"Aunng—"
A Parasaurolophus slowly approached the thicket, lowering its head to tear off a few low-hanging leaves. As it chewed, it straightened its body to scan the surroundings.
It immediately locked eyes with a gargantuan figure lurking mere inches away in the brush.
Hello there. Do you want a kid?
Carlo had been hunkering down in the undergrowth, observing the Parasaurolophus herd to see if they would accept a stray egg. He hadn't expected his camouflage to be this effective; this particular individual had grazed right up to his face without even noticing him.
"Aunng—!"
The Parasaurolophus's heart skipped a beat. It let out a panicked cry and bolted. Hearing the alarm, the rest of the herd scattered instantly.
Snap… crunch…
Carlo took two steps forward, emerging from the tree line.
This current herd was clearly not fit to be a foster family. They were still migrating in search of a suitable habitat; trying to stealthily tuck an egg into a group on the move simply wouldn't work.
"Eeng—"
Suddenly, a high-pitched cry from a distance caught his attention. It was a Parasaurolophus calf.
See? This herd even abandons their own young. Definitely not foster material.
The calf came stumbling toward him, crying out as it ran.
Wait... why do you look so familiar?
Carlo lowered his head. The little thing stopped right in front of him, chirping happily.
...Oh, it's you.
He leaned down and huffed a heavy breath of air at the little creature, intending to spook it. Instead, the calf grew even more excited.
This is bad. This little idiot doesn't even know to run when it meets a carnivore.
Carlo nudged the calf with his massive snout, then turned to head back toward the Primeval Ecological Zone.
Snap… crunch…Rustle… rustle…
Carlo stopped and looked back. There was nothing there.
However, his olfactory radar picked up the trail instantly. The little guy was hiding well, tucked motionless inside a bush.
"Roar…"
He let out a sharp bellow in that direction, then turned and continued on his way.
Snap… crunch…Rustle… rustle…
Fine, fine. You're not leaving? Then don't leave. Come help me babysit.
This time, Carlo didn't hesitate. He spun around, scooped the little Parasaurolophus up in his jaws, and continued toward the Great Lake.
…
"Family, does anyone know what kind of dinosaur this is? [Image]"
Jurassic World was closed, but its website hadn't been fully taken down yet. Someone had posted a dynamic update on the Primeval Ecological Zone forums: a screenshot of an Indominus rex standing behind a ruined fence.
As the view count climbed, the post hit the "Trending" sidebar.
"What dinosaur is that? It's in the Primeval Zone?"
"Which camera caught this? I've never seen this footage before."
Speculation ran wild until the original poster (OP) added another image.
"The Primeval Zone has no staff left running it. I hacked into their back-end database and pulled all the camera logs. Found this guy tearing down Southeast Gate 7."
The photo showed the Indominus rex the moment it smashed through the gate.
"...Legendary."
"Isn't this illegal?"
"This thing has to be the main culprit behind the park's collapse, right?"
"Wait, then what about the Giganotosaurus? Based on the news backgrounds, he made it out of the park entirely."
"Maybe it was just the broken fences?"
"Come on, a Giganotosaurus doesn't just leave its territory for no reason. Maybe its ecological niche was threatened, so it chose to expand its territory."
"Wait, bro? What kind of dinosaur could possibly threaten a Giganotosaurus's niche?"
The thread descended into a heated debate. Fortunately, they had locked onto "Suspect Number One." Everyone was buzzing, and the OP used the hype to promote his own site.
"Family, I've set up a social site. I've uploaded all the camera feeds there. The data is massive, and I can't go through it all myself. If you're interested, go look for yourselves."
"Address: xxxxxxxxx "
More and more people joined the hunt for the "Source of the Disaster." Users began piecing together the Indominus's movement path.
"Found it. It definitely threatened the niche, except it didn't hit the Giga; the Giga hit it. [Video]"
The video showed the two Carnotaurus One and Two facing off against the Indominus, only for Carlo to burst onto the scene and send the hybrid flying with a single strike. However, the camera near the waterfall seemed to have malfunctioned, missing the conclusion.
"Holy crap, that power."
"Wait, is the Giga healing the Carnotaurus?! Am I dreaming?!"
"[Image] Ten minutes later, it smashed this gate. Looks like it was running for its life."
"Wait, is no one going to talk about those two kids?"
"[Image] Those kids went in via Gyrosphere and ran straight into it."
"??? You can drive a Gyrosphere into the Primeval Zone?! I'm done, I missed out on $200 of fun."
Some netizens relied on luck, browsing random cameras for the Indominus, while others were more methodical, switching feeds step-by-step to track its movement.
"This isn't right. Why is it killing everything it sees?"
"Does it have active camouflage?"
"I don't think this thing is a dinosaur. I don't think any dinosaur has opposable thumbs like that."
"@TyrannosaurusRex, look at this guy's hands."
While many were obsessed with the Indominus, a significant portion of users chose to follow Carlo. After all, he had appeared in the news footage, so following him was a safe bet.
"The Little Giga is back with his family again."
Even though Carlo had grown up, the netizens' nickname for him never changed.
"One second he's bathing with his family, the next he's gone?"
"Comparing the paths, it looks like he went on a direct intercept course."
"Unlikely, right? The distance is huge. He wouldn't just charge over there for no reason."
"Are you questioning the strength of the acknowledged Lord of the Primeval Zone?"
"Maybe the neighbor killed so many things it set off the Little Giga's alarms?"
"No need to guess. He definitely went for the kill. Someone on the other thread found footage of the Little Giga hunting it out of the Primeval Zone."
"Wait, so that's it? That's how the park ended?"
"Looks like it. That's the exact timestamp Jurassic World started the site-wide shutdown."
[The Giganotosaurus Zone you follow has been updated]
Video 1: Unknown Dinosaur Invades Primeval Zone? Giganotosaurus Dispatches Immediately.
Video 2: Unknown Dinosaur Enters Primeval Zone Again, Encounters Giganotosaurus. Strength and Defense Like a Monster; Cannot Be Defeated Even With Full Effort.
Video 3: Unknown Dinosaur Battles Giga for the Third Time; Five Dinosaurs Team Up to Ambush Giga.
The long-silent "Official Giga Account" suddenly sprang to life, startling everyone. The three videos showcased the showdowns between Carlo and the Indominus. Video 2, however, consisted of corrupted body-cam footage from the Asset Containment Unit; the subsequent "Three Gigas vs. Humans" scene was blacked out, though the audio told a chilling story.
"The park is bankrupt, and the official account is still online?"
"Confirmed: the admin is a Giga fanboy."
"Wait, did he spend a whole day hunting this thing down? There's this much footage?"
"Look at Video 2. My opinion of corporate 'ethics' has reached a new low."
"Wait... hold on. If the humans hadn't interfered, the disaster might not have even happened?!"
"Are we the 'stupid teammates'?"
"Little Giga: 'I can't carry this team, enabling friendly fire.'"
It wasn't just the Giga account; more and more former Jurassic World employees began leaking behind-the-scenes intel, including the "Battle of the Birdcage," the human attempts to block Carlo, and more.
This effectively threw the already-roasting Masrani Global into the volcanic pits of public opinion. People began lashing out at their irresponsible behavior. Because it involved de-extinct species, even animal rights groups were beginning to mobilize.
But whatever was happening in the outside world no longer mattered to the creatures of Isla Nublar.
Carlo, at this moment, sat by the lake in a semi-crouched posture, his tail thumping the ground rhythmically as he watched the Brachiosaurus family in the distance.
The little Parasaurolophus stood tall beside him, peering over the edge of a crate to look inside.
It was peaceful. No fences, no bloodthirsty biological weapons, no... humans?!
———————
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