The sheer presence of the Fire Breathing Tiger was terrorizing, especially for the ordinary people that were scared shitless just by something simple like cockroaches.
Panic immediately broke out; people were screaming at the top of their lungs.
"Oh my fucking god, what is this monster...?" A young man with colorful hair screamed at the top of his lungs while grabbing his head forcefully, as if trying to reset his vision.
Meanwhile, another middle-aged lady calmly muttered in a low voice, "This is God's way of testing me..."
"Am I dreaming? No, this had to be a dream..."
Some had still not accepted the reality and tried to deny the scene in front of their eyes.
However, not everyone was like this. A few sane ones who had managed to survive the apocalypse with their sharp wits and quick thinking were already running. Among them were the mother and daughter pair from Xavier's group.
Millie looked at the pair and sighed. Panic was spreading through her veins; she could only turn to the person who had remained calm most of the time. "Jackie, what should we do?"
Aron heard this question and almost immediately yelled, "Why is that even a question? We run as fast as our legs carry us!"
Although he had the ice ability class, there was no way he could match the tiger. Aron didn't even entertain that thought; there was something about the tiger that told him there was only death waiting for him.
In a split second, Jackie also nodded in agreement. "Let's go. Use the cars for cover if needed."
Jackie's thoughts were clear: if they wandered too far away from the road, they might get surrounded by monsters lurking in the dark. They had to stay on this path; moreover, Fort Joh wasn't that far ahead.
The three of them were already moving.
The one who remained still all this time was Xavier. His thoughts were in complete chaos. His instinct told him to run as far away as possible, but logic told him running was the quickest way to die in this situation. Tigers, even before the apocalypse, were known for their agility and the monstrosity coming toward him was no different.
When Xavier first spotted the Fire Breathing Tiger, the distance between them was more than a kilometer, and in the blink of an eye, it was no more than a few hundred meters.
There was no way to outrun such a creature with agility vastly superior to your own.
Just as he looked as if he was frozen in shock, a furious voice echoed in his head. "You moron! Is your mind filled with shit? What the fuck are you staring into the air like an idiot for? Start running and use those weak humans as meat shields...!"
Zerin's figure materialized beside him. Her beautiful face at this time was the pure embodiment of anger; her long black hair, as if reacting to anger, danced wildly in the air, chest heaving up and down.
At this moment, watching Xavier stand there like an idiot, she was so angry that words could not even describe it. She had the urge to slap the idiot into pieces. If it wasn't for the contract, she would have done some crazy things to him.
Xavier's eyebrows rose up at her attitude. Use the innocents as a distraction? What did she take him for? Did she really take him for some sort of demon? Suddenly an idea struck him. You know what...
With a smile appearing on the corner of his face, he commanded, "Abyssal Queen Zerin, go distract that tiger."
She was his familiar yet she had not proved to be any useful. Someone who planned to use others as bait should be prepared to become bait one day herself.
Zerin, who was practically fuming just a moment ago, felt as if a basin of cold water had been poured over her head. "What did you say, you stupid idiot? Face that tiger? Take back your words! Don't you know as your familiar my stats are mirrors of yours? Even if I was stronger, we are no match for the tiger... Take back your command...!"
Xavier didn't even blink but simply said, "Do it fast, the tiger is getting close. You don't want me to be butchered by that monster, right...?"
…
From Xavier first spotting the Fire Breathing Tiger to the present moment, only a minute had passed. But in this single minute, Jackie and the others ran as if their lives depended on it. Treating this as their last sprint, through this desperate measure, they managed to create a sizable distance from the tiger.
It was at this moment Millie finally noticed Xavier's absence. From the start to finish that guy had not moved at all.
"Where is he...? Why did he not run with us...?"
Her words forced the others to come to the same realization as well.
Millie was about to turn back and start looking for him when her shoulder was grabbed by Jackie. A surprised yelp escaped Millie's lips, not understanding why Jackie was trying to stop her.
Before she could protest, Jackie's eyes flashed with a strange light. Strangely, without saying a word, Millie did a complete one-eighty degree turn, seemingly completely forgetting about what she was about to do one minute ago, focusing solely on running.
Aron was too busy helping the ordinary people who were getting left behind to notice this strange anomaly.
Jackie's eyes soon returned to normal. With a look of absolute coldness in her eyes, she looked in the direction where Xavier should have been. Without saying another word, she once again started sprinting.
…
Meanwhile, even though he was running, Xavier's eyes were on Zerin and the tiger in the distance. He had taken a completely opposite direction from where Jackie and the others had run.
"It is true that Zerin is no match for the Fire Breathing Tiger..." Xavier muttered in a low voice. Through the connection that connected him with Zerin, he knew she was saying the truth; she was no stronger than him and would only die when facing the tiger.
But why should he care about that? After what she had tried to do to him, her living or dying was the last of his concerns.
Moreover, she would not die in the real sense; after death, she would just be unsummonable for some time.
While she suffered, Xavier would only gain. Not only would he get an idea about the tiger's abilities, but it would also give sufficient time for others to escape.