After the incident by the river, Ga Ga firmly confirmed one thing: it was essential to have several members of its kind around at all times for protection—no, to coordinate actions. Reflecting on its early team-based operations, Ga Ga decided to return to the herd and reorganize all individuals into groups.

After a careful count, there were 207 adult tentacle Ga Ga Beasts remaining. As for identifying the females, Ga Ga mused, "It's really hard to tell, though I can distinguish individuals; confirming gender will require closer inspection..." Amidst some chaos and wary looks from some adult and juvenile males, Ga Ga determined that there were 81 mature females and 150 juveniles, starting with 55 nests, including 70 females.

"Why is there such a shortage of females?" Ga Ga lamented. By the time all juveniles matured and Ga Ga, being the primary consciousness, could issue commands to other adults, the remaining 355 individuals (some had been lost) were divided into 44 groups of eight, with the extra three joining Ga Ga's squad.

"An annoying number," Ga Ga grumbled, but it didn’t bother reassigning. Each group of tentacle Ga Ga was instructed to hunt, sleep, and drink together, essentially doing everything as a unit except for reproduction. "This makes things much safer and easier."

Assigning a leader wasn't feasible; independent consciousness was one thing, but individual decision-making was another. Each tentacle Ga Ga Beast followed its instinctual hunting patterns, and even if Ga Ga appointed a leader, it would be ineffective.

"It seems that besides physical prowess, tentacle Ga Ga Beasts don't have much in terms of brainpower compared to other creatures," Ga Ga thought, reflecting on the herd's simplistic behavior. "Let's upgrade the brain soon."

That was the situation for now.

Ga—

Perhaps the long-established behavior finally seeped into the deepest parts of their memory, as all herd members paused, looking up at Ga Ga’s long howl.

Cough, cough.

"Long howls are hard on the throat," Ga Ga complained, yet felt satisfied that all members responded to its summons. This indicated that it could call the herd without enhancing the command through its primary consciousness.

"Pack up, we're moving to our destination. We've stayed here long enough." This command still had to be issued via consciousness, as none of the tentacle Ga Ga Beasts could understand language yet.

...

The large herd of tentacle Ga Ga Beasts began moving forward, puzzling nearby animals as they turned their backs on the lush River of Life, heading toward an emerging desert.

But Ga Ga saw further. Beyond this desert lay a land encircled by mountains, where its seeker title found a large electro-stone mine.

At the back of the procession was Ga Ga's over-strength squad of eleven individuals.

"Better complete the Long-Spined Dragon mission first; who knows when we'll see them again."

Standing atop a mound, Ga Ga watched the trailing followers. "I've been waiting for the thermostatic components since my amphibious days. I can’t leave it to an uncertain future."

The tentacle Ga Ga Beast herd was far from vegetarian; solitary predators dared not attack such a large predatory group. Observing from a hill, Ga Ga noticed dozens of predator teams following the herd, confirming two things:

Love what you're reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on.

First, ordinary animals started thinking and learning basic concepts; witness the Long-Spined Dragons that had evolved from solitary hunters to groups of tens. Though disorganized and prone to infighting, they demonstrated progress.

Second, environmental pressure indeed spurred evolution in both body and intellect.

At the same time, Ga Ga regretted sending only its squad to guard the rear. But with things as they were, Ga Ga focused on trailing the largest group of over thirty Long-Spined Dragons. This approach would ensure completing the mission without having to hunt one by one.

"I'll take you on first—thermostatic components, evolution points, hand them over, Ga Ga."

Thus, from above, a curious scene unfolded.

At the desert's edge, a large beast herd advanced into the sands. Behind the herd were several groups of varying sizes of following predators, and behind them, a dozen fellow Ga Ga Beasts.

※※※

Spiny Dogs, their bodies covered in spines, ran across the yellow sands. Their water sacs, thick back fat, and outer shells allowed prolonged movement in the desert.

Trailing a large herd, the Spiny Dogs had yet to act, knowing the herd comprised predators stronger than themselves.

Indeed, their target wasn't the herd itself but the animals following it. Among these followers were others with intentions similar to the Spiny Dogs.

As night descended, the Spiny Dogs cautiously climbed a sand dune, surveying their surroundings.

Ahead, the large herd had ceased movement, forming into circular groups to rest. Meanwhile, followers began to stir, some setting sights on the Spiny Dogs' location.

Defense was necessary; perhaps they wouldn't need to attack tonight.

With that thought, the Spiny Dogs returned to their group, scattering across a dune and burying themselves in sand, with only one or two acting as bait.

...

Ga—Ga—

The noise from the large beast herd startled the Spiny Dogs awake. Detecting an unusual scent in the air, one Spiny Dog tried to leap away from its position, but mist blown by the breeze drifted into their ambush spot.

The startled Spiny Dog found itself paralyzed, an acute pain soon following in its abdomen.

Under two full moons, a slender creature withdrew its long tail from the lifeless Spiny Dog's soft belly, retracting dangerous spines into its tail and scanning the dune below with four glowing eyes.

The gas only impeded the Spiny Dogs' movements, not enough to kill or sedate. Six confused Spiny Dogs struggled free, only to be slain by hidden weapons from the assassins' tails.

The remaining few attempted escape, but their limbs wouldn’t respond, tangling with sand and throat-filling dust.

The assassins descended, methodically eliminating immobilized Spiny Dogs.

In contrast to the herd's deafening roars and minor predator skirmishes with little death, this quiet battlefield reeked of blood. Predators approaching the scene sniffed the air and, seeing the dune's shadows, fled in panic.

An assassin, tearing at a Spiny Dog carcass, paused, puzzled by the retreating predators, then resumed drinking from the water sac.

Suddenly, the sand underfoot caved in, a mouth filled with teeth gaped open, drawing several surprised assassins and Spiny Dog bodies into the sand.

Moments later, silence returned to the site.

"Hmm?"

Ga Ga, finishing off a Long-Spined Dragon by snapping its neck, looked toward the Spiny Dogs' direction, puzzled by the night's events under the bright moonlight.

The breeze swayed the sand, revealing nothing else.

"Hallucination?"

Shaking its head, Ga Ga returned its focus to its prey.

Unbeknownst to Ga Ga, the flat sand it had seen had once been the scene of an assassination.

[Long-Spined Dragon Hunting Mission Complete, Rewards Granted.]

"Hmph, they dared to follow us without knowing who leads."

Lapping at its wounded leg, Ga Ga scanned the surroundings.

Nearby, tentacle Ga Ga Beasts retrieved electrified tail spikes from lifeless Long-Spined Dragons. On a small patch of sand, over twenty dragon bodies lay, some smoldering.

Three tentacle Ga Ga Beasts had fallen, scattered amongst them.

"Though we lost three and the rest are injured, successfully eliminating over twenty Long-Spined Dragons fulfills the mission."

With a bloodthirsty gleam, Ga Ga assessed the remaining squad, then looked to the beast herd battle.

Roars echoed, intimidating observers from afar, but little combat ensued.

When raiding predators struck the herd perimeter, injuring a tentacle Ga Ga, the alert herd quickly congregated.

The herd erupted with noise.

Intimidated by the three hundred-plus predators' roar, the attackers lingered on the outskirts. Seeing the herd's vigilance, they gradually dispersed, even turning on each other.

The ragtag following army disintegrated.

Dragging its spoils from the ambush, Ga Ga returned to the herd.

"Will this migration prove as easy as the Long-Spined Dragon mission?"

"Even if not confident in myself, I must have faith in the hundreds of tentacle Ga Ga Beasts, hehe."