The Mysterious
Just as the Small Dinosaur were launching their attack, one unlucky creature stepped into a trap. Although the trap was quite crude and only about thirty centimeters deep, it still sent the running Small Dinosaur flying. It was unfortunate, landing right in front of the line of Fat-Tail Rat.
So, before it could even get up, it was pierced through by seven or eight spears.
When the Small Dinosaur attacked the rats again a few days later, the area around the rats was already filled with these simple traps. The battle resulted in heavy losses for the Small Dinosaur, with 13 dying, while only 7 Fat-Tail Rat died.
After the battle, the number of Small Dinosaur had dropped below one hundred, to only double digits. If both sides continued to exchange casualties at this rate, it was only a matter of time before the entire Small Dinosaur group was wiped out.
But just then, while the Small Dinosaur was quietly licking its wounds, it encountered a group of more than fifty of its wild counterparts. Taking advantage of their numbers and superior intelligence, they successfully recruited this group, and the number of Small Dinosaur returned to three digits, reaching more than 150.
There's no such thing as a coincidence in the world; these fifty-odd Small Dinosaur were sent by Rowan.
Although these two groups escaped the experimental site during the chaos and did disappear from Rowan's sight for a while, they returned to his view once Rowan settled himself and began to take charge again.
Since there was basically nothing to do underground, Rowan spent most of his time observing the battles between the two teams.
Through observation, he discovered that under this constantly tense environment, the intelligence levels of both experimental subjects, especially the Fat-Tail Rat, experienced an explosive increase.
Rowan could understand this situation. In the early stages of the experiment, Fat-Tail Rat original version used had a larger brain than that of the Small Dinosaur.
If the brain size of both mice increases by 10% in each breeding cycle, then under the same number of experimental cycles, the brain size of the Fat-Tail Rat would be far greater than that of the Small Dinosaur. Furthermore, the Fat-Tail Rat's growth cycle is actually faster than that of the Small Dinosaur, meaning that the number of experimental cycles for the Fat-Tail Rat would need to be several more than for the Small Dinosaur.
However, a brain is only the foundation. The life-or-death crisis of these days has become the key to activating this brain. Their intelligence has increased rapidly. Later, the Fat-Tail Rat even learned to make traps, and after discovering the function of the traps, they quickly put them into use.
This gave Rowan a huge surprise. Wasn't all that effort he put into building the experimental field precisely for this?
Therefore, at this time, how could the Small Dinosaur be short-handed? Only with a sufficient number of Small Dinosaur could they put continuous pressure on the Fat-Tail Rat. However, they couldn't go too far. If there were too many Small Dinosaur, they would directly crush the Fat-Tail Rat and wipe them out, which was not what Rowan wanted to see.
So, after some calculations, more than fifty "wild" Small Dinosaur appeared in front of the group of experimental subjects.
Along the way, the Small Dinosaur would raid the Fat-Tail Rat group every few days. The test subjects felt that the newly added "wild" species was indeed not as smart as the trained ones; they charged forward without hesitation and would even risk their lives to save each other at crucial moments.
Before they had even fought a few battles, the newly joined team members were almost all killed or wounded. On the contrary, none of the experimental subjects were lost.
But just then, they miraculously encountered a group of "wild" kin and easily absorbed them.
The Fat-Tail Rat encountered a similar "miraculous" event; during their escape, they also acquired some of their own kind. These rats fought with fearless ferocity. Since their arrival, the experimental subjects have not died again.
However, the tense atmosphere persisted. Neither side knew what an actor was, especially one who acted with their life on the line.
And so, the two sides persevered, fleeing for over a thousand kilometers, which is nothing short of a "miracle."
By this time, the environment had begun to change from hot to cold. So, the Fat-Tail Rat stopped running and found a well-defended valley where they began to dig burrows.
While digging their burrows, they also dug many traps outside the valley. The Small Dinosaur that followed, seeing this, exchanged a few words among their more astute leaders. In the end, they neither recklessly charged into the traps nor ran away.
Food is becoming increasingly scarce, and leaving here means uncertainty. It's better to find a place to settle down nearby, even though the Fat-Tail Rat are not to be trifled with, at least there's something to look forward to.
Of course, these opinions mainly came from a rather clever "wild species".
But for the Small Dinosaur who weren't good at digging, finding a suitable place to settle down wasn't an easy task. But then, they "magically" discovered a cave that was just the right size and location.
The cave wasn't large, but once inside, passing through several narrow openings, one gradually descended deeper underground. Below lay a completely different world, with many larger caverns. Furthermore, they discovered two additional exits. These entrances were small and well-hidden, making them easy to defend and seal off, and also very well-insulated.
Both sides found their own place to settle down through their own means. Once life became more stable, their reproductive instincts began to emerge. Soon, some of the Fat-Tail Rat and Small Dinosaur became pregnant.
With the addition of the next generation to both sides, a long war began.
The Small Dinosaur would raid the Fat-Tail Rat's base every few days, but due to the terrain, they would only get a few bites. However, whenever they were about to give up, they would "find" some food.
The Fat-Tail Rat searched underground for plant roots and insect larvae, but as time went on, their harvest dwindled. Even the leaves and branches that had sheltered their traps at the valley entrance had been eaten, leaving them in dire straits. But then, under the tutelage of a "wild" member of their species, they miraculously learned how to cultivate.
Through continuous experimentation, they discovered a photophobic crop. With the help of this crop, they were able to barely survive.
As the weather grows colder, the new generation of Fat-Tail Rat and Small Dinosaur become even more intelligent. However, they can only learn about the sun from their elders and imagine what it looks like.
The social development that gradually emerged in both groups of experimental subjects necessitated a more efficient and rapid means of communication. Consequently, some intelligent individuals, based on the texts taught by Rowan, gradually developed their own language.
Of course, the Fat-Tail Rat are progressing much faster than the Small Dinosaur.
After learning to farm, the Fat-Tail Rat was able to support itself. But the Small Dinosaur, without "magical" help, would probably have been wiped out long ago.
Rowan had already made his choice, but the Small Dinosaur still had value. Fat-Tail Rat needed constant pressure to evolve and develop rapidly, so the Small Dinosaur would continue to receive "magical" help.