The vehicle screeched to a sudden halt. Su Chen quickly fastened his seatbelt—fortunately, he only lurched forward a little. Er Bao, who had been standing on the passenger seat, was caught off guard by the abrupt stop and was sent flying into the glass door with a loud thud.
"Whimper whimper~"
Er Bao slid down the glass with a loud squeak.
"Oh my god—Er Bao, are you okay?!"
Su Chen scooped Er Bao into his arms and examined him carefully.
It didn't seem serious. Relieved, he let out a breath.
Ahead, a massive box was blocking the road. What puzzled Su Chen was that despite its size, no one had tried to open it. That in itself was suspicious.
Right now, he couldn't afford to be careless. Su Chen raised his guard and slowly drove forward.
Getting out recklessly would be a foolish move.
"Woof woof woof!"
"Woof woof woof!"
As they crept closer, Er Bao kept barking frantically, which only confirmed Su Chen's suspicions.
He stared intently ahead, keeping an eye on the surroundings out of the corner of his eye.
When the RV got about a meter from the giant box, Su Chen finally saw the full scene.
The area around the box was soaked in blood—splattered all across the road.
Was it caused by humans, or some kind of monster? Su Chen scanned the environment carefully.
Shock!
His eyes widened.
Behind a tree, a massive golden tiger lay on the ground, eyes half-closed as if napping.
[Giant Tiger]
Covered in golden fur with black stripes and a yellow-brown back.
The undisputed king of the forest. The "王" symbol on its forehead was a dead giveaway.
It had powerful offensive capabilities, razor-sharp claws and teeth, and a terrifyingly strong bite force.
It was clear now—the giant box was bait, and the blood belonged to the survivors.
Judging by the varying shades of the blood, there had probably been at least three different groups of victims.
This tiger was no fool—it was using the strategy of waiting by the tree for its prey. Tigers these days were getting clever, learning how to reap the rewards without moving a muscle.
Most people, especially those not very alert, would see a box and rush to open it out of excitement—only to end up in the tiger's jaws.
If the first victim died because of carelessness, it was understandable. But the ones who came after, who saw the blood and still charged in? They must have had serious confidence in themselves.
Maybe they thought they could beat it together as a group. No one would dare face that thing alone.
What a bunch of fearless comrades. Su Chen couldn't help but admire their guts.
Still, thinking about it carefully—a box this big probably held some serious loot.
And forget the box for a second—that giant tiger's body alone would be a goldmine of resources.
If he could take it down, it would definitely be a major upgrade for him.
After weighing his options, Su Chen decided to give it a shot. While the tiger was still pretending to nap, now was the perfect time for a sneak attack.
"The process doesn't matter—only the result." That had always been Su Chen's motto.
"Er Bao, you stay inside the RV, okay? Don't come out no matter what. It's really dangerous outside."
Now was the time to put his plan into action. It was finally Jun Ma's moment to shine.
She must have been bored out of her mind, cooped up in the storage box all this time. Taking down this tiger alone would be difficult.
After all, this tiger was nothing like the ones Su Chen had seen in zoos—it was twice the size at least.
Fighting solo would be a terrible idea.
Su Chen still couldn't understand how those previous survivors were so confident when they were just ordinary people.
Jun Ma had been loafing in the corner, either sleeping or on her way to sleep. She hadn't fought in so long she was practically numb to it.
"Jun Ma, I've got something that'll definitely get you excited."
"There's a giant tiger outside. I want us to team up and take it down. Let's go teach this overlord a lesson."
Jun Ma had been dozing off in a corner, but her ears perked up at the mention of a fight.
"Where is it? I can take it out in no time!"
"One tiger? That's nothing! I'd take on two!"
No wonder she was a battle horse through and through. Despite being female, she radiated fearless energy.
She began stretching and warming up. This was going to be an epic showdown!
"Once I put on my Super Knight Gear, we'll face it head-on. I'm confident we'll win."
"Oh, right—since it's sleeping, let's sneak around and attack from behind. We'll have a much better chance that way and finish it quickly."
They couldn't underestimate the tiger, even with knight gear on his side.
Su Chen hadn't worn his armor in ages, and honestly—it was pretty heavy.
But now, suited up in full armor and helmet, riding a battle horse—it felt right.
He also had a handgun, so no rush. Even a powerful tiger shouldn't be able to withstand bullets, right?
Su Chen and Jun Ma already had one fight under their belt. This time, they were far more coordinated.
No more rookie mistakes.
But the moment they stepped out of the RV, the tiger's eyes snapped open.
So much for the plan.
The tiger hadn't been asleep at all. It had just been faking it.
No wonder so many survivors fell into its trap.
Su Chen considered sneaking over to grab the supplies while the tiger was distracted—that could work, right?
But no, trying to outsmart the smart could backfire.
This tiger wasn't some dumb beast. Even its fake nap was a trap.
Taking small advantages could lead to big losses.
Now, there was no choice.
They had to fight—or die trying.
The tiger crouched low, muscles rippling beneath its striped fur, eyes locked onto Su Chen like a predator savoring its prey. Then—bam!—it lunged, a blur of death and fury.
Its claws gleamed like daggers in the sunlight, slicing through the air as it closed the gap in an instant.
The pressure hit Su Chen like a crashing wave.
It moved like a bolt of lightning, raw and unstoppable. Su Chen's breath caught in his throat—he barely had time to raise his weapon.
"Shit—I'm dead! I'm dead!"
The tiger launched three meters into the air, a massive shadow descending on him with terrifying speed.
But before it could strike—
Jun Ma exploded into motion. One moment she was at Su Chen's side, the next—a flash of silver and shadow—she appeared between him and su Chen, intercepting the beast mid-air like a demon unleashed.
If she had hesitated even a second, Su Chen would've been torn in half.
Crisis averted—by a hair's breadth.
Su Chen sucked in a shaky breath, the adrenaline pounding in his ears. He rolled to the side as Jun Ma stood her ground, eyes sharp, stance coiled like a spring.
Su Chen drew his handgun, aiming with one eye closed, lining up the shot—
Bang!
A direct hit—right in the tiger's foreleg!
But it barely flinched.
Instead, it screeched in rage, its roar shaking the trees, Blood oozed from the wound, but it only made the beast more berserk.
It charged.
Like a demon possessed, it barreled forward with renewed fury, mouth wide, claws extended like curved blades.
Jun Ma darted back with impossible grace, drawing the beast away for just a moment—enough space for Su Chen.
He didn't waste it.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
He unloaded round after round, each shot ringing out like thunder. The recoil numbed his arms, but he kept firing. Relentlessly.
The beauty of this gun? Near-limitless ammo. And in this hellish moment—it was a godsend.
The tiger stumbled.
Roaring in pain, it thrashed, trying to lunge again—but its legs gave out.
One final cry tore from its throat—a monstrous howl of rage, pain, and defeat.
Then—it collapsed.
Dead.
The forest fell silent.
Su Chen's hands trembled. He exhaled deeply, eyes wide.
Jun Ma didn't speak. She just stared at the fallen beast, the tension in her shoulders slowly easing.
Tiger slain. Victory earned—not given.
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