Chapter 65: The Tiger King’s Hunt

The morning of the seventh day.

Ethan checked the remaining diesel.

His expression became grim.

There was only enough fuel left to keep the generator running for another ten hours.

After that, the Survival Space would have to rely on its stored air.

One stored air charge could only provide one person with enough oxygen for one hour.

If Ethan stayed inside after the ventilation system stopped, he would eventually suffocate.

Today was his last chance.

He drank the final bottle of Healing Essence.

Warmth spread through his body as the remaining injuries slowly began to close. Torn muscle knitted. Open cuts sealed just enough to stop the worst of the bleeding. The heat settled deep in his ribs, dulling the sharpest edges of the pain without erasing it.

Ethan sat quietly and waited.

Eventually, the Tiger King’s breathing outside became slower.

It was dozing.

Ethan took one final breath.

Let’s go.

He stepped outside.

Time Stop!

The Tiger King froze mid-breath. Dust hung motionless around its paws. Its half-lidded amber eyes stayed fixed on the empty space where Ethan had been.

Ethan immediately activated his first teleportation.

Space twisted around him.

Hum!

He reappeared in an open plaza.

And froze.

There were people everywhere.

Around twenty survivors were fighting in the middle of the square.

At the center of the chaos was a blue Core, small enough to fit in a palm and glowing faintly against the cracked concrete.

Some survivors wielded steel pipes.

Others had pistols.

A few were using weak Abilities~sparks, thin ice, short bursts of speed that barely moved them a few meters.

Everyone was fighting over the same thing.

Ethan stared at them.

It was the first time in seven days that he had seen this many survivors gathered in one place.

His mind immediately came up with a plan.

This was his chance.

Without hesitation, Ethan charged into the crowd.

He moved straight toward a bald man holding the Core.

The man barely had time to react.

Ethan snatched it from his hand and turned around.

The bald man’s expression twisted with rage.

"That bastard stole the Core!"

He pointed at Ethan.

"Get him! Kill him!"

The entire crowd immediately turned.

More than twenty people charged after Ethan.

Steel pipes whistled through the air behind him.

Someone fired a shot. The bullet cracked past his shoulder and punched into a storefront window.

Ethan didn’t bother looking back.

He activated One-Way Teleportation.

Space twisted.

He disappeared from the crowd.

A furious roar suddenly shook the plaza.

Everyone froze.

Boom!

The railing at the edge of the square exploded outward.

The Tiger King charged through.

Its massive body slammed into the crowd.

People screamed and scattered.

The beast didn’t care.

Its amber eyes were locked onto one target.

Ethan.

"It’s the Tiger King!"

Someone screamed.

"Open fire!"

A gunshot rang out.

Then another.

Bullets slammed into the Tiger King’s body.

Sparks flew from its hide. The rounds left shallow marks and nothing more.

The beast roared.

Its massive paw swept across the plaza.

Several survivors were sent flying.

At least five were knocked away instantly, bodies tumbling across concrete and broken glass.

But the remaining survivors didn’t run.

They knew they had no choice.

If they didn’t fight, the Tiger King would kill them anyway.

And if they worked together...

Maybe they had a chance.

They attacked.

Gunfire erupted.

Weak Abilities flashed.

Steel pipes struck against the Tiger King’s body and bounced off like toys.

The beast roared and tore through them.

Ethan didn’t wait to see how it ended.

He slipped into a side alley and disappeared from sight.

Behind him came screams.

Gunshots.

Roars.

The wet sound of something heavy hitting the ground.

He kept moving.

---

For the next several hours, Ethan became a shadow moving along the outskirts of the city.

He deliberately sought out places where survivors had gathered.

A scavenging group searching through an abandoned store.

A makeshift camp outside a looted supermarket.

A group of armed survivors occupying a parking lot.

Every time the Tiger King caught up, chaos erupted.

And every time, Ethan used that chaos to teleport away.

Some survivors cursed him.

"That bastard brought the Tiger King here!"

Others simply ran for their lives.

Some tried to fight.

It didn’t matter.

The Tiger King kept coming.

Nothing could slow it down for long. It crashed through storefronts. Climbed over barricades. Stepped through gunfire like rain. Whenever the survivors slowed it by even a few seconds, Ethan was already gone.

By dusk, Ethan finally saw the skyline of the city center.

The old clock tower rose above the surrounding buildings, its long shadow stretching across the streets in the orange light of sunset.

Ethan looked at his remaining energy.

Only one teleportation remained.

He couldn’t waste it.

He waited until he was certain the Tiger King was far enough behind him~until the distant roars and the sound of collapsing metal had faded into the background noise of the ruined city.

Then he activated it.

Space twisted.

Ethan appeared on the thirtieth floor of a residential building.

He immediately moved to the window and looked down.

Ten minutes passed.

Then he heard it.

Roar!

The Tiger King entered the city center.

Ethan watched its massive body disappear behind a high-rise building.

He finally allowed himself to breathe.

But he didn’t notice the Viper.

A Viper nearly as thick as a bowl slid silently away from the suburbs, its body low against the broken pavement, tongue tasting the air.

At almost the same time, a Speed Ability User hiding in the shadows sprinted toward the eastern part of the city, vanishing between alleyways before anyone could track the direction.

The Tiger King followed Ethan’s scent.

It reached the residential building.

Then it began climbing the outer wall.

Its claws dug into the concrete as it pulled its enormous body upward. Chunks of plaster and brick broke free and tumbled toward the street. Floor by floor, it rose.

Ethan watched from the window.

Then a sharp screech suddenly echoed from the neighboring building.

He looked up.

His eyes widened.

More than a hundred Mutant Bats burst from the area around the clock tower.

Their wingspans were nearly three meters.

Their eyes glowed green.

Dark venom dripped from their fangs and left thin, smoking trails where it struck the stone.

The swarm descended.

Straight toward the Tiger King.

"Squeak!"

"Roar!"

The bats slammed into the massive beast.

The Tiger King swiped at them.

Its claws tore through wings. Bodies spun away and fell.

The bats responded by biting into its fur and flesh, hanging on even as the Tiger King thrashed against the side of the building.

The entire structure shook as the struggle continued.

Ethan remained by the window, watching the battle.

The Tiger King’s enormous body rolled against the building’s outer wall as the swarm covered it. Glass shattered. Metal screamed. For the first time in seven days, the beast’s attention was forced away from him.

Ethan allowed himself to smile.

He had escaped.

At least for now.

Then the pain hit him.

His ribs burned.

His injuries reopened.

The blood loss he had ignored for hours finally caught up with him.

His vision blurred.

He staggered away from the window.

He couldn’t enter the Survival Space.

Not now.

If he passed out inside, there was a chance he wouldn’t wake up before the oxygen ran out.

He had to stay conscious.

Just a little longer.

Ethan forced himself toward the nearest room.

His vision continued to fade. The hallway stretched and warped. Every step sent a spike of pain through his side.

Then he heard a soft sound.

Click.

The room door opened.

A tall figure stood in the doorway.

The person was holding a Fruit Knife.

They stared at Ethan cautiously.

Ethan’s eyelids grew heavier.

He tried to focus on the stranger’s face.

But everything was already becoming dark.

His body finally lost the strength to remain standing.

And his consciousness slipped into darkness.

Who was the mysterious figure?

And what would they do with Ethan now that he was completely helpless?