Legend of the Cyber Heroes
Chapter 873 - 118 The Whales

Chapter 873: Chapter 118 The Whales

"Sperm...Sperm Whale? False Teeth?"

"That’s what humans call them." Orca Takata explained, though it’s unclear whether he’s referring to "sperm whales" or "false teeth."

Whales are divided into toothed whales and baleen whales. As the name suggests, toothed whales are those whales with traditional cone-shaped teeth. These whales are mostly traditional predators, feeding on larger creatures.

Baleen whales, however, are different. Their teeth have completely degenerated and been replaced by the dense baleen in their mouths. Unlike teeth made of calcium phosphate, baleen is mainly composed of keratin—viewed from this perspective, baleen whale’s baleen bear more resemblance to "hair."

Baleen whales will gulp seawater, then raise their tongues to squeeze the water out of their mouths. As the seawater passes through the baleen, it traps a large quantity of plankton present in the water. From invisible water fleas to medium and large fish nearly a meter long, baleen whales can eat almost anything.

Sperm whales are large toothed whales, and their main diet consists of large molluscs—such as deep-sea squids like the King Acid Jelly Squid and Giant Spear Squid. Consequently, they possess exceptional diving abilities. Deep-sea squid have limited mobility and offer almost no resistance against sperm whales. The huge head of the sperm whale, occupying a third of its body, is actually filled with a significant amount of oil. This enormous cavity is also their organ for releasing powerful ultrasound waves.

However, in contrast, sperm whales have a very, very small lower jaw.

Sadly small compared to their massive forehead.

"Ah, that’s true. That’s why Hopkins and the others have artificial jawbones." Orca sighed, "If their mouths aren’t artificially expanded, they won’t be able to eat enough."

Typical baleen whales, like blue whales, have gigantic mouths, and even that isn’t enough. The area from the jaw to the abdomen of the blue whale has many folds, enabling this part of the body to expand significantly. Blue whales can engulf a large amount of seawater in one gulp, then gently filter out the tiny organisms within.

But a sperm whale’s small mouth, which sucks up squid, simply can’t accomplish such a task.

Even installing an artificial jaw won’t work.

Cybernetic transformation is the solution to this dilemma.

Humans used a technique similar to "fistula surgery," creating openings at the ends of Hopkins and other sperm whales’ mouths. These openings bypass important blood vessels and body cavities while the mouth’s interior features many filter nets similar to baleen.

Similar filter-feeding organisms, whale sharks—these cartilaginous fish—don’t need baleen to filter seawater. With minor modifications, shark’s gill rakers can undertake similar tasks. Whale sharks only need to swallow water to achieve nearly the same functions as baleen whales.

Some predatory sharks even use "gulping water" as a means of acceleration.

After undergoing modifications and training, these sperm whales can also master similar techniques.

These standardized giant toothed whales have completely altered their diet under the influence of prosthetics and modifications, swimming even faster and more powerfully than their ancestors.

Upon hearing this, Xiang Shan marveled at the humans behind these whales.

These whales gained intelligence after the Ichigo infection incident. Due to limited manpower, those attempting to preserve fire seeds for the biosphere prioritized salvaging animals "more likely to be saved."

At that time, the most mature standardization modification process was Homo sapiens’ benchmark modification surgery. That is to say, animals closer to humans faced fewer challenges for salvation.

The success rate of saving whales far exceeded that of saving sharks.

These whales acquired their current wisdom after the extinction of sharks. Even if the first generation of whales remembered their ancestors’ stories, it is difficult for them to scientifically describe animals like whale sharks or design whale-based modifications from such descriptions.

The experiences and stories passed down by human ancestors, during eras without writing, were unconsciously transformed into myths by humans themselves. A highly renowned hero in myths with numerous feats may have his heroic deeds derived from more ancient mythological heroes, whose original forms are forgotten ancestors.

"Perhaps the story of Heracles slaying the Lion of Nemea and skinning its hide stems from a chieftain boasting to his descendants about once slaying a large-bodied lion," a friend once described to Xiang Shan.

If humans were like this, then it certainly wasn’t less so for whales before they gained wisdom.

While Xiang Shan pondered, a killer whale emitted a whimper. It seemed to be starving uncontrollably. Subsequently, the sperm whale beneath Xiang Shan also called out twice.

The killer whale named Rinaldo turned around, heading beneath the sperm whale.

Xiang Shan curiously asked, "What is it doing?"

"Nursing," Kledec explained. "The milk of large whales is the only stable food source for us. Although electric energy replaces most of the energy produced by respiration, the body still requires nutrients. There’s not much in the ocean now that could serve as suitable prey for dolphins..."

The protein and fat for the whale group is entirely dependent on the milk of these large whales.

These large whales have undergone genetic adjustments. They secrete milk regardless of whether they are raising young. Whale milk differs greatly from that of land animals. Whale milk has a high fat content and doesn’t easily dissolve in seawater. Moreover, whales can use their own strength to eject milk, unlike land mammals that require offspring to actively suckle.

These large whales rely on their physical advantages to journey across different sea areas, filtering plankton. In this era of mass extinction, the ocean’s biological density is extremely low. If they feed in one area only, it’s easy to drive local animals to extinction, forcing large whales to move around.

Occasionally, they need to take along the killer whales during their growth period—those who consume the most and need food the most.

Mature killer whales voluntarily undergo complete cyberization, freeing themselves completely from hunger. However, premature complete cyberization for these young killer whales, similar to humans, can lead to intense psychological issues due to the conflict between instincts and cybernetics.

Additionally, mature killer whales are too fierce, but juvenile killer whales can be calmed down by the purely physical advantage of sperm whales altered to resemble baleen whales. Even if they lose their sanity, it isn’t terrifying.

Xiang Shan sighed, "How did you ever imagine...living together?"

"We’re the only ones left alive," Kledec said. "There are only a few large whales, belonging to different groups, preserved through cloning technology generation after generation. They also fear loneliness. And we can’t do without them. We have no choice but to be together."