Chapter 30: Eaten Up???

Chapter 30: Chapter 30: Eaten Up???

The tigers looked at Renee Jennings, then at Rory.

"What’s the great idea?"

"Are you stupid, man? She’s human, too. Why would she help us tigers punish other humans?"

"You’ve got to be kidding, bro. You can’t trust humans."

"Why not?" Renee Jennings said softly. "I may be human, but I think some humans are really annoying and awful."

The tigers were all surprised to hear her words.

"You hate humans, too?"

"Holy crap, a human who hates her own kind?"

Renee Jennings nodded. "Some humans are selfish. They never care about others’ feelings, they’re loud and obnoxious, and they’re completely self-righteous."

The tigers deeply sympathized.

"Exactly! Those loud-mouthed humans!"

"Annoying humans! I’m gonna eat ’em all!"

"..."

Renee Jennings quickly said, "You tigers don’t understand humans. What they fear most isn’t actually being eaten."

Niner: "Then what are they afraid of?"

Renee Jennings: "Being poor."

Rory: "Huh? What’s ’poor’?"

Renee Jennings thought for a moment, then explained, "Being poor means having no meat to eat, nothing to play with, and no money to spend."

The tigers understood instantly with that comparison.

Having no meat to eat and nothing to play with did sound truly awful.

The tourists were astonished to see the tigers surrounding Renee Jennings without eating her.

"Good heavens, it’s a miracle!"

Renee Jennings’s gaze swept over the nine tigers as she gently suggested, "Why not make them pay for your meat? That way, you guys get to eat, and they get to be poor."

A few pairs of tiger eyes met, and then several large heads huddled together to confer.

"Brothers, I think this human girl’s idea is pretty damn good!"

"So, should we go with her plan?"

"Let’s spare them for now. But if they don’t learn their lesson, next time we’ll just tear ’em to shreds!"

Renee Jennings: "..."

’Seriously? You couldn’t be a little more discreet with your discussion?’

’And why am I surrounded in the middle of it all?’

She glanced up at the nine heads, then quickly looked away. The sight was too terrifying.

Suddenly, the system’s voice rang out.

[System 009: Mission complete. Rewards "Deer Dictionary" and "Two Million Cash" have been issued!]

The tourists didn’t know what was happening. When they saw the tigers surrounding Renee Jennings, they assumed she had been eaten.

"Sigh, she was eaten after all! Such a tragic end for a beautiful woman!"

"This is horrifying. The Tiger Park is just too dangerous. I strongly recommend they get rid of these tour vehicles!"

But when the nine tigers dispersed, Renee Jennings and the unconscious Michelle Fuller were both perfectly fine.

"AHH!!! They’re still alive!!!"

"Holy crap, she survived that? Her luck is insane! She’s destined to live to a hundred!"

The head of Tiger Park had already assembled nine technicians with tranquilizer guns at the ready, but when he saw this, he hesitated.

As their representative, Rory announced the decision to Renee Jennings. "Renee, we’ll do as you say."

"Okay, let’s set it up." Renee Jennings nodded, but a glance at the unconscious Michelle Fuller made her feel uneasy.

’But if I wake her up and she sees she’s surrounded by a pack of wild beasts, won’t she just faint again?’

Renee Jennings frowned and looked at the big tiger. "Rory, can you help look after my friend?"

Rory was stunned. "You want me, this handsome tiger, to look after your friend?"

Renee Jennings: "Yes. Because you seem very reliable."

’I’m being praised again!’

Rory proudly puffed out his chest. "Of course! I’m the most reliable tiger here. Don’t you worry, Renee. I’ll take good care of your friend."

Only then did Renee Jennings feel at ease, and she walked toward the tour vehicle.

She relayed the tigers’ demands.

They had to cover the cost of meat for ten days and issue an apology.

But the two offending families hesitated.

’A single tiger eats so much meat in one day. For nine tigers, ten days’ worth of meat must cost tens of thousands, right?’

Renee Jennings frowned and said coldly, "Five thousand a day, fifty thousand for ten days. Aren’t your lives worth that much?"

They gritted their teeth and agreed.

’What good is money if you’re dead?’

’You can always earn more money!’

From a distance, they bowed their heads to the tigers in apology, promising they would never do it again.

Renee Jennings returned to the tigers’ side. "It’s all taken care of. They’ll be paying for your meat for the next ten days."

Rory said with satisfaction, "Excellent! Brothers, we’re going to eat these annoying humans into bankruptcy!"

Renee Jennings then said tactfully, "Rory, would you mind taking your brothers back to the enclosure to rest for a bit?"

The tour vehicle was broken and couldn’t move. If everyone was going to leave, they needed the big tigers to clear the area.

Rory didn’t refuse Renee Jennings’s request. He roared for his tiger brothers, and they headed back to the enclosure together.

As soon as the tigers were in the enclosure, the staff immediately locked the gate.

They were finally safe.

Everyone’s tense nerves finally relaxed.

The head of Tiger Park collapsed onto the ground. Despite the snowy, ten-below-zero weather, his clothes were completely soaked with sweat.

A new tour vehicle arrived to pick them up. The tourists on board all had legs like jelly.

Renee Jennings was about to hoist Michelle Fuller up when she saw her friend’s eyes open.

She froze for a second, then asked, "Michelle, are you feeling okay?"

Michelle Fuller shook her head, her eyes sparkling as she stared at her. "Renee, you’re so cool! You’re actually bro-ing out with the big ol’ tigers!"

Renee Jennings: "..."

’When did I start "bro-ing out" with tigers?’

"Wait, when did you wake up?"

Michelle Fuller pouted. "When I opened my eyes, I saw nine tiger heads staring at me. I was too scared to move."

Renee Jennings reached out and pinched her cheek. "You were almost tiger food! I dare you to ever pester me about coming to the zoo to see tigers again!"

"I am!" Michelle Fuller declared righteously. "They’re my friends!"

Renee Jennings said coolly, "Since when are you friends with the tigers?"

Michelle Fuller grinned. "You’re friends with the tigers, so your friends are my friends!"

Renee Jennings rolled her eyes at her. "That’s some twisted logic."

The two of them were at the back of the line for the tour vehicle. Just as they were about to board, a custom off-road vehicle pulled up.

"Hello!" The man getting out of the vehicle greeted them. "I’m the head of Tiger Park, Evan Griffin."

Renee Jennings and Michelle Fuller looked at him quizzically.

Evan Griffin wore an apologetic expression. "I’m truly sorry about today. You must have been terrified."

Michelle Fuller: "Compensate us!"

Evan Griffin quickly replied, "We will. We definitely will."

He looked at Renee Jennings, his eyes behind his glasses filled with gratitude. "We owe you a great deal for what happened today. Thank you so much! Are you available? Our park director would like to treat you both to dinner to express his thanks."

Renee Jennings: "Forget dinner. Just send the money."

Evan Griffin: "We will. We definitely will."