Chapter Nine: The Flourishing Tapestry of Life—The Hunt Begins!

Sunrise and moonset, the stars shifting in their courses.

Half a year had passed since the birth of Chu Xu. Autumn was drawing to a close, yet instead of the cold grip of winter, a warm spring of revival was arriving.

The larch forest had shed its withered yellow leaves and donned a fresh coat of green. Tender leaf buds fluttered in the breeze, glistening like translucent jade.

During the Late Cretaceous, massive volcanic eruptions occurred worldwide, averaging ten times the scale of modern ones. This caused atmospheric carbon dioxide levels to soar to four times today’s concentrations, triggering a greenhouse effect that raised global temperatures by an average of five degrees Celsius above present levels.

Within the Arctic Circle, lush temperate forests flourished in Alaska and Greenland, while the Antarctic Circle was also home to dinosaurs.

Biodiversity reached its zenith at this time. Dinosaurs remained the undisputed sovereigns, having evolved over more than a hundred million years into a dazzling array of forms at their peak.

The cerulean skies were ruled by pterosaurs, though their dominion was increasingly challenged by the burgeoning emergence of birds, who were gradually usurping aerial supremacy.

In the deep oceans, a new generation of apex predators arose—the mosasaurs—whose unparalleled power drove the once-dominant ichthyosaurs and plesiosaurs to extinction.

Meanwhile, small and delicate mammals lived under the shadow of the dinosaurs, enduring a humble existence akin to sewer rats, yet quietly branching out and proliferating in unnoticed corners.

Finally, flowering angiosperms rapidly rose to prominence, evolving hand in hand with insects, subtly reshaping the entire ecosystem.

Amid this vibrant tapestry of life, the last kingdom of the Maastrichtian stage of the Late Cretaceous radiated vitality.

Yet only Chu Xu truly understood that this flourishing would end abruptly with a fragment of an asteroid from outer space—a true apocalypse for all dinosaurs.

But that was a story for another time.

At dawn, shrouded in morning mist, Chu Xu rose from a soft bed of vegetation, stretching and loosening his limbs.

“Check my status panel.”

[Name]: Chu Xu
[Age]: 6 months
[Species]: Rex Tyrannosaurus (male)
[Growth Stage]: Juvenile
[Attributes]: Strength 105, Agility 105, Constitution 115, Spirit 110
[Evolution Points]: 5
[Skills]: Claw Swipe, Bite Crush, Charge, Acceleration
[Achievement]: Potential for Tyranny (Beginner)
[Next Evolution Form]: Agumon

Within mere months, Chu Xu’s attributes had more than doubled, breaking the triple-digit threshold.

As his attributes surged, Chu Xu’s body grew rapidly, now over two meters long with a head height exceeding one meter and weighing at least 150 kilograms.

His heavy skull, thick short neck, and teeth shaped like small bananas edged with dense serrated blades, hooked claws, and a long tail like a spear gave him a robust and imposing presence, radiating raw power and dominance.

It was hard to imagine that Chu Xu was still only a half-year-old tyrannosaur cub.

By comparison, his younger sister Longmei and younger brother Liuxing were each under one meter in length, with head heights below half a meter and weighing around 25 kilograms; together, they didn’t even match Chu Xu.

This disparity puzzled Longmei and Liuxing—born of the same lineage, why was there such a vast difference between them and their elder brother?

Chu Xu simply thought: a dragon’s life with a cheat code needs no explanation.

In addition, Chu Xu’s persistent daily training had upgraded his skills; he now mastered four beginner-level skills:

Claw Swipe: With increased proficiency, Chu Xu could now swipe five times in an instant, reaching attack speeds in the millisecond range.

Bite Crush: When snapping at an enemy, his bite force temporarily doubled.

Charge: A full-body muscle rush that doubled his strength momentarily.

Acceleration: While running, he could momentarily double his speed.

“It’s time to try real hunting.”

Chu Xu’s eyes gleamed with eagerness.

Though he had attempted hunting several times before, his prey had been insects and lizards—small and unchallenging targets that yielded pitiful evolution points.

To accumulate more evolution points and prepare for the inevitable independence ahead, Chu Xu aimed to master more hunting techniques and gain richer experience swiftly.

At half a year old, young tyrannosaurs like Chu Xu were just reaching the age to learn hunting.

“Roar!!”

That day, their mother let out an ear-splitting roar, leading Chu Xu, Longmei, and Liuxing out of their home, ready to formally teach them the art of the hunt.

“Finally, we’re starting to learn how to hunt!”

Chu Xu’s excitement was palpable. For a predatory dinosaur like the tyrannosaur, hunting was the most vital skill for survival.

But how exactly did tyrannosaurs hunt? Was it as paleontologists of the future speculated?

Chu Xu was deeply curious and eager to follow his mother to find out.

He trailed closely behind her, studying every move.

As she walked, her massive head held high, eyes scanning ahead, back and tail taut in a straight line, each step measured and deliberate. Her eyes, nose, and ears remained alert to every subtle change in the environment.

She searched not only for living prey but also for traces left behind—fur, footprints, urine, feces.

Her seasoned experience allowed her to deduce the identity and recent path of these creatures, deciding whether to mark them as targets.

As the undisputed apex predator of the Hell Creek Formation food chain, the tyrannosaur’s diet included most creatures there, favoring large, succulent herbivorous dinosaurs, especially Edmontosaurus, Triceratops, and Parasaurolophus.

Chu Xu diligently recorded all these hunting tips and key points.

Meanwhile, Longmei and Liuxing seemed unaware that their mother’s purpose was to teach them hunting.

One, still sleepy from lack of rest, lagged far behind.

The other, unable to restrain his wild canine instincts, darted about chaotically, startling many birds and beasts.

Their mother, focused on tracking prey, paid them no mind, leaving Chu Xu, the elder brother, to first rouse Longmei, then drag Liuxing back into line, administering a firm lesson that quickly calmed him.

Just then, their mother halted.

Not far ahead, on the soil lay a chaotic cluster of large three-toed footprints, seemingly fresh.

A discovery!

With a low, rumbling roar, she quickened pace, leading the three young tyrannosaurs toward the direction indicated by the tracks.

Soon, the owners of the footprints appeared before them—a herd of Edmontosaurus!

…