"Get lost! Taste this!"
"Choke on it, you monster!"
Inside the building, the human who had ditched his comrades bellowed, clutching a device that resembled a launcher.
Thunk—
With the crisp snap of a spring mechanism, a cylindrical gas canister flew out from the crack of a slightly open window.
Clatter... Roll, roll, roll—
The canister arched through the air, smacked onto the concrete, bounced twice, and rolled forward until it slammed into another canister fired earlier.
The kinetic energy transferred, sending the previous canister rolling a bit further away.
Hiss... POP!
A thick curtain of green smoke erupted instantly. The breath of death expanded outward into the surroundings, looking thoroughly terrifying.
Are these humans out of their minds?
Kafka stood well outside the radius of the gas. After all, she had witnessed lab-grade chemical leaks before; how could she be stupid enough to charge into the fumes just to grab someone? Once the gas dissipated, wouldn't they still be dead meat?
She didn't realize the humans had gas masks. They figured that by forcing her back, they could use the smoke screen as cover to evacuate.
"Roar—"
But since faster was always better, and adhering strictly to her core principle—if you can't beat them, call the boss—Kafka let out a resounding roar to summon Carlo.
Then, she lowered her head and spotted the stone she had just hurled. Suddenly, a wave of playfulness struck her.
As she bit down on the stone to lift it again, she realized the weight felt a bit off. Maybe Katyusha and the others had thrown this one?
She had missed the floodlight earlier, only managing to bend the pole, so she wanted to give it another shot.
"Hurry up and grab the gas masks! Once the big guy gets here, we won't be able to… holy shit!"
The boulder cut through the dawn sky, but it was thrown too high. It smashed straight through the dome of the building, warping the ceiling and the walls.
The heavily reinforced armory door, which was already shut tight, was jammed completely shut by the sudden structural compression. It wouldn't budge an inch.
One of the operatives still had his hand on the doorknob. His face twisted through a spectrum of colors. He froze for a long moment before slowly turning back to face his companions.
"Don't tell me the gas masks are inside."
"They are."
"Why didn't you bring them out earlier?!"
"You didn't ask!"
Does this count as a hit?
Kafka watched the stone crash onto the structure, though it hadn't pulverized the wall like she had hoped.
As she pondered, a distinct tremor began vibrating through the ground.
Thud... Thud... Thud...
One listen and she knew the boss had arrived. Though, considering the boss was perfectly capable of moving without making a sound, making his footsteps this loud had to be intentional, right?
Kafka was as adept at letting her mind wander as ever. Fortunately, she hadn't picked up any new vocabulary from Carlo lately, otherwise she would have found a way to make him lose his mind again.
How to make the boss dance for me in three sentences or less. — Kafka
"Grrrnng…"
Despite her wandering thoughts, Kafka didn't forget her actual task. She chuffed a soft growl to relay the humans' position to Carlo. He rumbled a short response, stepping through the rolling green fog as he approached the building.
Thump, thump, thump...
The toxic fog drifted upward, but this garbage could do nothing to Carlo. He was in no rush whatsoever as he neared the building, politely tapping the wall a few times with his toes.
Hello, takeout.
Please don't misunderstand; "takeout" wasn't short for "your delivery is here." It was simply Carlo's affectionate term for the humans trapped inside.
"Screw off!"
BANG!
Accompanied by a desperate human roar, another gas canister shot out from the window slit. This time, however, it slammed directly into Carlo's massive flank, nearly bouncing right back inside.
"Eek!"
Slam!
The person inside let out an incomprehensible shriek and slammed the window shut, trying to slow the rate at which the gas was seeping into the room.
Seeing this, Carlo figured these humans were simply too introverted. Thus, out of the goodness of his heart, he graciously helped them tear away both their mental and physical ceilings.
The rising sun cast its light into the exposed room. Day had broken, and the dense fog was gradually dismantled by the gentle morning breeze. What a beautiful start to the day.
Carlo held his breath, lowered his head, and kindly helped the humans pick up the trash they had carelessly littered, tossing it back into the room. He let out a couple of soft rumbles, warning them not to litter next time.
"Cough, cough... wheeze..."
The villains inside collapsed onto the floor in shame, gasping for breath with tears streaming down their faces. They had clearly realized the error of their ways, swearing in their hearts that they would never do this again.
Wait a minute, I know you.
Carlo had scouted the perimeter with extreme caution before launching the assault, confirming the exact headcount of the humans before bringing his family in. Because of that, he was lucky enough to recognize this particular human who had brutally beaten the Concavenator.
In Carlo's logic, humans came to cause trouble for him because of conflicts between dinosaurs and humans. Therefore, he simply needed to resolve the conflict.
Bending down once more, he scooped up the familiar lucky winner in his jaws and carried him toward the makeshift ecological zone.
"Huff... gasp... No! Put me down! I'm begging you! Please..."
The lucky winner finally caught his breath after inhaling a few gulps of fresh air. He sincerely begged Carlo for forgiveness. Carlo graciously accepted his apology, placing him right next to the Concavenator that was currently drinking by the lake.
Huh?
The Concavenator, having been forcefully jolted awake by cattle prods earlier, was still quite weak. It could only stand feebly by the water to rehydrate.
"Roar!"
But the moment it noticed the commotion and turned to see the familiar human, it was instantly re-energized. It snapped its head up toward Carlo, letting out a soft trill. Even a human could decipher the sheer delight in its voice.
Just like that, Carlo earned the friendship of another dinosaur. The other creatures gathered around the small lake merely glanced over, seemingly unfazed by the sight.
"Roar—"
Make sure you two get along now.
Carlo rumbled a soft reply to the Concavenator. Though they spoke different languages, Carlo was entirely confident that his intent had been perfectly communicated!
With that, he turned and walked away, letting out a low call to summon his family as they continued their march toward the harbor.
"Wait! Don't leave! Take me with you! Carry me out of here in your mouth! Please—"
The human's cries for Carlo abruptly cut short. It seemed he had successfully reconciled with the Concavenator and no longer wished for Carlo to carry him away.
Yes, that had to be it.
…
Whirrrrr—
The mechanical hum of a harbor gantry crane echoed through the air. A thick chain equipped with a massive spreader beam lowered slowly, locking onto a shipping container resting on the ground.
Darius and Kenji, channeling the classic protagonist spirit of never stopping until they unearthed the truth, crept stealthily through the docks. Darius tapped Kenji's shoulder, gesturing for him to look at the manifest pasted onto the side of the container.
The word DECEASED was stamped across it in stark, red letters.
"Deceased? Who would buy a dead..."
Before Kenji could finish his question, he scrambled up the side of the container toward the... ventilated iron grate near the top.
One look inside was all it took to shock him out of his skin.
"ROAR—"
Sensing the disturbance, the Tyrannotitan inside roared in fury and slammed hard against the container wall. The violent impact threw Kenji right off, sending him crashing onto the ground.
"Definitely not dead..." Kenji gasped, his chest heaving in absolute terror.
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