Chapter 518:
She was about to collide headfirst into the beast’s mouth!
A gunshot thundered through the air!
This time, the sound was deeper, more thunderous, reverberating across the forest. A high-speed spinning bullet, with uncanny accuracy, shot into the depths of the female bear’s gaping mouth. The trajectory was sharp, clever, slicing through the upper palate and driving into the brainstem.
A fine mist of blood, laced with fragments of torn tissue, burst from the back of the bear’s skull.
The beast’s jaws froze mid-lunge. The fury in its eyes turned to stone, and its towering form collapsed as if the life had been drained from it entirely. It dropped to the earth in a lifeless heap, never to rise again.
Rylie’s knife had sunk deep into the bear’s neck just as it died. She stayed frozen in place, her arm still extended in a thrust, standing before the fallen beast, gasping for breath.
A lean silhouette slipped soundlessly from the thick branches of a towering tree positioned diagonally behind Rylie, landing in a crouch beside her.
It was Brad.
The barrel of the heavy-caliber handgun in his grasp still gave off a faint wisp of smoke, and his expression was as icy and still as a frozen lake, entirely unmoved by the life he had just ended.
He didn’t spare a single glance at the collapsed female bear. Instead, his gaze moved over Rylie — her blood-smeared mouth, the left arm hanging at an odd angle, and the puffed-up ankle. Something tightened painfully in his chest. But this was no time to tend to her wounds, as the male bear, unhinged by the abrupt death of its mate, was barreling toward them in a blind fury, its mangled leg ignored completely.
“Get ready. It’s coming.”
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Rylie didn’t need to look. The instant Brad spoke, she twisted her body and rolled aside. Pain tugged at her limbs, slowing her slightly, but her resolve cut through it. Her movement carved out a clear, unobstructed line for Brad to take the shot.
His expression remained cold. He steadied his breath with the slightest shift, and when the raging bear stormed into range, he pulled the trigger without hesitation.
Two clean shots cracked through the air.
The bullets, swift and unerring, struck the bear squarely between the eyes, its exposed brow offering no defense as it barreled forward in rage.
The enormous creature jolted mid-stride. Its momentum vanished in an instant, and with a final, thunderous crash, it toppled just a few yards away, sending up a thick spray of dust.
Silence followed. Only the rasp of labored breathing and the sharp, metallic scent of blood lingered in the forest air.
Brad remained in position for a brief moment, his aim unwavering as he verified the kill. Once certain the danger had passed, he lowered his weapon and approached. Without hesitation or needless questions, he knelt beside Rylie and reached for her injured ankle, visibly swollen.
“Can you move? Let me take a look.” His voice was calm, but the way his hand cradled her ankle revealed a quiet urgency and gentle care.
Rylie glanced at his sharp features and those steady, focused eyes as he examined her injury. The tension that had gripped her for so long finally began to ease.
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.
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