Clack, clack, clack.
The sharp strike of red high heels against the floor echoed through the hall. Claire, dressed in a crisp white suit, walked briskly at the front, followed closely by a female assistant.
"That is the sixth incident this month."
Claire's voice was level, but there was an unmistakable undercurrent of fury in her tone.
"Those Pachycephalosaurus have rammed the perimeter fence six times this month and nearly escaped once. What exactly are they so dissatisfied with in their habitat?"
The assistant flipped through the documents in her hand and spoke hesitantly.
"Uh... the specialists say they are still investigating the matter."
"They've been 'investigating' for a month!"
Claire stopped in her tracks, spun around to face the assistant, and took a deep breath.
"I hired them to solve problems, not to conduct a month-long study. I need a solution from them by the end of the day, OK?"
Faced with a stern Claire, the assistant looked a bit intimidated. She weighed her words before speaking.
"Actually... they did propose a solution: transferring these Pachycephalosaurus into the Primeval Ecological Zone. It's just... the zone had only just been established at the time, so the proposal was rejected."
Claire froze for a moment as a memory resurfaced. She recalled Mr. Masrani mentioning that particularly aggressive dinosaurs could be herded into the Primeval Ecological Zone.
However, Dr. Grant had strongly advised against it, fearing such a move would inflict unpredictable damage on the existing ecosystem.
"What about the Primeval Ecological Zone monitors? What is their stance?"
The assistant didn't need to check her files this time; she had anticipated this question and came prepared.
"They have approved the plan. They even suggested that these Pachys be moved in alongside a batch of other screened herbivores."
Claire found herself unable to make an immediate decision. On one hand was visitor safety; on the other, the survival of the dinosaurs.
"Didn't Dr. Grant oppose the idea of subsequent introductions? Why are they saying it's okay now?"
"The monitors believe... that introducing more herbivores won't destabilize the Primeval Ecological Zone. This is because one specific predator in that region has already reached an unshakable level of dominance."
"The Giganotosaurus?" Claire asked, her tone carrying a hint of certainty.
"Yes. As long as we don't introduce new apex predators, the carnivores currently in the Primeval Ecological Zone will maintain a state of equilibrium."
…
Two days later.
Primeval Ecological Livestream: Giganotosaurus Sector.
In truth, calling it the Giganotosaurus Sector was slightly inaccurate; it was effectively the Carlo Sector.
This was because Carlo's parents, "Mom and Dad," spent most of their time hunkered down in their nesting grounds, usually lounging or sleeping. This allowed them to conserve energy and avoid unnecessary conflict.
Carlo, however, was different. He spent his days gallivanting across the zone. Consequently, the audience far preferred watching Carlo's camera feed to witness his daily "eccentricities."
Furthermore, the "Primeval Ecological Livestream" wasn't a live broadcast in the traditional sense; it was delayed by one day relative to the real world. Any interactions with the Ceratosaurus were also edited out of the public feed. Those clips were reserved for exclusive, paid content, the kind even VIPs had to shell out extra for.
However, the entire incident where Bob wandered in had been kept in the footage. The officials believed it would give Carlo another boost in popularity and effectively debunk the rumors that Carlo was a man-eater.
Even though, technically, the rumors were true.
Right now, on screen, Carlo was playing with sticks.
[Bro, can you stop playing with sticks? Take us to see some other dinos, please.]
[Is the streamer really this cold? I just sent a gift and you didn't even acknowledge me.]
[Honestly, I think it would be terrifying if he actually 'acknowledged' you.]
[Boring. I want to see a bloodbath.]
Due to the massive number of viewers in the chat, sending a "bullet-chat" message required a small fee. But even at $0.10 a pop, the comments flooded the screen as if they were free.
A gust of wind blew through the clearing, and the "stick castle" Carlo had just stacked collapsed.
In a fit of pique, Carlo lost his temper, spitefully thumping the ground with his tail.
[Hahaha, he's tilted! He's so tilted!]
[I always thought nature was cruel, all dinosaurs worrying about where their next meal is coming from, until I saw this Giga.]
[To the person above: our little Giga worries about his next meal too. He worries about what he feels like eating.]
As if he hadn't vented enough, Carlo mimicked Miss Diplodocus, using his tail like a whip to deliver a fierce "crack" against a nearby, nondescript tree.
Why didn't you block the wind?!
The tree shuddered. Along with a frantic "Squeak!", a squirrel fell to the ground.
[Whoa, a gift from the Heavens.]
[The Tree: Does no one speak for me?]
Carlo paused, looking at the squirrel sprawling on the ground and then back at the tree.
Too kind. I was just shouting a bit; I didn't actually want compensation.
Suddenly, he caught a whiff of unfamiliar scents in the air. Humans, and not just humans. Intrigued, Carlo decided to go see what the fuss was about.
The cameras utilized AI-locking technology; the feed would only switch when the current camera lost sight of Carlo.
[Streamer! You forgot your gear!]
[Where is this camera located? Can I go pick it up?]
[Sure, as long as you can 1v1 a Giganotosaurus.]
A few minutes later, Carlo finally reappeared on screen.
He was standing near a perimeter fence. There was a gate designed for dinosaur transport, and it was currently wide open.
[What's happening??]
[It's over! RIP!]
The camera angle switched, and the livestream audience finally saw the scene outside the gate.
The area was swarming with staff in security uniforms, along with several trucks carrying large cages. Most of the occupants were familiar faces of the Primeval Ecological Zone, with the exception of the Pachycephalosaurus and some small creatures in hand-held cages.
[Are they introducing new dinosaurs?]
Some viewers were quick to catch on. However, the chat immediately split into two factions. One side hoped Carlo would bolt for freedom, while the other hoped he wouldn't hurt anyone.
As for Carlo? He was eyeing the creatures in the cages with a look of pure delight.
"Roar…"
He let out a low growl and began to approach the gate.
The dinosaurs inside the cages noticed Carlo and began to slam against the bars in terror, creating a deafening racket.
"Don't let him out!" a staff member shouted. He aimed his rifle at Carlo, but it was loaded with non-lethal rounds; firing prematurely would do nothing but provoke the beast.
Another staff member grabbed a smoke launcher and fired a canister toward Carlo, attempting to drive him back with the irritating scent of the chemical smoke.
The canister bounced off Carlo, but he didn't care. He raised his head, continuing his inspection of the caged dinosaurs.
Mostly old faces except for the dome-heads... Wait, what's this? Simosuchus?
The Simosuchus wasn't a dinosaur, but a small, pug-nosed crocodyliform, a dedicated vegetarian.
Having "introduced" himself to his new groceries... err, new neighbors, Carlo didn't linger. He turned and sauntered away.
The staff on site all let out a collective sigh of relief. The viewers, however, were ecstatic.
[Holy crap, an epic lung-hit!]
They were referring to the way Carlo had looked while inhaling the smoke from the canister.
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Want to read ahead of schedule? Head over here ——— pa-tre-on.c-om/AlexandrusTL [remove the hyphen for normal access]