social creatures.
In the original Earth ecosystem, this was entirely unimaginable, but in the new ecosystem created by Godzilla, it was permissible.
These little guys originated from a single stag beetle, and being of the same origin, they were extremely close to each other.
On the second day after their metamorphosis, today, they began to build their homes.
Dig, dig, dig.
The little creatures excavated the land, completely unaware of the impending danger.
Although their large eyes could simultaneously see the sky and other predators on the ground, they couldn't perceive any protection against the thickening fog.
As the white mist approached from the sea, the first to feel discomfort were these little guys excavating their castles by the sea.
"Chirp, chirp, chirp..."
The hermit crab outside, carrying soil, suddenly felt that its vision was becoming blurry.
Then, a wave of heat surrounded its eyes.
"Wow, wow, wow, wow."
It waved its two front claws, unaware of what was happening. Soon, not only its eyes but also other parts of its body began to heat up.
The joints of its shell, the depths of its throat, the spaces between its eyes and the shell – the entire body felt as if it were being scorched by flames. The hermit crab hurriedly ran toward the sea, as its genetic instinct told it that water could dilute the burning flames.
However, this action inadvertently led it towards its grave.
Covering its eyes with its claws, the hermit crab's eight short legs ran towards the sea. Yet, the closer it got to the ocean, the hotter its body became, and the sizzling sound grew louder.
"Wow... wow... ah... ah..."
With every step, one of its legs broke off. It attempted to emit warning cries to its companions, but from its mouth, only corrosive bubbles and melting cells emerged.
Within twenty seconds, it lost all movement.
It entire body – now a melting mass – was slowly dissolving in the white fog. Even its shell was burning in the mist.
"?"
The little ones in the hole noticed that the soil piled at the entrance was no longer being carried out by others.
Several hermit crabs cried out, not receiving responses from their companions outside.
What happened?
Three or four little beings digging soil stopped their activities, crawled towards the hole, and then...
The burning sensation reappeared.
Their eyes burned again, and the hermit crabs near the entrance emitted miserable sounds. This alarmed other hermit crabs below, who were still digging.
They crawled up anxiously, wanting to help their companions. And at this moment...
The white fog entered.
...
The fog surged inland, silently devouring everything, living or dead...
Nothing could stop them; the sea was filled with the deadly fog, moving towards the place of life.
The fog, indifferent to anything that moved or did not, engulfed all and bestowed death impartially.
Even basic cells were incinerated before such a fog.
A figure appeared.
Godzilla.