Bai Ye spoke with Dr. Harding as they walked to the lake, taking cover behind a Brontosaurus.
Bai Ye took out a can of food and water and handed them to Dr. Harding, saying, "While your method is good, how do you know which direction the Brontosaurus is heading?"
Dr. Harding replied, "When Jurassic Park was being built, the northern area was dense jungle. So, heading in this direction, there's no more jungle. Brontosauruses rarely inhabit forests."
Bai Ye suddenly realized, "As long as we don't head towards the forest, no matter which route the Brontosaurus takes, we'll be closer to the outer perimeter?"
Dr. Harding affirmed, "Precisely."
Bai Ye nodded. This was good news. The difficulty of his mission had decreased. After all, as Dr. Harding had said, they had gained a group of bodyguards.
Dr. Harding added, "Now, we can only hope that these giants don't decide to make their home by the lake."
Bai Ye really wanted to cover Dr. Harding's mouth. Wasn't this tempting fate?
However, Dr. Harding's bad omen didn't come true. About fifteen minutes later, the Brontosauruses got up and prepared to leave the lake, heading forward.
Bai Ye opened the park map and took a look. "We're lucky."
The herd of Brontosauruses moved forward slowly. Judging by their direction, they were heading in a straight line towards the outer perimeter, which was naturally very beneficial for Bai Ye and Dr. Harding.
Following the Brontosauruses, the surrounding dinosaurs indeed became more numerous. After leaving the lake area, Bai Ye spotted a pack of Velociraptors.
Bai Ye was ready to fight, but after observing for a while from the hillside, the Velociraptors ultimately chose to leave rather than attack.
The difference in size between the two was too significant, so the Velociraptors seemed to have some sense.
However, there were also those without sense.
An Ouranosaurus appeared in front of the Brontosaurus herd and charged towards them without hesitation, and then...
And then there was no more "then"!
Ouranosaurus was a well-known carnivorous dinosaur, notorious for its ferocity, even called a "little Allosaurus." However, the word "little" itself indicated the Ouranosaurus's characteristic. Compared to an Allosaurus, this creature was like the difference between a father and a son. Thus, after being knocked over by the leading Brontosauruses, it scurried away from the herd.
Occasionally, Bai Ye could hear dinosaur calls from the sky.
Looking up, he saw several Pterosaurs flying overhead, constantly circling above the Brontosaurus herd.
"Don't worry, they won't dive down," Dr. Harding explained. "Pterosaurs have habits similar to eagles. They like to drag their prey into the sky and then eat them after they die. Therefore, large dinosaurs are not targets for Pterosaurs."
Bai Ye asked, "What if the target is us?"
Dr. Harding replied, "We would certainly be targets, but aren't the Brontosauruses blocking the way? Because of the Brontosauruses, those Pterosaurs wouldn't dare to dive. And for the Brontosauruses, if a Pterosaur dives, they would surely think the target is them."
"It seems we are indeed very lucky," Bai Ye said. "At this pace, we should reach the park's perimeter before nightfall."
Dr. Harding nodded, even tearing up slightly. "Eleven years. I can finally leave this place."
Dr. Harding's emotions were complex: excitement mixed with a sense of loss, and even a hint of reluctance.
This Jurassic Park was his lifelong dream. He had succeeded once. He had studied dinosaurs his entire life, which brought him unimaginable wealth. But this Jurassic Park had also brought him unimaginable suffering – eleven years of near-dark, hopeless existence.
However, Bai Ye couldn't be bothered with Dr. Harding's emotional fluctuations. For Bai Ye, the most important thing was to complete the mission, and completing it so easily was naturally the best outcome.
Yet, Bai Ye soon understood the meaning of the old saying about fortune and misfortune being intertwined.
In the evening, as night had not yet fallen, the sky was dyed a dim, hazy red by the setting sun.
The Brontosaurus herd stopped moving, seemingly preparing for a brief rest. Dr. Harding was still envisioning a wonderful life after leaving Jurassic Park when, at that moment, a massive footprint suddenly caught his eye.
Dr. Harding's gaze changed abruptly. He broke away from the Brontosaurus herd and ran towards the direction of the footprint.
"Hey, wait up!"
Bai Ye quickly called out and hurried to catch up with Dr. Harding, arriving at the edge of the footprint.
It was a giant, maple-leaf-shaped footprint, about half a meter deep, looking incredibly formidable.
"That's it, that's it..." Dr. Harding looked at the footprint and suddenly became excited. He grabbed Bai Ye and said, "We need to run quickly. We can't follow the Brontosaurus herd anymore. This place is extremely dangerous."
Bai Ye asked, "Just because of this footprint?"
"This is a Tyrannosaurus Rex footprint!" Dr. Harding said urgently. "Look at the edges of the footprint; there are no grass leaves attached, and it's very dry. This means the footprint was left not long ago. The Tyrannosaurus Rex must be nearby..."
ROAR!
A dinosaur's roar echoed, feeling deafening.
At that moment, Bai Ye even felt the ground tremble. The air behind him seemed to ripple from the roar.
For a moment, Bai Ye experienced tinnitus, a buzzing sound in his ears.
Bai Ye turned his head and immediately saw a Brontosaurus with its neck bitten. Its massive body toppled down, collapsing onto the ground like a small mountain.
Tyrannosaurus Rex!
This was the apex predator of the ancient era, the overlord known as the "cruel lizard king," a terrifying existence with a bite force of up to two hundred thousand Newtons.
While a Brontosaurus's body was actually larger than a Tyrannosaurus Rex, in front of the Tyrannosaurus Rex, the Brontosaurus appeared vulnerable. When the Tyrannosaurus Rex lunged, the even larger Brontosaurus had little room to resist before being pinned down.
The next second, a tragedy unfolded.
With continuous tearing bites from the Tyrannosaurus Rex, the Brontosaurus's neck quickly became mangled and bloody.
The other Brontosauruses seemed to want to help, but as soon as they approached the Tyrannosaurus Rex, it suddenly reared up. Its massive tail swept backward, easily knocking over a Brontosaurus.
So ferocious!
Especially when considering the sheer size, the Brontosaurus was clearly larger than the Tyrannosaurus Rex, which made the visual impact even more intense.
"Let's go!" At this moment, Dr. Harding tugged Bai Ye and said, "While that Tyrannosaurus Rex is hunting the Brontosaurus, we should run!"
The sky was already approaching dusk. They had been walking for a whole day.
Considering the distance, the outer perimeter of Jurassic Park was already quite close. Dr. Harding did not want to fail at the last moment.
...