Thump, thump, thump…
Carlo's massive feet slammed into the ground. Even from a great distance, one could sense the indescribable, crushing weight of each step. The earth resonated with his stride; the very heavens seemed to tremble.
Whirrr… whirr…
The roar of propellers filled the sky as a BioSyn helicopter, balancing speed and maneuverability, clung tightly to Carlo's wake.
"Target locked."
Suspended beneath the nose of the helicopter was a machine gun. It rotated slightly, adjusting its aim to lock onto the colossal silhouette weaving through the trees.
"Wait… didn't we apply for a capture order? Aren't we supposed to bring him in?"
"The boss changed his mind. Regardless of the cost, he is to be terminated here."
That was the order, certainly… but was Dodgson perhaps underestimating Carlo? Especially considering he knew the creature possessed bulletproof skin.
Rat-ta-ta-ta-tat…
Yellow muzzle flashes erupted in the sky, tearing through the air and plunging into the forest, kicking up mounds of earth meters high. The machine gun's fire rate wasn't particularly fast, which implied that the caliber of the bullets was much larger than one might expect.
Ping!
A sharp sound rang out as a bullet grazed the tip of Carlo's tail, sparking brilliantly.
Hm?
Carlo tilted his head slightly, glanced back at his tail, then looked up at the helicopter still firing at him from the sky. Was that a shot at my tail just now? Or was it nothing?
Sniffing sound.
Carlo straightened his head and continued forward, not forgetting to sniff the air to ensure he had distanced himself from the dinosaur troops.
"Damn it… did you see that? Those sparks?! What kind of steel plate are we shooting at? No, even a steel plate couldn't withstand machine gun rounds of this caliber, right?"
"There has to be a limit to how thick hide can get."
The side hatch of the helicopter slid open, and a mobile mount extended outward. One of the crew members hoisted an anti-tank sniper rifle that was nearly as tall as he was onto the mount. Without haste, he grabbed a screwdriver and a wrench from his toolbox and began securing the weapon.
"Bush…"
The crew member in the co-pilot seat was stunned. Our helicopter has this functionality? Are we really just a dinosaur protection organization?
Sound of heavy stomping.
Carlo burst out of the forest and arrived at a somewhat barren plain, where he came to a halt.
Ding-ding, ta-ta-ta-tat…
The helicopter maintained its speed, and the machine gun fire raked a line from the tip of his tail, up his spine, and eventually struck the back of his head.
"No weak points detected. Aim for the heart!"
The helicopter banked away to gain distance before swiftly turning, circling back to face Carlo once more, though this time, the machine gun remained silent.
Sound of a wrench dropping.
"Anti-tank sniper rifle assembled!"
Using this to take down Carlo… was it perhaps a bit excessive?
Sound of mechanical adjustment.
The sniper rifle's scope zeroed in on Carlo's chest. He hadn't bothered to lower his body, so he was locked onto the exact spot where a normal living organism would be killed instantly.
And what of Carlo himself? He didn't move. He simply stood there, facing the helicopter.
He was recalling a specific sensation.
Back when he first realized his family, Giga Dad and the others, had been captured, he had unleashed an unprecedented, thunderous roar in the Mojave Preserve. That was the moment he truly felt his roar pierce the clouds; for a long time after the sound died out, he could still hear it echoing through the mountains.
But the Mojave Preserve was a vast wasteland, with the nearest mountain peak tens of kilometers away. The dinosaurs gathered by the lake had been stunned into unconsciousness by the sheer pressure of his voice. And that… had merely been a call.
What would happen if it were a roar of pure rage?
BANG!
The oversized caliber bullet broke the sound barrier upon leaving the barrel! The recoil of the sniper rifle released an invisible shockwave, causing the hovering helicopter to sway unsteadily.
Clack…
The bolt action cycled, ejecting a massive metal casing.
"Did we get him?"
Eyes strained toward the distance. Carlo remained standing. Perhaps the bullet had pierced his chest? Perhaps he was already dead?
Ting-ling…
The high-velocity bullet struck Carlo's chest, but it couldn't advance a single millimeter further. Compressed by the sheer density of his armor, the bullet disintegrated into thin, mangled slivers and fragments of metal, which soon lost their momentum and fell to the ground.
Hm?
Carlo didn't feel much of anything; it was roughly equivalent to the sensation a human feels when a cold draft sneaks into their clothes during winter. He gave his body a light shake, and that was that.
That impact had drained about 5,000 of his health points, so as a weapon, it was, at the very least, barely passable.
"My God… he's unharmed?!"
The co-pilot observed Carlo moving again and blurted out in shock. His worldview crumbled in that instant… no, it was a complete collapse. An anti-tank weapon had been tanked by a biological organism. How could I be having a nightmare like this?
Fortunately, the helicopter was still at a distance, so they didn't see the mangled bullet fragments. Had they seen them, they likely would have fled in terror immediately.
Sound of inhaling.
Carlo adjusted his breathing rhythm, slowly drawing air into his lungs. Although he hadn't done this the last time, he instinctively felt that this was the only way to maximize his power.
"Prepare for a second shot!"
"What is he doing…"
"ROOOAARR—!!!"
Carlo slammed his tail into the ground, and a deafening, long-lasting scream followed, shattering the sky! An invisible force seemed to ripple outward with Carlo as the epicenter. Even with noise-canceling headsets, the crew on the helicopter instinctively covered their ears.
Carlo keenly noted that the helicopter staggered. It wasn't because of the pilot's control; it looked more like it had encountered… turbulence.
Not enough.
Carlo pondered for a moment, deciding to shift his focus from the roar itself to the flow of air.
"Dammit! An animal is still just an animal, scaring the hell out of me… Get closer! I don't believe we can't punch a hole right through him!"
The helicopter inched closer. Carlo extended his body to his full height, expanding his chest cavity to its maximum capacity. Then, with his mouth slightly agape, he inhaled frantically. From a third-person perspective, one could actually see the currents of air swirling into his maw!
"Loaded! Ready for the second round!"
The sniper rifle adjusted its aim, once again locking onto Carlo's chest.
But this time, the humans wouldn't get a chance.
"ROOOOOOAAAARRR—!!!"
Carlo struck first. As he roared, he lowered his body, forcing the air from his chest cavity in a sudden, violent burst! A scream like a literal sonic boom carried a shockwave that reverberated in all directions!
Crack…
The crew on the helicopter covered their ears uncontrollably. Even the cockpit glass began to develop spiderweb fractures.
Crack, crack, crack… BANG!
Carlo's roar possessed a duration that defied imagination. Before the pilot could even think to escape, the glass shattered!
"Pull up! Pull up!"
Human shouts seemed so insignificant in this moment. The pilot, facing the brunt of the shockwave, slumped over unconscious.
The helicopter spun out of control as if its engines had been ripped out, eventually spiraling down to smash into the earth.
BOOM!
A moment later, flames shot into the sky, silhouetting the immovable figure of the great beast.
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