Crack…
A few leaves and twigs were snapped off as an adult Iguanodon plucked some berries from a tree, chewing them slowly. Beneath the tree sat another cluster of berries identical to the ones above, a designated herbivore feeding point specially maintained by BioSyn.
"Eeng? Eeng!"
A youthful, high-pitched chirp rang out from the adult's feet. Looking down, the mother spotted a young Iguanodon that had just entered its juvenile phase. The mischievous little dinosaur wasn't satisfied with the ground-level berries; it wanted the ones from the tree, just like its mother's, even though they looked and smelled exactly the same.
Crack… Crack…
The mother Iguanodon, deeply doting on her offspring, swallowed the mouthful of leaves and berries she had been chewing. She raised her head, stripped another branch heavy with fruit, and lowered it slowly, placing it right in front of the juvenile.
"Eeng!"
The young Iguanodon chirped happily, clumsily working to separate the leaves from the berries before swallowing the round, red fruits one by one.
Not far away, Giga One and Giga Two crouched together downwind, a position that effectively masked their scent from the prey.
"Grrr-rumble…"
Giganotosaurus One let out a faint, almost imperceptible low growl. His gaze remained fixed on the mother-and-child Iguanodon pair, seemingly lost in thought. Yet, this didn't hinder their hunt; after all, the prey was right there.
Giga One's history bore a sixty-percent resemblance to that of the Indominus rex. Aside from his younger brother, who had hatched alongside him, he had never seen his parents. His childhood had been filled only with the sight of white lab coats. Later, due to physical defects, he had been the first to be cast into the Ecological Zone. But even so, he had not spiraled into the senseless slaughter the Indominus had; instead, he had found his place in a way that was closer to nature itself.
He had done well enough.
"Roar..."
Giga Two nudged One gently, snapping him out of his reverie. Right, he wasn't alone, he still had his brother. Whether Northern Giganotosaurus or Southern Giganotosaurus, there exists an innate longing for a pack, even if the two individuals were worlds apart.
Sound of heavy breathing…
Giga One adjusted his breathing and gave a soft signal to Two: Prepare to move.
"Aunnng-roar—"
A piercing shriek echoed out. Giga One rose from his crouched position and unleashed a thunderous roar in the direction of the Iguanodon herd!
"Aunnng!"
As the sentinel Iguanodon cried out, panic spread rapidly through the group. The Iguanodons huddled together and broke into a run, fleeing away from the source of the roar!
Giga One shook his head to brush away some buzzing insects, then followed the trail of his prey at a leisurely pace... And Giga Two? He was already gone.
"Aunnng-roar!"
Giga One let out another loud, booming roar from the rear of the herd, then accelerated, closing the distance to the stragglers to less than five meters!
"Aunnng!"
The path ahead was blocked by a stone wall, forming a fork. The lead Iguanodons all turned left, but those at the tail end, forced to stay near the Giganotosaurus, were compelled to split into two groups. Three Iguanodons veered into the right-hand fork.
"Roar—"
Giga One stopped, looking up to let out a short roar toward the valley. Was he giving up? No, he was signaling his partner.
"Roar!"
Just as the isolated Iguanodons turned into the right-hand path, Giga Two struck! He clamped his jaws instantly onto the neck of one unlucky straggler!
Giga One followed up rapidly, tearing into the target's lower leg muscles to prevent any chance of further escape.
Thud!
The Iguanodon was brought down. Although Giga Two was nominally a "Giganotosaurus" subspecies, his bite force far exceeded that of any known Carcharodontosaurid.
One stopped his attack. Lacking the necessary jaw muscles, he wasn't suited for the lock-jaw work; he could handle humans easily enough, but against another dinosaur... his bite was somewhat lacking.
Sound of roaring engines.
The Iguanodon struggled until it suffocated. At that same moment, two aircraft streaked across the sky, their massive noise startling the dinosaurs throughout the ecological zone.
"Roar..."
Giga One and Two looked up at the sky simultaneously. After letting out a few faint, threatening growls, One signaled Two to take the prey back to their habitat immediately.
"Roar—"
Giga Two gave a soft roar in acknowledgment of One's suggestion.
…
Come out… come out… come out…
Carlo crouched in front of a barn opening, specifically, the one he had dug out himself. He poked his head inside, peering into the darkness. He had detected that one dinosaur had never come out, and after confirming it was still alive, he intended to patiently coach the creature, helping it step out of the dark, lightless basement.
Seriously, what are you afraid of?
The Ornithomimus huddled tightly in the corner, staring at Carlo, daring not to move. Was Carlo really that terrifying?
With a sigh, Carlo pulled himself out of the opening. He scanned his surroundings, noting that most of the humans had fled due to the escape of the dinosaurs, and the dinosaurs themselves had fled due to his arrival.
Low growl.
Carlo let out an unintelligible growl. Why did it feel like he was smirking?
He walked slowly to the ground floor of the barn where the Ornithomimus was hiding. Carlo first tested the solidity of the ground, then lifted his feet gently, stepping on the floor in a rhythmic, alternating sequence.
Thump, thump, thump…
The floor emitted a faint, metallic reverberation. Gray dust and debris fell from the cracks in the ceiling, sprinkling onto the head of the Ornithomimus.
"Squeak!"
It could no longer endure the pressure; it scrambled to its feet and sprinted toward the opening!
The slender, long-legged figure darted out into the sunlight. Carlo watched this scene and revealed a satisfied smile.
That's more like it…
"Aok!"
Just as the Ornithomimus was about to vanish into the woods, Echo, who had been waiting for a long time, suddenly leaped out! She pinned the fleeing Ornithomimus to the ground! Sharp claws slashed across its thigh, and Blue and Delta surged forward in an instant. The Ornithomimus was dead in seconds.
That's not… quite right, is it?
Predators eating prey was a part of nature, and Carlo couldn't really say anything about it, but... this was the dinosaur he had just saved! Eaten just like that?!
Sound of propellers.
A familiar sound came from the sky. Carlo paused for a moment, then jerked his head upward.
"Target sighted, prepare for capture."
This time, only one aircraft had come to capture Carlo... a helicopter? It looked a bit like an Osprey, but it appeared more like a specially modified BioSyn capture helicopter, possessing both high speed and hovering capabilities.
"Roar—"
Carlo let out a soft roar toward the Velociraptors and immediately sprinted in the opposite direction. Although he was annoyed that the Raptors hadn't respected his hard work, he didn't want to draw them into danger.
On one hand, human weapons were indiscriminate, that was how the White King had died. On the other hand… Carlo wanted to test the large-scale AoE (Area of Effect) ability he had recently learned, the kind that dealt friendly fire.
"Aok?"
Blue watched the helicopter pursue Carlo into the distance. She hesitated, but ultimately chose not to follow with her packmates. She knew well enough that she was in no position to participate in a battle of that magnitude.
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