Chapter 280

Chapter 280: A Change of Species!

"Let me see."

"This customer appears to be inquiring about the evolution of Birds…"

"Well, this world truly is strange."

Trilobite no longer simply believed this world was merely one where creatures existed.

Previously, a customer had used Chaos Energy to consult him, evolving from Sharovisaurus to "Gliding Dragon," then into the "Giant Kunpeng Pterosaur."

Ultimately, he even appeared before Trilobite.

"How peculiar…"

"But…"

Remembering his System and the customer service young ladies, Trilobite relaxed.

"Since I have a System and customer service young ladies who genuinely send me gifts, and I can send them things too…"

"So Sharovisaurus changing its fate through consultations to become a ‘Kunpeng Pterosaur’ isn’t surprising."

"Customers streaming in constantly? Makes perfect sense!"

"Right!"

As a cross-world traveler, Trilobite understood this world was far more complex than it seemed—not just some jumbled Paleozoic and half-finished Mesozoic era.

It was a stranger, more intricate world.

When this realization struck, a low voice echoed in Trilobite’s mind.

"You…"

The voice seemed illusory, like his own inner questioning.

"…don’t wish to know this world’s truth?"

"No!"

His refusal was absolute.

His reasoning stood firm:

"This world is undeniably built from ancient creatures."

"Oddities aside, that foundation won’t change."

"I’m a professional paleontologist—this much is clear."

"Besides, does my current understanding hinder my survival?"

The answer was simple…

Not at all.

Instead, Trilobite lived like a fish in water, enjoying countless delicacies.

"If I grasp the essentials and thrive comfortably, why chase some ‘truth’?"

"Hmm…"

“I didn’t want to think about all those things anymore.”

“I should first meet the needs of the customer.”

“Mm…”

In Trilobite’s mind, a slender creature appeared, walking on two legs, with a long tail, long legs, and a neck that curved like a swan.

Its head was quite elongated, with a narrow mouth full of sharp teeth.

On its elegant and slender body, green feathers grew.

But based on Trilobite’s observations, these feathers weren’t true flight feathers with shafts; most were primitive, downy filaments, which might have helped regulate body temperature and protect against harsh winters.

As a paleontologist, how could Trilobite not have recognized such a famous paleo creature?

“A dinosaur!”

“And it was a dinosaur that had appeared in a BBC documentary.”

“This must have been… a Dilophosaurus!?”

“Except the Dilophosaurus in the BBC documentary didn’t have feathers.”

Dilophosaurus was a medium-sized dinosaur that lived during the late Triassic period, with a length of about 3 meters; the dinosaurs in the Dilophosauridae superfamily included larger ones measuring five to six meters long.

The well-known Dilophosaurus and Cryolophosaurus belonged to this superfamily.

The skeletons of the Dilophosauridae already had hollow cavities, and they had air sacs inside their bodies; this structure was passed down and can still be seen in birds today.

In the BBC documentary, these agile and slender creatures acted like bullies, running in packs everywhere.

They fished in rivers, followed the heavy Postosuchus, and ate its leftover food.

Later, they cornered a family of fanged beasts that were nesting and raising their young, making them kill and eat their own offspring to escape in panic.

In the worst drought, these fellows even turned to cannibalism.

They were truly a bunch of cold-hearted ruffians.

But the BBC documentary was wrong about one thing—these creatures didn’t eat each other.

Scientists once found some scattered small animal fossils in a Dilophosaurus’s belly, and paleontologists thought those were bones from a young Dilophosaurus.

So, Dilophosaurus got a reputation for killing and eating its own kind.

The documentary followed that idea.

Recently, paleontologists looked again at those bones and found they were just lizard remains, not from a young Dilophosaurus.

At the end of the documentary, the drought finally broke, and rain poured down; the Postosuchus died from fighting and drought, becoming food for the Dilophosaurus.

When these “little ruffians” entered a waterfall area, a group of huge original Sauropod Dinosaurs—Plateosaurus—came toward them and scared them all off.

Then, the voiceover said—welcome to the Dinosaur Era.

Even though the BBC documentary stretched the truth a lot, that part wasn’t too far off.

The giant descendants of Dilophosaurus ruled from the late Triassic to the early Jurassic periods.

Even the dinosaur named after Godzilla—“Godzillasaurus”—was part of the Dilophosauridae superfamily.

They were the start of the Dinosaur Era and its brilliant first chapter!

Whether it was the rulers of the Allosaurus superfamily, Baryonyx group, Carcharodontosaurus family, and Tyrannosaurus rex group that created dinosaur dynasties in later ages, or the birds carrying dinosaurs’ hopes into the sky, they all originated from Dilophosaurus’s sister lineage.

They were the ancestors of dinosaurs, worthy of being called "the ancestral dragon."

"So, the customer’s request…"

"Ah? Not to Grow Bigger? But wants to fly?"

"These days, many creatures dream of reaching the skies."

"Then let’s begin with the first chapter!"

"First, enhance the air sacs and increase bone hollowness. The ‘software’ needs adjustments too—flight control demands complex processing impossible without advanced brains."

Though no evidence proves dinosaurs’ exact intelligence, they probably weren’t fools.

Likely smarter than lizards, perhaps rivaling many mammals.

After all, flight requires sophisticated brains. Just as pterosaurs developed complex minds before flying, birds likely possessed intelligence while still dinosaurs.

This cognitive development wasn’t unique to dinosaurs or pterosaurs—it’s a hereditary trait of bird-neck true dragons.

…

Good enough for now!

Trilobite examined the barely changed "Dilophosaurus · Modification" and nodded, satisfied.

"Ah, almost forgot."

"While I’m still awake, let’s upgrade to grow larger!"

Just as Trilobite initiated the size upgrade…

【Shape upgrade complete. Size enhancement integrated—no hibernation required.】

【Host may now emerge!】

"Excellent!"

"Phew…"

Trilobite slowly crawled from the "muddy swamp" and continued westward.

"My current form should be…"

"Hey! I’m actually that documentary’s star—Postosuchus!"

Postosuchus belongs to Loricatosauria and Poposauridae.

Maximum Length: six meters. Weight: one ton!

This creature resembled a quadrupedal Tyrannosaurus more than a crocodile!

Its thick skull hinted at terrifying bite force!

Nearly fully upright, it moved slower than runners but outperformed crawling air sac crocodiles.

Of course, Trilobite hadn’t reached six meters yet.

At 5.3 meters and 500 kg, he could overpower any contemporary predator and challenge an average polar bear—yet remained undersized among Postosuchus.

But Trilobite was no ordinary specimen.

His hearing and smell were exceptionally sharp.

From afar, he caught…

"Swoosh… swoosh… swoosh…"

"Ocean waves washing ashore."

Trilobite lifted his snout, sampling the air.

"Sniff… sniff…"

"A faint saltiness and briny tang…"

"The coast is near!"

Beaches meant excitement.

Ladies in swimsuits!

Though this paleo-world contained none—except in Trilobite’s mind—the shore offered seafood!

"Forward!"

"Time for Tidal Flats!"

"Thud… thud… thud…"