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Eastern Pacific Ocean
Since the dinosaurs ingested the potion, Jack had to consider developing new energy sources.
As the creatures grew larger, so did their appetites.
The food supply on the island was becoming scarce, and the dinosaurs could only be sustained by expanding their hunting grounds into the vast surrounding ocean.
At this point, Jack led the Mosasaur, Quetzalcoatlus, and a group of pterosaurs away from Isla Nublar and into open waters.
Land-based dinosaurs like Gray, the Tyrannosaurus Rex, Giganotosaurus, and others first needed to adapt to the ocean environment.
They had to become familiar with water and learn to swim before they could follow Jack and the others.
"In addition to living on land and in the air, you'll also have to adapt to life in the water," Jack thought, flying low over the waves.
To acquire the genetic traits needed for aquatic life, they would need to start with marine animals.
There were many possibilities.
Fish, for example, rely on gill-based respiration—gills located in the pharynx absorb dissolved oxygen directly from water.
Marine reptiles and mammals, on the other hand, use lungs.
They can dive deep thanks to their lungs' high oxygen capacity, but must resurface periodically to breathe.
Between the two, gill breathing was better suited for long-term aquatic living.
Jack also knew the ocean held many extraordinary creatures with unique abilities—traits he could potentially integrate.
Electric rays, for instance, can naturally discharge electricity, similar to electric eels, though rays live in saltwater and eels in freshwater.
Box jellyfish are among the most venomous creatures on Earth.
A single sting can kill up to 60 adults, with death occurring in as little as 30 seconds, making their toxin the fastest-acting in the animal kingdom.
Then there's the peacock mantis shrimp, capable of striking with incredible speed—up to 80 km/h in just 1/500 of a second, with the acceleration of a fired bullet.
Turritopsis dohrnii, the so-called "immortal jellyfish," can revert from its mature form to a juvenile state and grow again, reminiscent of the rebirth powers of the legendary Mothra.
Tardigrades, also known as "water bears," possess extreme resilience.
They can survive dehydration, oxygen deprivation, extreme temperatures, deep-sea pressure, and even nuclear radiation.
They are the ultimate survivors.
To Jack, the ocean wasn't just a new frontier but a genetic goldmine.
With far more biodiversity than the land, it promised greater potential for evolution, growth, and strength.
He would need to spend significant time here to unlock its secrets.
The dragon lies hidden in the deep, ready to soar into the sky.
Whoosh—
A cool breeze danced across the surface of the sea.
The saltwater shimmered under the light.
Flying just above the water, Jack kept his telepathic perception fully engaged.
Heat signatures, electric and magnetic fields, sound waves, polarized light, chemical signals—all streamed into his senses, painting a rich, three-dimensional map of the environment.
Every creature in range was laid bare to him. Nothing escaped his awareness.
Every detail, no matter how small, was visible.
"So many fish!"
Beneath the waves, massive schools of fish swirled through the ocean like living tornadoes—a breathtaking sight.
To Jack, however, they were more than just a spectacle.
They were walking gene points.
"Crash—!!"
In the next instant, Jack folded his dragon wings and plunged into the sea below.
The previously calm surface exploded as his massive form slammed into the water, sending towering waves in all directions.
It was as if a depth charge had gone off. Fish burst into the air in every direction, raining like a silver storm.
[You hunted a herring and gained 0.2 gene points.]
[You hunted a mackerel and gained 0.3 gene points.]...
Though each small fish only offered a few gene points, they added up over time.
The cumulative reward was nothing to scoff at.
High above, Quetzalcoatlus and its flock of pterosaurs dove joyfully into the sea behind him, snatching fish mid-dive and kicking up waves as they broke the surface.
Meanwhile, the Mosasaur, experiencing the open ocean for the first time after growing up in a confined lagoon, opened its massive jaws wide.
Like a jubilant whale, it swallowed schools of unfamiliar fish with abandon.
For the first time since its youth, it felt the breath of true freedom—gliding and diving through endless blue, hunting on its own without constraint.
[Fish genes "Gill Breathing Lv1" and "Aquatic Adaptation Lv1" detected. Extract?]
At that moment, Jack heard the familiar prompt in his mind.
"Extract."
Without hesitation, Jack broke the surface for air and confirmed the extraction.
He felt a familiar warmth surge through his body as the genes fused.
A new set of respiratory organs began forming—fish-like gills on both sides of his neck.
The structures were discreet but complex, covered by protective gill flaps resembling regular scales.
Each gill hid four chambers, with double rows of gill filaments lined with fine lamellae.
These expanded wide when submerged, significantly increasing surface area and allowing for continuous absorption of dissolved oxygen.
Jack could still rely on his lungs on land or in the air.
But now, he had a new option in the water—seamless, efficient gill breathing that would allow him to thrive in the ocean's depths.
He was no longer just a creature of land or sky.
He was becoming something more.
In addition, Jack's senses—and even his body—had begun to change in subtle yet profound ways. His vision adapted to the dim, shifting light of the ocean depths.
His hearing tuned itself to the muffled acoustics of underwater currents.
His sense of smell was refined to detect chemical traces carried by the tides.
His body evolved—more streamlined now, with contours built for slicing through water.
Every curve and line helped reduce drag and boost his speed.
Perfect.
When Jack dove again, his gills functioned flawlessly, drawing in oxygen from the water around him.
He could breathe freely beneath the surface, just like a native-born fish.
His strong, slender limbs and powerful tail moved in perfect rhythm, propelling him forward with graceful, paddle-like strokes.
From this moment on, it wasn't just the sky above or the land below waiting to be conquered—the vast ocean had become his new domain.
"Bzzzz—"
Suddenly, Jack's sharpened senses picked up a disturbance.
The electromagnetic field in the water had shifted dramatically—marine creatures nearby scattered in panic, stirred by an unfamiliar presence.
He broke the surface and looked toward the source of the disruption.
Far in the distance, a dark shape loomed—small at first, but growing steadily larger.
A warship.
It was headed straight for Isla Nublar.
Humans.
Jack narrowed his eyes.
They were already here. And they didn't come in peace.
He hadn't expected their response to come so soon, but now that they had arrived, he had no intention of letting them leave.
Let them learn what it means to provoke a dragon.
Let them feel pain.