Rumble—
The earth trembled, letting out a deep, thunderous roar.
Amidst the chaos of the oasis, scrapped vehicles plunged into the yawning chasms, as the cracks previously torn open by Carlo's stomp widened further. Creatures hidden beneath the desert sand were suddenly exposed by the fracturing earth before plunging into the pitch-black abyss.
Chop-chop-chop—
Like gathering storm clouds, a fleet of helicopters swept across the sky, their roar momentarily drowning out the sound of the fracturing earth.
Emblazoned with a Triceratops skull logo, the scout and heavy transport helicopters divided their tasks smoothly, instantly splitting into several squads and fanning out across every corner of the desert.
"Battle God Stegosaurus successfully evacuated!"
"Afrovenator successfully evacuated!"
"Edmontosaurus Number Three... why does it look like it's on ecstasy? Evacuation successful!"
The Primeval Organization, incapable of defending against even a standard terrorist group, had sounded its unyielding horn against a far more terrifying natural disaster.
Rumble...
Rustle of falling dust...
The buildings shook slightly. The Mojave Sanctuary's massive ecological monitoring station, the central hub of the Primeval Organization, was likewise feeling the tremors of the earthquake. Yet, not a single employee evacuated. The frantic control room remained packed, everyone intensely focused on their respective tasks.
"The earthquake's magnitude is still rising?! What's going on?! You've got to be kidding me!"
Tiger Lady's voice was deafening, especially when you realized that even wearing headphones couldn't block it out.
"The monitors show... the epicenter is most severe at the coordinate where the humans previously engaged Asset 0."
That explained it.
'0' was a designation that could be hidden or deleted at any moment. The dinosaur it represented wasn't the first to arrive at the Mojave Sanctuary, but the number carried a certain air of special significance. As for who exactly it belonged to? The staff remained blissfully ignorant.
"The fencing in the southeast sector has breached! It's not the earthquake! All Giganotosaurus have escaped!"
The Official of the Primeval Organization, the undisputed boss of the control room, caught the scent of trouble and hurried over.
"Predict their trajectory."
"Predicting now! The results show... an unmarked private port?"
"Can we trace the ownership?"
"Uh... found it. It's... Dudley Cabrera?!"
A familiar name. Although the Primeval Official didn't know that Dudley had been involved in the terrorist incurrence, he decided to prioritize the dinosaurs first. After all, Carlo was such a good boy; surely he wouldn't eat a decent person. So, Dudley would definitely be fine, right?
"Eighty percent of the dinosaurs have completed evacuation! Now, only... the Dreadnoughtus are left."
From the main console behind the Primeval Official, a staff member bellowed out the status report, sounding exceptionally clear over the ambient noise.
"..."
The entire control room suddenly fell into a collective, brief silence. A moment later, under the barking orders of a supervisor, the room returned to its raucous state, though everyone's voices were noticeably subdued.
Crisp footsteps...
The sound of combat boots echoed through the control room as the Primeval Official took his seat at the center of the main console, taking over the final command operations.
"Samuel, are you there? Do you mind working a little overtime?"
Chop-chop-chop—
"Go ahead, sir."
The scout helicopter carrying the refined, muscular man was still hovering over the Dreadnoughtus oasis. In his hands, a long-barreled tranquilizer rifle was being folded and stowed away.
"Help me guide the Dreadnoughtus to evacuate. Use the bio-flares."
"Copy that."
Ever since dinosaurs entered the human world, various civilian devices designed to manage them had developed rapidly. The "bio-flare" was a specialized flare developed by BioSyn, specifically engineered to attract dinosaurs through targeted pheromones. Though quite expensive, it boasted excellent results. Those who successfully used it to save their lives left glowing reviews, while the unfortunate souls who failed didn't leave any bad ones.
Screeech—
A piercing, shriek-like sound echoed across the sky as a green glow trailing thick smoke cut through the air.
The panicked Dreadnoughtus suddenly quieted down, turning their massive heads toward the horizon. A strange pheromone seemed to signal them, telling them to move in that direction.
"Aunnng—"
Dread One let out a resonant cry, shifting his massive legs and walking briskly toward the flare. Under his leadership, the herd began to move forward, though a few individuals moved slowly, frequently looking back.
Thud—
A muffled impact reverberated, sending a cloud of yellow dust billowing into the air. The White King tried to stand, only to collapse once more. His labored breathing brought up traces of blood, leaving him unable to even utter a cry.
"Aunnng..."
An obscure female Dreadnoughtus lay beside him, leaning close to his body. Together, they watched the herd drift further and further away, quietly feeling the tremors of the earth beneath them.
Rumble—
A fissure abruptly tore through the ground. Like a bolt of lightning ripping through the sky, it sheared past the flank of the herd, cutting off the White King and his mate from the rest of their kind.
"Next, head northwest. Take the trail through the rift valley, then continue for another kilometer. That is the fastest route out of the severe earthquake zone."
"Received."
Bang—
The muscular man aboard the helicopter quickly locked onto the coordinates provided by the Primeval Official.
The terrain ahead resembled a crossroads. A canyon split the landscape horizontally, originating from a high mountain and carving its way southwest across the desert. Intersecting this chasm vertically were two gentler slopes nestled between steep cliffs. It was as if nature itself had carved out a land bridge for the animals to cross the canyon, an exceptionally friendly path for the massive Dreadnoughtus.
But that was assuming there wasn't an earthquake.
Rumble—
The mountainsides began to collapse. Boulders tumbled continuously from the cliffs flanking the canyon, though this barely fazed the Dreadnoughtus. However, the fracturing ground spelled disaster for the man-made dam high up on the mountain.
Crack!
Fissures raced across the stone wall. Unable to bear the immense stress, the dam shattered in an instant. A torrential wall of water surged into the canyon. The parched desert finally received a source of life, but it could not have come at a worse time.
The deluge rushed downward, swallowing the limbs of the Dreadnoughtus. The racing currents merely slowed the steps of the adults, who managed to wade across the canyon and step into safer territory.
"Aunnng—"
An urgent cry echoed from behind. Dread One turned his massive head back, only to find a young female and a calf barely a month old trapped on the far side of the canyon.
Dread One looked ahead at the advancing herd, then back at the vulnerable members left behind. In the natural world, abandoning weak herd members was a common, pragmatic reality.
Splash—
Dread One waded forward, returning to the center of the rushing river beneath the canyon. He slowly lowered his massive body, using his colossal frame to block a portion of the torrent, creating a barrier stable enough for the younger members to cross.
Fortunately, the canyon wasn't wide, and his body alone was enough to withstand the flow. Unfortunately, the passage wasn't wide either; he would have to hold the line for a long time.
Why did Dread Two always ask so many questions and startle so easily? Because he suffered from a congenital cognitive impairment. If Dread One was willing to leave the herd just to look after Dread Two, how could he ever abandon the weak?
Thud!
The canyon walls began to give way. A massive boulder slammed into Dread One's head, leaving his senses reeling. His colossal frame shuddered violently, and the rushing water threatened to breach his line of defense.
Splash—
Dread Two slowly waded over, leaning tightly against Dread One's side, helping him bear the brunt of the raging torrent.
"Aunnng—"
Why aren't we leaving?
Dread Two still wore that expression of endless curiosity, waiting expectantly for Dread One's answer.
"Aunnng—"
Because we are the elders of this herd.
The overwhelming surge of water swallowed both titans. Under the crushing hydraulic pressure, they collapsed together. Just as the final member of the herd made it across the canyon, the cliffside fractured completely. Massive rocks plunged into the river, carrying both Dread One and Dread Two down into the depths, vanishing from sight.
The White King died while protecting a different species, and the ones who once seemed indifferent to their kind died on the path to saving them.
The story of the Dreadnoughtus had reached its final curtain.
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