"God creates dinosaurs, God destroys dinosaurs. God creates man, man destroys God, man creates dinosaurs." — Ian Malcolm
…
"All staff, please be advised: do not use live ammunition. Repeat, do not use live ammunition."
The herbivores had stampeded into the Gentle Giants Petting Zoo area on the northeast side of Main Street. Faced with human obstruction, they were clearly more terrified of what was lurking behind them; they plowed straight into the guest zones, showing signs of pushing even further inland.
Due to emergency protocols, the number of tourists gathered in the Petting Zoo was triple its usual capacity. Panic had set in the moment Carlo's roar echoed in the distance, and by the time the evacuation sirens wailed, the situation had devolved into a near-stampede.
Consequently, the staff stationed in the high-density guest areas could only deploy non-lethal tranquilizer rounds.
Even so, high-potency darts designed to incapacitate a dinosaur instantly could be fatal to a human. The rangers had to fire with extreme caution, drastically reducing their rate of fire and giving the frantic herbivores free rein to wreak havoc.
"Requesting backup! There are too many of them! We can't contain the breach! Requesting Asset Containment Unit (ACU) support immediately!"
Inside the Control Room, most employees were working themselves into a frenzy, yet many others stood frozen, paralyzed by the chaos. It wasn't their fault as their technical expertise was no longer applicable to a collapsing park; they simply had no role left to play in the unfolding disaster.
"What's the move now, Boss?"
Hoskins directed the question toward Masrani, though there was a distinct, sharp edge to the word "Boss."
Masrani leaned one hand against his forehead, the other on his hip, and took a deep, shuddering breath.
"Redirect all ACU teams to support the Innovation Center and guest hubs," he commanded instantly.
"What about the Indominus rex? We've already started closing the perimeter," Vivian asked from the console next to Lowery.
"To hell with the Indominus! Jurassic World is over," Masrani snapped, his voice reaching a breaking point. He seemed to have crossed a threshold into desperate resignation. "Protect as many guests as possible. I'll go kill that animal myself."
"Wait, what do you mean personally?"
Vivian looked like an author's assistant who had just spotted a glaring typo, but Masrani had already bolted out the door. With no other choice, she stood up and chased after him.
Hoskins remained behind, watching them leave. Realizing exactly what Masrani intended to do, he surreptitiously pulled out a radio.
"Hey. Can you herd that thing toward the Aviary?"
Finishing the transmission, he clicked the radio off and stepped forward, fixing his gaze on the Indominus rex's projected path on the main screen.
"The Giganotosaurus has changed course! Predicted trajectory is... heading for the Aviary!"
What the hell?
Hoskins was genuinely stunned. Since when were his "assets" this effective?
Beside him, Lowery remained silent, a terrifying realization beginning to dawn on him.
Did he drive those herbivores toward the guest center just to draw away the ACU? But how would he know the ACU would prioritize the tourists? No... how could he even know...
No, that's impossible. It has to be a coincidence. Otherwise, this Giganotosaurus possesses a level of intelligence that dwarfs the Indominus by an entire magnitude! And we never even noticed?!
…
Damn it! That monster is still hunting me!
The Indominus rex's thermal pits registered the closing distance once again. She had gone out of her way to avoid the direction of the roars, so how was he still tracking her? Could he sense her heat signatures too?
Panic stripped away her slow, calculated movements. She broke into a full sprint, heading toward another dense cluster of thermal signatures.
She didn't realize that, as a biological weapon, her body was designed to automatically stimulate her scent glands when in mortal danger, emitting a "Danger: Apex Predator" pheromone. Now that she had found something to truly fear, her body was broadcasting her location every time her instincts spiked.
…
"Aunnng—"
"Ahhh! Holy crap!"
A young tourist froze as an Apatosaurus directly in front of him reared up on its hind legs. If those massive limbs came crashing down, he'd be nothing more than a red smudge on the pavement.
THWIP!
The Apatosaurus suddenly lost its strength. It collapsed sideways with a thunderous boom, sending up a massive cloud of dust and debris.
As the giant fell, the tourist caught sight of a containment team behind the fallen beast.
"Herbivores escaping toward the northwest paddock have been neutralized."
"Copy that, Team 8. Proceed to Paddock 5 for guest evacuation."
The rangers in the vehicle knew the crisis was far from over. Stray dinosaurs were manageable, but the massive specimens closest to the crowds couldn't be tranquilized safely—a falling giant would crush everyone in its path.
"Ahhhh! Get away from me!"
The rangers suddenly saw a burly, grown man sprinting past their vehicle. About ten meters behind him, a Triceratops hatchling, not even a meter tall, was wobbling after him at a snail's pace.
"Help meeee!"
The man spotted the patrol car and bee-lined for it like it was a life raft, flailing his arms hysterically.
"..."
The patrol leader in the driver's seat sat in silence for a moment. He turned to the ranger aiming a rifle and muttered:
"Use a smaller dose."
"Roger that."
The ranger popped out of the roof hatch, tracking the adorable Triceratops calf through his scope. He then shifted his gaze to the flailing, frantic man. After a moment of hesitation, he asked:
"Sir... which one am I tranquilizing?"
Pfft—
A teammate in the back seat, who happened to be taking a drink, sprayed water all over the back of the leader's neck.
"The Triceratops. Now."
The leader's face was a mask of stone, though the slight twitch in the corner of his mouth suggested he was either furious or fighting a losing battle against laughter.
…
Dut-dut-dut-dut-dut...
The rhythmic thrum of rotor blades echoed from above.
Carlo, who was moving at full tilt, looked up. It was that same helicopter, the one he had pelted with a rock earlier.
After a split second of calculation, he came to a dead stop and vanished into the dense jungle foliage.
The gunner leaning out the side of the chopper blinked, wondering if his eyes were playing tricks on him. How could something that big just... disappear?
"Target lost! I can't find him!" he yelled to Masrani in the pilot's seat.
"Ignore him. Find the Indominus first. We're ending this now."
Masrani didn't give a second thought to the Giganotosaurus vanishing below. His focus was singular: kill the Indominus rex.
On the ground, Carlo peered out cautiously from beneath the canopy. He watched the helicopter dwindle into the distance, then lowered his body, creeping forward with predatory grace to ensure not a single leaf rustled in his wake.
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