Chapter 208: Diverting Trouble East |
"I think it's possible that the smell of blood from us dismembering the prey attracted that Tarbosaurus. This kind of apex predator has a very keen sense of smell. It can probably detect the scent from the female tyrannosaur's body," Wang Yun analyzed. "Guild Leader, I suspect this tyrannosaur is male, likely the father of those eggs in the nest."
Li Yue asked curiously, "Then why doesn't it live together with that female Tarbosaurus?"
Wang Yun explained, "In the biological world, females of some species will drive away males after becoming pregnant or giving birth because some male animals may exhibit 'infanticidal behavior,' especially when food is scarce and living space is insufficient.
In an environment like the Gobi Desert where prey is scarce, each additional adult Tarbosaurus means one more competitor. Particularly when a Tarbosaurus grows old and can no longer compete with younger ones, this might be the reason the female tyrannosaur drove the male away."
Li Yue didn't understand. "That's really complicated. Then why did the male Tarbosaurus target us?"
"I don't know. Maybe to avenge the female tyrannosaur? Or perhaps because we have residual tyrannosaur blood scent on us, making it feel threatened? Or maybe it simply wants to seize territory and drive us away." Wang Yun shook his head. It was hard to guess an animal's thoughts.
Especially a tyrannosaur like this that had never been seen before.
The news had been passed down. The people in the oasis split into several groups, taking turns monitoring all directions to prevent a surprise attack by the Tarbosaurus.
At the same time, the Crowned Eagle flew into the sky to conduct an initial reconnaissance of the surrounding area.
The Crowned Eagle issued a warning.
"Over there." Qin Ziwen looked in the direction the Crowned Eagle was signaling. It was to the south, behind a small hill.
After circling for a moment, the Crowned Eagle suddenly dove, charging toward the back of the hill.
Qin Ziwen's eyelids twitched as he watched.
His heart tightened, but fortunately, the Crowned Eagle soon flew back up from behind the hillside.
After repeating this several times, a Tarbosaurus burst out from behind the hill, roaring angrily at the sky above, then charged headlong into the oasis.
Using the canopies of several large trees within the oasis, the Tarbosaurus hid beneath them, warily watching the Crowned Eagle overhead.
The animals living in the oasis suffered a calamity.
Not only had the butcher, the Tarbosaurus, arrived, but that living King of Hell of a bird from above had also flown over.
Some animals even considered fleeing the oasis, but outside the oasis lay the endless expanse of the great Gobi Desert.
Even if they escaped the oasis, without finding a new stable water source, it would still mean death.
The wild horse herd gathered together, their heads lowered. Among the herd, a reddish-brown Mongolian Horse seemed somewhat out of place.
However, taking advantage of this wave of panic, it successfully integrated into the collective.
A large horse herd was originally composed of many smaller family groups.
When facing threats or migrating, these small groups would converge to form a massive herd.
This way, they could protect themselves, drive away small and medium-sized predators, and also reduce the probability of being selected when facing large predators—with more members, there were always more choices.
Chitu walked behind a mare. Sensing the unfamiliar stallion approaching from behind, the mare pressed her ear tips back, slightly curled her neck, and quickly trotted with all four hooves to stand behind a stallion.
The stallion snorted, straightened its back, its mane slightly bristling, and pawed the ground heavily twice with its front hooves.
In terms of size, the current Chitu was not inferior to these Gobi grassland stallions, even slightly stronger.
Chitu stared at the stallion and let out a long whinny.
The clear sound was particularly noticeable within the herd.
The stallion thought Chitu was issuing a duel challenge. Stamping its hooves, it bravely stepped forward.
Just at that moment, a shadow suddenly fell from above.
A black figure descended with lightning speed.
The stallion's neck was instantly grabbed by the Crowned Eagle. Several claws pierced the thick neck, and then it was lifted upward.
The several-hundred-pound stallion was actually lifted into the air, then dropped from dozens of meters high, crashing heavily to the ground, its neck twisted. It was clearly not going to survive.
Losing the stallion's protection, the three mares hiding behind it trembled slightly, not daring to move.
Just then, a tall figure approached.
Chitu came before the three mares, its nose tip moving to the shoulder of the outermost mare. Its hot breath sprayed onto the mare's sensitive neck.
The scalding breath brushed past the mare's fine mane, causing her body to shudder.
But having lost the stallion's protection, she did not shy away this time.
Chitu gently licked the mare's shoulder. Within horse communities, this behavior indicated affection.
The mare's tense body gradually relaxed. She smelled Chitu's intense masculine scent.
Looking at those streamlined muscles, the mare called out, then obediently lowered her head, rubbing her neck against Chitu.
Then Chitu glanced at the other two mares. One, who was more timid, seeing her companion submit, lost all will to resist. Her ears drooped, her body slightly crouched, adopting a submissive posture.
The final mare, however, raised her head, looked at the approaching Chitu, turned around, and tried to burrow deep into the herd. Chitu chased after her, using its neck to firmly press down on the mare's head.
The mare pushed her head against Chitu's chest, but Chitu remained unmoved.
The two wrestled, locked in a stalemate for several minutes before the mare gradually gave up resistance.
Finally, she pressed her body against Chitu, declaring her submission.
Having conquered three mares in a row, Chitu curled back its lips, revealing a lecherous grin.
Earlier, its master had told it to bring more horses home. This mission was accomplished.
On the other side, after flying past, the Crowned Eagle continued to lock onto the Tarbosaurus.
In its eyes, this massive Tarbosaurus still posed a full threat.
It circled once, then landed on the top of a tree.
The branch dipped. The Crowned Eagle slowly folded its wings, steadily perching on the branch.
In the distance, on the hillside, Qin Ziwen and the others also noticed the Tarbosaurus that had entered the oasis.
Everyone pushed the Crossbow Carriage, loaded the Arrows, and aimed in the direction of the Tarbosaurus's location.
The most dangerous one was always the Tarbosaurus hiding in the shadows.
Once exposed under the sunlight, its threat was halved.
"Is the distance sufficient?"
Li Yue squinted, making a measuring gesture. "Boss, it's still a bit far. Over five hundred meters over there. The range isn't a problem, but accuracy is hard to guarantee."
"Then let's wait a bit longer." Qin Ziwen was very patient.
Since the target was willing to show itself, there was no need to rush the rest.
They just needed to wait for the right moment, then strike.
The Tarbosaurus stared at the Crowned Eagle. It slowly moved its body, drawing closer beneath the tree.
Suddenly, the bird raised its head, glanced at it, and called out.
Then it flew into the sky, heading toward the direction of the Hadrosaur herd.
The Tarbosaurus growled low, instinctively giving chase.
But as it approached, it agitated the Hadrosaur herd before it. Having recently lost their leader, they were particularly sensitive. Seeing the Tarbosaurus charging toward them, the Hadrosaurs formed a circle, lowered their heads, aimed their hard skulls forward, and prepared to attack.
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