Escaping Test Subjects
After a period of sustained high temperatures, the outside environment became increasingly colder, quickly dropping below zero. The darkness and low temperatures caused a large number of plants to wither and die.
Some large herbivores, such as Triceratops, need to consume hundreds of kilograms of plants every day to sustain their massive bodies. Soon after the plants wither, they begin to die from starvation.
Their carcasses became the final feast for carnivorous dinosaurs after their deaths.
Following the large herbivores, smaller herbivores followed suit, dying one after another from hunger and cold. The carnivorous dinosaurs, after their feast, also lost their food source and went extinct.
On the contrary, the small omnivorous mammals survived by feeding on carcasses, plant roots and insect larvae hidden in the soil.
Down underground, Rowan observes the outside world daily through the eyes of surviving insects from all over the globe. His main focus is on the escaped test subjects.
Because the test site was close to the core impact point, the environment there was extremely harsh. Although the Small Dinosaur had sharp teeth and mouths, and could communicate and use tools, they couldn't dig burrows.
Even if some of the more intelligent individuals try to dig holes with sticks or stones, the structure of their claws makes these operations extremely inefficient.
The harsh environment prevented them from staying in one place for long. During their constant escape, they also found some caves or other animals' dens to take temporary shelter.
Subsequently, after the plants died one by one, they tasted some large herbivorous dinosaurs, creatures that were far beyond their previous hunting capabilities.
This inflated their egos, because the top predators had already been wiped out by the Swarm. They were now the strongest predators on Earth.
However, this mindset did not last long. Soon, they lost their food source, and with their limited diet, they faced the danger of total annihilation.
The situation for the Fat-Tail Rat was largely similar to that of the Small Dinosaur. Although they were slightly weaker in combat, they were excellent diggers. Instead of raiding other animals' nests, they survived the initial natural disasters by digging their own burrows.
During their subsequent escape, they ate meat and vegetables as they could. Although the journey was arduous, they could occasionally find some dinosaur carcasses, and overall they lived a pretty good life.
Afterward, carnivorous diets gradually disappeared, but they were able to barely survive thanks to their omnivorous diet and the reserves stored in their Tail Fat Organ.
Until they encountered the Small Dinosaur who were already in dire straits.
The Small Dinosaur, disregarding the fact that they had all been test subjects in the same experimental field and had seen each other frequently, attacked the Fat-Tail Rat directly, their eyes bloodshot and heads spinning from hunger.
In the early stages of their escape, the Small Dinosaur suffered heavy losses because they lacked the ability to dig burrows at any time. Now, their numbers are around a hundred or so.
On the other hand, the Fat-Tail Rat, because they reproduced more rapidly, outnumbered the Small Dinosaur even in the experimental field. They didn't suffer too many losses during their escape, and there were still more than three hundred of them at that time.
Logically speaking, although the Fat-Tail Rat were numerous, their weapon systems were inadequate, and they certainly wouldn't have been a match for the Small Dinosaur. Coupled with the predator-prey instincts deeply ingrained in their genes, they should have turned tail and run.
But now the Small Dinosaur are nearly exhausted, while the Fat-Tail Rat still have some strength left, and they can even use weapons. Moreover, through Rowan's continuous experiments and education, they have also awakened some intelligence and can understand some things.
Instead of running away, the Fat-Tail Rat, led by several exceptionally strong members of their kind, charged towards the Small Dinosaur.
For various reasons, the battle between prey and hunter was surprisingly evenly matched for a time.
The Small Dinosaur were generally superior in combat; they were faster and highly skilled in small-scale coordinated attacks. They successively killed more than ten Fat-Tail Rat. However, the Small Dinosaur did not come away unscathed. Although the Fat-Tail Rat were caught off guard and not all of them were armed, they still managed to gang up on and kill four Small Dinosaur.
The battle wasn't about annihilating the other; the Small Dinosaur were after food. After obtaining some carcasses of Fat-Tail Rat, the lead Small Dinosaur let out a few roars and, using its speed advantage, the Small Dinosaur quickly fled the battlefield with their spoils.
The Fat-Tail Rat, on the other hand, were merely responding passively and naturally wouldn't blindly pursue the enemy.
And so, the battle abruptly ended after lasting just over twenty minutes.
However, although this skirmish has ended, the real war between the two sides has only just begun.
The Small Dinosaur had also received training at Rowan's experimental field, and after a hearty meal, their intelligence returned. So, they began to follow the trail of the Fat-Tail Rat, following various clues.
Hundreds of Fat-Tail Rat were no match for the Small Dinosaur, and they were too slow to hide their tracks, so they were helpless against the pursuers at the back of the procession.
The intelligent Small Dinosaur learned from its previous mistakes and no longer engaged in large-scale conflicts with the Fat-Tail Rat. Instead, it used its speed advantage to ambush the Fat-Tail Rat's group.
After losing several members, the Fat-Tail Rat began to band together and no longer acted alone. They also began crafting weapons while traveling.
A few days later, each of the Fat-Tail Rat had a sharpened spear. They could even stand on their own two feet while leaning on the spears, looking quite formidable. Moreover, the Fat-Tail Rat hadn't scattered during these days, and the Small Dinosaur that had been following them hadn't found any opportunity to attack, having been starved for so many days for nothing.
The Fat-Tail Rat haven't had a good time these past few days either. Although they have energy stored in their Tail Fat Organ, their constant huddling together has resulted in very little food intake.
Unable to endure hunger any longer, the Small Dinosaur charged the Fat-Tail Rat army once more. But this time, the Fat-Tail Rat were well-equipped, and the Small Dinosaur didn't gain much of an advantage; the losses on both sides were roughly equal.
Nine Fat-Tail Rat were lost in the battle, and eight Small Dinosaur also perished. In the end, the Small Dinosaur carried away the Fat-Tail Rat and the corpses of five of their own kind, and the battle ended.
With food available, the Small Dinosaur would not attack the mouse colony for a while, and the Fat-Tail Rat took advantage of this lull to collect some food to replenish its energy.
A few days later, the battle broke out again, resulting in the loss of 10 Fat-Tail Rat and 7 Small Dinosaur.
A few days later, the Small Dinosaur launched another attack, resulting in the loss of 9 Fat-Tail Rat and the death of 11 Small Dinosaur.
This is the first time that the Small Dinosaur have suffered more battle losses than the Fat-Tail Rat. Besides the decrease in the number of Small Dinosaur, another reason is that the Fat-Tail Rat have actually learned the skill of traps.
For some unknown reason, a Fat-Tail Rat would dig several holes around the group whenever Fat-Tail Rat rested, and then make some simple coverings on top of them.