Chapter 70: The Return of the White Tiger

Jiang Si held up her torch and carefully searched the area. Aside from the dropped locator, she also found Qin Shen’s emergency kit.

If he were still alive, there’s no way he would have left the kit behind in such a desolate place.

If it was still there… it likely meant something had gone wrong.

Jiang Si’s chest tightened. If even someone as capable as Qin Shen might have run into trouble, then Grandpa Jiang Linhai and Grandma Zhang Qingfang were in even greater danger.

Gritting her teeth, Jiang Si climbed back onto the bulldozer and drove in the direction indicated by the locator.

Along the way, she saw nothing but poisonous scorpions scattered across the ground—still no trace of Qin Shen.

Anxious beyond words, she wished she could turn the bulldozer into a helicopter.

Twenty minutes later, after crushing through a dense cactus thicket, Jiang Si hopped out, pulled a mountain bike from her space, and sped toward the last known location of Jiang Chengwu and Zhang Qingfang.

The rumbling roar of the motorbike echoed loudly in the silent night.

Watching the red dots on the locator grow closer and closer, Jiang Si silently prayed: Please let them be safe.

Suddenly—just before the reunion point—a massive shadow emerged from the darkness. A terrifying beast stood in her path.

Jiang Si’s heart skipped a beat. Her first thought: Did this beast attack Grandpa and Grandma?

Her eyes reddened instantly. Her hands trembled as she raised her gun.

She had lived through one lifetime and fought tooth and nail in this one to protect her family—only for it to end like this?

If this beast had hurt her loved ones, she would make it pay with its life.

As the creature stepped into the range of her high beam, its huge figure came into focus—getting larger and larger. Jiang Si’s tear-filled eyes widened when she finally saw the figures riding on its back.

They weren’t dead!

Her grandparents were alive!

Zhang Qingfang’s voice called out first, “Sisi, is that you?!”

Because Jiang Si was wearing a helmet and the spotlight was too bright, they couldn’t clearly see her.

She choked up, quickly pulling off her helmet. “It’s me! It’s me!”

Zhang Qingfang let out a huge sigh of relief. Jiang Si also calmed herself and dimmed the high beam to a softer light.

As the lighting changed, they could finally see what they were riding:

A massive white tiger—its cold, aloof expression unmistakably matched the same great white tiger that had once vanished without warning!

Jiang Si rushed forward and hugged Zhang Qingfang. “How are you riding Xiaobai?!”

Zhang Qingfang patted her back, still shaken. “We got caught in a tree full of thorns and couldn’t get free. When we saw the tiger, we nearly died of fright. But it recognized us! Not only didn’t it hurt us, it climbed the tree and rescued us! Then, when the scorpions came out at night, it carried us on its back. I think it heard your voice and brought us to you.”

She gently stroked the tiger’s silky neck and said excitedly, “It’s so intelligent.”

Meanwhile, the small black dog on Jiang Chengwu’s back was trembling with fear.

Jiang Si turned to look at the white tiger, locking eyes with its deep gaze. She bowed gratefully. “Thank you.”

The tiger snorted, then suddenly pounced on her and pinned her to the ground like it wanted to play.

Its sudden movement made Zhang Qingfang and Jiang Chengwu almost have a heart attack.

Thankfully, it just seemed excited to see Jiang Si again and wanted to cuddle. They let out a collective sigh of relief.

Jiang Si didn’t mind being pinned down, but they still had to find the others. She gently pushed against the tiger and scratched its neck, snuggling it a bit as she sighed, “You’re such a big baby still acting cute. If you missed us that much, why did you run away before? I still have important things to do—can I get up first?”

Amazingly, the tiger seemed to understand her.

It slowly stood up, then gently picked Jiang Si up and placed her on its back.

The white tiger was nearly twice the size of a normal tiger—easily able to carry three people.

Not wanting to tire it out, Jiang Si asked Jiang Chengwu to take Zhang Qingfang on the motorbike.

She patted the white tiger’s back and told it which direction Jiang Linhai and the others were in.

Zhang Qingfang then asked, “What about Qin Shen?”

Based on the parachute drop distance and time, Jiang Si should have found him first.

Jiang Si sighed. “I only found his locator. He wasn’t there. But I didn’t find a body either. Maybe he ran into danger and is hiding, or maybe the chute malfunctioned and he landed far from his gear.”

She could only guess. But with a man like Qin Shen—so skilled and mysterious—she didn’t believe he would die so easily.

Maybe… he was already out there looking for them.

Without Qin Shen, they wouldn’t have made it through that parachute jump.

And after all this time together, she had grown emotionally attached to him.

Zhang Qingfang and Jiang Chengwu were both worried. “Let’s hope he’s safe.”

Jiang Si nodded. “Once we find Mom and Dad, I’ll have the white tiger help search for him.”

Tigers have an excellent sense of smell—maybe it could track him down quickly.

Their eyes lit up at the idea, proud and amazed by the tiger’s abilities.

Jiang Si sat on the white tiger’s back, moving just as fast as Jiang Chengwu’s motorbike.

The locator signals for Lu Zhifeng, Niuniu, and her parents had started to converge.

Jiang Si smiled. “They’ve met up! That means we can go look for Qin Shen right after this.”

Qin Shen had saved all their lives. He was a pillar of the team.

This apocalypse was even more brutal than the last one. Jiang Si knew that one careless moment could put her family in great danger. More people meant more complexity, sure—but Qin Shen never once caused trouble.

Whatever his true motives, she wanted him to stay with the team.

To make sure he didn’t meet a tragic end, they had to find him fast.

But just as she was getting hopeful, the white tiger suddenly stopped.

Jiang Si looked up in confusion, following its gaze—and realized it had led them to a mountaintop with a perfect view of a human encampment below.

She pulled out her infrared binoculars.

The camp was built from wood and mud, surprisingly large—about a hundred people.

Men with spears and guns were patrolling the perimeter.

Lu Zhifeng’s locator signal was showing inside the camp.

There was no way he would have willingly gone into a place like that—especially knowing she’d be looking for him.

Which meant—they had been captured.

Jiang Si zoomed in and scanned the interior—and suddenly spotted Dahei the dog, tied up and muzzled.

Beside it, someone was sharpening a knife.

They were planning to eat Dahei!

Jiang Si’s heart skipped a beat. She scanned for Jiang Linhai and the others. Two grass huts under heavy guard looked suspicious.

Then, a man in a bulletproof vest walked out of the most luxurious wooden cabin.

As if sensing her presence, he looked directly toward Jiang Si’s position.

His gaze was sharp—dangerous.