Chapter 6: The Dinosaur Museum and the Meeting with the Paleontologist

Chapter 6: The Dinosaur Museum, Meeting the Paleontologist

Qin Feng furrowed his brow, not expecting to be turned away on his very first call.

He stared at the photo of the museum displayed on his screen.

No, this won’t do! I have to bring Dr. Orna here myself—I’m not confident in any other candidate!

With that thought, he rose and went to find the director.

At the office, he knocked on the door.

“Come in.”

Spielberg hadn’t been tied up with any new projects lately, so he wasn’t on set every day and often came here to explore new ideas.

“Oh, Qin Feng,” he said, setting aside the documents he was reviewing.

“Director, I need to make a trip to Missoula, Montana, to meet a paleontologist. I should be back in a couple of days.”

“Oh, sure, go ahead. You don’t need to ask for leave since the film hasn’t started shooting yet,” Spielberg smiled.

“Thank you.”

“By the way, Qin Feng,” Spielberg gestured for him to sit down. “Do you have any thoughts on casting the lead roles?”

Qin Feng thought to himself. The original actors in the first film were excellent for the main roles.

Still, he asked, “Director, do you already have someone in mind?”

Spielberg chuckled. “Yes, for Dr. Grant, the male lead, I’m leaning towards Harrison Ford or William Hurt... Of course, it depends on their availability.”

“And you? What about your choices?” Qin Feng inquired.

Clearing his throat lightly, Qin Feng replied, “While writing the script, I did consider suitable actors for three main roles.”

Spielberg’s interest peaked. “Go on, let me hear them.”

“First, for the male lead, paleontologist Dr. Grant, I thought of Sam Neill.”

“Next, for the female lead, botanist Dr. Sattler, I had Laura Dern in mind.”

“And finally, for Dr. Malcolm, the chaos theorist, I considered Jeff Goldblum.”

Spielberg listened intently, comparing the names to the characters in his mind.

Seeing his silence, Qin Feng prompted, “Director...?”

A few seconds later, Spielberg suddenly slapped his thigh, startling Qin Feng. “Brilliant! Absolutely brilliant!”

“Fantastic, Qin Feng! I have to say, you’re a genius!”

“These three actors really fit the characters in the script. I’ll make a note and have someone contact them right away.”

“You’ve really done me a huge favor this time!”

Watching the excited director, Qin Feng felt pleased as well. These three actors were part of his childhood memories.

As long as the leads remain the same, the other roles don’t worry him.

After all, the current timeline is 2009; the original elderly characters would be much older, and the children from the original film are now grown adults.

...

Early the next morning, Qin Feng boarded a flight to Missoula, Montana.

By the time he arrived at the dinosaur museum, it was already afternoon.

The museum was spacious and, since it was a weekday, not very crowded.

In the main hall on the first floor, seven or eight fossils were securely displayed for visitors.

The most striking was a towering diplodocus fossil over twenty meters long, so magnificent that Qin Feng marveled silently.

After observing for a while, he approached a staff member.

“Hello, may I ask if Dr. Jack Orna is here today? I would like to interview him.”

“He is. He’s on the basement level.”

“Thank you.”

Following the stairs down, Qin Feng found a room tucked further inside. Through the glass window, he saw three people working.

He immediately recognized Dr. Orna.

The man had thinning hair on top, with longer hair on the sides, a long beard, and wore dusty yellow outdoor excavation clothes.

The room was filled with large chunks of soil layers, and Orna, accompanied by two students, was carefully brushing and digging at a small dinosaur fossil.

Their work was focused and meticulous. To them, the soil encased the most precious history on Earth.

Qin Feng gently knocked and cleared his throat. “Dr. Orna?”

Orna looked up, eyeing the young Asian man with suspicion. “Who are you?”

“Dr. Orna, we spoke on the phone yesterday afternoon. I’m from Universal Pictures.”

“Oh... so it’s you. Didn’t I say I’m busy?”

“Please don’t disturb my work.”

Qin Feng stepped inside. “Dr. Orna, I’m sincerely inviting you to be the scientific consultant for our film. If you don’t agree, I won’t leave.”

“Hah! Stay if you want; no one’s stopping you! Besides, there’s nothing here but fossils.”

Qin Feng casually picked up a small fossil from the table. “Fossils? If they were just fossils, then yes, they wouldn’t be very interesting.”

“Hey, don’t touch that,” one of the students warned.

Qin Feng glanced at it and put it back.

“What do you mean by that?” Orna sensed a deeper meaning and paused his work.

“Don’t you really feel curious? Dr. Orna, people are tired of seeing dinosaur fossils. But no one has ever seen a real dinosaur.”

“Real dinosaurs? What a joke! Are you talking about those shoddily made sci-fi movies on screen? They nauseate me.”

Qin Feng glanced at the soil layer before Orna, where a small-headed fossil was partially exposed, and casually said, “This is a Troodon, a theropod from the Late Cretaceous period.”

Hearing Qin Feng identify the fossil’s origin, Orna was surprised. “You understand dinosaurs too?”

The two students also looked at Qin Feng with astonishment.

Being able to accurately identify a fossil just by the skull was impressive.

“I have some knowledge. It’s just a coincidence; this creature appears in our film as well.”

Orna stroked his beard and hesitated. “You’re really making a dinosaur movie?”

“Absolutely! The script is finished, the director is Mr. Spielberg, and we will never produce something sloppy.”

At this moment, Qin Feng had to invoke Spielberg’s name to assert authority.

“Doctor, we want you as a consultant to ensure scientific accuracy, so the audience can see the most authentic and believable dinosaurs. Are you doubting us, or doubting yourself?”

“Well…”

“Your decades of research should be shared with the world! So all dinosaur enthusiasts can see it! Our sci-fi film will be released worldwide!”

“...”

Orna remained silent, offering no reply.

Sensing the moment was right, Qin Feng took a business card from his bag and placed it on the long table.

“Dr. Orna, please consider this seriously. I’ll be in Missoula for one day. If you decide to join, call me.”

“I’m looking forward to discussing the dinosaur details with you.”

Qin Feng bid farewell.

Orna looked at the card thoughtfully. “Goodbye.”

...

Leaving the museum, Qin Feng checked into a hotel.

Weary from travel, he rested early.

The next day, he strolled around the city and visited the library.

While reading, an unfamiliar call came through.

“Hello…”

“Mr. Qin Feng, this is Orna.”

“Oh, Dr. Orna, have you made your decision?”

“Heh, I have. I choose…”

“To join you.”

(End of Chapter)