Chapter 22

The amusement park was eerily quiet; the power system had failed, shutting down the entire simulated ecosystem. Dark raindrops pattered against the transparent glass ceiling above, making a steady drip-drip sound.

Grant and Ellie stood beside the Velociraptor, photographing the creature trapped inside its cage.

The Velociraptor, feeling provoked, roared repeatedly—but like a tiger with its claws and teeth removed, it held no trace of menace.

“Velociraptors primarily appeared in the Jurassic and Cretaceous periods. Their forelimbs were terrifying—like scythes—capable of tearing through almost anything.” Ellie spoke as she jotted notes on paper with a pen.

Though she had lost faith in Grant, when it came to work, she still performed with strict diligence—not out of loyalty, but professional ethics.

“That was ancient times. Modern alloys are beyond its capacity to tear apart,” Grant said with a smile, looking at Ellie.

Normally, if Grant made a joke, Ellie would laugh and agree—but now, she surpassed his expectations. Not only did she show no sign of amusement; she coldly replied, “This isn’t a joke. With its scythe-like forelimbs, the Velociraptor can absolutely destroy alloys.”

“Then why hasn’t it escaped?” Grant asked.

“Because it’s intelligent,” Ellie said, plucking a hair from her head, blowing it gently toward the cage. What happened next made Grant’s blood run cold.

The instant the hair touched the cage, a powerful electric current surged through it—the hair turned to ash in an instant.

“The cage is lined with high-voltage current. As the most intelligent dinosaur species, it naturally wouldn’t waste energy on such a futile act.” Ellie added coldly, “Dr. Grant, you’ve lost your composure. You’ve lost the observational skills you prided yourself on. You’re no longer fit for research—not until you regain your calm.”

“Oh, it’s all that damn kid’s fault. If not for him, I wouldn’t have lost my cool,” Grant said, shaking his head and blaming Ye Nan for everything.

Ye Nan heard this and found it amusing. Was Grant insane? Still shifting blame at a time like this? He simply didn’t understand women at all.

As Ye Nan predicted, Grant’s words instantly turned Ellie against him. “Calmness is your own responsibility. If you get angry, it’s because you’re not calm enough. Don’t dump all blame on others—it’s disgusting.”

“What did you say? I’m disgusting?” Grant stared at Ellie in disbelief. He couldn’t believe those words came from her mouth.

“Don’t you understand? I’m saying you’re disgusting,” Ellie snapped, flicking her hair back and pointing at Grant’s chest as she advanced menacingly. “Ye Nan was right—you’re not even a man. You have no courage, no dignity, no grace. I was blind to ever be attracted to you. Now, we’re done.”

“Looks like your plan succeeded,” Hammond said softly as he passed by Ye Nan, leaning on his cane.

Watching Hammond walk completely past, Ye Nan smiled faintly. “Without your help, how could I have succeeded?”

Hammond froze at those words. As Ye Nan said, had he chosen to support Grant, Grant would never have fallen into this state. Ye Nan’s tactics were child’s play. Grant and Ellie fell for them only because they were too close to the situation to see clearly.

But would he help Grant? No. Not only would he not help him—he’d kick him while he was down. He’d invited Grant only because Grant was famous, because he wasn’t part of Hammond’s circle, and because his presence reassured investors.

But now, with Ye Nan, everything could change. A businessman’s words carried more weight with investors than an archaeologist’s.

“You…” Grant tried to muster some defiance, but when he met Ellie’s cold, despairing gaze, he instantly crumbled. “I…”

Grant opened his mouth to speak—but he never got the chance. A claw pierced the iron cage in an instant, its scythe-like edge seizing his shoulder and tearing it apart in one brutal yank.

“No!” Grant screamed. Before his cry for help could even escape, another scythe-like claw seized his other shoulder. Overwhelming pain flooded his senses—he couldn’t utter another word.

Fanged jaws, reeking of blood, gnawed at his neck. A single suck—and a torrent of blood was drawn away. As Grant felt his life draining, a chill gripped his heart. His final sight was the Velociraptor’s eyes, filled with cruelty.

It all happened in an instant. The man who had just been speaking to Ellie was now a corpse—food in the Velociraptor’s mouth.

“What’s going on? How did the Velociraptor get out?” Ye Nan asked, puzzled—but he didn’t dwell on it. He leapt down, grabbed Ellie, and prepared to flee.

To him, Ellie was valuable. Her knowledge rivaled Grant’s. She had a natural, almost fanatical passion for archaeology. Future expeditions would need her help.

Yes—expeditions. Ever since learning that figures from movies—Godzilla, Jurassic Park, Resident Evil—existed in this world, Ye Nan had formed a thought: “Could other movies exist here too?”

After this thought arose, fear came first—then was replaced by ecstatic joy.

Every man harbors a desire for power, manifested in admiration for the strong. Ye Nan was no exception. When he learned movie figures existed in this world, his first reaction was fear of the unknown; his second was hunger for power.

He plotted step by step to gain strength. The poor rely on mutation; the rich rely on technology. But Ye Nan possessed near-prophetic knowledge—understanding of plotlines gave him countless advantages. So he gathered wealth, maintained contact with Dr. Ma Xiu, and planned to strengthen himself through technology. Simultaneously, he recruited talent, preparing to actively seek out expeditions to obtain unknown power.

Among such people, women like Ellie—fiercely passionate about archaeology and exploration, and deeply knowledgeable—were precisely the kind Ye Nan sought. After all, a long journey is more pleasant with a beautiful companion.