Chapter 20: The Strongest Spear and the Strongest Shield! Meeting Dragon Dad Again?

Chu Xu watched in awe, feeling as though he had stepped into a completely new world. The most abundant dinosaurs here were the arch-rivals of the Tyrannosaurus rex: the Triceratops.

Both Triceratops and Edmontosaurus were large herbivores of the Hell Creek Formation. Under normal circumstances, they consciously avoided overlapping their habitats to minimize competition for food. Edmontosaurus herds typically frequented dense forests and mountainous regions with tall trees, while Triceratops herds preferred the humid, low-vegetation environments of wetland prairies. Other small-to-medium-sized herbivores, having smaller populations, occupied a broader range of territories.

Chu Xu soon spotted a herd of Triceratops. They were quintessentially gregarious, typically moving in family groups of a dozen or two. Each group was led by the strongest male, who commanded the herd and held priority for food and mating. This particular family group consisted of over a dozen adults leading several young ones as they foraged. They used their thick, long brow horns to press down plants like palms and cycads, while their beak-like mouths acted as shears, clipping off leaves and branches to chew slowly. An adult Triceratops could reach nine meters in length, stand 2.5 meters tall, and weigh over five tons—a massive entity even to Chu Xu.

Furthermore, the Triceratops possessed high-end "luxury equipment." First were their iconic horns: a short nasal horn above the nostrils and two thick, long brow horns, which could be called the "strongest spear." The structure of these horns resembled those of later bovids, with a bony core covered by layers of keratinous sheath, making them significantly longer than the bone itself. Second was the massive neck frill formed by the extension of the parietal and squamosal bones. Solid and integrated with the skull, it was also covered in a keratinous sheath, acting like a bone-hard helmet—the "strongest shield." Finally, they possessed thick, coarse, scaly skin composed of countless polygonal scales, with bristly, straight, thick, brownish-black spines growing along their rumps and tails, making them look completely impenetrable.

Combining the strongest spear and the strongest shield, the Triceratops represented the pinnacle of ceratopsian evolution, frequently engaging in life-or-death struggles with the Tyrannosaurus rex, the pinnacle of tyrannosaurid evolution, during the Late Cretaceous.

The herd strolled along, grazing leisurely, seemingly indifferent to the slightest movement in their surroundings. They ignored any predatory dinosaurs they encountered. This was the confidence that came with true strength; most small-to-medium predators dared not provoke them. In the Hell Creek Formation, only the Tyrannosaurus rex generally dared to target them. Chu Xu watched from a distance for a while before turning his gaze away.

Triceratops were not yet prey he could hunt. Leaving aside the adults, the young were well-protected at the center of the herd, leaving no easy opportunities.

"Thud! Thud!"

Just then, Chu Xu heard a thunderous, heavy footfall in the distance, causing the ground to vibrate like a beating drum. He looked toward the sound and soon saw a massive adult male Tyrannosaurus rex sprinting forward, heading straight for the Triceratops herd.

"Is that... Dad?"

Chu Xu was slightly stunned, recognizing the adult male as his long-unseen father. It had been quite a while since their last encounter; ever since the three siblings had grown, their father had rarely come to visit. This was not surprising, as spring had returned—the season of rejuvenation and breeding, when the forest air was thick with pheromones. Adult Tyrannosaurus rex also bred in the vibrant spring. Their mother, still in the rearing stage, remained focused on her role, but their father had no such obligations. Chu Xu wouldn't have been surprised if his father had already courted another female.

"So, this is his territory!" Chu Xu realized. The larch forest must have been his mother's domain, while this vast wetland prairie belonged to his father. They didn't divide the land strictly, and their territories inevitably overlapped—a case of one mountain not allowing two tigers, unless they were a mating pair.

"Is he planning to hunt the Triceratops?" Chu Xu grew interested, eager to witness the rare spectacle of a T. rex hunting a Triceratops.

"Moo!"

Upon sensing the attack, the lead Triceratops let out a short, piercing roar. Instantly, the entire herd reacted. Their first move was not to panic and flee like Edmontosaurus or Thescelosaurus, but to mimic the behavior of wild African buffalo: they quickly huddled together, forming a semi-circular defensive formation.

The young were shielded inside, while the adults faced outward, creating an impenetrable wall of flesh and bone. They lowered their heads, pointing their massive horns forward. Their neck frills, flushed with blood, turned a deep, vibrant red. They stomped their columnar legs, creating a massive, dust-kicking commotion.

This display caused even the father T. rex to hesitate. He didn't dare rush in, instead pacing outside the defensive line, searching for a flaw. Soon, he locked onto a smaller female and lunged, snapping his massive jaws. He bit down hard on her neck frill; the sheer force and the tearing power of his banana-shaped teeth caused the hardened bone to crack.

However, other adults rushed to assist, swinging their massive heads and brandishing their horns to force the T. rex back. He was compelled to retreat and release his grip. After driving him back, the Triceratops did not pursue but maintained their defensive stance, locked in a standoff. The father T. rex launched several more attacks, but each was repelled by the herd's coordinated efforts. Unable to break their line, he eventually had to pull away, frustrated.

"Moo!"

Just then, something unexpected happened. A young Tyrannosaurus rex appeared from the herd's undefended rear, charging at incredible speed toward the unsuspecting young Triceratops.

"Bang!"

One small calf was knocked to the ground. As the young T. rex bit into its neck frill, the bone shattered instantly. His sharp teeth pierced deep into the artery and windpipe, and blood gushed out, staining the ground in a gruesome, crimson scene.