Surprise! The Supposed Talent Show Was Actually–?!

Chapter Ch95.1 - Allosaurus

translator: xiin

editors: apricot & juurensha

The extinction event in the Triassic period was also accompanied by volcanic eruptions and a large amount of hydrate gasification.

Smoke rolled in from outside the cave, and the scene that entered their vision was as solemn as purgatory.

Inside the cave––

“It’s connected! It’s connected! There are exactly five!!” Ming Yao’s voice was triumphant as he slapped his thighs.

Ming Yao was proud as he tore off a white strip of paper and handed it to Lin Ke, “No regrets, the loser should live up to his word!!”

The innocent Coelophysis onlookers to the side only experienced a flash of shadow before a white note was stuck to their heads.

The air inside the cave was warm, and there were many branches and leaves piled up in the corner.

They’d drawn out an area on the ground to play checkers, and Wu Jin and Sora were in line to play the next game while Ming Yao and Lin Ke were currently crouched on the ground.

The loser had to paste a note––

Lin Ke and Ming Yao’s two Coelophysis had quite a lot of notes stuck to their heads, while Sora’s notes were stuck to the legs and stomach of the little Plateosaurus. Only Wu Jin had tried hard to protect his small Pterosaur.

“Wise ones should be humble,” Ming Yao saw that his next opponent was Wu Jin and immediately proposed, “Or we can treat it like Go, and Little Witch can let me have a few moves first? How about four––”

Wu Jin was going crazy, “This is five-piece checkers...”

To one side, Lin Ke, who’d just lost, stretched out his muscles and bones, then pulled away the trap that covered the entrance of the cave slightly. His face immediately cheered up, “The volcanic ash is dispersing!”

The team rushed out in a flash––

The vista was broad and open; the mountains of varying heights were almost flattened after a day of quakes and shifts. The ferns and huge trees were still lush, but the densely packed dinosaurs had disappeared completely.

A roar from a new type of beast resounded from afar.

Death and rebirth, endless reincarnation.

After a long time, Ming Yao spoke emotionally, “The temperature has increased, the mountains sank down, and the basins are now connected. It’s really the Jurassic period now, and we’ll be meeting the other teams sooner or later––”

All of a sudden, the four of them took out the Evolution Point that had heated up slightly at the same time.

All the surviving contestants in this fourth elimination match of the Crosson Show received a prompt from the program team at this moment.

Wu Jin quickly opened up the screen on the Evolution Point. The exchange list was still there, but there was a column of ‘new’ icons floating to one side.

After clicking in, the team was presented with an interface filled with dense text: “Team composition: Peteinosaurus x1, Coelophysis x2, Plateosaurus x1, Homo sapiens x4.”

In the interface, the data from the different species were attached to a rough map, and the 4D projection of the team’s dinosaurs could also be pulled up.

For example, for the Pterosaur, there was a light-colored ‘Research & Development’ button beside the model, showing that the Evolution Points could now be used for ‘genetic evolution’. There were multiple evolution directions that could be selected, such as the membrane wings, brain, claws, teeth, body shape, and so on.

Wu Jin was stunned, and his breathing changed slightly.

Evolution Points could now be used for more than just arming contestants.

It could also be used to strengthen their dinosaurs.

When they pulled down to the end of the page, a small line of text appeared.

Peteinosaurus, population life cycles: 0 (current income &#k2013; 0 x 1 = 0 Evolution Points)

Coelophysis, population life cycles: 0 (current income &#k2013; 0 x 2 = 0 Evolution Points)

“The rules have changed!”

Wu Jin quickly opened up the interface and projected it into the space between them, “The Evolution Points can be used for genetic research and development for each species&#k2013;&#k2013;for example, Coelophysis that can run faster, Plateosaurus with larger bodies, or Pterosaurs with wider wingspans.”

“And the Evolution Points are no longer generated based on species diversity.” He pointed to the current income entries, “The Evolution Points are now related to the survival cycles of each population. As long as the population can survive, there will be corresponding Evolution Points as rewards.”

“Then, the rules of the game are now very simple––players invest in the evolution of the species, and successful species that survive will equate to Evolution Points. If the evolutionary direction is wrong, and the survival rate of the species is 0, then the players will lose everything they’ve invested.”

Ming Yao’s mouth dropped open, “Wait a minute, why is it related to their survival time? If the program group’s final goal is to have the contestants create dinosaurs with perfect genes, then won’t it be enough to just gather all the dinosaurs together and fight?”

Wu Jin picked up the little Pterosaur and spoke calmly, “For the sake of fairness.”

“It’s impossible for them to have a fight between all the creatures. Even small, herbivorous dinosaurs are part of the ecological chain. In natural selection, it’s survival of the fittest not survival of the strongest. The rules of the Jurassic game––are not to produce the strongest hunters, but to produce the best species for the environment.”

“If the Permian period was the war of extinction, and the Triassic period was the evolution of co-prosperity, then––the real law of the jungle begins with the start of the Jurassic period. From the Jurassic period to the Cretaceous period, the biggest characteristic of these eras is the high-paced, high-intensity, extreme evolution.”

“With the emergence of higher level plants, dense hydrological distribution, and the rapid evolution of species under these favorable living conditions, the more ancient and slow evolving species are more likely to be eliminated.”

“There is only one way to play the game if you want to earn Evolution Points.” Wu Jin took a deep breath, “Evolve the population and equip it with the tools or weapons for survival so that it can survive at all costs.”

To the side, Lin Ke clutched his head and looked dazed, “Brother Wu, Brother Wu, does that mean we can customize our dinosaurs––”

Ming Yao’s blood was boiling, “How about we first make the Tyrannosaurus Rex––who cares about its brain, body shape, or bite force... wait a minute, these are all related to different species’ evolutionary directions?”

Wu Jin nodded, “For each team, the dinosaurs are their combat power. Species differentiation––is the same as military differentiation.”

Ming Yao didn’t have time to reply when the roar of a beast came over from nearby.

The Pterosaur flapped its wings uneasily, scared and suspicious. The two Coelophysis roared back, unwilling, but there was a very big difference in their auras. Infrasound waves also travelled across the ground, and the ferns rustled and shifted. The earth trembled slightly from the vibrations of the roar.

Sora quickly analyzed, “A giant predator, weighing between two and three tons––”

Ming Yao’s pupils shrank, “No way, this is the early Jurassic period!”

Wu Jin narrowed his eyes at the constantly vibrating forest, a vague hunch in his mind, “Based on the vegetation, we’re at least in the middle or late period. If the program team is playing with extreme evolution, it’s not impossible for them to move the timeline to the late stage of the period directly.”

The two of them suddenly shut up as they thought of the same thing at almost the same time.

On the long prehistoric evolutionary map, most of the brutal predators had appeared in the late Cretaceous period, except for one––

Saurischia Theropods had appeared in the late Jurassic period. They had been at the top of the food chain and had remained invincible for 20 million years.

9 meters in length, weighing 1.5 to 3 tons...

Wu Jin picked up the Pterosaur and called out as though he was on fire, “Run!”

Behind him, a huge brown head with a pungent smell appeared. Wu Jin turned around in that instant, his amber pupils burning brilliantly. His blood boiled, and he couldn’t tell if it was in awe or with battle intent. The predator that stood three meters high behind him was like a piece of the most exquisite art––

This dinosaur hadn’t had the long Cretaceous evolutionary period to fine tune every inch of its bones and muscles, but it had still climbed up to the top of the food chain in the simplest and roughest way.

The Allosaurus ran at 30-50km/h and had social tendencies. They usually hunted using group ambushes.

The four of them didn’t hesitate to turn on all their running and propulsion equipment––the Allosaurus had a maximum speed of 50km/h, and the delicate and frail homo sapiens had no way to escape from its claws and teeth by virtue of their body strength alone.

Wu Jin ran at the front, and Ming Yao followed behind him with a Coelophysis in his arms, “Holy shit, Allosaurus! It’s an Allosaurus! Something that can even fight against a Tyrannosaurus Rex! It’ll eat a Plateosaurus today, and a Pterosaur tomorrow, and if it wants to taste something fresh, it can take two pieces of fern leaves and wrap up a Little Witch and swallow it down in two bites too, like wrapping lettuce around barbecue...”

Wu Jin barely managed to shout above the strong wind, “Can––you––use yourself as an example...”

Wu Jin suddenly turned his head, “Wait, Sora!”

Ming Yao also turned around. Sora was at the back of the team. The little Plateosaurus that Sora had raised up stuffed its face with food every day. Although it was still young, it was already nearly 1.2 meters tall. Sora put all his effort into dragging the Plateosaurus along, but he was still only one step away from being caught by the Allosaurus even with the help of boosters.

Sauropods, including Plateosauruses, were an Allosaurus’s favorite food.

At this time the little Plateosaurus was like a piece of very delicious lunchtime meat––

Wu Jin looked at it steadily a few times, then didn’t hesitate to take out the tranquilizer gun. He pulled out the drug and loaded the syringe.

Ming Yao was shocked, “You–you–you...”

Wu Jin quickly prepared for battle, “Go help Sora protect the lunchtime meat.”

Ming Yao was dazed, “You really want to fight the Allosaurus?? It’s not that I want to say it, but our Plateosaurus isn’t easy to bring along. It’s overweight! How about...we just toss it away. I calculated it, the Coelophysis and Tyrannosaurus Rex are both Theropods. With the two little Coels, we won’t have to worry about getting a Tyrannosaurus Rex––”

Wu Jin interrupted him. “It’s not the same. We only have this one herbivorous dinosaur.”

Ming Yao’s voice paused. Half a beat later, he also pulled out his gun and yelled, “You’re going alone? How will you fight by yourself––”

Ming Yao’s mouth suddenly dropped wide open.

Wu Jin pulled open the zipper of his combat suit jacket, exposing his beautiful neck, shoulder blades, and collar bones with the loosened collar.

Ming Yao murmured, “Why are there red patches? It seems that it was done some time ago, who did it...”

Wu Jin turned around with a swish, his small curls flying up for no reason. But then, Ming Yao’s gaze was soon drawn upwards, and his attention was diverted.

With a wingspan of only 60cm, the little Pterosaur stepped on Wu Jin’s shoulder like a young, domesticated eagle.

However, this scene was more vicious than that of a trained eagle––the lines of the Pterosaur’s body were simple and sharp, from the bulging eyes to the webbing between the claw bones that glinted with a cold, reptilian light. It was clearly a beast that was one of the most difficult for humans to get close to, but its claws lay obediently on Wu Jin’s coat, its wings fluttering for balance.

Wu Jin stroked the Pterosaur’s thin wings and whispered, “––Go.”

He was the only assault position in the team.

The little Pterosaur seemed to take off.

The Pterosaur’s brain capacity wasn’t big enough for it to take in more complex information, but it had been domesticated and trained by Wu Jin for several days. Once conditioned reflexes were formed, it could provide the greatest assistance to the youth.

The propulsion device on the soles of his feet turned on again. This time, Wu Jin turned around and aimed unhesitatingly at the Allosaurus’s head.

His loosened coat flapped in the wind, and the Pterosaur flapped its wings and followed. The hot wind of the Jurassic period roared in his ears, and the defiant Allosaurus roared at the low frequency range. Wu Jin narrowed his eyes. He could almost see the perfectly evolved jaw and the smelly, sharp teeth contained within. The top and bottom jaws were opened up, and once they bit down on their prey, the Allosaurus could open up its jaws again in a few seconds and swallow down the food stuck in the teeth.

Just then––

Lin Ke’s shrill scream came from behind, and Ming Yao burst out with a curse. The Allosaurus’s eyes had locked in on Wu Jin, who was less than 4 meters away from it amidst the dense forest. The dark combat suit was like a distinct target, and it opened up its bloody mouth––

Wu Jin dodged behind a giant tree!

The Pterosaur’s claws on his shoulders almost pierced through the combat suit at the same time, but didn’t puncture Wu Jin’s shoulder and arm. In the space of that instant, he stripped out of the jacket and tossed it into the air––

Just like how it had been trained countless times, the Pterosaur flew out carrying the combat jacket.

Across the entire Mesozoic era––even the most intelligent species or the ones most likely to evolve into the intelligent Troodon, had brains that were far from sufficient to pierce through this kind of diversion trick, let alone this Allosaurus whose skull was stuffed with muscles.

The Allosaurus roared reflexively at the combat jacket suspended in the air, and completely ignored Wu Jin, who was behind the tree.

Wu Jin lay there quietly behind the tree as he adjusted the dosage of the tranquilizer gun to the maximum. The higher the Pterosaur flew, the more frustrated the Allosaurus became. It stood up on its hind legs, revealing the belly that had no bony armour as protection, and the thin hide there––

The anaesthetic dart left the chamber!

Wu Jin glanced at the Evolution Points and accelerated away with the booster equipment beneath the soles of his feet. Behind him, branches and leaves broke as the giant beast roared in pain. The Pterosaur holding the combat suit continued to fly up high...

Until the Allosaurus toppled to the ground.

The first thing the anesthetic affected was the back half of its body. For an Allosaurus that was a behemoth over 9 meters long, it had to rely on its long tail in order to balance its heavy weight. Even if the anesthetic only applied to a certain party of its body, it already made it very difficult for it to move.

After that, Ming Yao quickly hollered from a distance, “Up the mountain!”

The four members of the team led their respective ‘families’ and took advantage of the time they had while the rest of the Allosaurus pack hadn’t caught up to stuff the Plateosaurus into a cave about the height of a human person. They finally let out a sigh of relief.

Ming Yao propped himself on his knees and panted. A while later, he lifted up his head and gazed at Wu Jin in admiration.

Wu Jin gestured towards the Evolution Point in his hand, “Just now, when I drugged the Allosaurus, I saw that the team members didn’t increase. Dinosaurs captured with anesthesia aren’t counted as species belonging to the team.”

Ming Yao nodded and wasn’t surprised. “It seems that the only way to clear this is through evolution, not capture.”

Outside the cave, another group of Allosauruses ran by.

Sora made an estimate, “Organized, social, 45km/h. Those who are faster than it are unable to beat it in a fight, and those who are smarter than it can’t run from it––in this area, there are no other species that can be considered the Allosaurus’s opponent.”

The survival show contestants had ways to escape, but other than that, the survival of any population would be indefinitely affected by the predatory Allosaurus.

Ming Yao cleared his throat, “We have 421 Evolution Points now. The Allosaurus aren’t invincible. Let’s play a big hand. Isn’t it just about smashing down Evolution Points? Let’s create a predator with a stronger bite, longer body size, and larger brain capacity––”

Wu Jin, Lin Ke, and Sora’s eyes all brightened instantly.

Ming Yao laughed slyly, “Tyrannosaurus Rex! Let’s get ‘em!”

xiin: i love the way they refer to their dinosaurs as different types of snacks... luncheon meat, yum.