Chapter 37: The Great Dinosaur Migration! Undercurrents Surge!

The scorching sun hung high in the sky. The air was deathly still—viscous, thick, and devoid of even a whisper of breeze. Chu Xu felt as though the ground had been baked through; wisps of visible white steam rose from the earth, and each step he took seared his feet.

Such extreme heat is lethally dangerous for dinosaurs, which lack efficient thermoregulation—especially for the larger species. The greater the body size, the smaller the surface-area-to-volume ratio, making heat dissipation sluggish. Once body temperatures spike, heatstroke and unconsciousness follow quickly. This is particularly perilous for the brain, an organ that consumes immense amounts of energy. If excess heat cannot be vented from the head, the high temperatures can cause proteins to denature or degrade, essentially "cooking" the brain and potentially leading to death.

To combat overheating, various large dinosaurs evolved specialized traits over eons. Triceratops, for instance, would flush their vascularized neck frills with blood when their body temperature rose, using the dense network of vessels to radiate heat and cool down. Large theropods like Tyrannosaurus rex possessed a unique sinus structure behind their nostrils, through which rich blood vessels passed. Whenever a T. rex opened its mouth, these sinuses acted like a bellows, circulating airflow to cool the complex blood flow network within.

Consequently, as Chu Xu and his family trekked onward, they kept their mouths agape, panting heavily. Even so, it was an agonizing struggle; they felt parched and exhausted before they had gone very far.

"Food is a problem, but water is an even greater one," Chu Xu lamented. Having experienced the horrors of the dry season firsthand, he missed the bounty of the rainy season, when food and water were both plentiful.

The rivers along their path had long since dried up. Fortunately, Chu Xu could use his psychic senses to locate underground water sources. By digging wells in areas where the water table was higher, he could coax cool, clear water to the surface. But in recent days, even these sources had become scarce. The few wells he managed to dig yielded only a pitiful amount of water, which his family would drain in an instant.

"Rumble, rumble..."

As they walked, a deafening, earth-shaking roar reached Chu Xu from afar. Climbing to a high vantage point to scan the horizon, he saw millions of dinosaurs coalescing into a vast, iron-like torrent, surging toward the direction of his family.

Triceratops, Torosaurus, Edmontosaurus, Thescelosaurus, Ankylosaurus, Pachycephalosaurus, Stygimoloch, Struthiomimus, Leptoceratops...

A mix of large, medium, and small dinosaurs flooded the horizon, the column so long it seemed to have no end. Their movement kicked up massive clouds of dust, and their footfalls struck the heart of the earth like a rhythmic drum—a magnificent and awe-inspiring spectacle. It was the great migration of herbivorous dinosaurs from northern North America.

It was breathtaking. Chu Xu watched in shock; this was not merely a top-tier visual feast, but a hymn to the tenacity of life itself. Survival is the eternal theme of animal migration. In the famous East African migrations of the future, only thirty percent of the animals typically complete the long journey to return safely to their starting point. Many lives are lost during the trek, yet many new ones are born—all a microcosm of nature’s cycle of life and death.

For every living thing, the journey of life is the same. Birth, growth, maturity, reproduction, rearing, aging, and death—the world is vast and vibrant, yet this is the immutable fate of all creatures. But this is not merely a repetitive cycle; the birth and death of the previous generation make way for the renewal and continuation of the next. This is the greatest glory of life.

"Roar!"

Seeing the massive herd of herbivores, the mother dinosaur let out a low, vibrant roar to the three young T. rexes, her voice filled with excitement. The appearance of the migrating herd confirmed that their chosen path was correct. Furthermore, such a dense concentration of herbivores was, to them, a mobile granary—an inexhaustible supply of food.

Sharing the mother's sentiment were the various groups of carnivorous dinosaurs that acted as "tails," shadowing the massive herd from a distance, inseparable as shadows. Before long, after the great migration had passed, Chu Xu’s family followed in their wake, waiting for the final act of this dry-season exodus to unfold.

...

Several days later, after more than a month of long-distance trekking, the massive migration had crossed half of the North American prairie, and their destination was no longer far.

Under the blazing sun, the landscape was scorched and barren. Viewed from above, countless small black dots were scattered across the desolate, grassless wilderness, swaying and stumbling through the sweltering heat waves.

"Thud!"

Suddenly, a dull sound emerged from the main body of the herd. A Triceratops, starved to the point of being skin and bone, collapsed to the ground. It tried several times to stand, but it lacked the strength. The other Triceratops passing by ignored it entirely, pressing straight ahead. They were like clay bodhisattvas crossing a river—barely able to save themselves, let alone spare the strength to help a companion.

Before long, the fallen Triceratops stopped moving, closing its eyes to await the arrival of death.

After a long while, once the Triceratops had become a carcass, the carnivorous dinosaurs trailing the herd rushed forward, scrambling to tear into the remains. The suffering of these herbivores was, to the carnivores, a meal served on a silver platter. Chu Xu’s family was no exception. Having tailed the herd these past few days, they no longer worried about food. They didn't even need to hunt; nearly every day, similar meals presented themselves, enough to keep them well-fed.

Suddenly, the herbivores at the very front of the herd grew restless, accelerating toward a specific direction. Their keen sense of smell had detected both food and water. Soon, the frantic, stampeding herbivores discovered a vast oasis ahead, dotted with marshes and shallow pools of water, thick with moss and low-lying shrubs.

An oasis!

When his psychic senses picked up this paradise, Chu Xu felt a surge of energy. To these herbivores, exhausted and parched from their long journey, the appearance of this oasis was a miracle—the arrival of sweet rain after a long drought.

"Rumble, rumble..."

The sight stirred the entire herd. Like a stone thrown into a pond, the herbivores became agitated, swarming toward the marshland in a chaotic rush. Given their sheer numbers, it was unlikely even this rare oasis could withstand the onslaught; it would be depleted before long.

However, the oblivious herbivores did not notice that the masters of these marshes had been awakened by the massive commotion. Pairs of cold, vertical pupils snapped open, watching these uninvited guests as they trespassed into their territory.

Beneath the seemingly calm waters, treacherous undercurrents stirred.