Chapter 487

Chapter 487: The Ankylosaurus Encounters the Tyrannosaurus rex

“I needed to back away a bit so I wouldn’t be spotted.”

Trilobite slowly retreated from the “coast,” avoiding being noticed by the creatures swimming in the sea.

In fact, it was hard for aquatic animals to see land from underwater, since it was like looking up from a low spot, and their view could be blocked by the shore.

Of course, if Trilobite stood at the coast and cast a shadow on the sea, he would likely be discovered.

“Hmm, this spot would do.”

Trilobite crouched down, swaying his tail lightly like a cat ready to pounce; his Double Eyes fixed on the rising waves on the sea surface.

The first creature to approach was a “noodle.”

Trilobite found it hard to judge.

Once in water, land creatures usually took a “noodle-like” shape, which was the standard way.

Whether it was the famous Canglong, ichthyosaurs, or whales that seemed unrelated (like the Dragon King whale), they either once looked like noodles or were noodles themselves.

Since they were all noodles, the only difference was thickness, making it tough to tell.

“I needed to wait a bit and get closer.”

“But the creature behind that noodle was something I could identify.”

The reason for saying “basically the standard route” was that some creatures didn’t follow the noodle shape when they entered the water.

For example, the pan-testudines.

Among the pan-testudines, the more famous ones were sea turtles, like the ichthyosaurs that still exist today.

Then there were the renowned ichthyosaurs.

These creatures had large body cavities and used paddle-shaped limbs for moving.

Their basic forms were either big-headed without shells or long-necked without shells; otherwise, they might be shelled long-tailed turtles.

The creature in front belonged to the “shelled long-tailed false turtle.”

“Hmm, that should be the shield-tooth dragon.”

“Though I couldn’t exactly call it shelled.”

“The dense bony bumps under the skin couldn’t truly be called a shell.”

“To be precise, it would be a long-tailed false turtle with scale armor.”

The shield-tooth dragon was a sea reptile that lived in the late Triassic, grouped under the ichthyosaurs.

It was a distant cousin of the plesiosaur superfamily.

However, unlike the plesiosaurs that chased fast fish or giant squid, the shield-tooth dragon picked another way to survive long ago—chewing on shells by the coast.

So, these creatures changed their sharp teeth into dull, wide shapes, making them good for cracking open shellfish; some even made their teeth round for better breaking.

The name shield-tooth dragon came from this change.

Naturally, choosing to eat shells meant they weren’t very fierce.

If they weren’t fierce, they might be eaten by fiercer creatures.

In the Triassic period, the Fierce Dragon and the plesiosaur hadn’t yet risen to power, and various ichthyosaurs dominated the ocean.

These creatures rampaged through the distant sea, while predators like Ichthyosaur also prowled coastal areas.

Though humorously dubbed creatures that only circled small animals "like Qin king around pillars" in shallows, true shield-tooth dragons measured merely two or three meters long.

Compared to Ichthyosaurs, they were indeed "small animals."

To avoid predation, shield-tooth dragons developed armor.

Some grew turtle-like shells, becoming counterfeit turtles; others developed grainy bony deposits on their backs, with this "tumor armor" thickening over time.

They were practically marine ankylosaurs.

Unlike other ichthyosaurs, their limbs were stubby—barely aiding swimming—while their long tails provided primary thrust.

This survival tactic—growing armor, avoiding ocean predators, and eating mollusks to evade competition—let shield-tooth dragons thrive briefly.

Yet they perished in the late Triassic to early Jurassic Mass Extinction, joining squid-loving ichthyosaurs before the Great Old Ones.

“Hmm…”

“But this shield-tooth dragon before me isn’t typical.”

“Its usual two-to-three-meter Length ballooned past four meters.”

“Even bulk-exaggerating BBC documentaries pale beside this!”

“Still, it benefits me.”

Honestly, hunting a three- or four-meter shield-tooth dragon posed little challenge for a six-meter-long, saber-toothed Trilobite.

Even if one grew over four meters from some BBC-esque growth spurt, facing a six-meter Beautiful Nodosaurus was like an ankylosaur meeting Tyrannosaurus rex—armor meant nothing.

But for Trilobite, three versus four meters hugely impacted his feast’s richness.

A four-meter specimen weighed at least fifty percent more than a three-meter one!

Such a bargain!

A massive advantage!

“Now then…”

“Thud… thud…”

Trilobite crept shoreward, careful not to cast his shadow on the sea.

Suddenly—

“Swish—!”

A slender form shot through the sandbank gap into the Inner Dam Shallow Sea.

Right after—

“Boom—!”

A bulkier, clumsier figure tried following but jammed in the gap.

Its broad turtle-like frame became a liability.

The creature flailed its stubby forelimbs, straining to break free.

However, there was no longer a need for that.

“Thud… thud… thud…”

Trilobite sprinted across the soft beach and in an instant reached the shield-tooth dragon, who was still struggling to dig through the sand, trying to squeeze through the narrow gap.

“Ah!?”

By the time the shield-tooth dragon noticed Trilobite, it was too late.

He looked up and was shocked to see the gemstone-like eyes.

He also saw the wide-open blood-red jaws!

“Swish—!”

The saber teeth glinted coldly as they lunged toward his head!

“Ah—!”

The shield-tooth dragon barely screamed before Trilobite seized his neck with a fierce bite!

“Hey—!”

Trilobite twisted his waist and flung the creature onto the shore.

“Thud!”

The Saber-toothed Beautiful Nodosaurus’s massive paw slammed down on his back, covered in protruding growths, and pressed hard!

“Ugh—!”

The shield-tooth dragon twisted his short limbs and long tail, trying to struggle.

But it was useless.

Trilobite stomped down with force!

“Rip—!”

Blood mist sprayed out!

Blood splattered across the beach.

The shield-tooth dragon’s neck was torn apart!

His headless body thudded onto the sand, blood flowing from the severed neck.

“Thud—!”

The skull smashed against the back and rolled onto the beach, his eyes frozen in fear and despair.

“Very good.”

“Clean and neat.”

“But… if I’m going to eat, I should wait a bit.”

Trilobite looked up toward the Inner Dam Shallow Sea.

“Oh, not bad.”

“That fellow was still swimming around in there, not far away!”

“But that creature was quite large, nearly the size of a BBC Mosasaurus satellite.”

“I needed to think of a plan.”

He spotted his two spawns nearby.

Suddenly, a plan came to him.