Chapter 20: A Fallen King, Hounded by Dogs

A large feline, golden-furred with black stripes…

A stray cat?

"Describe it more clearly," Lu Ran instructed.

A crow's intelligence is comparable to that of a five-year-old child. Understanding its reports required patience and repeated questioning.

Lu Ran's telepathic ability made communication easier with smarter animals. If the creature had a low intelligence, he could only infer its thoughts through instinctive behavior. Communicating with insects, for instance, was especially difficult.

Still, he found his telepathy far more effective than the standard mental link.

Every beast tamer had the ability to communicate with their contracted creatures through a spiritual bond. However, that link was limited—it only worked with contracted beasts.

By contrast, Lu Ran's telepathy had no such restrictions. He could communicate with any creature, whether or not it was bound by a contract. This made his ability far more convenient.

Regardless, both telepathy and spiritual communication required practice. They were not easy to master.

Lu Ran had gained proficiency in telepathy two years ahead of schedule, allowing him to navigate the world of beast taming with far fewer detours.

[Big… big… a feline even larger than it!] The crow glanced at Ha Zong, attempting to describe it again.

"Woof?" Ha Zong froze in confusion.

Beside him, Lu Ran's expression darkened. "You're calling that a cat? If it's bigger than Ha Zong, it must be a tiger!"

Though, technically speaking, a tiger was still a member of the feline family.

"Nonsense. There's no way a tiger could be in a place like this." Lu Ran dismissed the idea.

But the next moment, Ha Zong's gaze sharpened in a particular direction.

His nose twitched.

He had caught the scent of a predator.

A dog's sense of smell was naturally keen, and with Ha Zong's wind-affinity awakening, he could extract scents from the very air itself.

"Awroo!" Ha Zong issued a warning.

"Wait… there's actually a tiger?" Lu Ran was taken aback.

Not only had the crow reported it, but now even Ha Zong had sensed the presence of a great beast.

But how?

This wasn't a dangerous secret realm—where would a tiger have come from?

Green Sea City had no wild tigers. The only ones he could think of… were in the city's wildlife park.

Surely, one hadn't escaped?

"You've done well. I'll bring you some treats next time." Lu Ran praised the crow.

[The great king is wise!]

Glutton.

In Lu Ran's experience, every animal could be bribed with food.

At this point, training Ha Zong in swordplay was no longer a priority. Lu Ran furrowed his brows, deep in thought.

If a tiger had truly escaped, he needed to contact emergency services immediately.

He couldn't risk it attacking anyone.

The nearby parks and residential areas were full of elderly people and children.

"Ha Zong, let's go."

He wasn't worried about his own safety.

Not only had Ha Zong's combat prowess improved dramatically, but even in the worst-case scenario, he had a trump card.

Not the Divine Deer Pendant.

But the Infinite City Teleportation!

Ten seconds.

That was all it took for him to instantly transport from Blue Star to Infinite City.

Even if a nuclear bomb were falling overhead, as long as he had a warning, he'd escape unscathed.

Sometimes, Lu Ran even entertained the idea of hiding in Infinite City, training in secret until he reached Level 100 before stepping back into the world.

But, of course, villains didn't wear their intentions on their faces.

It never hurt to stay vigilant.

"Awroo." Ha Zong nodded, falling into step beside Lu Ran as they followed the scent trail.

After advancing about a kilometer, Lu Ran held his breath, pressing himself against a tree while peering at the creature standing in the mountainous terrain ahead.

Hiss—

His eyes widened.

It was an enormous Siberian tiger, standing at least 1.5 meters at the shoulder, its body stretching over three meters in length.

Massive!

Compared to this behemoth, even Ha Zong—who had grown to the size of a large breed dog—looked small.

"Roar…"

The Siberian tiger had also noticed them.

Its deep growl sent a tremor through the air.

"This isn't an ordinary tiger… it's an evolved beast."

Lu Ran's sharp gaze examined the creature.

It was clear now why it was so large.

Like Ha Zong, it had undergone an evolution—strengthened through a beast contract.

A Siberian tiger of this size was far more intimidating than the demon cat he had previously encountered.

But where was its beast tamer?

It couldn't be wild.

"Arwoo—"

Just then, Ha Zong's reaction was unexpected.

Rather than fear, his eyes burned with battle spirit.

"Calm down. We don't even know the situation yet. This thing probably has a beast tamer. If we injure it, we'll have to pay compensation," Lu Ran sighed.

"Besides, it's a nationally protected animal. If we kill it, I'll be locked up for life." He joked.

"Woof!"

Ha Zong's eyes narrowed.

A beast tamer?

No chance.

He could smell it.

The stench of human blood clung to the tiger's maw.

If it had a tamer… they were likely already inside its stomach.

Lu Ran: ?

"...What."

Realization dawned, and his expression changed.

Without hesitation, he pulled out his phone and attempted to dial a number.

If this had been a simple case of an escaped animal, he would have called emergency services.

But now, things had taken a darker turn.

"Pick up…"

As Ha Zong stared down the tiger, Lu Ran leaned against the tree, waiting for the call to connect.

Thankfully, it didn't take long.

A familiar voice answered.

"Hello, who is this?"

"Lang Li Xiao Bai Long?" Lu Ran asked.

"It's me. Wait… that voice… Lu Ren Jia?!"

"Hah! I didn't think you'd call me this quickly. I figured you'd rest for a night first. Are you calling about where to register your identity?"

"…That can wait. Listen, I was walking my dog behind my apartment complex when I ran into a Siberian tiger. And it's not just any tiger—it's evolved. I don't see a beast tamer, and more importantly, Ha Zong says it smells like it's eaten a human."

Silence.

Then—

"What?"

The other end of the call went dead quiet.

A moment later—

"Sh*t."

Lang Li Xiao Bai Long cursed.

"What's the situation? Are you in danger? Where are you?"

"This must be 'contract backlash.' It happens abroad all the time. Some people try to use black-market contracts on powerful beasts, but when they fail to control them, they get devoured instead."

"Lu Ran, listen. Find a safe place and send me your location. I'll get a team to handle it immediately."

"Alright."

Lu Ran hadn't expected to be dealing with official beast tamers so soon.

He thought he'd only meet them when registering his identity.

"I'm at—"

But before he could finish, a deafening roar split the air.

The tiger, enraged, abandoned its standoff with Ha Zong and lunged forward!

A real tiger's roar was terrifying beyond words. Even through the phone, Lang Li Xiao Bai Long could hear its bone-chilling ferocity.

His face paled.

A contracted tiger, no matter how weak, was classified as a high-tier extraordinary beast.

Even at Level 1, even without an elemental affinity, it could effortlessly slaughter lesser creatures…

Damn it!

"Lu Ren Jia!" he shouted.

But Lu Ran wasn't answering anymore.

Because the battle had begun.