Chapter 22: Crisis

A thunderous roar echoed from a distance, carrying a palpable sense of threat. At the sound, Shi Nianqing felt her scalp tingle. The tiger cubs beside her seemed inexplicably excited by the noise, yet they remained obediently at her side.

In the livestream, the viewers’ hearts skipped a beat upon hearing the roar.

"What is that? It sounds like a tiger."
"Based on the audio profile, this is an adult tiger with extremely high aggression."
"Adult tigers aren't something an ordinary human can fend off. Even for interstellar humans enhanced by elite training, facing a regular tiger is no easy task."
"The sound is getting closer. That tiger is coming straight for Shi Nianqing!"
"Is she in danger? Is this where Shi Nianqing meets her end?"

Shi Nianqing’s brows knit tightly. This was no ordinary cat or dog. This was an adult tiger—a creature whose single strike could concuss prey weighing over a hundred pounds. Judging by the sound, the beast was in a foul mood; one could even say it was in a state of blind fury. She wondered what could have possibly provoked it.

She did not turn and run immediately; instead, she assessed her surroundings. She knew better than to try and outrun a tiger in the jungle. Taking a deep breath, she forced herself to remain calm and surveyed the area. A tall pine tree caught her eye. While tigers are felines and capable of climbing, their heavy adult frames limited their reach. They could climb a few dozen meters at most, while this pine stood over a hundred meters tall. Even if the tiger managed to ascend, the effort would be immense.

Deciding instantly, Shi Nianqing placed the three cubs on her shoulders and secured them with vines. She scrambled up the tree with practiced efficiency. As she climbed, she didn't forget to address her audience.

"Ladies and gentlemen, we’ve run into serious trouble. If I’m not mistaken, this is an adult tiger. Judging by the sound, it weighs at least 500 kilograms—a true overlord of the forest. For some reason, it has locked onto me as its target, and it is displaying extreme aggression."

"This is a massive challenge. I hope to make it out alive."

Shi Nianqing’s face remained calm as she spoke, betraying none of the tension of a life-or-death struggle. The viewers in the chat were stunned by her composure.

"That’s a tiger! The Ancient Earth Museum archives say some tigers are man-eaters!"
"The legendary King of the Forest, the Lord of the Land—how can she be so calm?"
"Without any tools other than a dagger and an axe, I don't see how she survives this."
"Shi Nianqing, if you actually make it out of this alive, I’ll stop trolling you and become a loyal fan."
"Anyone who can survive the King of the Forest can't be that bad."

Shi Nianqing was unaware of the chatter; she only noted the popularity score in her system interface rising steadily. She knew her stream had attracted a massive audience. If she survived this, most of these people would become long-term fans, contributing to her future points. With that realization, she felt even calmer. It was the same feeling she had faced countless times against man-eating zombies in the apocalypse: survive, or be destroyed.

Perhaps sensing the tension, the three cubs stood perfectly still on her shoulders, doing their best to maintain their balance. As she reached a height of thirty meters, she finally caught sight of the beast. It was massive, charging toward her location at breakneck speed. Smaller animals in its path were so terrified they were left shivering before it even arrived.

"Roar!"

The sheer volume of the roar was enough to kill a rabbit nearby, which collapsed, paralyzed by fear. A true King of the Forest, indeed.

By the time the tiger reached the tree, Shi Nianqing had climbed to fifty meters. Looking down, the beast’s presence was still overwhelming. She checked her "Animal Taming" skill, but at Level 1, it only worked on cubs under two months old; it would be useless against this behemoth. She scanned her other skills, finding little of use. The only option was to trade points for a burst of physical strength, but that would leave her critically exhausted afterward. She would only use that as a last resort.

When she reached seventy meters, the tiger finally arrived. It circled the base, sniffing the air, sensing its prey but unable to see it. After several laps, it finally looked up. Its eyes flared with intense killing intent. The beast began to slam its massive paws against the pine tree, which was two to three meters thick, causing the trunk to sway violently.

High above, Shi Nianqing could feel the tree straining to withstand the onslaught. After a while, the tiger realized the tree would not fall. Shi Nianqing, now near the top, looked down at the frustrated beast. She plucked a few pinecones and tossed them down.

The enraged tiger felt something strike its head and looked up to find a pinecone. Expecting an easy kill, it was now being mocked by its prey. The humiliation drove the tiger into a frenzy, its eyes turning bloodshot.

"Vile prey!"

Realizing it couldn't topple the tree, the tiger lunged at the trunk and began to climb. In just a few seconds, it had ascended twenty meters. However, its pace began to slow as it climbed higher, eventually stalling at the fifty-meter mark, though it continued to claw its way upward.

Shi Nianqing frowned deeply. Logically, humans were not part of a tiger’s diet. Why did this beast harbor such intense, almost personal hatred toward her? It was as if she had wiped out its entire family.