[Health: 70489.0/80960]
Who is shouting the name of the Giganotosaurus? Who is wailing about the unfairness of it all?
Since Teacher Mosasaur's departure, this was the first time Carlo had stepped out of the Primeval Ecological Zone.
The reason was simple: with an olfactory radar that nearly spanned the entire island, Carlo had suddenly received a "push notification" from the humans: I'm at your front door, come out and play.
Carlo found one of the scents extremely familiar. Driven by both anticipation and curiosity, he began to make his way toward the source.
The Parasaurolophus hatchlings... no, they could practically be called sub-adults now, each standing over a meter tall. They seemed to view Carlo as their alpha. Seeing him leave, they all scrambled to follow close behind him.
Although the size ratio between these growing Parasaurolophus and Carlo hadn't changed much in a relative sense, they were now fast enough to keep up with his casual walking pace.
…
"You don't understand. The venomous quills of the Scorpios rex can kill a large dinosaur within ten minutes."
Dr. Wu was flanked by mercenaries, desperately trying to persuade them to deploy a full force to exterminate the Scorpios rex.
"Can it be hurt by bullets?"
Hawkes had never respected the dinosaurs on this island; he only cared about completing the employer's mission.
"Well... theoretically, a shot to a vital spot could kill it instantly." Dr. Wu analyzed the situation calmly. As a first-generation design, the Scorpios rex wasn't built for war. It was an experiment in gene splicing and lacked the robust physical structure of the Indominus rex.
However, its horrific mental instability and its freakish ability to self-reproduce were threats that had to be guarded against. Dr. Wu gripped the case in his hand tightly; it contained the antidote for the quills.
If only I had synthesized more back then...
Up ahead, Hawkes suddenly stopped, raising a hand to signal the team to stay alert. He knelt down to inspect a footprint in the grass, one so massive it inspired a primal dread.
The fundamental reason he dared to look down on dinosaurs was that he had done his homework; he'd even bought some educational textbooks. Because of that, he knew exactly what he was looking at: a footprint larger than a Brachiosaurus's, and it definitely didn't belong to a herbivore.
"Doctor... are all your creations... like this?"
His tone had suddenly turned respectful, even a bit shaky, as he finally realized what kind of monster he was dealing with. Could something that supported a body this massive really be killed with a single bullet?
Wu's train of thought was interrupted. He stepped forward and noticed the tracks as well, though he wasn't a hunter and couldn't easily distinguish footprints in the uneven grass.
"Aunnng—"
The low trumpet of a Parasaurolophus echoed, instantly snapping Wu's attention away.
The sound of a Parasaurolophus? The original herd should have migrated south... so the ones here are…!!
He pushed past Hawkes and hurried forward, scrambling up to the top of a small hill on the plain.
"Doctor! Wait for us!"
Hawkes no longer looked relaxed. Seeing Wu break formation, he immediately gave chase. Landing a step behind, Hawkes reached the crest and found Dr. Wu standing frozen, staring ahead. He followed the doctor's gaze.
Thump... thump...
Carlo was sitting on his haunches right next to their helicopter, his tail thumping the ground rhythmically as if he were waiting for them to return.
Several Parasaurolophus "toddlers" were gathered around him. They treated the massive beast, who could have swallowed them like snacks, as if he were part of the scenery, playing and frolicking without a hint of fear.
"This is a goddamn miracle."
Hearing Dr. Wu speak, Hawkes snapped out of his trance only to see the doctor already walking toward Carlo.
"Doctor! Doctor!!"
For some reason, Hawkes lowered his voice, seemingly afraid of disturbing the resting mon… creature?
Dr. Wu walked until he was less than ten meters from Carlo. The young Parasaurolophus eyed him curiously; some of the bolder ones even leaned in close to sniff this strange human.
Wu looked at the dinosaurs, speaking as if to himself, yet clearly hoping for an answer from Carlo. "You raised them... why?"
He had prepared edible nesting hay for those eggs originally; the little ones might have had a chance to survive without Carlo, but that chance would have been near zero.
Carlo tilted his head. He didn't understand why the human had started using "nonsense sounds" again, especially since the person had used understandable language before.
"Aunnng—"
One little Parasaurolophus boldly bumped Wu's briefcase, snapping him out of his reverie. He opened the case, checked his supply of antidote, and signaled his men to board the helicopter. Then, he looked at Carlo.
"If you trust me, follow us."
A creature like the Scorpios rex was something neither Carlo nor he could tolerate.
The rotors began to spin. Wu boarded the craft, his eyes never leaving Carlo.
Carlo seemed to grasp that the human had something to show him. He stood up and let out a few soft, instructional rumbles toward a larger Parasaurolophus. That one, nearly two meters tall, was the last offspring of the "Parasaurolophus Mom." Despite the language barrier, it could understand Carlo's intent to an extent, as it had, after all, grown up listening to him.
Dr. Wu watched as the "Sub-Alpha" led the herd back toward the Great Lake. The shock in his heart was reaching inexpressible levels.
Family... Mother... Father...
The words flashed through Wu's mind. He felt he finally understood what a newly hatched dinosaur truly needed. A gentle dinosaur required a warm family.
"Doctor... where to next?" Hawkes asked, now acting as obediently as a schoolboy.
"Search for the Scorpios rex. Don't go too fast; let him keep up with us."
As they moved, Rexy paused in her tracks, looking up at the unexpected visitors.
"You want a dinosaur to assist us?"
"No... we are going to assist him."
…
"Gak?"
In the Deinocheirus paddock, a "duck" let out a confused cry. It felt like something "wrong" had moved in. It needed to find the "Boss" and hide.
Sprinting through the grass and pushing through the brush, it finally found its "Boss," and the Scorpios rex it was currently facing off against.
The hybrid had a body so thin it was almost skeletal, with arms nearly as long as its legs.
"Screee-hiss!"
The Scorpios rex let out a meaningless screech, then performed a mid-air 180-degree spin, whipping its tail to launch a volley of venomous quills like a rain of arrows!
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