I was awakened by a sharp and piercing scream, the chilling sound of a woman's scream filling the night air, sending a shiver down my spine. It was unmistakably a female scream, so harrowing that a foreboding sense immediately gripped my heart. Swiftly, I grabbed the flashlight, scanning the surroundings, only to find the bed on the left empty. Simultaneously, the logs blocking the cave entrance had been shifted, and the cave door was wide open, allowing the frigid wind to howl inside. I instantly understood—Wang Qin must have gone outside.
The unsettling scream heightened my sense of danger, and I tightly gripped my gun as I rushed out. Stepping into the open, the pungent smell of blood saturated the air, causing my mind to go blank. The gruesome scene before me would haunt my nightmares for nights to come.
If only I had warned Wang Qin more seriously, if only I had become more powerful, if... perhaps today's tragedy could have been averted. Before me lay the bloody remains of Wang Qin and a massive, terrifying predator!
This colossal creature was almost two meters in length and stood at a height of seventy to eighty centimeters, weighing at least over a hundred kilograms! What kind of massive creature was this? The cat-wolf I encountered before was equivalent to a medium or large-sized dog, weighing just over thirty kilograms. Most people might be familiar with domestic Samoyeds or Huskies, and the cat-wolf was slightly larger than them. However, the creature before me was almost four times the size of a Husky.
At this moment, I was merely two meters away from this gigantic creature, and the oppressive aura of a predator nearly made my legs go weak. I used to disbelieve that an intimidating presence could instill fear, but this scene changed my perspective entirely. It was a terrifying creature I had never seen before, not a lion nor a tiger; the only way I could describe its head was resembling a koala, or a koala bear.
However, unlike the gentle face of a koala, its expression was fierce, eerie, and deceitful. Sharp fangs dripped with the blood of its prey, and its robust limbs and sharp claws resembled those of a leopard or lion, emanating explosive power. It was a terrifying sight, and I was drenched in cold sweat within an instant. I stared at it intensely, slowly stepping backward.
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The creature, bathed in the light of my flashlight, appeared somewhat confused, and its cold eyes curiously observed me. I kept my gaze fixed on it, sensing a moment of hesitation in its eyes. However, this hesitation was fleeting, and I witnessed it immediately lower its front paws, preparing to strike! In the face of life and death, I swiftly turned and leaped back into the cave.
As soon as my feet touched the ground, a howling wind echoed behind me. The ferocious predator had lunged toward my previous position, clawing out a deep pit in the snow, with snow debris flying everywhere. I turned around and leaped back, firing a shot!
Boom! The gunshot was deafening, and the bullet struck the creature's shoulder, whistling through the air. It hit the creature's shoulder with a thud, causing it to roar in pain.
The sudden attack shocked the beast. It hesitated for a moment, its eyes flashing with a trace of wariness. However, this wariness lasted only an instant. I saw it immediately lower its front paws again, poised to strike! At the critical moment, I swiftly turned back into the cave entrance.
Taking advantage of its momentary distress, I quickly closed the cave door, shouting loudly, "Don't just stand there, come help, move the logs over here!" I knew that the girls must have awakened from Wang Qin's scream and my gunshot. In a panic, they rushed over. Working together, we quickly barricaded the cave entrance with logs. However, before we could catch our breath, the outside of the cave echoed with a deafening roar. The creature was not willing to give up, violently slamming against the door. The relentless pounding and the creaking of the logs against the door filled the air. The sounds were so nerve-wracking that we were afraid the creature might break through the door and charge in at any moment.
Several girls turned pale with fear. Li Lin and Xu Xiao Rong were even in tears, tightly gripping my sleeves. They seemed to be so frightened that they dared not even cry out loud, as if making a sound would draw the creature's attention. In that moment, my heart ached, and I even fantasized about how good it would be if I were a superhero, so that the girls wouldn't be so afraid.
"Don't be afraid, everyone. If this thing keeps ramming and gets no results, it will eventually leave on its own!" I forced a smile at them, trying to reassure them, though deep down, I had no certainty. Could the cave door really withstand the impact of that creature? I held the gun tightly, prepared for the possibility that, if the creature did break in, I would fight it, even if it meant facing death.