[/Power_usage_balance: +120]

[/Viricrystallus_is_ready_to_harvest]

Viricrystallus is the name of the core's new friend, the eerie green-glowing crystalline lifeform that residing in the temporary body's legs, the core decided to pick a Latin name for the thing, a classic move for naming things scientifically that it discovered while going back and forth the instructions 'how to read the datalog' in the flash drive, a set of instructions and information to help the finder of the black box to read the data inside, be it a human from the world it came from or an unknown alien lifeform that is advanced enough to understand it. Viricrystallus simply means 'Green Crystal' because the thing is green...and it is crystalline...not the worst name for a silicon-based lifeform that the core can think of.

The core orders the nanites to trim off the extra part of Viricrystallus and return it to its original size before processing the extra part into materials and using those materials to build more nanites. So far, the total amount of nanite has doubled once again thanks to the feeding and harvesting cycle it created earlier, the core has made the right decision to start a symbiosis relationship with the Viricrystallus.

As the core repurposes the new general purpose nanites into specialized one for expanding the data drive and energy production and creating a bit of energy storage in the form of high capacity energy cells and quick recharge-discharge energy cells. It also make sure that the Viricrystallus crystals in the leg will receive some inorganic material padding and protection, for now, the material used for padding and protection is the nanite themselves, by forming a flexible stabilizing bar system and impact cushioning layer around the crystals, the core can give the crystal some basic protection while offering them enough space to grow properly inside the legs.

The core also spends a small amount of nanites into combat type nanite to defend itself and harvest biomass from any non-critical fauna it can find, the core decides to set up a set of instructions for itself that unless the lifeform is very hostile to the core and it has lifted non-aggression protocol for that lifeform, the bug is an example of this, the core will try to scout around and count how many individuals in the lifeform's group first before it kill 10% of the total population at most. For the bugs, the core will kill on sight until there has proper evidence that the bug has been driven to the point of near extinction or the environment has been damaged too much by the machine's actions.

[/Movement_detected]

Pioneer stops both of its smaller bodies and order them to peek around the corners of the smaller tunnel to the bigger one, a group of 12 Hivewarriors and 5 Evolved Hivewarriors lead by a single Hiveravager have been spotted by one of the body as the core takes note of the report and orders the bodies to wait for another ambush, this time the core will send out the combat nanites to fight the Hiveravager, the rest will be dealt with by the temporary bodies and the general purpose nanites resides on and inside them.

The core waits until the Hiveravager to stand directly in front of the smaller tunnel exit before it executes the attack plan, the combat nanite cloud is released and begins its way toward the Hiveravager, they will enter the creature's body through its mouth and breathing holes to cut the nervous system connection between the brain and the rest of the body, at the same time they will attack its respiratory system to cut off the oxygen supply to its body. If the attack goes well the combat nanite will be able to defeat the bug's immune system and take out the most dangerous target for Pioneer.

The two large human-sized temporary bodies wait until the combat nanites have done some noticeable damage to the Hiveravager before carrying out the second stage of the attack. As the two releases a swarm of nanite to attack the Hivewarriors and Evolved Hivewarriors, the two temporary bodies changes their hand structure from humanoid hands into solid metal balls for brawling with the bugs and quickly walks out of their hiding spot to engage the bugs after the nanite swarm has weakened them.

...

[Pioneer 0 has defeated Evolved Hivewarrior | +900XP]

[Pioneer 0 has leveled up]

[Pioneer 0 is now level 22]

[Pioneer 0 received 1 unallocated point]

[Pioneer 0 has received a new title: Natural-born leader]

The fight lasts for 15 minutes with Pioneer's two size-reduced temporary bodies being the victor after they beat down the last surviving Evolved Hivewarrior. The nanite swarm suffered some casualty as 1/4th of the combat nanites has been destroyed by the Hiveravager's immune system, the general purpose nanites also lost about 1/12 of the total original number. However, they can be replaced fairly easily with the help of the Viricrystallus, since the bugs will yield more resources than the little worms left over biomass, the core assumes it would be a better idea to transport the dead bugs back to the big Viricrystallus node on the other side of the small tunnel to hasten the crystal growing and harvesting speed than using the small Viricrystallus pieces in their legs.

The two temporary bodies change their hand structure back to humanoid hands before they gather all the dead body around in front of the small tunnel entrance and begin the transportation process, they cut down parts that is too big to fit the tunnel by using the nanite to soften the body and changing the side of their hand into sharp cutting surface to use it as small hand saws for cutting. Then they haul them back to the other side of the tunnel and pile them up around the green crystal node

After Pioneer finished the transporting process, the machine decides to plant all the Viricrystallus pieces stored in their legs on the bugs' carcasses and waits for the crystalline lifeform to feed on the amassed food brought to them and grow on them, when the Viricrystallus reaches the suitable harvesting size, the machine will trim off the extra crystal and process them into more nanites and upgrade itself until the core is satisfied with the size of the nanite swarm and the facilities supporting the temporary body and the core. After that, the core will maybe try finding other ways to process the crystal into something else useful as well.

For now Pioneer will look into the purple crystal and try finding a way to harvest it and form a symbiosis relationship with it as well, after all the core knows the crystal is capable of leeching minerals from the ground and refine them by itself, maybe the core can utilize this power of the crystalline lifeform as a mining machine. However the question how can the core harvest the refined minerals from the crystal is still unanswered, the general purpose nanites are unable to slice the crystal off like the easier to harvest Viricrystallus, it also has no way to convert those specially refined minerals into useful components by its own. The core will try spending more time and effort looking into this part while waiting for the Viricrystallus to grow up to the desired harvest size.

[/Lifeform8_rename: Hirudocrystallus]

The core decides to name the purple crystal based on its power instead of color unlike the Viricrystallus, Hirudocrystallus means 'Leeching Crystal' and it is also a Latin word like the first crystalline lifeform it named. Then the core sends out a small cloud of nanite to do a second scan on the Hirudocrystallus's formation before it pulls up all the data that is related to the crystalline lifeform and other scientific parameters from the data drive and flash drive at the same time to work on the problem. At the same time, it puts a nanite eye on the back of its head to keep an eye on the Viricrystallus's growth.

[/New_objective: Research Hirudocrystallus harvesting, processing and cultivating method]