A sharp hiss cut through the air.
The tranquilizer dart struck the Spinosaurus in the neck.
For smaller dinosaurs, that dose would have been enough.
Fast-acting.
Devastating.
But not this one.
The massive predator barely slowed.
It surged forward, tearing through the undergrowth.
Liam didn’t hesitate.
He sprinted along the branch, then launched himself toward the next tree.
Hands caught.
Core tightened.
He pulled himself up in one smooth motion.
Below, the Spinosaurus went berserk.
It slammed its body through the forest, smashing trees, thrashing with its tail.
A single swing crushed two fleeing Gallimimus instantly.
Liam pivoted mid-branch, raised the launcher again.
Another shot.
The dart buried into its abdomen.
He moved again.
Tree to tree.
Always forward.
Always just out of reach.
Dense canopy worked in his favor.
He kept the pattern.
Fire.
Move.
Elevate.
By the time he had put five darts into the Spinosaurus, he was already fifty meters ahead.
Then— A heavy crash echoed behind him.
The creature collapsed.
Liam slowed just enough to listen.
Silence followed.
The sedative worked.
But that was a different beast.
Slower.
Less aware.
The Indominus would not be that easy.
…
He dropped from the tree line.
Movement ahead.
Engines.
Five armored vehicles.
A mercenary convoy pushing deeper into the forest.
Liam shadowed them immediately.
Let them take point.
If something attacked… they would take the first hit.
It was cold logic.
But necessary.
The terrain slowed them.
Thick roots.
Uneven ground.
After thirty minutes, the convoy stopped.
Soldiers dismounted, weapons raised, scanning outward.
“Tracking signal last pinged here.” “Stay sharp.
It can’t be far.” “Standard dosage is five darts for large targets.
But this one’s untested.
Don’t overdo it.” Liam stayed behind a tree, five meters out.
Then the warning bells went off in his head.
Something was wrong.
Too familiar.
Too quiet.
He moved instantly.
Dropped low.
Rolled beneath the nearest vehicle.
Flat against the ground.
Still.
Hidden.
He knew this pattern.
The Indominus had already figured out the tracking implant.
It would use that.
Turn it into a trap.
Seconds later— “Command, we found the tracker.
It’s… just tissue.
It cut it out.” Shock rippled through the radio chatter.
Liam shut his radio off immediately.
Silence.
He pressed himself against the dirt.
Listening.
Waiting.
Then he felt it.
A faint vibration through the ground.
From the right.
Soft.
Controlled.
Not like a T-Rex.
This thing didn’t announce itself.
It hunted quietly.
Liam’s eyes locked onto the treeline.
And then— Movement.
A tail slipped through the foliage.
Color shifting.
Green to gray.
Blending perfectly with the environment.
The Indominus stepped out.
Massive.
Silent.
A soldier stood just ahead of it.
Back turned.
He never saw it coming.
The jaws dropped.
One bite.
Gone.
The rest of the team panicked.
Gunfire erupted.
Bullets struck its hide.
Barely did anything.
Tranquilizer shots missed wide.
The Indominus charged.
A single step crushed another soldier.
Chaos.
Pure chaos.
Under the vehicle, Liam waited.
Watched.
Measured.
Then he moved.
Quick.
Precise.
He leaned out just enough.
Aimed.
Fired.
The dart struck the Indominus in the neck.
It roared.
Turned.
Locked onto his position.
Too close.
The tail swung.
One of the vehicles flipped like a toy.
Gunfire intensified.
The mercenaries tried to hold the line.
Liam didn’t waste the opening.
He rolled out from cover.
Adjusted aim.
Fired again.
The second dart hit its leg.
Two hits.
Not enough.
But it was a start.