C9 King of the Forest

The brown-black wolf advanced a step, prompting Lee Cha to spin on his heels and dash toward the creek. But the other wolves quickly flanked him, cutting off his escape.

With no other choice, he pressed his back against a tree trunk to avoid being encircled by the predators.

Then, the brown-black wolf lunged, igniting Lee Cha's fierce will to survive, driving him to scramble up the tree in a frenzy.

His jacket and pants scraped against the bark, crackling as he climbed. He only halted when he was safely high enough, noticing one of his shoes had tumbled to the ground below.

His heart pounded as if it might burst from his chest, his limbs ached, and his palms bore scrapes.

His jacket and jeans were torn, flecked with gray-brown bark.

It seemed the brown-black wolf's intent wasn't to harm him but to force him aside.

It glanced up briefly, then approached the gray wolf, sniffing around before crushing the fish and laying it before its packmate.

The rest of the wolves gathered around the gray one.

Lee Cha silently fumed. With all your loyalty, why can't you spare me?

There's a saying about thankless wolves, and here he was, having saved the gray wolf, possibly to be worn down to his demise in this tree. He'd heard wolves could go days without food or drink.

He was always so careful; how could he have been so foolish now?

...

As the sun dipped low, staining the clouds crimson, the forest succumbed to twilight's embrace.

Yet the pack of wild wolves settled down to rest, each taking turns to keep a watchful eye on Lee Cha.

He couldn't help but feel annoyed. My meager flesh wouldn't even be enough for you all to share. What's the point?

When darkness fell, the wolves' eyes glowed green beneath the tree.

In the deep black of night, a bird—or something—cried out, a low, haunting sound that made Lee Cha's skin crawl.

And in the dead of night, half-asleep, he nearly slipped from his branch, a jolt of fear sending a chill through him.

Having eaten only a few fish during the day, followed by a frantic escape and the shock of it all, I was left both cold and hungry.

Will I meet my end here? Will hunger or the cold claim my life? Or perhaps I'll be devoured by a wild wolf or tiger?

Could I be the first transmigrator in history to perish on a tree branch?

Half-delirious, he shivered and muttered to himself.

As the sunlight pierced the clouds, Lee Cha was roused by the sharp call of a bird.

His limbs were numb, his spirit was low; he had spent the night in a fitful state, torn between the cold and fear.

The rough tree bark had left his backside sore, an experience hardly worth mentioning.

Looking down, he noticed the injured gray wolf sitting below, cocking its head curiously at him.

Man and wolf locked eyes for a moment. The wolf let out a soft whine, then rose, limping on its hind leg, and hobbled away with the pack.

"Thank you, Buddha, thank you, God, thank Mary," Lee Cha whispered, watching the wolves disappear.

Ten minutes later, he climbed down from the tree, stretched his stiff muscles, gathered the scattered Chang'e wood carvings into a box, grabbed his harpoon, slipped on his worn shoes, and resumed his journey.

Now, he proceeded with heightened caution, glancing back every few steps.

Whenever he came across dense underbrush, he'd toss stones into it to probe for danger.

This made his journey more tense, but it was a necessary precaution.

Tigers were known for their stealthy attacks from behind or within thickets, and once they struck, their prey rarely escaped.

To his relief, as he moved downstream, the creek widened and the trees thinned, broadening his view.

The tiger's roar echoed from the northwest, while the creek flowed northeast. He reassured himself that he was moving away from danger.

The sound of rushing water grew louder as Lee Cha approached. Climbing to higher ground for a better view, his eyes widened with delight at the sight ahead.

The stream had widened, and the trees along its banks had thinned out.

Almost there!

He picked up his pace.

After covering a bit more than ten meters, he came upon a small waterfall cascading into a deep-looking pool, flanked by large white boulders tumbling down on either side.

He surveyed the scene briefly before leaping down the rocks in a controlled descent.

With a soft thud, he landed on the rocky shore of the pool. As he prepared to leave the forest behind, a tune began to form on his lips.

But in an instant, his body seized up. He stumbled backward in a panic until he collided with a boulder, sending the wooden box in his hand clattering to the ground.

This was bad. Sweat beaded on his forehead.

Peering from behind a bush less than half a meter tall was a yellow and black head, crouched at the water's edge, its long tongue lapping at the stream.

The creature lifted its gaze to Lee Cha.

Sweat wasn't just on his forehead now; his palms and soles were damp, and his calves shook involuntarily.

A massive figure rose from the underbrush and began to approach, revealing its formidable presence.

It stood shoulder-high to Lee Cha's chest, with white mane framing its cheeks.

Its body was cloaked in dark yellow fur, crisscrossed with black stripes that merged into a distinct "King" pattern atop its head.

Its forelimbs were as robust as Lee Cha's thighs, and its head was as large as a washbasin, with two yellow eyes each the size of an adult's fist.

The black pupils were pinpricks, mostly hidden beneath the eyelids, radiating a palpable menace.

Lee Cha could feel its gaze locked onto him, targeting his neck.

His heart seemed to pause for an eternity before pounding anew, throbbing in his wrist, his throat, his fingertips.

The hairs on the back of his neck stood on end, his hands turned icy, and the sound of his blood thundered in his ears.

The tiger halted a mere five meters in front of him, pacing with deliberate steps, never taking its eyes off him.

Roar!

The tiger parted its jaws slightly, wrinkling its face as it bared its yellowed fangs.

The upper canines were as long and as large as half of Lee Cha's palm, and a string of translucent saliva hung from its gaping maw.

Lee Cha could even detect the foul stench.

I'm done for! I'm really done for! No, I can't just give up.

What now?

His mind whirled with desperation. Yet, the usual flood of ideas had come to an abrupt halt, pinned down as if by an invisible force. No matter how much he struggled, they remained unresponsive.

In that moment, he felt like smashing his own skull.

Roar!

Another roar snapped him back to reality.

"Ahhh! Get away! Get away! Damn it, come at me, come at me, I'll end you..."

Driven by raw survival instinct, he screamed wildly, flailing his harpoon in front of him.

But the tiger remained unmoved, squatting down as its muscles tensed in preparation.

Lee Cha's mind felt like it was about to burst. It was happening, it was really happening!

Wooo! Wooo!

Suddenly, a long howl echoed from the forest's edge.

The tiger, poised to strike, froze in its tracks, its ears slanting inward as it cast a wary glance toward the woods.

A massive brown-black wolf stood atop a rise at the forest's edge, its howl piercing the sky.

Seconds later, a chorus of wolf howls answered from deeper within the forest.

Hua! Hua! Hua! One by one, wolves burst from the forest's grip, bounding to the pond's edge.

"F*ck! F*ck! F*ck!" Lee Cha cursed under his breath, so overwhelmed with adrenaline he nearly dropped to his knees.

Unexpectedly, the tiger lunged forward, swiping with its massive paw.

Damn!

Instinctively, Lee Cha swung his harpoon at the beast and, hugging the rock face, ducked and rolled to the side, collapsing to the ground and scrambling backward.

A jolt of force traveled up the harpoon to his hands, leaving them tingling, but thankfully, the tiger's blow missed.

It was merely a feint.

Lee Cha was drenched in a cold sweat, realizing that even with the wolves' arrival, safety was far from guaranteed.

The wolf pack swiftly encircled the area, and the tiger, sensing a greater threat from them, pivoted to unleash a ferocious roar at the wolves.

Lee Cha scrambled up the rocks in a panic, only to have the tiger wheel around and roar at him once more, poised to leap.

Frozen with fear, Lee Cha could do nothing but huddle back in his spot, harpoon aimed at the tiger.

"Are you out of your damn mind?!" he shouted. "What's your problem with me? Did I cook your cub or grab your tail?" Lee Cha cowered in the nook of the cliff.

The terrain was treacherous; a massive rock loomed behind him, forming a large, curved hollow where he was trapped, the tiger blocking his only exit.

The rock wasn't too tall, reaching just to his shoulders, and he could have scaled it with a firm push, but turning his back on the tiger was clearly a foolish idea.

The very spot he had cautiously chosen as a refuge was now looking more like his tomb.

The worst part was that the tiger seemed to regard him as its prize.

The wolves sprang into action, one of them boldly lunging forward.

With lightning speed, the tiger spun and swatted with its massive paw.

The wolf had no chance to react before being flung aside, yelping in pain as it landed.

The tiger then bounded onto another wolf, clamping its jaws shut. The wolf's pained cry was abruptly silenced, leaving only the frantic thrashing of its body.

The pack's howling intensified. A brown-gray wolf seized the moment to snap at the tiger's tail, but with a thunderous growl, the tiger released the wolf beneath it and spun, delivering a powerful slap.

Another howl, another wolf incapacitated.

In mere seconds, the wolf pack had suffered the loss of three of their own.

Lee Cha's heart raced with dread.

What now? Once the tiger finishes off the wolves, it'll surely come for me.

With just over ten wolves and the tiger's ruthless efficiency, the skirmish could be over in under a minute.

Is this the end for me?