Chapter 233 - 208: Divert the Calamity
"I think it’s possible that when we were butchering our prey, the smell of blood attracted that Tyrannosaurus. Apex predators like that have a keen sense of smell. I bet it could identify the scent of the female Tyrannosaurus," Wang Yun analyzed. "Chief, I suspect this Tyrannosaurus is a male—probably the father of those eggs in the nest."
Li Yue asked, puzzled, "Then why wasn’t it living with the female Tyrannosaurus?"
Wang Yun said, "In the animal kingdom, females of some species drive away the males after they become pregnant or give birth. This is because some male animals might engage in ’infanticide,’ a behavior that’s especially common when food is scarce and living space is limited.
"In an environment like the Gobi Desert where prey is scarce, every additional adult Tyrannosaurus is another competitor. This is particularly true for older Tyrannosaurs that can’t compete with younger ones. So, that might be why the female drove the male away."
Li Yue didn’t understand. "So complicated. Then why is the male Tyrannosaurus targeting us?"
"I don’t know. Maybe it’s avenging the female? Or perhaps the lingering scent of Tyrannosaurus blood on us made it feel threatened? Or maybe it simply wants to seize the territory and drive us away." Wang Yun shook his head. ’It’s hard to guess what animals are thinking.’
’Especially a Tyrannosaurus we’ve never seen before.’
The news was passed down. The people at the Oasis split into several groups, taking turns to watch every direction and guard against a sneak attack from the Tyrannosaurus.
At the same time, the Beaked Eagle flew into the sky to perform a preliminary scout of the surrounding area.
"SCREEE—"
The Beaked Eagle sounded a warning.
"Over there." Qin Ziwen looked in the direction the Beaked Eagle was indicating—to the south, behind a small hill.
After circling for a moment, the Beaked Eagle suddenly dove, rushing toward the far side of the hill.
Qin Ziwen’s eyelids twitched as he watched.
His heart tightened, but thankfully, the Beaked Eagle soon flew back up from behind the slope.
After this repeated several times, a Tyrannosaurus burst out from behind the hill, roared furiously at the sky, and then charged headlong into the Oasis.
Using the canopies of a few large trees in the Oasis for cover, the Tyrannosaurus hid beneath them, warily eyeing the Beaked Eagle overhead.
The animals living in the Oasis were the ones to suffer.
Not only had the butcher, the Tyrannosaurus, arrived, but the great bird, a veritable king of hell, had also flown over.
Some animals even had the idea of fleeing the Oasis, but outside lay the vast, endless Gobi Desert.
Even if they escaped the Oasis, they would still die without finding a new, stable source of water.
The wild horses gathered in a herd, their heads lowered. Among them, a reddish-brown Mongolian Horse seemed somewhat out of place.
However, taking advantage of the panic, it successfully integrated into the group.
A large herd of horses is naturally composed of many smaller family groups.
When facing a threat or migrating, these smaller groups gather together, forming a massive force.
This allows them to protect themselves and drive off small to medium-sized predators. It also reduces an individual’s chances of being picked off by a large predator—with more members in the group, there are always more options.
Red Hare walked up behind a mare. Sensing the strange stallion approaching from behind, the mare flattened her ears, tucked her neck slightly, and scurried behind her own stallion.
The stallion snorted, straightened its back, its mane bristling slightly, and pawed the ground twice with its forehooves.
In terms of physique, the current Red Hare was in no way inferior to the stallions of the Gobi Grassland; in fact, it was even slightly more robust.
Red Hare stared at the stallion and let out a long whinny.
The clear sound was particularly striking within the herd.
The stallion thought Red Hare was issuing a challenge to a duel and stomped its hooves, bravely stepping forward.
Just then, a shadow suddenly fell from above.
A dark figure descended with lightning speed.
The stallion’s neck was instantly seized by the Beaked Eagle. Its talons pierced the thick neck, and then it lifted upwards.
The horse, weighing hundreds of pounds, was lifted clean off the ground, then dropped from dozens of meters in the air. It slammed heavily onto the ground, its neck bent at an unnatural angle. It was clearly dead.
Having lost their stallion’s protection, the three mares that had been hiding behind him trembled slightly, not daring to move.
Just then, a tall figure approached.
Red Hare came before the three mares, nuzzling the shoulder of the outermost one. His hot breath ghosted over the mare’s sensitive neck.
The scorching breath rustled the mare’s fine mane, and her body shuddered.
But having lost her stallion’s protection, she did not shy away this time.
Red Hare gently licked the mare’s shoulder. Among horses, this is a gesture of affection.
The mare’s tense body gradually relaxed. She caught Red Hare’s strong, masculine scent.
Looking at his sleek, muscular lines, the mare nickered, then submissively lowered her head and rubbed her neck against Red Hare.
Then Red Hare turned his gaze to the other two mares. One of them, being more timid, lost all courage to resist upon seeing her companion submit. Her ears drooped, and her body lowered slightly in a posture of surrender.
The last mare, however, lifted her head. Seeing Red Hare approach, she turned to flee deeper into the herd, but Red Hare pursued her, pinning her head down with his powerful neck.
The mare butted her head against Red Hare’s chest, but he remained as immovable as a mountain.
The two struggled, locked in a stalemate for several minutes, before the mare gradually gave up her resistance.
Finally, she pressed her body against Red Hare, declaring her submission.
Having conquered three mares in a row, Red Hare curled his lips, revealing a smug grin.
’My master told me to bring some more horses home. Mission accomplished.’
Meanwhile, after its fly-by, the Beaked Eagle continued to lock onto the Tyrannosaurus.
In its eyes, the massive Tyrannosaurus was still a major threat.
It circled once and landed on the top of a tree.
The branch dipped. The Beaked Eagle slowly folded its wings, perching steadily on the limb.
In the distance, on the hillside, Qin Ziwen and his group had also noticed the Tyrannosaurus that had entered the Oasis.
The men pushed the Crossbow Wagon forward, loaded an Arrow, and aimed it in the direction of the Tyrannosaurus.
A Tyrannosaurus hiding in the shadows is always the most dangerous.
Once it’s exposed in the open, the threat is cut in half.
"Is it in range?"
Li Yue squinted, gesturing with his hands. "Boss, it’s still a bit far. It’s over five hundred meters away. Range isn’t a problem, but I can’t guarantee the accuracy."
"Then we’ll wait." Qin Ziwen was very patient.
’Since the target was willing to show itself, there’s no need to rush the rest.’
’All we have to do is wait for the right moment, then strike.’
The Tyrannosaurus stared at the Beaked Eagle. It slowly shifted its body, moving closer to the base of the tree.
Suddenly, the bird lifted its head, glanced at it, and let out a cry.
Then it took to the sky, flying toward the herd of Duck-billed Dragons.
𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦
The Tyrannosaurus let out a low roar and instinctively gave chase.
But its approach agitated the Duck-billed Dragon herd. Having just recently lost their leader, they were on edge. Seeing the Tyrannosaurus charging toward them, the Duck-billed Dragons formed a circle, lowered their heads, and aimed their hard skulls forward, ready to attack.
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