Carlo followed the residual scent of Giga Dad and the others, tracking it all the way to an open grassland. This was the clearing where Giga Dad's pack usually spent their days sleeping.
Which means… they were taken while they were asleep?
No wonder there hadn't been any noise.
To prevent another incident like the White King disaster, Carlo hadn't slept for nearly a month, keeping a relentless vigil over the Mojave Sanctuary. He never expected that letting his guard down for just a single night would lead to disaster.
He slowly raised his massive head toward the sky. The scent lingered there too, though it was significantly fainter.
Considering Giga Dad and the pack couldn't fly, and it was impossible for Pteranodons to carry them away, it had to be a helicopter.
They were old acquaintances, after all. Carlo had been transported in a helicopter cage once before.
The scent in the air was already beginning to dissipate. Compounded by unpredictable weather elements, time was running out.
…
"This is the Primeval Organization! All vehicles, yield immediately!"
Accompanied by the blare of specialized sirens and the roar of engines, three SUVs hurtled down the suburban highway.
The residents of America were all too familiar with this kind of scene. Back before the D.P.W. (Department of Prehistoric Wildlife) was shut down, this used to happen all the time.
"Hey! You think you own the road?! Why should we pull over for dinosaurs? We don't pay taxes for this crap!"
CRASH!
The Primeval SUV on the far left accelerated instantly, pulling parallel to the reckless sedan and aggressively sideswiping it, forcing the vehicle off the highway.
"What the hell?!"
The human world was never short on hotheads. However, the usually amicable Primeval Organization wasn't in the mood for pleasantries today either.
After shattering the sedan's passenger-side rearview mirror and scraping off a long strip of paint, the left-side SUV accelerated back into formation. At the same time, the loudspeaker on its roof crackled to life.
"For your own personal safety, clear the highway immediately!"
Before the enraged driver could even begin cursing, the ground began to shudder violently.
Within ten seconds, Carlo's colossal shadow completely engulfed one side of the road. Sprinting at full speed, he had no intention of masking his presence; wherever his feet struck, the asphalt fractured and crumbled.
His eyes and focus remained locked on the sky, straining to capture the fading scent trail. He had absolutely no time to spare for the humans on the ground.
"Oh my God..." the driver gasped.
As another familiar siren wailed, two more Primeval jeeps trailed twenty meters behind Carlo. A lively voice chimed through their broadcast speakers:
"If your property has sustained accidental damage, please submit a compensation claim to the relevant state government department!"
Translated, it meant: Yeah, I hit your car, but don't come looking for us.
SNIFF—
Tracking a scent while running at breakneck speed was an old skill. The last time Carlo had done this was when he was still a juvenile hunting white-tailed deer, but his tracking instincts hadn't rusted.
Due to the wind, Giga Dad's scent trail drifted and fragmented, twisting unevenly across the sky. Fortunately, Carlo's olfactory range was vast enough that he could always filter out the shortest path, the exact trajectory of the transport helicopter.
Hmm?
Carlo detected a shift. A denser, more overwhelming wall of scents loomed ahead. A human city? No, judging by the layout, it looked more like a large town.
"All units, attention. The Giganotosaurus is about to enter the urban perimeter. Clear the highway and maintain a safe distance. Monitor the Giganotosaurus's movements closely."
"Copy that." x5
Simultaneously, the Primeval vehicles escorting Carlo, or more accurately, trying to prevent him from causing mass casualties, received the radio dispatch. They pulled back, maintaining a distance of about a hundred meters from the highway, primarily to give Carlo a wide berth in case he made any sudden turns.
"Man, what do we do if he actually heads into the city?"
Inside the lead SUV, a scarred veteran who had just joined the Primeval Organization, and had run into Carlo only yesterday while administering medicine to a Coelophysis, asked his partner. His partner was a physically imposing, muscular man who wore a highly sophisticated, polite demeanor.
Looking around, the rookie seriously questioned the hiring standards of the Primeval Organization. Everyone looked perfectly respectable on the outside, but the moment they started talking, they revealed themselves to be absolute eccentrics. Was this guy going to be the same?
"Based on our analysis of his past behavioral patterns, he usually goes out of his way to avoid human cities. We don't know the exact reasoning behind it, but I believe... he wants to avoid conflict."
THUD! THUD! THUD!
Carlo showed absolutely no sign of turning or slowing down. He charged straight down the highway, heading directly for the city!
In the past, he certainly would have avoided it if possible, prioritizing the safety of Giga Dad and the pack. But now that he was alone and facing an absolute emergency, speed was the only thing that mattered.
"But then again, there are always exceptions. Especially since the circumstances this time are unprecedented, so..."
The sophisticated, muscular man trailed off, silently praying for the unfortunate souls living in that city. He crossed his massive, muscular arms over the top of the steering wheel, resting his heavily bearded chin on them as he watched Carlo's retreating figure.
"Well... if my family went missing, I'd be losing my mind too. Not that I have one. By the way, if we keep... enabling him like this... we're probably going to lose our jobs, right?" the scarred veteran remarked, watching Carlo with a look of understanding.
"Oh, absolutely. In fact, we probably won't be able to stay in the entire United States. The Boss already anticipated this possibility and has started packing up everything to flee the country."
Ignoring the rookie's dumbfounded expression, the sophisticated muscle-bound man checked his watch and continued, "I reckon they've already started transporting the dinosaurs."
So the Boss is an absolute madman too?!
"Where are we even going?"
"Who knows? There are quite a few backup locations. I heard there's a sanctuary over in China. We happen to have a few of their native dinosaurs on our hands anyway; maybe they'll be interested?"
"We're going to lose a lot of staff this way, aren't we?"
The sophisticated muscular man shrugged. "Doesn't matter to me. Wherever the Boss goes, I go."
"...Count me in too, then."
CRASH!
Carlo lowered his head and rammed forward, smashing straight through the toll booth at the city entrance. As debris rained from the sky and human screams echoed in a continuous wave, Carlo officially breached the city limits.
"All units, attention. A high-threat dinosaur has been spotted on Boulevard. Situation is critical. Proceed immediately to neutralize the target."
Almost instantly, the emergency broadcast blared inside every patrolling police car. However...
"Sir! Our first major assignment!" a bright-eyed, enthusiastic young officer exclaimed.
"Shh…"
The seasoned, portly officer signaled for the rookie to shut his mouth.
"This isn't an essential duty. Besides, our radio equipment is malfunctioning. And more importantly..."
A massive silhouette tore through the wide streets, accompanied by violent tremors that set off a domino effect of car alarms wherever it passed.
Carlo was doing his best to minimize his turning radius, but because he was sprinting, scraping against the outer walls of buildings was inevitable. As for the traffic lights and utility poles? He simply plowed right through them, paying them no mind at all.
"...do you really want to go and stand in front of that thing?"
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