Don't Worry About It

On the surveillance feed, Xi Xiu heard a jumble of voices.

A: I have the most gold. I should be the leader!

B: You have a lot? That little tuft of fur?

C: My eyes and leaves are showing gold too. Are you blind?

D: Even if you have the most gold on you, transform into your final form first.

That was practically a naked provocation.

E: Exactly. Having more gold isn't absolute. If you can transform into a plant and obtain a copy of the former leader's memories, we'll naturally acknowledge you as our leader.

Everyone knew that was impossible. Their leader's consciousness had disappeared.

It had been captured by that Anvile Person who appeared yesterday and imprisoned somewhere none of them knew.

Unless they caught that Anvile Person today and saw who could make her cough up the leader's consciousness first.

F: Whoever has the ability to rescue the leader and obtain its Consciousness Copy won't need to fight for the position.

Everyone agreed with that statement, and the scene immediately fell silent.

The one who spoke was a creature whose status was second only to their leader. After hearing it, the others scattered to their respective positions.

They planned to lie in wait.

Catch one and eat one. Catch two and eat them both.

Just thinking about it felt wonderful.

Those chaotic words confirmed for Xi Xiu that their leader had not yet appeared.

This individual, whose status seemed little different from that of the leader, already had physical characteristics very close to the previous leader's.

She simply did not know what conditions it still needed to meet before it could attain a rank recognized by the group.

Through the surveillance screen, Xi Xiu saw their current situation. There were more of them than yesterday.

She also