Chapter 626

Chapter 626: Weak as They Are, They Still Have Their Uses

The tiger abandoned its sharp claws and fangs to wrestle with the wild boars; the eagle gave up flying and diving to peck at the hens.

Trilobite could only describe this behavior with four words—looking for trouble.

But one thing was clear.

When the eagle went to the ground to peck at the big rooster…

It depended on the type and the location; sometimes, certain eagles might not beat a rooster.

After all, many eagles did not have a weight edge against roosters of the same size; plus, the roosters ate well daily and had more energy.

In a fight, for size or combat skills, a rooster that wasn’t just a "ground chicken" could be stronger than an eagle of the same size.

So, reports often said eagles that flew into henhouses got beaten badly by roosters, leaving them struggling and embarrassed.

But when the tiger played sumo with the wild boar…

Here’s the thing: if the tiger wasn’t young, in most cases, even wrestling with the wild boar, the tiger would win.

Wild boars usually weighed from 90 to 200 kilograms; except for a few types mixed with domestic pigs, most were just over one hundred kilograms.

That was about half a tiger’s weight.

For strength and size, wild boars were often weaker than tigers.

Still, some wild boar types grew over 200 kilograms, like the Ussuri wild boar; individuals over 300 kilograms were common in reports.

Of course, the local Siberian tiger wasn’t dumb enough to fight without claws and fangs, just wrestling…

What Trilobite saw was like a Siberian tiger against a normal wild boar—"She was weak and didn’t use her sharp teeth and claws, but she could still move freely because her body was too strong!"

That was sure.

Even though for hunting skills, the "Glorious Feathered King Dragon," who charged blindly, was called the "shame of Feathered King Dragons" and even the "shame of the Tyrannosaurus rex group"; at least, she was a giant dragon eight meters long, weighing over a ton!

Trilobite’s upgrades were careful and full; she had all the parts a Tyrannosaurus rex group should have!

The air sac breathing system gave high "breathing efficiency," steady warmth brought a big metabolic rate and life, two-leg walking mixed speed and power, strong bones made her unbreakable, her long stiff tail kept balance, and her muscled body gave endless strength!

Attack power, burst force, speed, power, defense, endurance—all attributes were nearly topped out!

No doubt, she was another hexagonal warrior.

"Roar—!"

"Ah—!"

The beasts howled and shifted their setup, pulling back the sides of the half-circle, closing in around the Feathered King Dragon.

They kept ramming with their huge bodies, trying to pin her down.

But…

"Roar—!"

The Feathered King Dragon roared in pain but didn’t fall; instead, she stood firm.

She seemed swamped, fighting hard and ignoring what was behind, but didn’t back off; she kept slamming left and right, quickly knocking over several "beast big guys."

Luckily, her friends worked well together and helped fast; otherwise, the attackers would have lost some.

The battle continued, and even though the opponent didn’t use the key weapon of the Tyrannosaurus rex group, they still managed to exchange blows.

Trilobite couldn’t help but exclaim…

"Oh my goodness…"

"This matchmaking system was truly excellent."

"One side was weak but had good hardware; the other fought well but had poor equipment."

"After all, they were just omnivorous archosaurs Blade-head Creatures from the Permian period; even when compared to the top predators of the early Cretaceous period, they couldn’t measure up."

As a paleo creature expert, Trilobite immediately recognized the "Permian Beast Ancestor" before him; they were Blade-head Creatures, though slightly weaker.

Blade-head Creatures lived during the Capitanian stage of the Permian period and belonged to the Therapsida and Anomodontia groups.

This creature…

Honestly, was quite easy to identify.

They had distinctive heads featuring longer beaks, slightly prominent fangs, thicker jaws, and raised foreheads – all suggesting they were likely omnivores occupying an ecological niche similar to modern wild boars.

But their most unique feature was the multiple protrusions on their heads. These extended backward, forming oddly shaped bony plates beneath the skull and jaw that resembled "blade heads."

That’s how Blade-head Creatures got their name.

As for what these blade-like bony protrusions were used for…

Nobody knew.

When seeing strange features with unknown purposes, it’s easiest to say they were used for courting.

Blade-head Creatures possessed sharp fangs but likely weren’t true predators. Rather, they represented "false predators" escaping competition by shifting toward vegetarianism.

Contrary to common belief, evolution often progresses from carnivorous to omnivorous to herbivorous lifestyles. The transformation of fierce beasts like giant pandas into gentle creatures wasn’t exceptional.

Actually, carnivorous groups commonly experimented with vegetarian diets to avoid competition.

Many modern herbivores occasionally eat meat – remnants of their ancestors’ habits.

Similar cases exist even today:

The maned wolf, South America’s largest canine, eats nearly half plant matter. Stranger still, they could become ill without vegetarian options.

Canines surviving on plant-based foods (dogs eating buns, wolves eating blueberries) shows their vegetarian adaptability isn’t surprising.

But some unlikely herbivores truly defy expectations!

Consider the broad-snouted caiman – close relative of the "evil king" Purus crocodile. This largest Caiman crocodile member (growing to 3.5 meters) possesses a wide snout and thick skull.

Yet this crocodile actually ate plants.

Not occasionally either.

Research showed plants made up over thirty percent of the broad-snouted caiman’s diet…

Making it a true omnivore.

Additionally, broad-snouted caimans significantly aided seed dispersal for many plants.

Years later, they might fully transition into herbivorous crocodiles.

Blade-head Creatures followed this pattern – Anomodontia group members gradually shifting from carnivorous to herbivorous diets. They were becoming vegetarian, but hadn’t fully committed yet.

These creatures weren’t particularly large by Earth’s historical standards, measuring about 2.5 meters in length—comparable to wild boars.

Yet their size paled in comparison to the plant-specialized *Tapirus*, another member of the Anomodontia.

Here, however, they reached a length of "4 meters"!

As for weight…

Trilobite estimated around "700 kilograms," truly substantial.

Sadly, their adaptations were primitive, their bodies lacking agility. They were far from possessing later mammaliaform refinements like "membranes" and "anucleate red blood cells"—details enabling competition with archosaurs.

This meant the *Blade-head Creatures*, though larger than wild boars and rivaling mountain cattle, lacked a wild boar’s raw power!

"And your opponent, the *Glorious Feathered King Dragon*?"

"He wasn’t some bully preying only on smaller creatures!"

"His prey included…"

"*Northeast Dragons* and *Liaoning Dragons*!"

Both the *Liaoning Dragon* and *Northeast Dragon* were large Sauropod Dinosaurs found in the Jehol Biota. The *Northeast Dragon* could exceed 15 meters, while the *Liaoning Dragon* reached a staggering 20 meters!

Though not the largest among sauropods, they dwarfed all archosaurs, including the Tian Shan giant rhinoceros, weighing up to 20 tons!

Even such giants often ended up as the *Glorious Feathered King Dragon*’s meal.

Could a mere dozen "satellite *Blade-head Creatures*," each weighing "700 kilograms," even equal the mass of one *Liaoning Dragon*?

The *Feathered King Dragon* might have his weaknesses, but his superior gear made him untouchable by these "Permian wild boars."

Worse, while the herd had a formation, it wasn’t the musk ox’s protective "circular formation" against wolves. It was merely a "semi-circle formation" for deterring single predators.

It offered no full protection for the *Blade-head Creatures*.

Their flanks and rear were completely exposed.

"Hunting isn’t a warrior’s duel."

"You strike the prey’s weak points, using whatever underhanded tactics work."

"Boom… Boom… Boom…"

Trilobite had already burst from his "bush" cover. His forelimbs raised high, powerful hind legs hammering the ground!

"Pools" and "pebbles" beneath him leapt in fright, the vibrations echoing far.

Honestly, Trilobite’s attack timing wasn’t ideal.

Too rushed.

He’d lurked too far from the prey. Instead of creeping closer for a sudden charge, he’d sprinted flat-out from the start!

The racket he made was immense.

Normally, prey would have spotted him instantly—either forming a defensive line or scattering.

But now, the *Glorious Feathered King Dragon*’s mindless frontal charge, clumsy as it was, perfectly drew all attention away from Trilobite.

Every *Blade-head Creature* focused solely on the *Glorious Feathered King Dragon*.

Trilobite’s thunderous "boom boom boom" charge from behind elicited no reaction.

By the time they noticed…

"ROAR—!"

Too late!

The cunning *saber-toothed Xuanhan Dragon* even had time to loop around, striking the herd’s exposed rear, not the flank.

"GRRROWL—!"

"Pshhh—!"

His *Big Mouth* clamped viciously onto a *Blade-head Creature*’s neck. A powerful twist and heave yanked the creature clear of the herd!

"THUD—!"

The *Blade-head Creature* slammed onto the ground.

Fixated on the front, it lay stunned.

It didn’t comprehend the sudden pain or how it hit the earth!

Understanding wasn’t necessary now.

Because…

"Pshhh—!"

The sharp, sturdy *saber teeth* had already punched through its throat.

"Urk… gurgle…"

The *Blade-head Creature* tried to scream, but no sound came.

"THUD—!"

Its massive head struck the ground, eyes dimming.

"Good!"

"Next!"