That growl was like a block of ice dropped into the boiling pot of Lin Ke's nerves.
It wasn't just a threat. It was a signal. An announcement that ownership of this hunting ground had just changed hands.
In the wake of the fear, a strange, almost perverse calm took control of Lin Ke's mind. The extreme exhaustion and depletion of his mental energy had stripped away all superfluous emotion, leaving only the core of his being: a cold, calculating machine.
The equation had changed.
A new variable had just been forcibly inserted into his formula for survival. A savage, uncontrollable variable, but perhaps… a useful one.
He didn't move. The slightest twitch could make him the shared focus of two predators. He remained as still as the rock he hid behind, tracking the depths of the jungle with only the corner of his eye. His breathing all but ceased, each heartbeat a heavy thud that threatened to shatter his ribs.
The thing emerged.
It was neither wolf nor tiger. It was a feline creature the size of a grizzly bear, its body covered in fur that flowed like liquid shadow, making it nearly one with the dim forest floor. Only its golden, slitted pupils burned in the darkness, two cold flames of pure avarice. It moved in absolute silence, its massive paws making no sound on the dead leaves. The only evidence of its presence was the thick, acrid stench of carrion and damp earth that rolled off it with every exhalation.
[Shadow Leopard]. A top-tier predator described in only a few lines in textbooks, famed for its stealth and its single, decisive killing strikes.
At this moment, the leopard's attention was entirely captivated by the enormous corpse of the Steel-Armored Mantis. It was a feast that could sustain it for days.
Overhead, the high-frequency whine of the D-199 "Hummingbird" drone grew sharper. It had clearly locked onto this new target as well. The drone's sensor head swiveled, an invisible laser beam scanning the Shadow Leopard's body, analyzing the threat level of this new variable.
Lin Ke felt a fleeting window of opportunity opening before him. A fragile equilibrium, born from two enemies holding each other in check.
He had to make a gamble.
His gaze flickered between three things: the critically injured Chi Tong at his side; the priceless Mantis scythe-limb he had just spent his last ounce of strength to acquire; and the two predators locked in a standoff in the distance.
He could not take both Chi Tong and the scythe-limb. His body was screaming its final warnings; any additional weight would lead to total system collapse.
Abandon the scythe-limb?
The thought sent a sharp, stabbing pain through his heart. He had paid for it with nearly everything he had.
But if he didn't abandon it, he and Chi Tong would both die here.
A flash of resolve hardened Lin Ke's eyes. Resources, no matter how precious, were useless if you weren't alive to use them. He wasn't a gambler; he was a scientist. And a good scientist knows when to cut his losses before an experiment fails completely.
Now!
As the Shadow Leopard tilted its head back, its full attention drawn by the drone's targeting lock, letting out a threatening snarl, Lin Ke made his move.
He didn't try to run. He knew that in his current state, any attempt to flee would immediately expose him.
Instead, he gathered the very last dregs of his strength and shoved the massive, heavy scythe-limb. He didn't pull it toward him. He pushed it away, toward a steep slope on the opposite side of his hiding place.
CLANG—CRASH—RUMBLE!
The giant metal limb struck a rock with a deafening shriek, then tumbled down the hillside in a cascade of snapping branches and skittering stones.
In the dead-silent jungle, the sound was like a thunderclap.
The Shadow Leopard flinched violently at the sudden noise, instantly abandoning its standoff with the drone. It whipped its head toward the source of the sound, its golden eyes filled with alarm and fury.
The drone in the sky reacted just as quickly. Its algorithm evidently classified the large, moving metallic object as a higher-priority threat. The sensor head swiveled, and a red laser dot appeared, painting the tumbling scythe-limb with perfect precision.
It had worked.
He had successfully diverted the attention of both predators from himself and his dying partner to the "more valuable" prize.
Lin Ke didn't dare hesitate. He ducked down, and with a kind of brutal gentleness, he carefully scooped the curled-up, ice-cold body of Chi Tong into his arms. The creature was frighteningly still, its life-warmth almost entirely gone.
"Hold on," he murmured, the words audible only to himself.
Cradling Chi Tong, he hunched over and began to retreat, a wounded animal moving step by agonizing step into the deeper recesses of the rock crevice. He stifled every sound, each footfall a gamble on its own. He could hear his own bones groaning, his muscles screaming in silent protest.
His world narrowed to the fragile life in his arms and the escalating sounds of chaotic battle behind him.
BOOM!
A muffled explosion erupted from down the slope. The drone had opened fire. It was followed immediately by the enraged, deafening roar of the Shadow Leopard.
Chaos was the best cover.
Lin Ke didn't hesitate any longer. He slipped out of an inconspicuous exit on the far side of the crevice. He didn't run for open ground but plunged in the opposite direction, into the deeper, denser, darker heart of the jungle.
He wasn't running; he was stumbling, struggling. Every step was a trek through thick mud. Sharp branches clawed at his face and arms, but he felt no pain. His body was numb, driven forward by pure, primal instinct.
He didn't know how far he went. Time lost all meaning. He finally collapsed when his foot caught on a gnarled root, his body refusing to get back up. The sounds of the battle were a faint, distant memory.
He lay on his side on the damp earth, clutching Chi Tong tightly to his chest, gasping for air, his lungs feeling like a broken accordion.
He had survived. For now.
The cost: he had lost the prize that could have changed his destiny. And his own life, and Chi Tong's, had merely been moved from the edge of one cliff to the edge of another.
His consciousness began to fray, darkness rushing in like a tide. Before he blacked out completely, his last coherent thought was a desperate, burning imperative:
Must… find water… and medicine… or none of this… meant anything…