Quick Travel to the Clouds

Chapter 647 The Apocalyptic Old Lady 16

Yun Chu stepped forward, reached out her hand, and gently pressed it on the head of the tiger that was unable to move.

The tiger's body trembled violently, the last bit of struggle in its eyes vanished, and it resignedly closed its eyes, only obedience remaining. The invisible imprint of the contract instantly became clear and firm.

Yun Chu may have casually channeled a gentle stream of life energy into the tiger, stopping its internal bleeding (strengthening its life force recovery ability and preventing any hidden injuries that could affect its ability to move around), and allowing it to stand up with difficulty.

It let out a low growl, its voice no longer filled with ferocity, but only with a submissive whimper. Even though it had just recovered from its severe injuries, the aura of a jungle king remained. The enormous shadow it cast as it slowly stood up still made Jiang Xingyu and Lin Xiaoran's legs go weak.

When Yun Chu indicated that Jiang Xingyu and Lin Xiaoran could "occasionally" ride the giant mutated tiger, the two were not pleasantly surprised, but their legs went weak and their scalps tingled!

With its rough, barbed tongue and gleaming fangs so close, sitting on it felt like being stuffed into a meat grinder!

Lin Xiaoran, in particular, only managed to sit cautiously in the middle and back part of the back of Jiang Xingyu's back (close to the waist and hips, the most stable position) after being half pushed and half carried by Jiang Xingyu.

The fluffy, stiff tiger fur rubbed against her skin. The warm, undulating texture of the tiger skin and the explosive power contained beneath its muscles made Lin Xiaoran grip Jiang Xingyu's clothes tightly, closing her eyes and daring not to look.

Jiang Xingyu wasn't much better off; his heart was pounding, and he was gripping a patch of slightly longer, stiff fur on the tiger's back with both hands, as if he was afraid of being thrown off or swallowed whole at any moment.

Once the tiger starts running, the feeling is even more unforgettable! Its huge paws stomp on the ground with heavy thuds, and each stomp brings a strong sense of being pushed back.

The devastated scenery on both sides receded rapidly into blurry patches of color, and the gale-force winds brought by the high speed tore at their clothes and hair, ten times more violently than when they were in a car!

They felt like they could be thrown off at any moment. The huge undulations of the tiger's body as it galloped at high speed made their internal organs feel like they were being transported in a top-of-the-line off-road vehicle without shock absorbers on a steep mountain road.

Each jump (such as leaping over the wreckage of an abandoned vehicle) was accompanied by Lin Xiaoran's screams and Jiang Xingyu's chattering.

The mutated horse beside it visibly breathed a sigh of relief, finally no longer having to bear the main burden. However, following behind the tiger, its massive figure and the cold gaze that swept over it from time to time still put it under immense pressure. Its steps unconsciously became lighter and faster, as if it was afraid of falling behind and becoming the big boss's snack.

In contrast, Yun Chu "occasionally" sat on the tiger's neck near its head, her body as steady as a rock, her silver hair only fluttering slightly in the wind.

She could even close her eyes and rest, allowing the giant tiger to judge obstacles (ditches, collapses) ahead and skillfully dodge or leap over them. When the tiger carried her, it clearly restrained its strength and ran more steadily.

The "protection" of the mutant tiger was initially manifested primarily as deterrence.

When a few scattered zombies are attracted by the scent of living people, this second-tier mutated tiger only needs to turn its head and let out a deep but oppressive roar (often carrying a hint of energy pressure). The low-tier zombies will instinctively retreat in fear or even turn and run away, which is more effective than any alarm.

It rarely needs to tear zombies apart; most of the time, it just lies quietly dozing beside the rest area, occasionally flicking its tiger tail like a steel whip to drive away annoying flies (or smaller mutated creatures). But its mere presence is enough to wipe out any ordinary threat within a hundred meters.

Yun Chu's contract with this tiger was less about having an extra combatant (which wouldn't be very meaningful to her personally) and more about using it as an efficiency tool.

Clearly address the core issue of being slowed down while rushing.

Jiang and Lin have limited physical strength, so walking is slow, and their vehicles are often unusable due to terrain (collapsed buildings blocking roads, broken bridges, dense forests, etc.) or fuel problems.

Tigers' powerful physique and climbing and jumping abilities enable them to easily overcome complex terrain, greatly improving their mobility.

Barrier and Nanny: Provides a stable and reliable mid-tier defensive barrier. The tiger's deterrent power and combat strength are sufficient to deal with threats (below Tier 2/not in extreme numbers) that Jiang and Lin cannot resist on their own, greatly reducing the difficulty of protecting them and the mental strain required.

Testing methods: Perhaps, this is also a verification and expansion of the contractual ability itself.

Subduing a powerful second-tier mutated beast is not only a demonstration of ability, but may also imply a deeper level of exploration. The spiritual imprint she left on the tiger is far more complex and resilient than the mutated horse she previously contracted.

***

After half a month of arduous travel, the mutated tigers, as the main force, greatly increased the speed of the journey.

When the base known as "Rock" finally appeared on the horizon, even Yun Chu, whose heart was already calm, had a slight twitch in her eyes.

It sits on a slightly elevated, gentle slope, and from a distance, it looks like a huge scar crudely pieced together from scrap iron, concrete blocks, and logs, clinging to the edge of a dilapidated city.

The base is surrounded by two distinct lines of defense.

Outer layer: Utilizing natural terrain and stacked and reinforced massive pieces of collapsed buildings, it forms a chaotic yet thick physical barrier.

The area was filled with sharp, rusty steel bars and car wreckage forming barricades.

Withered, tangled thorny vines could be seen through the gaps, with empty cans and other odds and ends hanging upside down on them, clearly a rudimentary alarm system.

The inner layer consists of a relatively "modern" tall alloy wall, about five or six meters high.

The walls are clearly of varying ages; some parts are original factory walls, while others are huge steel plates welded together later.

The top of the wall was covered with twisted barbed wire, and every so often there were makeshift lookout posts made from abandoned tower crane booms or steel frames, with the figures of sentries flickering on the top of the wall.

The heavy alloy door was tightly shut, covered with dents and dark stains from impacts.

Under the gray sky, sparse plumes of smoke (from domestic fires, simple industrial burning, or garbage incineration) drifted above the base. The air was filled with a complex odor, a mixture of smoke, low-quality fuel, sweat, and a faint trace of disinfectant (or a disinfectant used to mask the stench of decay).

The base was surrounded by extremely open space, with a view so wide it was almost desolate, and any living thing that approached it had nowhere to hide.

The only open area was a much smaller alloy door on the side, in front of which was a narrow, cleared space. The ground was muddy, with tire tracks and footprints mixed together.

The line of people and vehicles waiting to enter stretched out slowly and oppressively. Guards, dressed in a motley collection of worn-out camouflage or work clothes and with ammunition belts wrapped around their bodies, vigilantly inspected every person and every item.

Yun Chu and her group's arrival instantly made them the absolute focus of attention. The enormous mutated tiger was more impactful than any vehicle.

Its thick, fluffy fur, covered in dust, its ferocious physique, its occasionally sweeping, cold, vertical pupils, and its heavy, trembling gait as it moves, all exude the aura of a apex predator.

The long line of people froze instantly, screams and growls mingling with fear as they retreated.

Those in front desperately tried to get out of the way, shoving and pushing their way back; those behind, unaware of what was happening, felt panic spreading like ripples.

"My God!"

"Old... tiger!"

"Second tier! It's definitely second tier!"

“Stay away!”

The chaos was punctuated by the clanging of weapons and the guards' shrill whistles.