Before Wang Zhifan and the girl in the tracksuit and helmet could respond, the short-statured, hooded cloak-wearing middle-aged man vanished into the forest like a shadow merging into the night, as if giving them no chance to refuse.
"Mister, should I hide in that bush?"
The girl was taken aback by how fast her trusted ally had run off, wanting to confirm the details of their cooperation with him, but receiving no response. With a bit of anxiousness, she crouched and hid in a nearby bush.
Unlike the girl, Wang Zhifan was not so obedient. Instead of staying in the open to face the enemy as instructed, he too found a concealed bush to hide in. His position formed an angle with the girl in the tracksuit and helmet, allowing them to support each other at any time.
"That middle-aged man has bad intentions. Even if I'm suited for close combat, there's no reason to stand out in the open as bait. I can't rely on him as a teammate and must be adaptable, relying on my own strength to clear this level."
Wang Zhifan decisively chose to avoid following the middle-aged man's plan and hide instead, as his trust in the man had diminished significantly. He felt uneasy about the man's actions, suspecting he might be trying to trick him and didn't regard him as an equal teammate.
Within seconds of Wang Zhifan hiding, the sound of the girl in the bush nearby emerged.
"Hey handsome, you don't have to hide! You should come out and face the enemy!"
Her voice was small and urgent, clearly surprised by Wang Zhifan's actions.
But Wang Zhifan couldn't care less about her nonsense, replying in a low voice without mercy:
"Stop the nonsense! If you want to clear the level, remember to shoot its head when the tiger comes! I'll help you kill it!"
His response was decisive, laced with Evil Qi, indicating his intentions regardless of whether the girl listened or not.
"Oh... but..."
The girl was shocked by Wang Zhifan's sudden rebuke, momentarily unsure of what to do.
Before she could decide whose words to follow, a series of thunderous tiger roars echoed from the dimly lit forest depths, almost causing her to fall in fear!
Wang Zhifan was similarly shaken by the sudden tiger cries, his heart pounding uncontrollably. Don't mistake this for cowardice; the tiger's cry is inherently terrifying, the dominance of a forest lord striking fear into any creature's instincts, and few can escape its grip.
The tiger's roar, appearing from afar, didn't cease as it grew increasingly ferocious, rapidly approaching Wang Zhifan and the girl!
Seeing this, Wang Zhifan quickly took deep breaths to calm himself, reminding the girl nearby:
"Get ready! It's coming soon! Prepare to shoot its head! I'll assist you in killing it!"
"Okay, okay!"
In this tense moment, the gunner girl, already lacking in decisiveness, felt reassured by Wang Zhifan's voice. She was paralyzed by the continuous terrifying tiger roars and had forgotten what to do next until his timely urging eased her tension.
Soon, as the terrifying tiger roars neared, Wang Zhifan saw a massive creature, tawny with black stripes, pursuing a nimble shadow swiftly towards their position! Both moved incredibly fast, appearing nearby almost as soon as Wang Zhifan spotted them!
"Shoot! Shoot!"
Realizing the tiger was faster than expected, Wang Zhifan immediately called for the girl to open fire while quickly shifting his location within the bush.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
The girl, likely extremely nervous at this point, heard Wang Zhifan's urging and quickly poked out her helmet, gripping her silver pistol tightly and opening fire at the massive creature charging from the side.
In this moment, she completely forgot Wang Zhifan's prior advice to aim for the tiger's head. Perhaps she lacked the shooting skills; the bullets swiftly sprayed towards the tiger's body, kicking up leaves and dirt, but drawing no blood!
"Damn, can't even hit the edge!"
Having moved from his initial position, Wang Zhifan realized the situation was dire. He hadn't expected the girl to hit the tiger's head in one shot, but her emptying of the magazine without wounding the tiger was completely unforeseen.
"Run! Don't reload!"
Seeing someone launch a surprise attack then suddenly stop, the tiger, chasing the suspicious shadow ahead, immediately shifted its focus, leaping towards the gunner girl's location!
Its bulk was immense yet exceptionally agile and swift, bypassing several tree trunks in the blink of an eye, nearing the girl in the tracksuit and helmet!
Just having emptied her magazine, the girl began reloading with trembling hands, then discovered a massive creature before her, paralyzed in fright, dropping several bullets she'd retrieved from her space onto the ground.
This unfortunate situation seemed to seal the girl's fate; with her speed, she couldn't escape the tiger's attack from this distance, nor did she have the presence of mind to evade.
Just as the tiger lowered its body to pounce on the girl, it suddenly noticed a figure charging from behind a tree on its side!
The figure was fast, grasping a long weapon, reaching its side in an instant!
But the tiger was still a tiger, its dynamic vision far superior to humans, its reflexes better. Under this second attack, it immediately dodged sideways while swinging a hefty paw at its attacker's head!