"Chief, interrogation complete. One escaped—he's their leader. Name's David, codename: Owl!"
A soldier came to report.
"David? Owl?" Satan's expression shifted slightly. "I've heard of him. A brutal man—once wiped out an entire tribe in Senegal, West Africa, just to seize a herd of elephants."
"This guy doesn't just poach. He also has close ties with the Colombian drug cartels. He's responsible for opening up at least one major drug trafficking route."
"Best not to let him escape. He holds considerable influence in South America—could spell trouble for us."
Satan frowned as he explained David's background to Martin.
Martin nodded. "I don't like trouble. We'll deal with him tonight."
Satan was about to issue orders to his men, but Martin placed a hand on his shoulder. "No need for the hassle. Let 'Green Hunter's' pack up the camp and keep watch over the prisoners. You come with me."
Satan hesitated for only a blink before nodding. Having long been under the influence of Martin's regular mental conditioning—even brainwashing—he had become just like Gordon, obeying Martin's every word without question.
…
David stumbled through the brush, disoriented. With no GPS or satellite locator, and no time to look up at the stars to orient himself…
All he could do was run blindly, desperate to get as far from the camp as possible.
A sense of unease gnawed at him. His vision was still blurry from that earlier flash grenade.
He hunched his back like a cat, using the tall, coarse African grass to conceal his large frame.
The grass here only reached about 1.2 meters high now, but in another six months, it would easily grow to over 1.6 or even 2 meters.
The grass scratched at his ankles, arms, and bare skin, making his skin itch.
But David didn't care.
His eyes kept darting back over his right shoulder. He couldn't shake the feeling that something was following him.
"Damn it…"
Through a gap in the brush, he caught a glimpse of glowing green eyes in the darkness. He cursed silently.
It was the Dark Lion King. It had followed him.
"Shit… I thought it was wounded?"
Because the Dark Lion King was tailing him in the dark, David didn't dare run at full speed—he couldn't outrun a lion. He had to conserve stamina and keep glancing back, in case of a surprise attack.
Running like this in the dark was bound to end in a fall.
Sure enough, after about twenty meters, a stray vine caught his leg. He stumbled.
At that moment, he heard a deep growl and felt a rank gust of wind in his face. A giant maw lined with sharp fangs lunged at him.
But David didn't panic.
He had planned this. That stumble was a ruse—to lure the Dark Lion King into attacking.
He couldn't stay alert forever. He had to gamble—draw the lion out and kill it, eliminating the threat once and for all so he could focus on escaping.
As he fell, he twisted his body and aimed his gun upward, firing a burst straight at the lunging lion.
The Dark Lion King twisted mid-air but was still hit twice.
It let out a low roar but didn't retreat. Instead, as it hit the ground, one massive paw slammed down on David's foot.
Flesh tore.
David could feel the surge of hot blood in his calf, then an explosion of pain.
Screaming, he rolled on the ground, his gun knocked away by the tangled grass.
Quickly, he drew the dagger at his waist and stabbed at the black shadow before him.
But human reflexes are far too slow for a lion.
Before the blade even reached its mark, the lion's paw swiped again, ripping open David's arm.
Then, the huge, foul-smelling mouth descended on his face.
A bite, a pull—and half of David's face was gone.
No matter how tough his nerves were, such an injury was unbearable.
David screamed hoarsely. One arm hung limp, the other clutched his bloodied face as he writhed in agony.
Not far away, Martin and Satan stood side by side behind a tree, silently watching.
"Looks like we won't need to intervene," Martin said calmly.
Satan, however, looked puzzled. "I wonder what that Owl bastard did to provoke the Dark Lion King like this. It's pursuing him like it has a blood vendetta."
Martin shrugged. "Who knows. But dying to a lion out here on the savanna… seems like fitting retribution."
Then he added, "Let's go. No need to watch. David's as good as dead. Back to camp."
He turned and walked away.
Satan followed.
David's agonized screams echoed through the night, adding a strange liveliness to the quiet darkness.
When Martin and Satan returned to the camp, the soldiers had already finished cleaning up.
"Chief, we found twelve elephant tusks, six rhino horns, twenty leopard skins, and a dead lioness. Looks like she was pregnant, too."
"That explains it." Martin looked into the darkness. "That's why the Dark Lion King was after them."
Satan nodded. "Serves them right. Every hunter on the savanna knows not to kill pregnant animals. Only these poachers are so reckless."
He glanced at the confiscated goods piled around the camp and the ring of vehicles.
"This is a good haul. I'll notify the base to send more men tomorrow. We'll have them drive all this back."
Martin replied indifferently, "That's your call."
Just then, two soldiers dragged the lioness's body out of a tent.
She was massive—over two meters long. Her fur was pristine, her eyes vacant, mouth slightly agape, revealing sharp fangs.
There was a bloody hole in her forehead, clearly shot from a distance by a skilled marksman.
Martin stepped forward to examine the lioness's corpse. Satan followed and glanced at the wound.
"Must've been David who shot her. Heard he was one of the best snipers in his unit."
"No wonder that Dark Lion King abandoned the prisoners and chased him all the way."
Martin looked at the lioness's slightly swollen belly.
Suddenly, his eyes lit up. He pressed his hand to her abdomen.
A faint stir came from within.
Thump... thump...
It was... a heartbeat!
Martin's face showed a flicker of surprise. He was about to channel some magic to investigate further when—
"Watch out!"
A black shadow shot from the direction of a pickup truck like a whirlwind, lunging straight at Martin.
It was the Dark Lion King.
It had come back.