Chapter 71: Earthquake

At such a great distance, there was no way that man could have spotted them so quickly.

Jiang Si suddenly thought of the locator devices on Jiang Linhai and the others—it had definitely been taken by that man.

She stared at him, clenching her fists tightly. If he so much as lays a finger on Jiang Linhai or Shen Baoying, I will make sure he dies without a grave to rest in.

Suddenly, the man said a few words to his subordinates, and before long, Jiang Linhai and the others were brought before him, their hands tied.

Jiang Si held her breath—thankfully, they were still alive.

By bringing them out like this, the man was clearly threatening her—not to act rashly from the shadows.

Otherwise, Jiang Linhai and the others would be in immediate danger.

Her parents were Jiang Si’s greatest weakness. Right now, she didn’t dare make a move.

Jiang Chengwu asked, “What’s the situation? Do they have guns?”

Jiang Si nodded. “Yes. And our location’s been compromised.”

Jiang Chengwu’s heart sank. “Then what should we do?”

Jiang Si frowned. “We either sneak in and rescue them quietly, or charge in directly.”

“But if we provoke them, they might retaliate immediately!”

“We need a foolproof plan.”

Jiang Chengwu thought for a moment. “If they’re wary of us, they probably won’t kill anyone right away. Let’s look for a chance to rescue them secretly.”

Jiang Si only had one spatial ability. While her combat power was strong, she couldn’t take on so many people at once.

If Qin Shen were here, the two of them could cover each other—maybe they’d stand a chance.

But unfortunately, Qin Shen was still missing.

Just as Jiang Si was brainstorming a better plan, Da Bai (the white tiger) suddenly bolted like the wind.

Jiang Si quickly slapped its back. “Da Bai, stop!”

But Da Bai didn’t listen and instead charged straight toward the encampment.

Jiang Si had no choice but to turn to Jiang Chengwu and Zhang Qingfang. “Don’t follow us. Da Bai and I will be fine. Wait for us!”

Thanks to its agile movements and the cover of night, Da Bai was hard to spot.

Jiang Si guessed it was trying to help her rescue the others. She quickly pulled out her gun, put on a bulletproof vest, and prepared for a deadly fight.

Despite its massive size, Da Bai’s paws barely made a sound on the mountain terrain—like a breeze passing over leaves.

But the area around the camp was flat, and lit by campfires. Even with its speed, Da Bai’s white fur made it hard to stay hidden.

Someone finally spotted them and shouted, “What’s that?!”

“Heavens! It’s a tiger!”

“Hahaha, we’ll have meat tonight!”

Someone even cheered, already fantasizing about peeling off the tiger’s hide to make two large coats.

But the moment Xiao Xiong saw a figure riding the tiger’s back, his expression changed instantly.

Someone can ride a mutated tiger in the apocalypse?

Unbelievable.

If he could capture that person alive, he’d make them reveal everything.

But the tiger and the woman on its back posed a serious threat.

So above all else—his safety came first.

Without hesitation, Xiao Xiong raised his gun and fired at Jiang Si.

Bang—

The gunshot echoed through the quiet night.

Luckily, he missed.

In the blink of an eye, Da Bai leapt into the air, and at the same time, Jiang Si fired back: Bang!

Xiao Xiong, a mercenary for over twenty years, twisted his body just enough to avoid a fatal shot—though blood still oozed from his side.

Furious, he shouted to his men, “Shoot the tiger and the girl!”

Then he grabbed Shen Baoying and pressed a gun to her head. “Take another step, and I’ll blow her brains out!”

Jiang Si’s heart lurched. She grabbed tightly onto Da Bai’s neck. “Stop! Stop now!”

But Da Bai didn’t listen.

Instead, it showed her something that left her shocked.

In an instant, Da Bai leapt across the dozens of meters between them and landed directly in front of Xiao Xiong—pinning him to the ground with one powerful paw.

Jiang Si’s pupils contracted.

Luckily, after ten years in the apocalypse, she’d seen all kinds of mutated creatures. She’d heard of some with abilities, even if she hadn’t encountered them herself.

While the others were still in shock, she quickly raised her gun and opened fire on the surrounding men.

The sudden appearance of the giant white tiger stunned many of them into silence. They didn’t even think to fight back.

Jiang Si took the opportunity to gun down several of them.

The rest scattered.

She jumped down and immediately cut the ropes binding Jiang Linhai and the others.

Before she could say anything, the ground began to shake violently.

The tremor was so intense it made her feel like her brain was going to shake loose.

There were no meteors falling from the sky—this was clearly an earthquake.

In her previous life, after the meteor shower, earthquakes of all magnitudes had continued for a long time.

Eventually, a catastrophic magnitude 10 quake had occurred, triggering volcanoes, melting glaciers, and splitting Earth’s tectonic plates—turning the continents into scattered islands.

Somehow, Jiang Si had survived.

Da Hei (the black dog) bit through its rope and sprinted toward them.

Suddenly, a massive crack opened in the earth—like hell itself opening its mouth.

Da Bai made a mighty leap and caught Da Hei mid-air, saving it from falling in.

Everyone scattered to avoid the gaping crevices underfoot.

The quake felt endless.

It lasted more than two minutes and still hadn’t stopped.

The previously flat camp collapsed piece by piece.

If not for Da Bai constantly leaping and dodging to protect them, they would have been buried under the soil that night.

Suddenly, a deafening rumble echoed from the mountains.

It was as if the mountain itself had been split apart by an axe.

There were too many people on Da Bai’s back. In a jolt, Jiang Linhai slipped and fell off.

Jiang Si reached out and grabbed him—but the quake worsened.

Da Bai’s footing gave way as it shielded them, and all at once, they were buried under a mass of loose soil.

Fortunately, it wasn’t rock.

And finally, the tremors stopped.

Jiang Si crawled out from under Da Bai’s neck, soil falling from her head.

Everyone opened their eyes and looked around—the entire landscape had changed.

They were still stunned when Shen Baoying cried out, “Sisi, where are your grandparents?!”

Jiang Si pulled out her flashlight and shone it toward the spot where her grandparents had been—

Nothing but a collapsed mass of dirt and rocks.

The whole mountaintop had disappeared.

She quickly pulled out her locator and ran toward where they should have been.

But when she got there, all she found was a deep, bottomless crevice.

Her heart sank into the void.

She’d just saved her parents… was she now going to lose her grandparents as the price?

Choking back tears, she placed all her hope on Da Bai.

She gently patted its head and asked, “Da Bai… can you still sense my grandpa and grandma?”

Da Bai looked at her with glowing eyes, sniffed the air—

Then licked her palm, as if to say: They’re still alive.

Hope reignited in Jiang Si’s chest.

Ignoring the risk of exposure, she began pulling rescue equipment from her space, preparing to save them.

But just then, Da Bai leapt into the crevice and vanished from sight.