A month later

Tasty plump hamsters allured, it seemed, predators from all around the jungle. Snakes, spiders, giant centipedes, and wild animals of different sizes roamed around the settlement now. The jungle became noisy, because a war had broken out there. Day and night hungry predators tried to eat each other as well as ambush mouchi hunting parties. As a result, some hamsters died regularly, but new ones came to replace the dead ones.

For Seed all those predators were a giant pool of DNA, for a settlement it was a vast source of food.

As a curious being Seed experimented with predators' DNA. An end-product was a small creature in which the features of insects and animals were combined. It had wings, a long agile trunk, and an excellent ability to track down prey by its scent.

Seed made a few more such creatures of both genders and gifted them to the hamsters.

They would help my servants to find more food and avoid predators' ambushes.

Seed was sure that more hunters meant more food.

It was a sound idea to create those creatures, the ball concluded.

Recently the mouchi's numbers had reached over five hundred. A majority were children.

The hamsters still continued to cut down the jungle. Soon they would finish clearing that area. Seed only needed to find a suitable crop for sowing. By the way, that was a problem, because the jungle couldn't offer anything tolerable. Therefore, the ball planned to cultivate his own crop in the lab.

Sussi's strangeness had reached a new level. Sussi got a strange idea that she needed to tell her creator about her doings through their mental connection. She did it every morning and evening. Later the female hamster began to ask guidance from Seed, pleaded for forgiveness for her wrongdoings, and she also babbled many other meaningless things.

Seed ever thought that Sussi's head was a complete mess. Now she set in stone this thought. The ball had even felt a regret that he didn't dispose of her in the past.

+++

Seed stood on the river shore and crunched gold pieces and diamonds. Metals and minerals – especially rare ones - strengthened his body, besides they were tasty and he liked to hear that “crunching” sound.

Next to Seed stood three hamsters: one held a container with gold pieces and diamonds in, other two held perfumed fans.

Today the ball rested. He observed the peaceful river, which flowed from the mountain range. All those experiments, painful screams of local life forms, endless sounds of working organs in the base, and other things tired Seed a lot.

“Music.” He snapped his tentacles.

Instantly a band of hamster musicians – with the help of primitive musical instruments - began to play music. It was disgusting music – music that could kill - but strangely that music had brought peace to Seed's mind. Besides, he felt that the hamster did their best to please him.

Perhaps, I need to do something else than experiments? The ball thought.

Recently Seed had enough food for eating. He was always full. The ball got some additional biomass and, as a result, he got stronger. Not even the strongest predators around could pose a threat to him anymore.

Seed gazed at the mountain range. Perhaps, the time has come to head to find some rare and yummy minerals; or find a quarry at least. Stone can be used by the hamsters in the settlement's building.

Seed decided to go to the mountain range tomorrow. Now he needed to have some rest and listen to that awful music.

Perhaps, one day I will use that music as a weapon?

+++

Next day Seed swam to the mountain range. Numerous tentacles served as oars. The ball had elongated his form of body; Seed looked like a cigar now.

Seed moved towards the mountain range fast, even against the river's current.

In three hours of intense oaring the ball halted, because he had noticed a ruin of a city on the bank of the river. It looked old.

Seed couldn't pass by such an interesting place.

Perhaps, there can be some kind of treasure? A stash of yummy minerals, for example? Or even better: some high-tech of a perished race?

These thoughts had awakened Seed's adventurer's spirit. Therefore, the ball turned toward the city. He had lost any interest in the mountain range completely.

A little later Seed moved ashore inside the city and looked around with the help of his own eyes. He had grown them up on the ends of some of his tentacles. It had happened around a week back.

Um... I guess it was a harbor in the past?

At least this place looked like one. The pier was made from stone as well as the city. Some large buildings – which resembled warehouses – stood nearby. Seed came in one of them. Inside he didn't find anything but bare walls. A roof was absent as well.

It seems a lot of time has passed from that moment when this city was inhabited.

Seed came close to the wall and scratched it. The stone was sturdy.

A good material for building, the creator of the mouchi tribe concluded. Um, this city can donate a lot of stones to my settlement.

This idea wasn't bad. The city was closer to the Seed's settlement than the mountain range, and no excavation was required.

He left the warehouse and moved deeper into the city. Seed was in a good mood now, because a replacement of quarry was found so easily.

Many buildings were overgrown by numerous plants, but even they couldn't conceal a lot of traces of a huge fire that had happened here a long time ago.

The ball continued to roll down the street, looking around.

He saw that a small number of animals - and sensed that a greater number of bugs - lived in the city.

Indeed, this city should have been abandoned many years ago. I just hope the former inhabitants haven't left here anything that can endanger me or my plans, Seed thought, but he doubted that the creators of this primitive city could create something that could pose a threat to him.

Seed thought that the city belonged to a primitive society, because he couldn't find any traces of sophisticated technology. The architecture style was very simple, without any high buildings, and the material of construction was crude stone only.

So there is no hope to find some high-tech here, Seed concluded sadly.

He dreamed about such technology. If the ball had high-tech, he would be able to create many wonderful things.

Seed continued to roll down the street until he reached a gigantic square. Some large buildings stood around.

It should have looked impressive in the past. A place where only chosen ones should live.

The black ball was going to continue its movement, but all of a sudden Seed noticed a group of humanoid creatures. They left one of those large buildings and stopped. It seemed the group began to chat, but what had shocked Seed deeply were their white space suits. If Seed had saliva, he would drool over those space suits! For sure those space suits were a product of high-tech and must have a lot of rare minerals in their construction! Seed wanted to devour them badly! As well, he noticed a small number of metal things that hovered in the air close to the humanoids.

Drones. The ball realized.

Seed hurried to hide in the nearest building. He began to observe the humanoids.

Interesting, what are they doing here?