Roar!
The blond tiger's roar echoed through the mountains and forests.
With a heavy blow, the tiger knocked Daryl to the ground, and just as it was about to bite him, a large man lunged at the beast and drove a knife into its side. But the tiger turned around, bit into the big man's arm, and after knocking him to the ground, tore his head off with a powerful snap of its jaws.
"Shoot!"
One after another, the people who had followed Daryl—thinking they could finally breathe a sigh of relief after taking down the brown bear—froze at the sight of the tiger. Many of them had only one thought in mind: run.
Roar!
While one group engaged the enemies at the rear, another confronted the tiger and began firing in its direction.
"Come on, Daryl, the enemies have been eliminated!" At that moment, Tommy reached Daryl's side. Daryl had a wound on his left shoulder, and Tommy helped him retreat.
But how could a tiger that had just tasted fresh blood be willing to let them escape so easily? In no time, it began killing anyone who crossed its path.
After taking down one target, it immediately turned to the next, as if it wanted to stockpile as much food as possible at once.
While the tiger slaughtered indiscriminately, on a snowy slope not far away, Jason and Glenn were following tracks near the area after hearing a distress signal.
"Damn it, I didn't expect there to be animals capable of that kind of roar!"
Glenn scratched his head awkwardly, thinking about his recent decision to hunt bears with Merle and Daryl. If that big guy had charged out while they were dealing with bears, it would have been disastrous.
But he quickly forced a smile and added, "At least we know nature is thriving!"
"It's really surprising."
Hearing the gunfire, Jason raised his binoculars to observe the surroundings. After confirming that there were no additional enemies aside from the distant shots, he soon spotted a tiger moving forward.
"This tiger… how did it appear in this place?"
"It probably escaped from a nearby zoo and hid in this protected area."
Glenn didn't seem surprised at all. "I heard that when the disaster broke out, many zoo animals were left unattended, and a lot of them were carnivores. This reserve is rich in prey, so it's not strange that it would attract them."
"I see…"
Jason thought for a moment, then dismissed it. "No matter what, we need to save Daryl and the rest of the group as soon as possible."
"Let's move, quickly!"
Immediately, Jason stopped discussing the matter and added, "We don't know if all the enemies have been eliminated, so I want eyes on the perimeter. No one runs—that only complicates things."
"Don't worry, no one will run!"
Glenn was confident. "They're all soldiers who've been through many battles. It's just unfortunate there were enemies hiding in the bushes."
"Yes, sir."
Jason nodded. He also wanted to save Daryl as soon as possible, but that didn't give him the right to endanger the people behind him. A life had no price. Knowing this, he trusted in Daryl's luck to survive.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Boom!
As they spoke, bursts of gunfire echoed through the distant forest, and faint screams could even be heard.
Hearing the commotion, Glenn quickened his pace. "We need to hurry. Our people are in danger."
Just then, the bushes rustled. Jason, at the front, drew a knife and raised his hand to prevent anyone from firing recklessly. He prepared to attack if necessary.
"It's us! Don't shoot!"
Just as Jason thought it was an animal, a familiar voice came from the bushes—Daryl and Tommy emerged, Tommy's arm soaked in blood.
"Daryl!" Glenn stepped forward, and Jason, seeing that things were stable for the moment, signaled the soldiers. Half stayed behind while the others advanced.
"It's a damn tiger!" Daryl said coldly.
Jason gave a nervous smile. "Looks like you couldn't tame a tiger like Ezekiel."
That was when Jason noticed the ground ahead was covered in bloodied corpses, and the tiger had just thrown the last living man to the ground.
"We're almost there."
Jason moved forward slowly, stretching his muscles slightly. "Everyone, get ready."
"Isn't this… too dangerous?"
Watching Jason advance alone, Tommy crouched and said, "Using guns from this distance shouldn't be a problem."
"I don't want to risk letting an animal like that live. Wait here for a few seconds. Don't worry—Daryl's group originally went hunting, so they weren't carrying proper weapons. Big mistake."
After speaking, Jason slid down the slope. Instead of heading straight for the tiger, he veered to the right.
He scanned the trees and waited until he saw a familiar signal before stopping.
Then Jason fixed his gaze on the tiger not far away, put two fingers in his mouth, and let out a sharp whistle to draw its attention.
Shhh!
The piercing whistle cut through the air. The tiger, which had been tearing into large chunks of flesh, paused. It slowly lifted its head, looked toward the sound, and saw what appeared to be another target standing there, watching it.
Hoo! Hoo!
Provoked, the tiger bared its fangs, roared angrily, and charged toward Jason.
As the tiger drew closer, Jason raised the rifle in his hands and fired repeatedly. At the same time, the ground shook as the tiger calculated its movements, dodging with precision.
Bang!
The next bullet shot straight toward the tiger's head.
But a shocking scene unfolded. The moment Jason fired, the tiger seemed to anticipate the threat and swiftly dodged in advance.
Seeing this, Jason frowned slightly and adjusted his aim to fire again.
The tiger evaded once more, a barely perceptible cunning glinting in its eyes. Seeing its prey within reach, it lunged fiercely.
As the tiger leaped toward him, an invisible sense of pressure struck instantly. Jason decisively dropped the rifle, concentrated his strength into his muscles, and with perfect control of his body stepped aside to dodge.
As the tiger passed him, the corners of his mouth curved slightly. He turned his head toward the area behind him. At the same time, he drew his twin long machetes and, feeling that familiar surge of danger and fury, unleashed his full strength, striking mercilessly at the tiger.
Roar!
Jason's first strike severed the tiger's front legs, and it roared in terror. His subsequent attacks carved into the beast's body with brutal precision.
As blood streamed down the sharp blades, Jason walked slowly toward the tiger lying on the ground.
"I haven't lost my edge yet!"
"Jason! Watch out!"
Just as Jason turned to call out to Tommy, he suddenly heard Tommy's shout in his ear.
At that instant, Jason sensed abnormal movement from his side. A surge of danger rose in his chest. The strength he had been about to relax surged back through his body as he tried to dodge sideways.
But this time, he was a fraction too slow. As he turned, he was slammed to the ground by a charging figure.
A foul stench hit his face, and Jason crashed heavily onto the earth. When he opened his eyes, he saw a mouth full of fangs lunging down to bite him.
"What?!"
His pupils shrank instantly, and reflected in Jason's eyes was the ferocious face of another tiger.