A week had passed since the publication of the Primeval Ecological Documentary.
With the release of the second episode looming, the domestic audience back home pulled a major stunt. To express their dissatisfaction with the perfunctory attitude of Jurassic World officials regarding the "free" documentary, they took matters into their own hands.
They spontaneously produced a documentary focused on the Zhuchengceratops and posted it directly into the Primeval Ecological thread on the official website, a literal "ultimate move" aimed right at the officials' faces.
However, since the footage was ripped directly from the ecological livestream, "bullet-chat" comments occasionally flickered across the screen, and there was no professional narration. Strictly speaking, it wasn't a documentary in the traditional sense.
The video opened with a line of bold text:
All footage in this video is sourced from the Jurassic World official website, Primeval Ecological Livestream.
[They're here, they're here!]
[Gotta support our home-grown dino! Sending a gift first to show some love.]
[No way? People actually send gifts to a stream with no host interaction?]
[Wait, you have to pay to send a comment?!]
Before the Zhuchengceratops even appeared, the comments arrived in force.
"Aunnng…"
Accompanied by a low bellow, the "protagonist" finally entered the frame, and it was a close-up. The skin texture on its face was visible in high definition. It shook its head to drive off the insects circling its body, then turned to call its companions to continue their trek.
Unlike the Ankylosaurus, Ceratopsian leaders are always positioned at the very front of the pack.
[Holy sh*t, that's cool. That's the raw dominance only a Ceratopsid can pull off.]
[What are they doing? Migrating?]
At this time, the Zhuchengceratops herd had just entered the Primeval Ecological Zone. They were searching for a suitable territory. Led by the alpha, they formed a long, orderly column, marching two or three abreast across the grasslands.
If one looked closely, they would see that the individuals on the outer flanks were mostly the strongest or the fully grown adults. The juveniles were tucked safely in the middle. They followed the leader's pace with disciplined precision.
[So magnificent.]
[Actually, does Jurassic World even have many dinosaurs from China?]
[True, seems like it's just the Ceratopsians for now.]
[Wasn't there a Qianzhousaurus they were trying to resurrect?]
[Qianzhousaurus? I thought it was Yutyrannus?]
[Wait... it costs money to comment and you guys are just using it to chat?!]
Watching animal migration is a slow process, so people in the chat had started striking up conversations. Fortunately, the creator of this fan-made documentary had edited those lulls out.
The scene shifted, cutting to the camera feed for Ceratosaurus One!
Indeed! The creator had been monitoring multiple livestreams on different devices simultaneously.
At this moment, Ceratosaurus One was crouched in the jungle, sifting through the prey before him. Or rather, he was calculating how to break through the defensive line of the stronger individuals. His gaze shifted from the front of the herd to the back, then returned to the front.
If only I had a partner right now.
Back then, Ceratosaurus One and Two weren't well-acquainted yet; they lived in a state of mutual non-interference. He shifted his body, trying to maintain peak physical readiness.
Ultimately, he decided to trust his luck.
Without a sound, Ceratosaurus One lowered his center of gravity into a prowling stance, locking his eyes onto the Ceratopsians at the rear of the column. Unlike the Carnotaurus strategy of creating chaos to find an opening, a Ceratosaurus prefers a silent strike, much like a Tyrannosaurus rex, aiming to kill before the prey can even react.
Thump-thump, thump-thump.
Massive footfalls hit the ground, yet they produced only the faintest sound. The Ceratopsians didn't notice the approaching predator.
Thump-thump, thump-thump.
Ceratosaurus One focused his gaze on a single target. His breathing grew rapid and shallow. He was tense; he was expectant.
Thump-thump, thump-thump.
"Aunnng—!"
Ceratosaurus One was finally spotted.
The Zhuchengceratops family reacted instantly. Hearing the alarm, the leader began to bellow commands to coordinate the herd.
The Ceratopsians on the flanks began to pivot outward. The juveniles and sub-adults huddled together in the center. The individuals at the rear surged forward to close the gaps, shortening the column before turning to face the back.
They formed a defensive circle.
The massive, circular frills of the adult Ceratopsians acted like a fortress wall, guarding against any predator that dared harm their young. If you thought these "walls" were merely for show, you would quickly be "re-educated" by the massive horn on their snout.
But such a perfect defense came at a price.
A sub-adult Zhuchengceratops in the rear-middle had been too slow to retract into the formation, and Ceratosaurus One clamped onto its tail.
"Aunnng—!"
It cried out in pain. Knowing it was too late to retreat into the circle, it immediately bucked and spun around, wrenching its tail from the predator's jaws while turning to face him head-on.
"Aunnng…"
Its companions called out from behind. Was it his mother? Or his siblings? He didn't know; he focused every ounce of his attention on the predator in front of him.
Ceratosaurus One knew he couldn't attack the armored frill directly. He began to feint left and right, hoping the youngster would slip up and expose a flank.
The sub-adult kept its frill squared toward the Ceratosaurus. Though it was only a juvenile, it remained remarkably calm in the face of danger. His herd hadn't abandoned him, so he began to slowly back away, trying to merge back into the defensive array.
Ceratosaurus One saw the intent. He began to advance while weaving side-to-side, keeping the prey within biting range but staying just outside the reach of those goring horns.
The Zhuchengceratops didn't let its guard down, its frill tracking the predator's movements.
Left, left. Right, right. Left... Right! Left!
There, an opening! Ceratosaurus One seized the moment and clamped onto the right side of the youngster's frill, wrenching backward to prevent it from returning to the herd.
Refusing to give up and unwilling to expose its neck, the sub-adult lunged forward. If Ceratosaurus One didn't let go, he was at risk of being gored in the hind legs!
Ceratosaurus One wasn't about to drop this hard-won opportunity. He held on, letting the horn on the prey's snout graze his thigh. Since this was a sub-adult, its partially developed horn wouldn't cause too much damage... wait?!
Ceratosaurus One felt a massive shove against his side. His teeth scraped across the sub-adult's frill, leaving several bloody gouges, but he lost his grip.
He staggered back several steps from the force of the impact. Once he regained his balance, he realized what had happened.
The Zhuchengceratops leader had broken rank! He had charged out to ram the Ceratosaurus away from the youngster!
[Holy crap! So cool!]
[Epic! First time I've seen an herbivore charge out to 1v1 a predator!]
[As expected, the ones at the front and back of the line aren't your average dinos.]
The Zhuchengceratops leader stomped his left foot violently, then his right, creating a thundering noise to intimidate the intruder. The sub-adult didn't flee; it stood beside its leader, its frill bloodied and its eyes wide with fear, yet it held its ground.
Ceratosaurus One looked down at his thigh, seeing a matching streak of blood.
"Roar—!"
He let out a frustrated, defiant roar at the herd, then turned and stalked away.
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