Gah–, Gah-gah-gah, Gah-gah, Gah–gah...

“...”

Gah– "What's going on, so noisy!"

Originally serene, the riverbank had dozens of mature Gah-Gah Beasts clambering out of the water, accompanied by a cacophony of chattering juveniles, their dark scales absorbing the sunlight.

Imagine nearly three hundred Gah-Gah Beasts howling by the riverbank—it's more irritating than a swarm of flies buzzing around you. And so, the Gah-Gah Beast choir took center stage, overtaking even the infamous nagging of Tang Sanzang...

Gah-gah "Suddenly, evolving hearing and vocal cords feels like a mistake," thought the principal consciousness Gah-Gah, feeling dizzy surrounded by the noisy herd. Worse, the packed landing area left Gah-Gah in the way, where eager-to-bask juveniles trod right over him, unwilling to wait.

Right, trod over him, "Since the principal consciousness didn’t say we couldn’t walk over him, and since you’re in the way, we’ll just go over the top." That seemed to be the thought of the pressing Gah-Gah Beasts.

Ultimately, overwhelmed by the sudden noise and exhausted from being trampled by callous Gah-Gah Beasts, the principal consciousness Gah-Gah ended up the last to reach land.

Once ashore, each Gah-Gah Beast sought prime spots to lazily sunbathe. Apart from some jostling over territory, they all settled down comfortably, lying on the soft riverbank or warm rocks, eyes half-closed in alert relaxation, basking in the sun’s warmth.

This scene made Gah-Gah, who had been trod over, grit his teeth in frustration.

"You lousy bunch!" Gah–

Hearing the principal consciousness speak, the lazy Gah-Gah Beasts immediately turned to look, their eyes as innocent as could be.

"Uh..." Feeling a bit unnerved, Gah-Gah realized he wasn’t used to having so many eyes on him. "What are you staring at? I’m telling you, no more stepping on me, got it!" Gah-gah–gah!

Though he usually issued commands mentally so the beasts could roughly understand, his human habit made his mouth move instinctively. Without vocal cords, he just mouthed; now, he emitted a Gah-Gah cry, increasing his frustration.

Habits are terrifying...

Burning with rage, Gah-Gah dragged his tired body up, grateful his robust physique withstood the trampling of several dozen juveniles. "If I, as the principal consciousness, were actually stomped to death by my own kind here, because I was stunned by my own sound, blocking the way, and not telling them they couldn’t step on me, well, I’d probably be the most tragic principal consciousness in history," Gah-Gah thought wryly as he climbed.

"Move over, this spot's mine." Gah-gah!

He commanded a Gah-Gah Beast occupying a prime rock protruding over the riverbank, squeezing the reluctant creature aside. Gah-Gah settled comfortably on the high-ground rock, nestled among the herd, mimicking their relaxed sunbathing.

Lazily scanning the environment, Gah-Gah saw a broad riverbank, with the opposite side a jagged black line and clear, gently flowing water. Around him lounged nearly three hundred Gah-Gah Beasts, and behind the herd lay an endless forest, dense with peculiar plants and shrouded in a faint mist that obscured the interior.

A red sun slowly rose on the distant horizon, suggesting it was morning.

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As the surroundings quieted, even the Gah-Gah cries dwindled.

"Hmm—"

Comfortably flicking his tail, Gah-Gah accidentally brushed a neighboring beast’s horn, though neither seemed to mind, continuing their languid sunbathing.

Occasionally, a few hungry Gah-Gah Beast would crawl to the water, pulling out fish to tear and feed on.

The soothing sounds of water, gentle breezes, and distant forest rustling reached Gah-Gah’s ears.

"Only now do I realize the difference between mental communication and actual sound." Listening to the peace, Gah-Gah thought how different consciousness communication felt compared to real sound, since crossing worlds.

Mental communication was akin to internal thoughts, much softer compared to real sounds—the reason, perhaps, why many need quiet to think clearly.

In the Biological Editing Space, real sounds were purely natural, not like the current world with insect cries, Gah-Gah Beast calls, and other animals' noises.

"If not for the earlier Gah-Gah choir, hearing would be quite pleasant." Reflecting quietly, Gah-Gah grumbled internally. "Speaking of which, although egg-laying in water, why does it feel like the reproduction rate is much lower than when they were fish?"

Counting the herd, 277 Gah-Gah Beasts were present. Entering the Biological Editing Space with 52 lone horn fish, 21 of which were female, each female seemed to average about 13 offspring—far fewer than the visible egg count before entering the space.

"Is it that eggs face a growth ratio limit to full adults or are preyed on during development?”

Thanks to early development of protective parental consciousness and principal consciousness cultivation, eggs and juveniles were safeguarded by mature individuals, so predation by other creatures should be minimal. This suggests many eggs fail to mature fully.

Why might that be?

"Is it environmental causes?"

Due to continuous reproduction, selection of reproductive sites had become systematic for the principal consciousness, balancing safety, temperature, and nourishment well, resulting in decent egg survival.

What's the internal cause, then?

"Could it be intrinsic?" Narrowing his eyes slightly, Gah-Gah gazed at the somewhat blinding sun. "As my species becomes more complex, the individual reproductive output diminishes? Is that it?"

"I recall that the stronger a species, the harder it is to reproduce the next generation, but despite humans ruling Earth, their reproduction remains high, doesn’t it?" Gah-Gah pondered.

"But is human reproduction really that high?" He remembered a joke about humans being perpetually in heat, an absurd yet not entirely baseless notion. "After all, who’s heard of women bearing hundreds of offspring in a lifetime or dozens at once?"

"So, relatively speaking, human reproduction isn’t high compared to pigs or fish," he chuckled, finding it amusing to draw such comparisons with animals now that he was one himself.

And so, Gah-Gah sweated profusely in embarrassment.

"And are humans truly strong?" Shedding random thoughts, Gah-Gah continued pondering.

"That’s indisputable, but humanity’s strength lies solely in that brain of theirs."

"Yet it’s that very brain that allowed humans to dominate an entire planet." Supporting his body with all fours, Gah-Gah moved slightly forward to a warmer spot to lie down again.

Surveying his armored kin, their horns occasionally sparking faint blue electricity, Gah-Gah mused, "Compared to other species, human bodies are incredibly fragile; humans are a species specialized in brain development."

"What about me, and the Gah-Gah Beasts, how should we develop?" Gah-Gah wondered if his species’ development was too disorganized.

Gah-gah— Gah–

A mischievous juvenile seemed intrigued by the forest, crawling towards the edge, but retreated after finding the atmosphere too chilling, returning to sunbathe near adults.

The cries alerted Gah-Gah, who turned to the mist-shrouded forest. Between the thick ferns, occasional shadows flitted by too quickly to be sure if they were real. With nothing emerging, Gah-Gah didn't dwell on their nature.

"Gah-Gah Beasts need to move inland to become terrestrial, and reproducing in water won’t work," he observed, watching the restless juveniles. "Reproduction must occur on land to qualify as a land species."

Having stayed on land too long, Gah-Gah's skin began drying out, so he and several others sluggishly headed for the water.

"So, the primary goal is transitioning to oviparity, or even viviparity. However, mammals aren’t around yet, so it’ll mainly be egg-laying. And the skin issue."

The dry skin greedily absorbed water as Gah-Gah immersed himself, cellular dehydration from extended exposure relieved.

"If most moisture is lost so quickly, surviving on land is just a fantasy."

"What was it... waterproof skin?"

Shaking his head, Gah-Gah targeted a small fish startled by the beasts, chasing after it—his meal for now. Food acquisition posed little trouble for Gah-Gah Beasts now; the primary concern lay with hostile creatures' attacks and natural disasters.

"In social terms, I’d be middle class now, hehe."

"But survival is paramount, no doubt about it."

Gah-gah.