In the following days, the cats did not go hunting because they were busy analyzing the behavior patterns of Pteranodons and communicating with the little drones.
Although Jarvis did not know its own origin, it was a very intelligent artificial intelligence capable of helping the cats analyze many things.
For example, once a Pteranodon swept past overhead in the blink of an eye, and the cats could do nothing, but Jarvis recorded the Pteranodin's movements and determined that this creature was definitely not a wild animal. Unlike other animals that are carbon-based life forms, this was a completely mechanical engineering creation, like the small drones, devoid of any wild animal components and made of steel.
The reason it looked so much like an animal was due to the creator's advanced bionic skills, making its flight and hunting movements quick and fluent. Coupled with its high speed, the details were hard to discern, making it easy to mistake it for an animal.
This allowed Shiller to ascertain that something within the cube was indeed capturing animals, and this was likely related to Iron Man. An important piece of information was that the person who created this creature had very advanced bionic skills.
Shiller asked Peter whether Main Universe Iron Man had such capabilities, and the answer was affirmative. Old 616 Earth's Iron Man was quite capable; he developed many things and was an all-round genius in any field related to scientific research, not just in mechanical engineering, which set him apart from Central Universe's Iron Man.
It might also be because Central Universe's Iron Man hasn't had the chance to display his talents in other areas, having encountered Magic too early in his career and shifted onto a path of studying Cosmic Construction Science, diving into a sea of information flow, where he's still trying to surface.
Iron Man not only understands biotechnology but excels in it. Due to ethical concerns, he doesn't often conduct experiments in this field, and what he does produce is seldom used, yet he's undoubtedly skilled.
When mentioning biotechnology, Shiller couldn't help but recall a classic question: how to develop technology within the Cthulhu Mythos Universe, or rather, whether the human race could develop technology capable of contending with these bizarre entities amidst the awakening of Elder Gods and the prying eyes of Outer Gods.
Most people adopt a pessimistic attitude towards this question because the Cthulhu Mythos Universe itself stems from humanity's despair. Everything is unknown and terrifying, leaving the human race akin to bewildered ants, trapped by fear and finding survival difficult enough, let alone developing technology specifically targeting these eldritch beings.
However, this conclusion is based on the strength of humans from the Earth that Shiller once inhabited. If taken to the American Comic World, it paints a different picture, as the American Comic World stands on the shoulders of a few geniuses.
Then the question becomes: Can the geniuses of the American Comic World contend with the Cthulhu Mythos System? If disregarding the popularity factor and observing just the strength setups of both sides, they indeed seem evenly matched.
A crucial component of this is that, given the setup of American Comic scientists, it's indeed possible to develop technology within the Cthulhu Mythos Universe. It might be more accurate to call them technology gods than scientists. Whether Iron Man, Doctor Destruction, Mr. Fantastic, or Ant-Man, each one embodies a Greek god presiding over a segment of technology.
The scene then evolves into a confrontation between Order Gods and Chaos Gods, where victory largely hinges on the battleground. If the Outer Gods invade Earth, these scientists won't sit idly by and might even develop Anti-Outer God Armor. However, if they venture into the Outer God's realm, they wouldn't fare well.
Neither side possesses overwhelming supremacy; Earth can only repel but not obliterate Outer Gods, and the Outer Gods neither fully comprehend the scientists nor their Order Side Creations, perhaps even lacking means to counteract them.
Currently, Iron Man is in the realm of the Outer Gods. Despite various unforeseen events leaving him very weak, he won't sit idly by, and to maintain his existence here, he must develop technology.
What seems impossible for an ordinary person or a human scientist might not be impossible for him. Biotechnology, more specifically bionics and mechanical biological constructs, will undeniably be a trump card because this specific technology lies in the fusion realm of Chaos and Order, potentially called an interdisciplinary skill set.
Creating purely mechanical creations in this realm is very challenging; no Outer God can understand artificial intelligence. The idea of conceiving true electronic life within their realm of dreams requires at least awareness of what it is. If they utterly fail to grasp such an existence of extreme order, then producing one in dreams is sheer fantasy.
Thus, it becomes necessary to leverage what the Outer Gods understand. What do most Outer Gods understand? In actuality, most Outer Gods understand nothing; they merely exist akin to natural phenomena. However, those most influenced by them are carbon-based life forms, that is, sentient beings with wisdom and emotion.
Iron Man must rely on these beings to develop technology. Perhaps that is the significance of this ecosystem resembling a primitive jungle; he must use wild animals here to achieve a specific purpose, potentially a link in the Technology Tree, or maybe just to create a tool.
Even though the cube and these large Pteranodons may appear advanced, for Iron Man, it's akin to crafting a simple axe to fell a tree—a potential first step in developing Cthulhu Mythos technology, akin to a barbarian exploring uncharted territory. Otherwise, he wouldn't use what Peter described as a relatively outdated Ark Reactor. After all, you don't need titanium alloy to make an axe for chopping trees, do you?
But this introduces another issue: this self-proclaimed Jarvis drone is far more advanced than those Pteranodons, to an unreasonable degree. This proves it can't be a product of initial steps; instead, it might have been developed after climbing a segment of the Technology Tree. Thus, the cube isn't the culmination of their journey but merely the starting point.
Shiller felt increasingly pressed for time. Fortunately, the weather favored them; just three days later, swarms of Pteranodons came to hunt again.
This time, Shiller received two pieces of information. One was Peter confirming the Pteranodon indeed contained an Ark Reactor, and the conclusion was the same as the drone's: this was not a Pteranodon but an aircraft. More precisely, it was a Pteranodon-shaped drone, completely unrelated to wild animals.
The other was that its method of capturing prey was indeed rigid: it only snagged large ones without any inspection process. It caught them and flew off without landing, taking the prey straight back to the cube.
Given this, they prepared to act. The most crucial aspect was becoming prey captured by the Pteranodon.
It's impossible to ride on this thing; they couldn't create a cat-usable claw. The small drone was too tiny, struggling to fly itself, let alone carrying them. The best strategy was to hide on prey captured by the Pteranodon.
However, clearly, even prey was no easy target. Hiding in the stomach wasn't feasible, as they knew nothing of these creatures' stomach environments; even if they safely entered, it could be a massive acid pool that would dissolve them instantly.
Hiding in fur was naturally a good option, but perhaps due to the muggy climate, there weren't many furry animals. The targets Shiller identified lacked miscellaneous items to hide within.
Ultimately, they decided on the simplest method: clinging onto prey. Since the Pteranodon didn't inspect the prey for anything extra, as long as they held on tight and didn't fall during capture and flight, it wouldn't be an issue.
Next, they started selecting suitable targets, although there weren't many options. Carnivores were immediately ruled out, then they ensured the body type was within the capture range, and finally, it needed to be easy to climb, as getting on was a challenge.
The Cat Squad set its sights on a giant tortoise.
This giant tortoise was less of a tortoise and more akin to a mobile mountain. Its shell wasn't flat but had a raised spiral, resembling a cross between a hermit crab and a tortoise, extraordinarily heavy and purely terrestrial, unable to turn its head.
This meant the cats could stealthily climb onto its shell without being detected and linger there indefinitely, avoiding missed hunts. With ample space on the shell, when the Pteranodon came to grab it, they would have a place to hide.
Still, one issue remained: the Pteranodon wouldn't transport them as if holding a plate, and there'd be inevitable turbulence during the flight. Staying put was a problem. Fortunately, there was a solution. The net devised by Constantine proved very useful; they just needed to secure themselves with it. No need for individual nets; a single net for the bunch would suffice.
They had ample time; the tortoise moved slowly and didn't range far, staying close to the lake. If they avoided predators, they could patiently secure the net on the tortoise's shell.
With the mutton jerky's assistance, a few cats worked tirelessly for a full day and night, crafting a net to house four cats, then slowly dragged it to where the giant tortoise resided.
However, good fortune never lasts long, and just as their plan was about to reach its final step, nearly complete, an unexpected incident occurred.