For some reason, the mother Parasaurolophus slept very peacefully today; the early morning sun failed to reach her. However, driven by concern for her unhatched young, she still woke up early.
It was then that she realized why she hadn't felt the sunlight.
Carlo, having been woken by the rising sun, was crouched on the ground watching the sunrise. His tail beat against the earth in a rhythmic, leisurely fashion. His massive frame happened to be perfectly positioned to block the sun from hitting the mother Parasaurolophus.
You're still here...
Noticing the movement, Carlo turned his head to look at the mother as she scrambled up. This time, she didn't rush to cover her eggs, seemingly resigned to the fact that Carlo had no intention of harming them.
"Aonng…"
Carlo gave a low huff, his version of a "good morning" to his neighbor, scaring the poor thing half to death. Afterward, he faced forward again, watching the sun crest the horizon.
…
"Head up... good! Let's go!"
Owen raised his hand high, then brought it down, slapping the railing. Below him, the four Velociraptors saw the signal and immediately shifted their focus, bolting side-by-side into the paddock's jungle.
Clap, clap, clap.
Masrani walked onto the catwalk, applauding. "Impressive, Mr. Grady."
Owen responded with a smile and shook his hand.
"I must apologize to you, Mr. Grady," Masrani said, his smile widening. "Before meeting you, I didn't have high hopes for employees hired through 'connections.' It seems I was wrong; you truly are an expert in animal behavior."
"You flatter me. I just used to train dolphins," Owen replied modestly.
"Well, you are now the first person in the world to train dinosaurs." Masrani patted Owen's right shoulder, then turned to lean against the railing, watching the Raptors interact below. "Do you think they can be put into a show?"
"A show? No, no. Velociraptors are 100% killers. The noise and the scent of so many humans would likely trigger irrational behavior."
Masrani wasn't offended by the rejection. He once had a tape of a containment breach at Jurassic Park where the Raptors were the literal incarnation of terror, though he couldn't remember where he'd put it.
"Then what... do you think these dinosaurs can do?" Masrani asked, posing a soul-searching question.
"Maybe... they could handle certain emergency situations. Their sense of smell and speed are far superior to hounds. We've tried scent-tracking drills with them, but the enclosure is too small; finding things is far too easy for them."
Masrani froze, a vision beginning to form in his mind. If a dinosaur escaped its paddock in the future, sending a team of Raptors to track it down, humans and dinosaurs fighting side-by-side, it would be absolutely brilliant!
"I think I can provide a place for you to test that."
…
"This is reckless. This is absolutely reckless!"
The Primeval Ecological Zone monitor, dressed in his green uniform, paced back and forth in front of four transport cages.
"At first, he said he wouldn't interfere with this place. Then he starts dumping dinosaurs in here like trash, and now he wants them to do training?!"
"Calm down... calm down. It doesn't affect our paychecks either way," a colleague urged.
"Masrani doesn't care about these lives; he only cares about his own amusement!" the man shouted, growing more agitated.
In the distance, Owen's expression was equally tense. He had asked for an open space, not an open space filled with a menagerie of other dinosaurs! But the boss had spoken; what else could he do?
He washed the scent from his hands and picked up a cloth-wrapped, specially treated cylinder. It bore the same scent as the item they were meant to find.
Inside the cages, the breathing of the Raptors was rapid and heavy; they were clearly eager to go. Owen climbed into the passenger seat of a Jeep, with Barry at the wheel. He picked up his radio.
"Everyone, get back to your vehicles and lock the doors. The predators are leaving the cages."
Once everyone was clear, Barry turned to Owen. "Are you ready? There are big guys in here that could wipe us out in a heartbeat."
Owen took a deep breath and pressed the button in his hand. "They can do this."
"Aook!"
Led by Blue, the Raptors burst from their cages. She scanned the surroundings once before leading her sisters into the heart of the Primeval Ecological Zone.
Barry floored the accelerator and spoke into the radio: "They're in the zone. We're moving out."
Blue sprinted at the front of the pack, leaping over fallen branches, her breath coming in sharp bursts as she filtered the air for the target scent.
Echo and Delta followed a flank's length behind her to the left and right. They didn't need to track the scent; their job was to guard Blue's perimeter and relay her commands.
Charlie was on the far right, slightly ahead of Delta's position, responsible for identifying other scents in the air and providing early warnings.
"What about the ecological livestream?"
"We have to shut it down for the day. Tell them it's 'equipment maintenance,'" an ecological staff member at the back of the convoy said helplessly.
"Aook!"
Charlie let out a sharp cry: Heavy unknown scent ahead. Likely another creature's territory.
Delta, positioned nearby, repeated the alarm to ensure Blue heard it. Blue received the intel and immediately issued the order.
"Aook!"
Bypass it!
Echo on the far left reacted instantly, slowing down to give her teammates space to pivot while ensuring Blue remained in the lead. Delta, acting as the messenger, turned to give a short huff to Charlie before accelerating to keep pace with Blue.
"They've found something. They're turning," Owen reported over the radio.
…
Carlo stood on the plain, staring at a cylindrical object on the ground, lost in thought.
It emitted a pungent, irritating odor. Any dinosaur with a sensitive nose would typically avoid it. But who was Carlo? He was a "curiosity kitten" in a 30-ton body! He had returned from a meal to find that something had visited his area and left this stinky object behind. Naturally, he had to investigate.
Let's see what we have here...
He lowered his head and sniffed intently.
Human scent again? What are they up to now?
Carlo gently picked up the cylinder in his jaws and headed back toward the Great Lake. He placed the object in the fork of a tree, then returned to the Parasaurolophus nesting site. He lay down, feigning sleep while secretly keeping a close watch on the cylinder.
In the distance, the mother Parasaurolophus didn't even have time to finish chewing her mouthful of grass. She scrambled back to her nest and huddled over her eggs.
Why is this guy back again?!
Noticing the commotion, Carlo lifted his head and gave her a gentle nudge on the flank, trying to tell her not to be so reactive. But the mother Parasaurolophus could never understand his intent; she only huddled over her eggs even tighter.
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