Chapter 475 - Taming Opportunism - 2
These weren’t the jumps of a desperate predator driven by hunger or territorial instinct that was behind Zhao.
They were those from apex predators with too much time and power, they had moved into the realm of recreational violence.
The feline appeared in his peripheral vision, moving from trunk to trunk with speed that seemed impossible for its size.
Zhao didn’t stay to see how interested the creature was in him.
He flew.
The long flight that followed was a nightmare of speed and terror. The "playful" Cat wasn’t just fast; it was intelligent. It anticipated Zhao’s movements, cutting angles and using the positioning of the forest "trees" to shorten distances.
Each leap covered impossible long distances, the creature’s enhanced musculature allowing it to treat the massive trunks like stepping stones. Its claws found purchase on surfaces that should have been too smooth to grip, and its reflexes expected Zhao’s evasive maneuvers with uncanny accuracy.
"Think, think!" he told himself while navigating between the giants, each maneuver consuming more mana. "What would make it lose interest?"
His enhanced eyes provided constant information: pursuer speed, movement patterns, possible escape routes. But it all came down to one simple reality: he couldn’t maintain this pace for much longer.
He had to flutter as hard as possible. Silent fly relaxed tempo and speed was out of question.
The Cat Bear had reserves of power that dwarfed his own, and it meant it could maintain this play pursuit much longer. For it, this was entertainment. For him, it was a death sentence being slowly executed.
The Playful Cat emitted a sound that was part purr, part laughter, the sound of a predator having fun with its toy.