"Hiss?" Luo Zheng watched the wild beast that had suddenly appeared, as robust as a calf, with a pattern like a leopard's but a body shape closer to that of a tiger's, and imdiately a term ca to mind: leopard, also known as jaguar, one of the top existences in the jungle food chain. He was greatly alard and quickly said in a low voice, "Form a circle."
Upon hearing Luo Zheng's shout, Lan Xue and the others were instantly startled, knowing trouble was upon them, and rushed up. Everyone stood back to back, their guns all pointing outward, ready for action. It wasn't long before Lan Xue too noticed the still jaguar assessing the group. Her expression turned grim as she whispered, "This is bad, it's a jaguar. Everyone, be careful."
The jaguar is a solitary predator, cautious by nature, sizing up the threat level of its prey before hunting. Its diet includes deer, pigs, tapirs, sloths, turtles, anteaters, and other smaller animals. Like the leopard, it is adept at climbing trees, hunting on land or in water, fast-moving, stealthy, and has formidable attacking power.
Everyone was familiar with jaguars. After hearing Lan Xue's words, they exchanged glances with serious faces. Lan Xue asked, "We can take it down with a gunshot, but firing will also reveal our position. The fire attack to drive off scorpions might have already attracted the enemy's attention. They could be on their way here now. Shooting now would be disadvantageous for us. What do you all think?"
"Ghost, lend your Dragon Tooth knife. I'll handle it. Fierce beasts have a strong sense of territory, and where a jaguar roams, no other Fierce Beasts will tread. If we kill it, we can rest here tonight," Snow Leopard proposed.
Luo Zheng didn't answer imdiately but calmly observed the fierce beast, seeing one for the first ti and feeling sowhat curious. He noted that the jaguar had a large head, broad face, thick chest, hefty body, well-developed muscles, and short, sturdy limbs. After pondering, he said, "This creature might not be easy to deal with. I'll take care of it myself. The rest of you, support ."
"Be careful, and if it cos down to it, just shoot," Lan Xue said in a low voice.
"Don't worry," Luo Zheng assured her, taking off his backpack and pulling out the Dragon Tooth knife. He gripped the handle tightly with both hands, raised it as if threatening the heavens, and sidled slowly towards the jaguar. The jaguar had been weighing whether to attack but seeing Luo Zheng daring to take the initiative angered it profoundly, as its status as the king of the jungle was not to be challenged, it growled lowly.
"Roar—!" The roar ca with a fetid gust, stirring the leaves on the ground ahead. The surrounding birds, which had been singing joyfully, suddenly took flight in panic, fluttering away. A chilling atmosphere of deadly solemnity spread throughout the woods. The jaguar, coldly staring at Luo Zheng, had nacing eyes filled with ferocity and a hint of mockery.
Being mocked by a wild beast, Luo Zheng grew angry too. He took a deep breath, opened his mouth wide, and let out a mighty roar, full of provocative, wild aggression. He advanced a few steps and then stopped, coldly looking at the jaguar with an even firr grip on his Dragon Tooth knife. The muscles throughout his body tensed, ready to unleash power the mont a fighting chance presented itself.
"Roar!" The jaguar beca even more infuriated and began to approach, each step slow yet sohow exerting an inexplicable pressure, as if a monarch inspecting his forest realm, its eyes shining with intensified savageness. Its entire body bristled with flowing hairs, like undulating ripples, and its muscles quivered with each movent, hinting at the explosive force contained within.
When they were five or six ters apart, the jaguar tilted its head, scrutinizing Luo Zheng, then suddenly accelerated, opening its mouth wide and roaring as it launched an attack on Luo Zheng. The beast moved with startling speed. Luo Zheng saw that it was targeting the lower body rather than pouncing like a tiger or wolf, which made his expression harden. He pushed forcefully off the ground, shooting up into a front flip, his Dragon Tooth knife slashing down towards the jaguar.
Seeing Luo Zheng leap to avoid the attack, with the Dragon Tooth knife's sharp blade emanating a breath of death, the jaguar, whose animal instincts were keenly sensitive to danger, knew the knife was not to be trifled with. It rolled on the spot, narrowly dodging Luo Zheng's slash. After landing from his front flip, Luo Zheng calmly stared down the jaguar as it scrambled back onto its feet, his tiger-like gaze condensed, and he refrained from pressing the attack.
"Awoo!" the leopard stretched its neck and roared angrily, as if venting an endless fury from within. It suddenly accelerated and its robust limbs began to run, in perfect harmony and with great force. Its whole body's muscles trembled. Luo Zheng knew that when dealing with wild beasts, one cannot show weakness or retreat, or else he would fall into a defensive position. Instead of retreating, he pressed on; with Dragon Tooth pointed forward, he locked onto the leopard's eyes.
With an incensed leap, the leopard swatted towards Dragon Tooth with its paw. Luo Zheng would not let the leopard succeed. He sidestepped and lunged forward; Dragon Tooth lashed back like lightning, the sharp blade sweeping towards the leopard's thigh, as fast as lightning. Luo Zheng was surprised to find that, in this mont, the leopard twisted its body eerily to the side and avoided the slicing blade.
"Eh?" Luo Zheng didn't expect the leopard to be so cunning, seeming to possess so intelligence, knowing that Dragon Tooth was not to be trifled with and avoiding a direct clash. The creature was almost crafty. His tiger-like eyes focused, he rapidly stepped back several paces, gripping Dragon Tooth close to his chest and watching the leopard with an ice-cold stare, not daring to be even slightly negligent.
The leopard rolled around, not attacking imdiately but also vigilantly watching Luo Zheng, motionless. They faced off for a mont until the leopard suddenly growled lowly and charged again, like a bullet from a gun, with breakneck speed. When it was about three ters away, its body shot forward in a pounce, forming a beautiful arc in the void.
Luo Zheng watched the leopard coldly. He truly felt reluctant to kill the creature, but there was no reasoning with a wild beast at a life-or-death mont, so he had no choice but to fight. Seeing the leopard leap high, about two ters off the ground, Luo Zheng did not retreat but instead rushed forward; his body leaning backward, Dragon Tooth held aloft, aid straight at the leopard's belly.
Just as he was about to stab into the belly, where a single slash would surely split the creature open, Luo Zheng suddenly noticed a swelling in the leopard's abdon. His hunting experience since childhood told him that this was a pregnant female. His heart softened, and he quickly withdrew the blade. Once the leopard had passed over his head, he sprang to his feet and coldly watched the leopard as it turned its head towards him, not letting his guard down.
Man bears no ill will towards the leopard, but the leopard nurtures harmful intent towards man.
At that mont, the leopard did not attack again. Its eyes, previously filled with ferocity, now locked onto Luo Zheng with a hint of confusion. Luo Zheng slowly sheathed his blade, tip down, and said coldly, "Go away, I won't kill you."
"Awoo!" the leopard let out a roar, its icy gaze softening. It slowly backed away a few steps, then turned and ran, quickly disappearing into the dense jungle. Luo Zheng watched this scene and sighed in relief, then suddenly smiled when he heard the leopard roar again from deep within the forest.
"Brother, no tiger's whip for you. Why the sudden tenderness at the critical mont?" Ghost Hand ran over and asked in surprise.
"It's pregnant. The rules of hunters are such that any animal can be killed, but not the pregnant ones," Luo Zheng explained, his gaze lingering in the direction the leopard had left, lost in thought.
"What are you thinking about?" Lan Xue asked curiously.
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