Chapter 183 Tyrannosaurus Rex (VII)
The burning asteroid whizzed across the Atlantic Ocean, with a temperature of nearly 20,000 degrees Celsius, and hit what would later become Mexico.
It burned brighter than a million suns, and its fragments fell like brilliant meteors.
Unfortunately, dinosaurs cannot make wishes, and these meteors cannot fulfill wishes, but only bring disasters.
The brightness of the burning flames had already burned the dinosaur's eyes.
The Alamosaurus, the largest creature of the Cretaceous period, looked transparent under its light.
The Alamosaurus near the impact point was reduced to ashes in an instant with hundreds of tons of body.
If a flaming asteroid fell into the deep ocean, perhaps its force would be cushioned and absorbed.
It happened to hit the shallow waters of the Gulf of Mexico, which contains a large amount of geothermal resources.
The soil and rocks were vaporized, and the molten lava beneath the earth's crust flowed to the surface through the cracks.
In a flash, corpses were everywhere near the explosion point, and the plants were burned to charcoal.
Yu Yiyun is located at the edge of the North American continent, more than 2,000 kilometers away from the explosion area.
Even so, their homes were also affected.
The temperature on the ground was too high to bear. The huge rocks that were thrown into the sky by the explosion fell to the ground like a sweeping fire, and flames formed a continuous piece.
The earthquake that followed, exceeding a magnitude of 11, was more terrible than any earthquake ever experienced by mankind.
Yu Yijun felt that the ground was not only shaking, but also violently upside down.
The dinosaurs in the cave had never seen such a scene before, and they were so scared that they wanted to get out of the cave, but Yu Yiyun shouted and stopped them and drove them back into the cave.
Later data showed that the impact was so great that the dinosaurs throughout North America could only survive the first day of the explosion by hiding behind mountains or in caves.
What happened just now was so urgent that Yu Yiyun stuffed the cubs into the hole and searched for their mother and aunt as quickly as possible.
He proved one thing.
Tyrannosaurus Rex can run, and it's not slow.
However, the amplitude and height of the running steps are larger than those of walking, and it is difficult to maintain balance with a heavy body, and the little dragon looks as if he is paralyzed.
Yu Yiyun couldn't care less and went to find her mother and aunt one after another.
My aunt didn’t know where to go to play or search for prey.
The night sky grew brighter and brighter, and the surrounding grass and trees were reflected in red, as if they would catch fire in the next second.
Yu Yiyun couldn't care less and took her mother and aunt back to the cave first, preparing to go back to find her aunt.
Looking up, the sky in the distance was ablaze red, and a wildfire was spreading across the prairie.
In prehistoric times, the air had a high oxygen content, making it difficult to extinguish flames.
Yu Yiyun looked in that direction and hesitated for a few seconds.
The fact that I can still see the sky clearly means that the asteroid is still some distance away from the Earth.
If I'm lucky, I might be able to find my aunt in the limited time I have.
"roar."
“Buzz.”
Auntie and Mama Long looked around anxiously.
They didn't know what was about to happen, but the signs of danger were clear.
The three sisters who had been together day and night were one less, and they became even more anxious about Yiyun, constantly calling for their aunt.
The voice traveled far away, but there was no response.
I don’t know if my aunt didn’t hear me or just couldn’t respond.
The mother dragon was extremely worried and tried to squeeze her strong body through the small hole.
Yu Yiyun quickly stopped her, pressed her mother and aunt into the cave, and tried her best to stop the two big dragons.
Just as he was arguing with his mother Long, his aunt Long took the opportunity to squeeze out and called out to his aunt even louder.
She felt unbearable heat and saw raging fire in the distance.
Even so, the aunt ran towards the sea of fire without hesitation, calling for her sisters who had never been separated from her.
"roar!"
When the mother heard the eldest aunt calling the younger aunt, she roared, used her front legs to flip her cub over, and got out of the cave without hesitation.
Yu Yijun lay on his back with his four paws facing the sky, his fat waist unable to move.
He was so anxious that he cried out loudly, rolled over and got up with difficulty, and was just about to pull his mother and aunt back.
Just at this moment, a deafening explosion pierced the eardrums.
The little dragons panicked and rushed to Yu Yiyun to seek shelter.
The light coming in from the cave entrance pierced the entire cave.
From their perspective, they saw a nearby area of water that was larger than the Caspian Sea rapidly evaporating into gas.
The dragon cubs were extremely uneasy and kept shouting around Yu Yiyun, wanting the omnipotent dragon to tell them what was going on.
“…”
Yu Yiyun never clearly realized her own powerlessness.
He slowly lowered his head and rubbed each dragon cub one by one, trying to calm them down from their huge panic.
The earthquakes caused by the disaster are still continuing, and even deep in the caves are not safe, with debris falling from time to time.
Fortunately, this cave is generally inclined, and the supporting rocks above and below are triangular, so it is relatively stable and not so easy to collapse.
The dragon cubs really calmed down slowly and surrounded Yu Yiyun tightly.
Faced with a suddenly unfamiliar world, I can only feel safe when I am with my brother.
Yu Yijun took the dragon cub and hid in the cave for several days until the temperature in the wind gradually dropped.
He signaled the cubs to stay in the safe cave, and he risked his life to go out and check the situation.
As soon as he came out of the cave, Yu Yiyun saw that the water area, which was originally full of water, had completely dried up.
The volcanic ash blown by the wind almost filled the original area, and two surviving duck-billed dinosaurs were circling around the volcanic ash.
They need water.
They need food more.
Looking around, the home that was once full of vitality has turned into a desolate cemetery, and all the grass and trees have been burned to charcoal.
This place is more than 2,000 kilometers away from the explosion site, and some dinosaurs survived by chance.
They realized that surviving was actually painful.
Above the charred ruins, this land lacks the most basic condition to maintain the functioning of the food chain - plants.
When the asteroid hit the Earth, it caused the Earth's crust to shatter and volcanoes to erupt, with tons of volcanic ash being sprayed into the air.
These volcanic ashes mix with the air to form large amounts of sulfur dioxide gas.
When sunlight passes through these layers, it is taken away at a temperature approximately equal to that of the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide.
As the temperature continues to drop, rain will fall to the ground carrying sulfur dioxide with it.
But not only does such rain fail to nourish the earth, the excessive acidity makes it more difficult for plants to grow.
Without water and plants, life cannot survive.
Yu Yiyun looked at the dust visible to the naked eye in the air and the endless coke, and realized that the dinosaur era was not defeated by asteroids.
They survived tenaciously and originally had hope of recovery.
But the fires, earthquakes, acid rain that followed the explosion, and the long winter caused by volcanic ash covering the sky deprived the dinosaurs of any hope of rising again.
Yu Yiyun took a few steps forward and saw the surviving Triceratops using its broken horns to push up the soil, trying to gnaw on the roots hidden deep in the soil.
Under normal circumstances, it eats several hundred to thousands of kilograms of grass every day.
But now, even the grass roots buried in the soil have to compete with other herbivorous dinosaurs for food.
The Triceratops doesn't realize that if it eats all the grass roots, no grass will grow next year.
Just like many carnivorous dinosaurs did not realize that they ate their own eggs because of hunger. It replenished their physical strength temporarily, but ruined the future of the dinosaurs.
The saddest thing is that Yu Yiyun knew clearly that they were destroying the future of the dinosaur race, but she was powerless to do anything.
They are not wrong.
They can't even survive themselves, so what future can they talk about?
Yu Yiyun took a few steps forward, passed the charred corpses, and saw the remains of three Tyrannosaurus Rex hugging each other, with their way blocked by fallen trees.
They were in the center of the sea of fire, and had been burned to carbonization, but Yu Yijun still recognized them.
This is mom and aunt.
At the last moment before the explosion, my mother and aunt found my aunt.
She heard the sound, not far from the cave, but did not respond to her companions.
At that time, a burning tree fell in front of my aunt and instantly ignited the nearby hay.
An adult Tyrannosaurus Rex has almost no jumping ability, so my aunt couldn't get over the wall of fire.
After a few twists and turns, my aunt finally realized...
This time, she was unable to reach her sisters.
My aunt didn't respond to them.
This decision was made without any thought, only instinct.
She didn't know if her sisters were safe, but she knew hers was definitely not.
As usual, I responded and my sisters came.
But it's very dangerous here, they can't come over.
The aunt didn't expect that even if she didn't respond, the sisters who had never been separated for nearly twenty years would still find her through tacit understanding.
They went against their instincts, ran through the sea of fire, and hugged each other tightly, imitating the movements that Xiaolong taught them.
Hugs mean nothing to a Tyrannosaurus Rex.
But it means something to them.
They are sisters who cannot be separated even by death, and they love each other.
Yu Yiyun squatted quietly beside her mother and aunt, watching for a long time.
Then, he made an unwise decision.
With food scarce and every day destined to be worse than the day before, Yu Yiyun spent two days and expended all her energy to dig a huge pit and buried her mother and aunt together.
There are fewer and fewer dinosaurs alive around.
Without water and plants, the herbivorous dinosaurs died one after another.
Carnivorous dinosaurs can temporarily survive by eating the unburned corpses or starved herbivorous dinosaurs.
Even they themselves know that this is not a long-term solution.
The food chain is declining.
Dinosaurs with wings can fly to safety.
For the flightless and slow-moving dinosaurs, every day was the end of the world.
What's more, Yu Yiyun knew.
There is no safe place.
This disaster is global. Even Mongolia and the motherland, which are on the other side of the explosion point, are singing the elegy of life in the endless winter.
Of all the dinosaurs in the world, perhaps only one group has not been affected for the time being.
The dragon cubs stayed in the cave, unaware of the hell on earth that was happening outside.
They just felt that the cave was getting colder and colder, but it didn't matter, because the unique structure of the cave could keep them warm.
The dragon cubs huddle together to keep each other warm.
Gradually, the dragon cubs noticed that their brother was acting more and more strangely.
No matter how the dragon cub called out, he refused to take the dragon cub out of the cave to have a look.
Are there super-large dinosaurs out there that will eat the little dragons?
Besides, the amount of food my brother brought back to the cave was getting less and less.
He didn't eat it himself and fed it all to Xiaolong.
My brother is getting thinner and thinner, but he still doesn't eat.
In such an environment, the dragon cubs actually grew a little bit bigger.
Yu Yiyun was growing weaker and weaker, unable to suppress their curiosity.
Finally one day, a dragon cub crawled out of the cave.
The utopia that Yu Yiyun created for them was shattered.
The dragon cubs saw that there were no dinosaurs in this place anymore, only skeletons.
Volcanic rock particles float in the air, and sunlight cannot reach the surface.
In the endless desolation, they are the only ones who are still alive.
The dragon cub, who is not even half a year old, seems to realize something.
From that day on, they frequently attacked and fought each other.
Yu Yiyun was powerless and could not stop it at all.
When survival resources are limited, internal struggle within the population is inevitable.
Perhaps they also realized that this cave alone would not be enough for 12 dragons to survive this natural disaster.
The first dragonet died.
Then the second one, the third one...
In just a few days, there were only two dragon cubs left around.
The whole process didn’t seem to last long. Perhaps it was because Yu Yiyun was in so much pain that she felt that each day was like a year.
Yu Yiyun leaned quietly at the bottom of the cave, without dealing with the remains of the dragon cub.
Under extreme conditions, the remains of the same species are also an important source of food.
Yu Yiyun was frightened when this thought came to her mind.
Treat the dragon cubs that are raised little by little as food.
I have finally turned into a real beast.
He raised his head with great effort and looked at the little dragons again.
The final outcome of the game has been decided.
The victorious Xiaolong was covered in wounds and walked slowly to Yu Yiyun.
Yu Yiyun did not move.
How can we survive until spring relying solely on our young?
You are your biggest source of food.
Yu Yiyun looked at her calmly.
Xiaolong staggered to Yu Yiyun's side, tripped, and fell into his arms.
She defeated all the female dragons of the same kind and rubbed the big dragon that raised her gently, just like she did when she was a child.
Then, she exerted her last bit of strength.
It plunged into the pool nearby and never surfaced again.
Yu Yiyun stretched out his claws weakly, but caught nothing.
He is the only dragon left in this land.
Yu Yiyun once again thought of her final mission: You can do whatever you want.
The cave was safe enough, had water, and contained many remains of the same species.
As long as Yu Yiyun is willing, she can hold on until the volcanic ash gradually dissipates, accumulate energy and migrate to Asia, to China, to look for possible companions.
Yu Yiyun can do many things.
In the end, Yu Yiyun did nothing. Instead, he ate the remaining carrion, recovered a little bit of his strength, and finally stroked the dragon cubs he had raised and buried them carefully.
Until the end.
Yu Yiyun still did not abandon her humanity.
[Congratulations, mission accomplished.]
Yu Yijun came back to his senses and came to the vast white space again.
He didn't speak, didn't make any sound.
The silence lasted for a long, long time.
[I guess you want to call me a 'rubbish system', right?]
Yu Yiyun raised his eyelids and said gloomily, "You are not a system."
[……]
The Voice of the World was silent for a few seconds and then spoke again.
[I am the voice of this world, from south to north, from ancient times to the present.]
[I have chosen you from among humans and borrowed a portion of your life to listen carefully to our voices.]
In the previous worlds, Yu Yiyun might have asked "Why me?"
At this moment, he just whispered 'thank you'.
“I’m honored.”
He was too arrogant in the past.
Through these journeys, he felt the tenacity, resilience, and insignificance of living things.
People don't seem to be anything special.
It is just an ordinary cluster among the millions of branches of the Tree of Life.
A tree cannot produce only one bud. If the tree of life withers, the human race will also perish.
[I am honored that you were chosen.]
[Next, you should go back.]
"go back?"
Yu Yiyun was a little confused.
He had so many places to go back to, and he didn't know which place the Voice of the World was referring to.
Qinling Mountains, Yellowstone Park, African grasslands...or?
[Yu Yiyun, you have something you must do.]
[goodbye. ]
Hearing the voice of the world saying goodbye, Yu Yiyun's consciousness was pulled away again, and everything in front of his eyes was white.
When he came to his senses, he was actually standing outside the door of the rewilding base and heard the security guard in the security room watching the news.
"...According to the latest reports, a major discovery has been made in the field of prehistoric biology. Near the area where three female Tyrannosaurus Rex fossils were excavated last month, scientists have excavated 13 complete Tyrannosaurus Rex skeletons in an underground cave at a depth of more than 5,000 meters."
"Judging from the layers of sedimentary rocks, these Tyrannosaurus rex lived about 65 million years ago, and experts speculate that they were the last dinosaurs to become extinct in the late Cretaceous period."
"In addition to the complete dinosaur skeleton, scientists also found a huge piece of amber in the cave, which contained an egg."
"Although it is not certain whether the egg belongs to a Tyrannosaurus Rex, the egg is still intact after more than 60 million years of sedimentation, providing unlimited possibilities for the study of prehistoric animals."
"The second piece of news is that Professor Yu Yiyun, a famous biologist in our country..."
"Professor Yu!"
The uncle outside the door noticed Yu Yiyun standing there blankly, and immediately turned off the video and greeted him with a smile on his face.
"Long time no see, you're finally back!"
"...Yeah, long time no see."
Yu Yiyun looked at the uncle's face which seemed to be from another world. Apart from a few more white hairs, there didn't seem to be much change.
The uncle was not surprised to see himself coming back from the dead, as if he was supposed to come back today.
Yu Yiyun raised his head and looked at the familiar working environment.
There is a wall outside the office building that is used to introduce the rewilding project and the successfully rewilded tigers.
As far as Yu Yiyun could remember, there were only 19 photos on the wall, with Tiger King Shanjun in the middle.
Now, there are almost no more photos on the wall.
To the left of the tiger is a photo of Kang Kang, and to the right is a pig that is two times fatter than the other tigers even though the angle is carefully chosen.
Yu Yiyun guessed who the tiger was without even reading the introduction text below.
Yunxiao, are you so fat?
Yunxiao: ???
Do you dare to say it to my face!
Yu Yiyun appreciated the photos one by one and adjusted her mindset at the same time.
He was a little overwhelmed. Judging from the changes in the security guard and the photo wall, time had indeed advanced by about two and a half years.
Although I have no family or friends, my relationship with my colleagues is not very close.
But it must be difficult to explain how a living person could suddenly disappear and then reappear.
What should I tell my colleagues?
Have you been a vegetable for two years?
It’s a medical miracle that a vegetative patient returns to work right after waking up.
Before Yu Yiyun could think of the right words, Shen Yu's voice came from inside the door.
"Is Professor Yu not here yet?"
Qin An replied casually, "Could it be that our Professor Yu has been away on business for so long that he has forgotten which way his office door faces?"
"It's possible. Let's go get him."
Shen Yu has been working with Yu Yiyun since he was a graduate student.
Although the professor is too aloof and distant, Shen Yu admires Yu Yiyun very much and can't wait to welcome him back.
He rushed to the door in two steps, opened it, and saw Yu Yijun standing there.
If you listen carefully, you can still detect a flash of panic.
“Chen Yu, long time no see.”
"A long time..."
Before Shen Yu finished speaking, Qin An rushed over like a wild boar and gave Yu Yiyun a bear hug.
"Professor Yu, you're finally back! How did I get through these two years without you?"
"Qin An!"
Shen Yu was startled, and it was hard to tell whether his tone was jealous or envious.
If he had known that Yu Yiyun would cooperate so well, he should have pounced over just now.
Yu Yijun stood there in a daze, overwhelmed by the sudden enthusiasm.
If I remember correctly, although these two were my graduate students, they were always a little afraid of me.
If the tone is a little harsh, I will lower my head and look for ants.
"Professor Yu, you are so amazing!"
Shen Yu's eyes were bright, shining with admiration.
“In just two years, I was able to accomplish so much.”
Yu Yiyun was confused, "What did I do?"
"Professor, don't be so modest! We all know that after you fainted from overwork and were hospitalized, you said you would go on a business trip for two years. In the end, you traveled all over the world in those two years, helped many animals improve their habitats, and even sent us postcards."
"Yes, yes, this is you on the African grasslands, this is Alaska, and this is the most amazing one, the top of Mount Everest!"
"What's Mount Everest? Professor, you've even been to the North Pole. How did you do that? Can you take me with you?"
“…It’s a bit difficult.”
Yu Yiyun thought silently: Unless you turn into Arctic foxes.
"Oh, by the way, you stole the show last month!"
Yu Yiyun: "Last month?"
"Professor, you are amazing! They have been looking for so many years but have not found the complete skeleton of the Tyrannosaurus Rex. Not only did you help confirm the location of the Tyrannosaurus Rex skeleton, you also found a piece of amber containing a dragon egg!"
"As far as I remember, you obviously haven't studied paleontology research and excavation. How did you do it?"
"It's just a coincidence."
Yu Yiyun felt guilty.
You can't tell them that the skeleton was buried with your own claws and the amber was rolled with your own claws.
Because the amber was not round enough, it had to be refined several times later.
Chen Yu and Qin An surrounded Yu Yiyun, chattering with great interest.
The colleagues in the room got angry and shouted, "Are you two done yet?"
"What do you mean by blocking the door? Let Professor Yu in quickly. We also want to greet the professor."
"Professor Yu, I'm a new graduate student. I chose this job because of you."
"Me too!"
"There are many junior students waiting in line to join your group."
Yu Yiyun walked into the room, greeted them one by one, enjoyed star-like treatment, and was escorted to her seat.
The enthusiasm of his colleagues faded slightly, and Yu Yiyun finally reacted.
The Voice of the World was quite considerate, using "business trip" to fill the gap of the past two and a half years, to prevent Yu Yiyun, who cannot lie, from making things worse.
Returning to his seat, Yu Yiyun looked at the computer in front of him, the pile of information, and the latest photo of Hu Hu at hand. The familiar feeling came back little by little.
He picked up his pen and got to work.
On the wall directly behind him, the ultimate goal of the entire rewilding team was written in big red letters:
——Dedicate your life to protecting animals and the environment.
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