NOVEL SIMPLE Chapter 12: The Injured Tiger
Zhang Tuohai excitedly rushed into the chive field and started digging with the skinning knife he had just traded for that morning.
In no time, he had dug out all of the remaining ten or so pounds of chives, roots, and all.
After digging up the chives, Zhang Tuohai untied his coat from his waist, laid it on the ground, gathered the chives inside, and tied it into a bundle.
Luckily, he had thought ahead and brought the coat along.
Otherwise, carrying all these chives back would have been a problem.
As for what to do with them once he got back, Zhang Tuohai had already made a plan.
In the morning, while selling pork, he had acquired a blueprint for making a planting pot. Originally, he had just wanted to diversify his collection of blueprints, but now it seemed useful.
If this batch of chives could be transplanted successfully, he would have a vegetable that could make him self-sufficient.
Just with this batch of chives alone, his trip was already worth it.
“Are there any more supplies nearby, system? If not, I’ll head back.”
Zhang Tuohai asked while holding the bundle of chives.
[Two hundred meters ahead, turn right. Behind the village, there is an injured tiger.]
“A tiger?”
Zhang Tuohai almost jumped up in fright.
If he had crossed over to this world earlier, he might not have cared much about tigers.
After all, he had weapons, so what was there to fear?
It’s not like he hadn’t seen them in zoos before.
However, after watching that viral video where a tiger bit through a car tire in one bite and smashed a car window with a single swipe, his thoughts had completely changed.
Wild tigers are different from those in zoos.
A wild tiger's roar alone could make one’s scalp tingle; even through a screen, you could feel its terrifying presence.
The dominance of a top predator is not something to be taken lightly.
“Are you sure that tiger is a supply item? And not planning to use me as a delivery?”
Zhang Tuohai’s legs were trembling a bit.
It’s understandable; anyone would be scared knowing there was an uncontrollable tiger less than two hundred meters away.
With his physique, even if he slid over dramatically, he’d probably only fill the tiger’s belly halfway.
[The tiger is injured. Both front paws are severely wounded, making it difficult for it to move.]
“Really? If it’s injured, I might as well go take a look.”
Hearing the system’s prompt, Zhang Tuohai's interest piqued again.
By the way, a tiger penis is quite a valuable item.
Moreover, with so much tiger meat, if he made it into braised meat, he could make a good profit.
Having made up his mind, Zhang Tuohai picked up his crossbow, crouched down, and cautiously made his way toward the back of the village.
It took him ten minutes to cover the short two hundred meters.
By the time he reached the corner, his back was drenched in sweat.
Zhang Tuohai quietly peeked around the corner.
Two meters away, a striped tiger was lying on the ground, baring its teeth.
Their eyes met.
“Roar!”
Zhang Tuohai was so scared that he fell back onto the ground.
The tiger, which hadn’t eaten for days and was now skin and bones, was overjoyed at the sight of a meal coming to it. It suddenly tried to pounce on Zhang Tuohai.
However, as soon as it stood up, it collapsed back to the ground with a thud.
Its expression grew even more ferocious.
It turned out that both of its front paws were severely injured, with white, broken bones protruding from the wounds.
Clearly, both front paws were fractured.
“So it was just fractured. Scared me to death.” Zhang Tuohai sighed in relief as he looked at the tiger’s broken paws.
No wonder the system didn’t alert him; it posed no threat.
However, coming over so directly was indeed a bit rash.
He should have waited until it bled out and then picked it off easily.
A miscalculation.
“You’re suffering anyway, so let me help you end it.”
Seeing that the tiger couldn’t fight back, Zhang Tuohai steadied himself, raised his crossbow, and aimed at the tiger.
The tiger, although it had never seen a crossbow before, could tell from Zhang Tuohai’s stance that something bad was about to happen. It struggled, shaking its head and trying to get up again.
The tiger’s writing made it difficult for Zhang Tuohai to aim at its vital points.
[Raise the crossbow one inch higher and pull the trigger.]
The system prompted again.
Hearing the instruction, Zhang Tuohai instinctively raised the crossbow and pulled the trigger.
Whoosh!
A glimmering bolt shot into the tiger’s eye.
“Roar—”
The tiger let out a pitiful scream, thrashed on the ground a few times, and then lay still.
[Tiger corpse detected. Dismantling will yield a large amount of supplies.]
“It’s finally dead.”
Upon receiving the system's notification, Zhang Tuohai took out his skinning knife, walked up to the tiger, and began to cut into it.
[Level 1 beast tiger corpse detected. A level 1 cutting tool, the skinning knife, has been identified. The corpse can be dismantled, though minor meat loss will occur, allowing for the retrieval of a complete hide. Proceed with dismantling?]
“Confirm!”
Though losing some meat pained Zhang Tuohai a bit, having the system handle it was much more reliable than doing it himself, so he considered it a processing fee.
[Acquired 500g of tiger meat * 200]
[Acquired 1 complete tiger hide]
[Acquired 1 tiger penis]
[Acquired 1 set of tiger viscera]
[Acquired 1 tiger skeleton]
[Acquired 1 ordinary spirit essence]
“Struck it rich, struck it rich!”
Seeing the pile of materials in front of him, Zhang Tuohai couldn’t stop grinning.
No need to mention the ordinary spirit essence; it’s an important material for the lucky mermaid statue.
Tiger meat is even better, a heavyweight delicacy you don't usually get to eat.
He never imagined he’d get to eat meat after coming to this world.
The only downside was that Zhang Tuohai hadn’t gotten his hands on a refrigerator yet.
Otherwise, just freezing this meat and eating it slowly would last him for hundreds of days.
Tiger hide was also valuable; it could keep him warm as a blanket at night.
The viscera, rich in vitamins, could also be stir-fried with chives for a tasty dish.
Once he gets back, he’ll see who has cooking oil.
If he can't buy any, rendering oil from meat is another option.
However that would affect the meat’s taste.
Then again, it’s just for selling; who cares about taste as long as he profits, right?
As for the tiger skeleton, Zhang Tuohai hadn’t found a use for it yet.
Still, it’s best to keep it; you never know when it might come in handy.
With so many supplies, Zhang Tuohai definitely couldn’t carry them all at once.
Just the skeleton alone required a separate trip.
In total, Zhang Tuohai made four trips back and forth to get everything into his car.
Exhausted, he thought that next time he should look for a handcart; otherwise, carrying things back and forth like this was way too tiring.
Lying back in his chair, Zhang Tuohai realized his approach to survival seemed a bit different from others.
Most people are barely scraping by, struggling to find food and water.
Yet here he was, practically running a supply line, worrying about transport. If others found out, they’d be green with envy.