"How are things on your end?"
The poaching leader sat in the passenger seat of the beige pickup truck. As the scenery outside the window blurred by, he kept glancing toward the rear, ensuring there were no pursuers.
Static.
The radio emitted a faint crackle of white noise, followed by the subtle sound of human breathing.
"They're… they're all dead."
"Dead?! What the fuck do you mean they're 'all dead'?!"
The poacher on the other end spoke in a whisper, as if trying to avoid detection, but the leader's voice was loud, nearly shouting into the radio.
An entire team wiped out by a few dinosaurs? You've got to be kidding me!
"Boss! Keep your voice down… ahh!"
Crunch… crackle…
The voice on the radio cut off abruptly, though the connection remained open. The sound of bones snapping and flesh being chewed echoed through, followed by a heavy gulp.
"Oh, sheesh…"
The poaching leader's face twisted in astonishment. He didn't feel any pity for his men, after all, the world was never short on scoundrels like him. He was simply disappointed that the plan to capture the Yutyrannus had fallen through. Surprise, and nothing more.
"Aoook!"
On the cargo bed of the pickup, Beta, who had gone quiet after receiving a few blows from a club, let out another high-pitched cry.
"Why is it screaming again? Sedate it, quick!"
Sound of wooden club striking.
Out of caution, the team member on the cargo bed didn't rush in to inject the sedative directly; instead, he struck Beta again, trying to force the creature to behave. Although Beta was only a juvenile, this thing was capable of mauling a wolf. The human mindset, governed by the principle of avoiding injury, dared not take risks.
"AOOOK!"
This time, after being struck, Beta did not go quiet. Instead, it erupted into an even louder, more piercing shriek!
Aunt Delta! Save me!
Deep in the forest, a swift figure sprinted. Obstacles in her path seemed non-existent; she leaped and vaulted over them, not even slowing down. Such impressive agility, however, was tied to the constant beatings this specific Velociraptor had endured.
"Aok!"
The luxury sedan that had kidnapped Maisie and the beige pickup that had snatched Beta emerged from the forest one after another. Delta, close on their heels, let out another call!
Tap-tap, tap-tap, tap-tap…
The overly rigid asphalt was hard on the feet of a Velociraptor accustomed to running on snow, especially for Delta, who still carried old injuries. But it didn't matter. She wasn't alone. She had never been alone.
Sound of light, rapid footsteps.
Blue and Echo flanked Delta, sprinting past her as they locked their sights on the beige pickup ahead.
"Aunnng-roar!"
"It's Velociraptors! Get the guns!"
The commotion drew human attention. The driver pressed the accelerator to the floor, desperate to use the power of machinery to shake off the raptor pursuit.
But perhaps they had forgotten: these Velociraptors were the ones who had tracked the Indominus across half of Isla Nublar, fought human squads without a moment's rest, sprinted across the island again to battle the Indominus alongside Carlo, and after that failure, trekked across the island once more to find Owen, only to ultimately defeat the Indominus with the "Old Grandmother" (Rex) without ever resting!
A Deinonychus was nothing compared to them; the Velociraptors were the true monsters.
Bang!
Buckshot from a double-barreled shotgun tore through the air, spraying onto the asphalt. It wasn't easy to hit a high-speed raptor with a shotgun while moving at high velocity, especially when the target understood exactly how firearms worked.
"Damn it… get Jeston to start the plane!"
The raptors' movements were unpredictable. While this agility slowed them down slightly, they were still closing the distance to the vehicle, leaving the humans paralyzed with primal fear.
…
Whirr... whirr... whirr...
Hmm?
Carlo looked up from the hold, gazing toward the direction of the land.
It was a cliffside, and the top appeared to have remnants of human facilities. Carlo sensed familiar sounds… human aircraft, perhaps? He was only a few nautical miles from clearing the Gulf of Mexico. Until then, it was better to be cautious.
Carlo shifted his position, pressing himself against the port side of the ship, using his immense weight to slightly alter the vessel's course. He intended to sail closely along the cliff wall; surely, the probability of being observed by humans would be lower that way.
…
"Aok!"
The massive transport plane's tail ramp opened, and it slowly began to accelerate down the runway. The black luxury sedan surged into the cargo hold after a jolt, the beige pickup following just a step behind.
"My apologies to your airport," the poaching leader said, with a strange sense of politeness. He pulled out a grenade, bit the pin, and tossed it behind him.
The black sphere rolled and bounced across the ground, nearing the raptors.
Blue and Echo realized this small object was dangerous. They split left and right, attempting to avoid the blast.
BOOM!
The next moment, a deafening explosion ripped through the air! Fire erupted, leaving a massive crater on the runway. Blue and Echo had underestimated the power of human technology and were sent sprawling by the shockwave.
The plane began to pull away. Was it over?
"Aunnng-roar!"
Delta leaped out of the flames, ignoring the sharp pain in her leg, and sprinted with renewed speed toward the transport plane!
The rear ramp began to rise, and the fuselage lifted off the ground. Delta lunged, latching onto the ramp, and ascended into the air with the plane. She looked ahead, trying to assess her situation, only to be struck in the head by a club!
Her claws raked against the ramp. Having survived two falls in her life, Delta finally plummeted. She seemed to hear the mocking laughter of humans.
Don't let it be a fracture, please, don't let it be a fracture…
SPLASH!
Delta crashed into the ocean. The impact with the water caused her a surge of pain, but thankfully, she didn't strike any reefs. At least she was alive… wait, I don't know how to swim!
Gurgle, gurgle…
The sea churned as Delta struggled violently. The massive shadow of a freighter glided past her, and suddenly, she felt herself being gripped and lifted by something…
…
"Aook… Aook… Aoook!"
Blue and Echo were still staring up at the plane when they heard Delta's panicked cries.
Not daring to hesitate, the two raptors sprinted toward the coastline. Echo noticed the freighter below first. She didn't see Carlo, but she judged from Delta's cries that she must be there. She seemed quite confident, perhaps due to her water proficiency, or perhaps due to the genetic modifications Jurassic World had imbued her with.
Echo dove off the cliff, entering the water with barely a splash, whipping her tail and limbs to swim toward the ship.
Blue didn't dare follow suit. She carefully observed the area ahead and spotted a beach with numerous tide pools, appearing like ripples in the water. The freighter was bound to pass right by the beach, a natural chokepoint formed by nature.
"Aook… Aook… Aoook!"
Panicked cries came from the freighter. Blue paused for a split second, then pushed herself into an overloaded, maximum-effort sprint!
Tap-tap, tap-tap…
Sand sprayed into the sky. Blue vaulted over the tide pools of uncertain depth, racing toward the natural gateway.
The massive silhouette of the freighter was perpendicular to the corner of the beach. It wasn't moving fast, but for Blue, every millisecond was a race against death.
SCREECH—
A harsh grinding sound rang out as Blue's claws latched onto the side of the ship, tearing through the deep blue paint.
SPLASH…
A large swell surged toward the shore, crashing directly onto Blue and washing her off the side!
"Aok!"
At the critical moment, Carlo poked his head out from the hold, snapped his jaws gently around Blue's tail, and hauled her onto the ship.
The vessel listed, then leveled out, continuing its voyage toward the other side of the ocean.
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