Chapter 553

Chapter 553: One of the Great Monsters of Paleo Creatures

"Ah, that’s right."

"You truly are oddballs among false crocodiles."

"The rule-breakers among plant dragons."

"We just never expected you to be so vicious!"

Trilobite dug himself a shallow pit.

He flopped into it and buried himself, covering his body with a layer of slime.

His lungfish mucus masked part of his scent, hiding him from prey or other predators.

This skill became his go-to tool for spectating up close.

Now, he was watching the show—a grand spectacle shattering his understanding.

"The combatants…"

"Both seem to be from the plant dragon category."

"On one side are mighty crocodiles…"

"These mighty crocodiles aren’t too bad—impressively large, though not excessively so."

Though "mighty crocodile" bears "crocodile" in its name, they aren’t true crocodiles but primitive members of false crocodiles within the plant dragon category.

Appearance-wise, however, the name fits perfectly.

Utterly crocodilian in looks.

Scaly armor covered its body, with stubby limbs and a flattened tail. Its jaw widened toward the back and tapered at the front, fusing into a "Y" shape that complemented the slender upper jaw—crafting a fisherman’s profile.

To the untrained eye, it looked nearly identical to modern fish-eating crocodiles like gharials or Australian freshwater crocs, though not perfectly alike.

The most obvious difference lay in its nostrils, positioned atop its head.

Despite the fierce name, mighty crocodiles typically measured three to four meters long. Reaching five meters would smash fossil evidence records for this species.

The group Trilobite observed were precisely such "record-shattering specimens."

Yet mighty crocodiles didn’t challenge his knowledge.

Though oversized, they remained textbook paleo creatures.

What hooked Trilobite’s attention was the other faction.

"You lot…"

"Look so bizarre…"

"Must be…"

"Funkleef Dragons."

Funkleef Dragons belong to the "Dausville Dragon" type under the plant dragon category. Dausville Dragons represent a primitive branch of planted dragons, resembling the earlier Yuan Crocodile—crocodile-like but long-legged.

Though Funkleef Dragons stem from an ancient lineage, they emerged relatively late in history.

They lived during the late Triassic period.

These fellows, like the early Dausville Dragons, were small, with lengths around one to two meters, similar in size to today’s Yangtze crocodile.

However, the Funkleef Dragon didn’t look like other plant dragons that had a "crocodile head and tail," making it hard for non-experts to tell.

They were very distinctive, even becoming one of the strangest freaks among ancient creatures!

This creature had a body and scale armor like a crocodile, but its tail surprisingly had fin-like structures; this showed the species was highly aquatic, likely spending little time on land.

Of course, the most unique part was its front half.

Unlike crocodiles and classic plant dragons with short necks, this thing had a long neck!

On top of that long neck sat a head…

Not a long-snouted head like a crocodile’s, but an oval, lizard-like head.

Among its front teeth, some were extra long, sticking out like fangs from the jaws; by size, they could be called saber teeth!

Though this creature looked bizarre, it proved plant dragons weren’t just pioneers of the "crocodile path"; they also explored some "weird" ways to survive.

It was generally thought these small beings swam fast in water to hunt little fish or insects in rivers or lakes.

But the Funkleef Dragons in front of Trilobite weren’t content with just little fish and insects!

These fellows averaged five meters in length, with the biggest, strongest ones reaching seven meters!

Living things the size of Caiman crocodiles and Yangtze crocodiles had turned into "giant dragons" as large as Nile crocodiles and estuarine crocodiles.

This "satellite" size was even wilder than the BBC’s Mosasaurus!

Plus, these guys were fierce!

"Ha—Hiss—!"

"Roar, roar, roar—!"

Led by their leader, they faced the mighty crocodiles across the river…

No, it wasn’t a standoff anymore.

They charged into the water, starting to cross.

"Ha hiss," "Waaahhhh," their roars spread over the river, filling the whole area with noise.

While roaring, they opened their big mouths to show bright red insides and sharp fangs!

Some even seemed to spit in challenge?

The mighty crocodiles had big mouths too, but their thin, chopstick-like snouts looked weak, and they were badly outnumbered.

Now, the mighty crocodiles were being pushed back step by step.

"Uh…"

"Is this the dragon clan fighting for living space?!"

"Could be."

"Because this riverbank seems pretty rich."

The bank was wide, but the water wasn’t shallow.

The rushing river here grew much calmer.

Lots of water thinned the "hot water" gushing from below, washing away the awful sulfur smell, while bringing food from upstream; "geothermal heat" warmed the "river water," making it better for microbes to grow.

Microbe growth boosted plankton, helping the whole food chain thrive!

Compared to other spots heated by "geothermal energy" to near-dead levels, this was truly a "golden land" worth fighting for.

"Good, good, good!"

"Anyway, let’s watch the show first!"

"After you two beat each other up, it’s my turn for meat!"

"Slurp…"

Trilobite swallowed.

Though the Funkleef Dragons’ "satellite" overturned his knowledge, he thought…

"Satellite" meant more meat, right?!

Fat pigs are like elephants; just with short trunks!

More meat couldn’t be bad!

"Bring on more of these satellites!"

"The more, the merrier; my little life looks brighter."

Just as the big fight was about to start…

"Meow—!"

A weird cry, like a cat’s meow, shocked Trilobite.

"Hmm!?"

"Hold on…"

"I haven’t seen any Cenozoic Era animals in this world yet…"

"Where did this feline come from!?"