"Uh... are avalanches common around here?"
Dr. Grant sat in the BioSyn VIP helicopter, one hand raised, pointing out the window as he posed the soul-searching question to young Comrade Ramsay sitting opposite him.
"No, they aren't common."
"Did I just hear an explosion?"
Just as Ramsay finished his reply, Dr. Sattler, sitting beside Dr. Grant, followed up with her own question while peering incessantly out the window.
"Perhaps it's mining operations."
Compared to that heart-wrenching roar, the people 500 meters above the ground were far more sensitive to the sound of an explosion. Everyone except Dr. Grant, that is. He felt the sound was strange, as if it had awakened some unpleasant memories.
"Where were we? We house dinosaurs from Isla Sorna and Isla Nublar; it took the authorities two years to capture just one Tyrannosaurus."
Ramsay seemed to be diverting the topic to prevent the two doctors from lowering their impression of BioSyn.
Two years to catch one T. rex? Are the authorities eating for free, or did the T. rex only appear two or three times in those two years?
"You have a T. rex here?!"
Dr. Grant's tone was flat, but his expression betrayed obvious shock.
Hmm... let him think. Chased by a Tyrannosaurus rex, plane crashed by a Spinosaurus, cornered by a Giganotosaurus... he'd already tangled with the "Big Three."
Surely I can't be dealing with a T. rex again? Wouldn't that be a cycle of reincarnation?
"Yes, it arrived a few weeks before you two."
Grant nodded, saying nothing more, and shifted his gaze to the window.
It was as if a celestial being had drunkenly shattered the white clouds. Pristine snow covered the mountains and rivers, and the tranquil water was draped in a layer of white mist. The warm sunlight couldn't pierce the haze; it merely shone upon the accumulated snow, reflecting a blinding, glaring white.
Following the course of the great river to the end of the mountains, life finally emerged. A waterfall plummeted from the clouds, merging into the green forest along the riverbank.
"Aerial deterrence system activated."
A mechanical female voice chimed. Grant withdrew his gaze to look at Ramsay, but the man answered before Grant could even ask:
"This is a no-fly zone, to protect flying creatures."
"Keep the pterosaurs flying below 150 meters."
Grant nodded in understanding. Ramsay noticed that Grant seemed quite interested in the Ecological Zone and took the initiative to introduce it.
"We have planted a large number of hawthorn, ferns... and conifers in the ecological zone, in anticipation of the new sauropods arriving soon."
"Everything here is native vegetation, except for the deer herds. Since the top predators don't have an abundant enough food source, we are temporarily using them as a supplement."
"Top predators?"
Dr. Grant pounced on the keyword. Although he had participated in the construction of the Primeval Ecological Zone, the selection of the dinosaurs to be housed there was not something he had been able to decide.
"The M... no, it's the Giganotosaurus now."
Grant nodded in realization. This was not surprising; the appearance of that particular Giga could be said to have shattered all skepticism.
Wait... did that Giga cross the Atlantic? Doesn't that mean he's in Europe now? Hiss... he wouldn't be nearby, would he?
…
"Life signal detected! Over here!"
The avalanche had subsided. Thick, packed snow filled the gullies between the valleys. Several BioSyn search-and-rescue teams were searching for people buried by the slide.
Sound of shoveling.
Four people worked together to dig a pit in the snow. As human clothing appeared, they hurried their movements, helping the buried individuals break free.
"Heart stopped! Get the defibrillator!"
"Team 4! We have more life signals here, requesting additional personnel!"
Beep-beep... THUMP!
The sound of the defibrillator echoed, but there was no response from the comms.
"Team 4?"
Beep-beep... THUMP!
Sound of breathing.
"Heartbeat restored. Body temperature... temperature is dropping! Help him keep warm!"
The freezing weather made their work clumsy. The communications officer didn't bother waiting for a response, dropping the walkie-talkie to help his teammates lift the person onto a snowmobile.
Sound of static.
The abandoned walkie-talkie suddenly lit up, followed by heavy, ragged human breathing.
"Snow... there's something in the snow... hurry... hurry f—"
Sound of electricity.
The walkie-talkie screen went black.
"Team 4 isn't responding. They probably can't spare any more hands."
"Damn it, that thing caused an avalanche with one roar? What exactly are we trying to kill? We even used bombs!"
"But that thing got buried by the snow, too... it should be frozen to death by now, right?"
Beep... beep... beep, beep, beep-beep-beep-beep.
The life-detection monitor erupted with intense activity, leaving the search-and-rescue team stunned.
"Uh... everyone, I've detected signals again."
"Then what are we waiting for?! Let's move..."
"Look at that..."
The rescue team member looked up in the direction of the signal, his face displaying shock and bewilderment, cutting off his teammate.
WHOOSH—
White waves several meters high splashed up from the calm snowfield! It sped across the snow like a worm burrowing in a horror movie!
No... that wasn't quite right. The scene looked more like a shark fin moving at high speed across the ocean, even though there was no actual fin-like structure.
"ROAR!"
A massive head elegantly rose from the depths, fiercely biting into an ambulance truck and dragging it directly into the snowpack!
What? Carcharodontosaurids aren't sharks?
Well, Carlo couldn't truly swim through the snow, but he was tall enough that the massive amounts of snow piled up by the multi-mountain avalanche were just enough to cover his body, creating the illusion of him "swimming" as he ran.
"Shark... shark?! Worm?! Run!"
The rescue team member was so terrified he lost his wits. He flipped over onto his snowmobile, ignited the engine, and began a high-speed polar slide!
The teammates lagging behind tried to board their own snowmobiles, but they were engulfed by the giant wave following behind, sinking into an endless abyss of snow.
WHOOSH—
The pure, flawless white waves seemed as if they would never stop; the moment they took a turn, they began pursuing him!
The snowmobile was fast, but it couldn't shake the pursuit! The rescuer even felt snowflakes landing on his back. He jolted in terror and increased the throttle, causing both the dashboard and the engine to let out a cry of unbearable strain!
Screech, cough, screech... BANG!
The engine spewed choking black smoke, and a moment later, a minor explosion occurred; the engine was completely ruined!
The snowmobile skidded uncontrollably. The rescue team member went airborne, slamming into a rock face halfway up a small hill.
Sound of fire burning.
The snowmobile burst into flames. The rescuer curled up on the ground, holding his head. After a long while, he stood up and looked back, only to find the white waves had already vanished.
"Woo-hoo! I survived! Go to hell, snow-worm!"
THUD!
A rather ominous, heavy sound of footsteps emerged from beneath the thick snow.
Following that, a black dorsal scute surfaced, appearing like a mountain rising from the ground.
Carlo continued forward, following the elevated terrain, until he finally exposed himself fully above the snow, looking down at the small hill where the rescue team member stood.
"No... you've got to be kidding me, right?"
The rescuer looked up, watching as he was slowly engulfed by a shadow. Before the massive foot descended, he let out his final words.
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