章 3: The Mission
Xzavier began to consider an all-out assault. He was going to take full advantage of the distance between them and pump the Cheetah full of lead bullets. A satisfying grin played out on his face as he played out the scenario in his head.
The Cheetah would definitely suffer a mortal wound from a long range attack. So, not wanting it to be aware of the fact that he had spotted it, he slowly took out his pistol and carefully aimed at the Cheetah beneath him. He was an excellent shot so the odds were in his favor.
As Xzavier honed in on his target, he quickly discovered a problem that he had failed to factor in in his original plan- obstacles! The Cheetah was cleverly moving around to evade detection, and because of that, it was constantly under the cover of the tens of branches that spread out from the tree.
It was using Xzavier's very own advantage against him!
"Shit! Are Cheetahs supposed to be this clever?!"
He tried some more, but he could never seem to get a clear shot. It kept moving and he kept adjusting but he still couldn't get a clear line of shot. The Cheetah wasn't aware of just how effective its evasive maneuvers were in keeping itself out of Xzavier's shooting range.
The flustered Xzavier began to perspire. He needed another plan, fast! His only advantage right now was the distance between them, if the Cheetah decided to bridge the gap between them, Xzavier knew that he wouldn't be too far from being its dinner.
"Damn it!!!" he cursed again.
If he decided to get a move on the Cheetah by coming down from the tree to engage it, it would almost certainly be suicide.
It was widely known that Cheetah's could be diabolically fast. Factor that in with the fact that the creatures of the forest were already strange, and it would turn out to be a sure recipe for disaster. Xzavier shook off the chilling thought and focused on making his next plans.
"How do I get out of this?"
His subconscious got to work, and another idea came up in his head. It was a high risk strategy, but it was sure to rid him of the Cheetah if it was successful. Xzavier drew a deep breath and ran over the plan once again in his mind.
The new plan was simple. It involved him luring the Cheetah in and killing it at close range. But in order to do that, he had to do the worst thing he could think of in this situation; he had to play dead.
It was his hope that the Cheetah would drop its guard once it saw his motionless body. Then with his pistol by his side, cocked and ready for action, he would then blow its brains out once it was close enough.
It was a dangerous plan, but it was all he could work with at the moment. Xzavier wasn't a praying guy, but at that moment, he prayed with the whole of his heart that his plan would go on without any hiccups.
If anything happened to go wrong, if there was even the slightest miscalculation or deviation from the plan…Xzavier shuddered just thinking about it.
Just as he had expected, the Cheetah took the bait. It crept up the tree with the chilling stealth one would expect from an apex predator.
It never took its eyes off of Xzavier's seemingly lifeless body. Xzavier was stunned at just how silent it was. Asides from the occasional rustling of the leaves where it body touched, it was almost impossible to hear it coming.
Its paws made not noise at all as it came in contact with the bark of the tree. It even managed to regulate its breathing to minimize the chances of it being spotted.
Every second that passed seemed like an eternity to Xzavier. What he was doing was unnatural. His mind seemed to get the memo as the entirety of his being screamed at him to run. It took every fiber of sheer will to hold on to his breeches. He held his breath as he waited.
The Cheetah soon closed in on him. It was so close to Xzavier that he could practically smell it. Its lithe but agile form was slightly visible in the dark. Like a vulture hovering over its prey, the Cheetah circled round about Xzavier's still body.
Most creatures wouldn't even bother with the theatrics, without wasting time, they would have delved right into feeding on the still body.
But the Cheetah was a very intelligent creature. Even while it seemed like dinner was served, it still took precautions. Xzavier could do nothing but wait, hope and pray.
Finally it stopped its menacing encircling movements and brought its nose close to Xzavier's torso. It took one sniff, and then inched closer to Xzavier's neck and sniffed again. Xzavier didn't even dare to breathe.
His heart beat was so loud, he thought the Cheetah was surely hearing it. Then finally, the moment came. As the Cheetah opened its wide mouth to take a huge chunk of his throat, Xzavier made his move.
Quick as lightning, and with deft precision, he shoved the cold steel end of the gun into its mouth and blasted it into oblivion. The Cheetah never realized what had happened. It was dead long before it slumped.
As Xzavier lay in the pool of the Cheetah's blood and surrounded by its entrails, the military system's voice came amidst the silence;
"Congratulations Major Xzavier Mace. You have successfully hunted and destroyed a level two Cheetah."
Xzavier didn't even know what to think of the congratulatory message. He couldn't believe that the intelligent creature he had just battled was just a level 2 beast. It boggled him to think what a higher level animal would be like.
The system spoke again.
"Major, on account of your recent achievements, you have been awarded twenty whole points. Consequently, your experience value has been increased by five points."
Xzavier, who had been lying still all this while rose up hastily to grab the new information. He couldn't believe that a seasoned and battle tested soldier like himself was playing for points. If he hadn't heard the system himself, he never would have believed it.
Totally ignorant of his thoughts and feelings, the system prattled on as it doled out a new set of instructions;
"Your next mission is to decapitate the carcass. Take the head of the Cheetah, head to the nearest underground exchange center and sell it off."
Xzavier listened to the morbid instructions of the system. It all seemed a tad bit theatrical to him. Nevertheless, he had accepted the mission. Therefore, as a soldier, he had to follow every order (no matter how morbid) till he finished his mission.
Shrugging his shoulders, he took out in army knife and began to sever the head of the carcass from the rest of its body. It was nasty business. He halfheartedly finished it all the way through and prepared for the next leg of the mission. As he was getting ready to move, the system provided him with a detailed coordinates of his next location.
"Please be advised, you are some forty clicks away from your next mission point. You are to stay and maintain a course of north forty degrees east as the crow flies."
Xzavier had no trouble with navigation. He estimated that given his current speed and the distance between him and his next mission, he figured he would arrive at his destination in less than a day. He saddled up and prepared for whatever lay ahead of him.
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