Boom, boom, boom—heavy thuds like drumbeats echoed as the Tyrannosaurus Rex charged forward, its momentum like a runaway locomotive. Each thunderous roar was the train's whistle, playing a frantic tune of the apocalypse.
This Tyrannosaurus Rex stood nearly ten meters tall—about the height of a three-story building. From afar, it didn't seem so intimidating, but as it thundered closer, its image ballooned in their vision. Nothing could stop its rampage: dunes were crossed in a single stride, bones crushed to dust, radiating an unstoppable force.
"Throw away your gold, quick! That stuff is seriously slowing us down!" Jill Young dragged Max Easton forward, half pulling and half carrying him to get his speed up to something resembling normal.
Max Easton panted, "No way! I'd rather lose my life than lose my gold!"
He stumbled, and two golden eggs tumbled out from his pants, clattering to the ground. "Oh no, my eggs!" Max cried, turning back with tears in his eyes, as if bidding farewell to loved ones. But when he saw the Tyrannosaurus Rex closing in, its long fangs gleaming with murderous intent, Max quickly ducked his head, "Guess my own eggs are more important!"
With a thunderous crash, the ground shook—another mini earthquake. Jill Young stood her ground, but Max Easton stumbled and fell. He scrambled up, but the bundle on his back loosened, and two small stone statues tumbled out with a thud.
Max tried to grab them, but Jill Young yanked him away to keep running. "My Nobel Prize!" Max teared up again, glancing back—only to see the Tyrannosaurus Rex just seventy or eighty meters away, its massive foot coming down with a crunch, grinding the statues to dust. "My Nobel!" Max wailed.
Jill Young shot him a fierce look. "If you keep acting like this, I swear I'll leave you behind."
Seeing Jill Young's dead-serious expression and the raging beast chasing behind, Max Easton made the smart choice: "Your Majesty, I think survival takes priority."
Yellow-brown sand slid beneath their feet as the two raced across the dunes. With the heavy statues gone, Max Easton's speed finally picked up.
The Tyrannosaurus Rex closed in fast, roaring and snapping its jaws at them. Quick as lightning, Jill Young zigzagged through the dunes and dinosaur bones, dragging Max Easton along, dodging the beast's attacks.
"There's a cave over there—get inside, quick!" Jill Young pulled Max Easton over a dune, leaping off the top. Max tumbled down the slope, while Jill landed on the sand, fighting to keep her balance as she slid down.
Bang! Jill and Max landed in the cave at almost the same time. Max crashed and rolled, but scrambled to his feet, frantically running deeper inside. With a thunderous crash, the Tyrannosaurus Rex shoved its jaws into the cave, its massive teeth just a foot from Max's belly.
"S-Safe!" Max gasped, still shaken, watching the Tyrannosaurus Rex pull its mouth out of the cave.
"No, not yet. This cave is super shallow—it's a dead end." The cave bottom was just a meter behind them. It wasn't really a cave, more like a narrow dent in a big rock.
"Oh no, these sandstones are super fragile!" Max wiped his hand across the rock, and a shower of sand grains came off. "These rocks have been weathered for ages—they're so brittle now. Who knows if they'll hold off a rampaging Tyrannosaurus Rex?"
Just then, another furious roar echoed outside, followed by a series of crashing impacts. The cave roof began to crack and crumble as the Tyrannosaurus Rex slammed into it, its razor-sharp teeth drawing closer.
"Oh my god, to this Tyrannosaurus Rex, these rocks are basically paper!" Max screamed, covering his face. "We're just bonus meat in a can!"
At that moment, Jill Young barked, "Move!"
In the next instant, Jill Young sprang up and kicked the cave wall hard. With a bang, a shower of sand poured down from the spot she kicked, leaving a clear footprint.
"Again!" Jill Young dropped her stance, rooted herself, and powered up from her legs—twisting her waist, snapping her shoulders, and threw a full-force punch! Bang, crack—the impact left a visible fracture. The cave wall was clearly thin.
"Just one more!" Jill Young summoned all her strength and slammed her elbow into the cracked spot. With a flurry of flying debris, a big hole opened in the cave wall, revealing the dunes outside.
"You can smash rocks with your fists?" Max Easton stared at Jill Young like she'd just landed from Mars. "Are you Superman or something?"
"The rock layer's barely five centimeters thick and super brittle—quit yapping and move!" Jill Young widened the hole with two more punches, then squeezed out with Max Easton.
Behind them, the Tyrannosaurus Rex was still wrestling with the cave. The two hurried away, but the dino wasn’t stupid—though it couldn’t see inside, it sniffed the air, lifted its head, and spotted the escapees. With a mighty roar, it charged after them.
Ahead was open ground—no place left to hide.
Jill Young eyed the charging Tyrannosaurus Rex, her brows furrowing with resolve. She told Max Easton, "You go first." Then she planted her feet, standing her ground.
"No, no, no, miss—even if you can break rocks, there's no way you can take on a Tyrannosaurus Rex!" Max Easton shook his head decisively, his usually goofy face suddenly stern. "No way I'm leaving a lady in danger and running off alone!"
"Quit showing off! You're more dangerous next to me—get lost!" Jill Young kicked Max away and pulled the greatbow from her back. Right now, her strongest weapon was this bow.
No matter how her aim was, this bow packed serious punch!
Arrow nocked, bow drawn—the string creaked as explosive power gathered. In that moment of clarity, everything slowed down. Jill Young stood firm amid the chaos: raging winds, a furious beast, and a life-or-death crisis closing in, yet she herself was eerily calm.
A surge of energy radiated from her core, flooding her limbs and bones—the life force from the fruit of the Man-Eater Bloom. Jill’s eyes sharpened, her gaze tinged with a hint of beastly ferocity.
The wind swirled wildly. The bow's aim? Even wilder. So—this was a one-shot deal, and she had to make it count!
The Tyrannosaurus Rex was closing in—closer, closer—its heavy footsteps sent tremors through the ground. The stench from its gaping maw wafted on the wind, making her gag. Max Easton's frantic shouts echoed in her ears, urging her to run.
But running wasn't enough—what she wanted was victory!
Snap! The bowstring twanged, and a thick, long arrow shot out. It sliced through the swirling wind, crossed the ten-meter gap, and—amid Max Easton's whispered prayers—slammed into the inside of the Tyrannosaurus Rex's thigh.
Splat—blood spurted, and the Tyrannosaurus Rex let out a roar of pain.
"Yes!" Max Easton pumped his fist, nearly jumping for joy. "Nice shot! Right in the groin—the junction of ligaments and muscle, the key spot for leg movement!"
Jill Young snorted, tossed the broken bow aside, and bolted. That rough, oversized bow was finally done for after that shot.
With Max Easton no longer slowing her down, Jill Young could unleash her full speed. With more than two-thirds of the Titan Spirit Method: Second Stage mastered, every step gave her massive thrust. Sand flew in sprays beneath her feet as she accelerated like a cheetah, sprinting at top speed.
She didn't run toward Max Easton, but veered off in another direction. The Tyrannosaurus Rex, apparently holding a grudge over that arrow, chased after her, limping on its right leg. One was a martial artist pushing human limits, the other a dino with an arrow in its groin—an all-out life-or-death race began.
"She drew the Tyrannosaurus Rex away all by herself?" Max Easton's eyes welled up. "No, I can't let you die—never!"
With two loud clunks, Max Easton finally ditched his gold and took off running at full tilt.