Chapter Ch91.1 - Pterosaur
translator: xiin
editors: apricot & juurensha
Crosson Show’s broadcasting studio.
After a break where sponsor advertis.e.m.e.nts were broadcast, the contestant cameras were chosen at random and displayed on the screen.
By the time Wu Jin appeared––a large amount of scrolling comments appeared in support of their idol.
“Mama came to the kindergarten again to see Little Witch! Mama is here to see Little Witch play with small dinosaurs!”
“Today’s broadcast. #Scarf camera dead angle, #Little Witch under anesthesia, #Scarf Immortals comic 89 update, vote on a baby boy or baby girl. The broadcast is over…”
The camera also randomly cut to Thin Fire, who was playing a game of exploring the jungle with a selfie stick on his back. The previous scrolling comments politely disappeared, and n.o.body spent more than a single second on inappropriate comments.
The live commentary was once again taken over by the Thin army. The fans who’d finally been able to watch over Wu Jin’s time onscreen happily jumped back to the forums.
#Scarf camera dead angle was the hottest topic in the Wu Jin special topics.
The entire page refreshed once almost every couple of seconds, and there was a constant stream of speculation.
“Instructor Blood Pigeon said that Contestant Wei took Little Witch’s equipment––But this darling won’t! Believe! It! Brother Wei, you’re ruthless, you’re cruel, you actually tossed away Little Witch like a ragdoll!”
“Six year survival show audience member here. I want to express that this old aunt couldn’t stop cackling while watching the live broadcast. I’m betting Caesar’s portion of tonight’s rations on the fact that Contestant Wei only s.n.a.t.c.hed equipment in order to avoid being punished for illegal team formation. Shifting focus, camera dead angle, the drugged up Little Witch… this is like roasting my son until he’s nice and fragrant and serving him up!”
“How could it be mere s.n.a.t.c.hing of equipment! The detailed actions must be: 1. Remove Little Witch’s clothing 2. Kiss kiss 3. Take a piece of equipment 4. Continue to remove clothing 5. Continue kissing Little Witch’s collarbone…”
In the studio, Blood Pigeon who was currently drinking wolfberry tea while browsing through some forum threads, almost ended up choked by a wolfberry.
The instructor tagged the administrator and reminded them to monitor the direction of the conversation even as he picked up the microphone to explain again, “Contestant Wei’s behavior is extremely normal. It’s a very standard plundering of supplies. The most likely reason why he didn’t eliminate Contestant Wu is because the volcanic ash was rising, the asphyxiating layer was advancing, and he had no time to make a move––alright, let’s take a look at the current development of each team…”
Aerial cameras leapt across the broad landscape of the Tria.s.sic period, showing the jagged mountain ridges and rivers that separated the teams. The vibrant basins were like gems scattered throughout the canyons, and herbivores, predators, and contestants all shrunk down to slowly moving dots on the screen.
Ying Xiangxiang constantly adjusted the camera positions, smiling like a fox as she showed the development of the contestants:
“At present there are three teams who have completely figured out the rules of the game. Wu Jin and Ming Yao’s team, Zoe’s team, and Zuo Botang’s team. So, let’s take a look at their choices… they’re very smart. They didn’t use the Evolution Points to arm themselves, but have instead invested it into the initial infrastructure.”
The camera swept over Caesar, and the scrolling comments filled up with ‘hahahahaha’s.
Ying Xiangxiang also showed an indescribable expression.
Caesar and his teammate had never thought about ‘figuring out the rules’. They beat people up when they met them, and killed creatures when they saw them. However, the teams were separated after the Tria.s.sic period began, and they were no longer able to find Evolution Points without encountering opponents, so the two of them could only set up a grill and stuff their faces with food.
Other groups were still attempting to promote species diversity, while these two had been catching anything with meat on it and turning it into food reserves.
“A very typical case of species invasion.” Ying Xiangxiang zoomed in on Caesar on the screen. He was gnawing at the leg of a Lystrosaurus while watching over the fire. She lectured, “Causing serious damage to the ecological balance. If we put a thousand small carnivorous Caesar animals into the Tria.s.sic period, we would cause enough harm that we’d receive a subpoena from the Federal Environmental Protection a.s.sociation.”
“Now then, to the south is Silver Thread Roll’s contestant. The west holds Dolma’s two contestants. It’s clear that they’re still trying to feel out the rulesk2026;”
“Contestant Wei is still choosing to act alonek2013;k2013;it’s worth mentioning that his team is currently the team with the most Evolution Points, most of which were looted by Contestant Wei at the start of the game. From the camera, it seems that three of his teammates are baking a lizard for their team hero. Contestant Wei seems to be looking for something on the mountaink2013;k2013;”
Blood Pigeon glanced over and looked at Wei Shi’s footprints, “He’s looking for a humid and warm environment with plentiful insects.”
Ying Xiangxiang was curious, “Why?”
Blood Pigeon: “In order to breed an evolutionary species––he’s also figured out the rules.”
Around noon, by the riverbank.
Wu Jin’s team of four had marked off a piece of land in the Daemonosaurus’ habitat, and they quickly entered the dinosaur farming industry.
A few hours after the Evolution Point disappeared, the supply box in the swamp was mercilessly dragged away by the moving robots. They didn’t concern themselves about it; as long as the crocodile-like Archosaurs were still there, and the Lystrosaurus that were running around everywhere were still there, and the balance remained, there would be a new supply box sooner or later.
Lin Ke was in charge of logistics for the team. After lunch, he started to set up the farm, building a fence around the Daemonosaurus. He then picked up a branch to write next to the mud, “Hey, Brother Wu––what should we write?”
Wu Jin pattered over, and the two of them chattered and waved happily as they discussed.
“Steadily raising dinosaurs!”
“Dinosaurs are strong, and we look forward to progress.”
In the middle of the fenced s.p.a.ce, the only dinosaur contained in the enclosure trembled slightly.
The breeding zones the various teams created weren’t large or complex. They were built on river shallows, swamps, and mountainous landscapes. Amongst them, Archosaurs, Lystrosaurus, insects, and various reptiles were the most popular.
The furry Daemonosaurus received the highest of courtesies within the enclosure. Not only did the team of four often pick it up to pet it, Lin Ke also sang nursery rhymes and told stories to it:
“Once upon a time, there was a little Tyrannosaurus Rex. It walked and walked, and when it saw a small Diplodocus, it opened its mouth wide with an ‘ahh’ and ate it! Then, it saw a Brachiosaurus and opened its mouth wide and ate it too!”
“……” Ming Yao, who was measuring the terrain off in the distance, cried out, “Stop slacking off! Come and help!”
Lin Ke sighed and trudged over, heading off with his teammates to cut up wood and build a barricade.
The farm zone that the team had designed wasn’t complicated. In order to encourage everyone to work, Ming Yao specially proposed an oral incentive program of ‘voting for the team’s model worker every hour’.
Very soon, the active and industrious Contestant Wu Jin was awarded the special honor of ‘Number one dinosaur breeder, Crosson model trainee Wu’.
Ming Yao clapped, “Little Witch is really very energetic! Working hard to support the family in this compet.i.tion!”
Off in the distance, Wu Jin was working hard to dig out a trench. He’d taken off his protective jacket and tied it around his waist, and the bright sunlight outlined the beautiful silhouette of the youth’s figure. The sweat on his arms glistened, and Ming Yao vaguely remembered that when Wu Jin first came to the show, he was like a quivering and trembling little white rabbit. Unexpectedly the rabbit had grown faster than the dinosaurs eating the Evolution Points. Wu Jin’s eyes were still bright, and there was still a bounce in his step when he walked, his movements seeming to bring a breeze with them––
The corner of Wu Jin’s lips lifted in a foolish giggle. It was unclear where his thoughts were at the moment.
“……” He was this happy just digging a ditch? Ming Yao really couldn’t understand and looked away.
Days and nights on the colonial planet alternated quickly. As they neared evening, after the Daemonosaurus was fed with a fern salad, and the Archosaur that had been left to roam free once again devoured some small animals, the supply box in the swamp silently rose up again.
2 Evolution Points.
Wu Jin and Ming Yao exchanged glances. Their speculations had finally been confirmed. There was one more Evolution Point than yesterday––it came from the ecological evolution of the Daemonosaurus.
The supply box was closed up again, leaving the Evolution Points still stuffed inside.
Wu Jin fell asleep very quickly this time, and he seemed to faintly hear the sound of rustling in his sleep.
At the central control desk, a few hundred kilometers away.
The silver gray nursery was like a dense hive, and the incubators were like the mother bodies of hatching reptiles. Eggs of various colors and patterns lay there beneath the temperature controlled gla.s.s cover with barcode numbers that represented their species and gene sequence pasted on top. AI robots came in from the entrance, opening up the cover to pick up several eggs before stuffing them into the conveyer box along with the matured creatures taken from the S2 and E3 nurseries.
At the entrance of the nursery, a small director holding a lunch box filled with pickled rice stretched out a hand in greeting before opening up the box and rechecking the living creature that was under anesthesia.
“Effigia adult, Eoraptor egg, adult…”
He waved his hand and sent it on its way, “Remember, it’s for Little Witch’s team. The sooner you go, the sooner you’ll be back! There are still several more groups that need to be sent out!”
The first rays of sunshine broke through the sky as morning arrived.
“Captain! What will we eat tonight…” Ming Yao murmured and talked in his sleep. Suddenly, he was awakened by the noise and pressed against his temples with a bitter expression.
The riverbank was a mess. The Daemonosaurus from yesterday was fighting against a completely bald little beast, and they looked like chickens as they pecked at each other. There was also a tremor in the gra.s.s beneath him––
Ming Yao slowly, slowly turned his head. A long time later, he uttered, “Holy s.h.i.t.”
A rhinoceros-like, green-skinned giant beast was chewing gra.s.s not far from him. It had a solid, powerful-looking 3 meter long trunk. Lin Ke and Sora were having a heated discussion nearby.
“Kannemeyeria! A herbivore that existed at the end of the Tria.s.sic period. One of them would be enough to feed us for a month!”
“We can have sirloin today, and T-bone tomorrow…”
Behind them, a sharp cry vibrated through the air.
Wu Jin bounced into his field of vision. His small curls were wet and flattened, and it seemed that he’d just taken a bath by the river. Ming Yao hurriedly got out of bed and headed over.
Overnight, the two Evolution Points had disappeared, and the species in the farms had flourished again.
The small creature that was fighting with the Daemonosaurus on the riverbank carried traces of the dinosaurs that were recognized by the general public. It had a bird-like beak, a lizard’s head, slick and slippery skin, wide hip bones, and straight leg joints. Its two small, short front paws were clutching randomly at the Daemonosaurus.
“A carnivorous dinosaur?” Ming Yao was instantly excited. He remembered that the Daemonosaurus marmot was still eating salad yesterday.
“Omnivorous. We fed it once this morning.” Wu Jin spoke cheerfully, “You should also look over there.”
At the edge of the swamp, another slightly larger primitive dinosaur was currently setting up its nest.
Wu Jin whistled, and Lin Ke and the others hurried over. The four of them crouched in the gra.s.s and watched on secretly.
The female dinosaur also had a beak and lizard-like head. It was less than a meter long, but it was st.u.r.dier and more alert than the male dinosaur.
Its long, sharp mouth was constantly probing around the eggs, picking up hay and piling it on top.
“What’s it doing?” Lin Ke couldn’t bear his curiosity anymore and asked.
“Testing the temperature.” Wu Jin replied right away, his voice very light, “It’s using its nose to detect the temperature and control the nest so that it’s constantly at the optimal condition for incubation…”
There was the faint sound of a sh.e.l.l cracking.
The eyes of everyone in the team suddenly grew bright. Beneath the giant ferns, they were almost crowded together into a clump, “Hey, don’t block me”, “What does it look like? Can we take a few steps forward?”, “They have a good sense of smell! Behave yourselves and don’t go up.”, “It’s out! It’s out! Congratulations to our farm for creating the first baby dinosaur!”
The baby dinosaur soon broke out of the sh.e.l.l. It was less than the size of a palm and sticky all over. Its mouth wasn’t as tough or as hard as its mother’s, but it was wide open as it called out soundlessly, stumbling and running around as soon as it stepped out of its sh.e.l.l.
Wu Jin didn’t even blink as he watched on, “The vitality of these young is much higher than that of mammals…”
Ming Yao laughed, “What are you thinking? From the Tria.s.sic period to the Cretaceous period,” He drew out an exaggerated gesture, “During such–––a long time, the mammals were at the mercy of the dinosaurs, to the point where they couldn’t even turn things around.”
There were about a dozen eggs. In just ten short minutes, five of the baby dinosaurs had hatched––Wu Jin was in a great mood and could almost see the huge amount of Evolution Points they would receive tomorrow.
The young dinosaurs all gathered around their mother, and the female used the rough surface of her skin to stroke her young one by one, her neck stretching out slightly.
Lin Ke muttered, “Sigh, I miss my mom… She must be watching from home at the moment.” From Lin Ke’s expression, it was clear that he very much cherished the baby dinosaurs.
Ming Yao shared general knowledge, “Breeding is a hormonal behavior! In two days, the female will drive them out of their nest––my mother back home only spanks me!”
Lin Ke: “Ah, my mother never hit me––”
The two of them chattered on happily until there were only two eggs left in the nest. The sun rose high up into the sky, and the female dinosaur hadn’t eaten or drunk anything for a long time. She kept hitting the sh.e.l.l with her hard beak, trying to call out the last cub and help it out, but only shallow cracks appeared in the sh.e.l.l.
With a click, the dinosaur beak finally opened up a small gap.
The young dinosaur inside moved. It seemed that it wouldn’t be able to come out on its own for a long time, and it appeared to be very weak.
The female dinosaur blocked out the scorching sun for it, watching it quietly with its bulging eyes.
At last, Lin Ke couldn’t help it anymore, “Shall we go over and help? Just take the little guy out of its egg…”