Noon. It stopped snowing, and the snow on the ground started melting.
Dong Xuebing, Yu Meixia, and Yu Qianqian were eating at a small restaurant in the zoo.
“Big Brother, where are the tigers and lions? We still have not seen them.”
“They are not located at the walking trail and should be kept in the Wildlife Safari in front.”
“I want to see them. Big Brother, can you bring me there?”
“Hahaha… don’t be so anxious. Alright. We will take the tour bus after we finish lunch. I don’t know if they have lions here, but I am sure there will be Siberian Tigers.”
After lunch, the three of them walked to the end of the walking trail.
The area in front is reserved for wild animals, and tourists can see birds circling the trees. There are more tourists in this part of the zoo, and the staff is controlling the crowd. Tourists are lining up to board three big tour buses and one smaller bus. When a bus is full, the staff will wave the driver to enter the safari area and let the other tourists board the next bus.
Yu Qianqian is very excited and pulled Yu Meixia and Dong Xuebing towards the queue.
Dong Xuebing laughed and walked over to register for the tour, before joining the mother and daughter pair in the queue.
They are unable to board the second bus as it was full before it reaches their turn and had to wait for the next bus.
About six to seven minutes later, a bus stopped in front of the queue.
“Qianqian, let’s board the bus.”
“Yay! We are going to see the tigers!”
“Hahaha… slow down and watch your steps.”
To get a better view, Yu Meixia and Yu Qianqian sat on the first row, and Dong Xuebing sat on the window seat behind them. The rest of the tourists boarded the bus slowly. Soon, all the tourists in the queue got into the bus, and the bus is not full. The driver did not drive off immediately, as he needs to fill the bus with more tourists.
Qianqian kept asking why is the bus not moving off?
Dong Xuebing and Yu Meixia smiled as they seldom see Yu Qianqian so excited.
About ten minutes later, the bus is almost full. But when the driver is about to drive off, someone shouted.
“Wait!” Cheng Tingting walks over to the bus with Liangliang.
The driver opens the door and lets them, board.
When Cheng Tingting boarded the bus, her eyes met with Dong Xuebing. But because of the unhappy incident earlier, they pretended not to know each other. Liangliang did not know about the grudges between the adults and waved to Yu Qianqian. “Big Sister!” Yu Qianqian took a glance at Cheng Tingting before waving to Liangliang.
The bus moved off and entered the safari area.
A female tour guide picked up a microphone and started talking. “Welcome to the wildlife safari. I will be your guide today, and our first stop will be the leopard sanctuary. As all of you know, leopards are…”
Most of the families on the bus are with children, and the children immediately got excited.
“Mum! Look! It’s a leopard!”
“Dad! I can see an elephant!”
“That is a big bear! The bear is coming over!”
The children, including Yu Qianqian, shouted excitedly. She kept tugging Yu Meixia’s arm and pointing to the animals. Dong Xuebing stroked Yu Qianqian’s hair lovingly and took a glance behind him. Liangliang is sitting quietly in his seat, and his mother, Cheng Tingting, is speaking to him.
The tour bus stops in the Leopard sanctuary, Elephant sanctuary, and Bear sanctuary for a while for the tourists to look at the animals.
After a while, Yu Qianqian felt looking at the animals through the bus window is not satisfying. She slides the window open slightly and wanted to stick her head out for a clearer view.
The tour guide immediately stopped Yu Qianqian. “Haha… little girl, you cannot stick your head out of the bus. It is dangerous.”
Dong Xuebing quickly close the window and pulled Qianqian back to her seat.
This tour bus is specially customized for a wildlife safari. The window panels are stronger, and the vehicle’s balance is modified to suit the terrain. All the windows, except for the windows in front, are sealed. But the two windows in front cannot be opened fully and is not enough for an adult to get through it.
The tour bus had gone off-road to enter the different sanctuaries.
Suddenly, Liangliang’s face becomes pale. “Mum, I feel sick.”
The bus is swaying as the ground is bumpy, and Liangliang is getting motion sickness. Cheng Tingting asked the tour guide. “My son is getting motion sickness. Can we move to the seats where we can open the windows?”
The tour guide hesitated for a second and nodded, before speaking to the tourists sitting in the front row.
Dong Xuebing took a glance at Cheng Tingting and did not let Sister Yu and Yu Qianqian exchange seats with them.
Only the two seats located in front can open the windows slightly. Yu Qianqian and Yu Meixia are seated on the right side, and a young couple is seated on the left side. The tour guide spoke to the couple, and they switched places with Cheng Tingting and Liangliang unwillingly. Cheng Tingting carried her son on her lap and opened the window slightly. With fresh air, Liangliang should be feeling better.
Yu Qianqian is concerned for Liangliang and secretly took a glance at him.
“The tiger sanctuary is in front.” The guide said. “The roads ahead will be bumpy, and please hold on.”
Yu Qianqian heard it and started looking around excitedly. “Where are the tigers?”
“Don’t be so anxious.” Yu Meixia patted her daughter’s hand. “We still have not reached the sanctuary.”
A sign with the words, ‘Tiger Sanctuary’ was written in red in front of the woods, and the woods are fenced up. Although this is a wildlife safari, these dangerous animals are not allowed to roam freely. Or else, the tigers will be eating the animals in other sanctuaries.
The bus entered the tiger sanctuary.
The guide asked the children to be patient. A few Siberian tigers had settled deeper in the sanctuary and seldom roamed around the entrance. They must go deeper before they can see the tigers.
“Are you feeling better?” Cheng Tingting asked her son.
Liangliang replied with a painful expression. “Mum, I am still feeling nauseous.”
“Bear with it for a while.” Cheng Tingting replied worryingly. “The tour will be ending soon, and we cannot get off the bus now.”
As they were talking, Liangliang suddenly gagged as about to vomit. Cheng Tingting looks around for plastic bags but cannot find any. She slid the windows wider and did not see any tigers or animals outside, before carrying Liangliang up to let him vomit outside of the bus.
The guide immediately said. “Mdm, don’t let your child stick his head out of the windows. It is dangerous.”
“We will be done soon.” Cheng Tingting helped her son up with one hand and patted his back with her other hand.
The guide saw Liangliang vomiting and went to get a plastic bag from another tourist.
But at this moment, something unexpected happens!
The dirt roads in the sanctuary are full of potholes. The bus front left wheels ran over a small hole and tilted towards their left. The bus quickly got out of the hole, and there was a strong jerk upwards. The impact is quite strong, and everyone on the bus can feel their bodies bouncing off their seats.
The next moment, Cheng Tingting let out a piercing scream!
“Ahhhh! Liangliang!” She had accidentally let go of her son when the bus jerked!
The windows of the bus can only be opened slightly, and the opening is not big enough for a grown-up to pass through. But Liangliang is around seven to eight years old, and he is skinny. He was also leaning out of the windows, vomiting when the bus drove into the pothole. The impact caused his body to jerk upwards and making him fall out of the bus. Liangliang screamed as the rest of the tourists watch him fall out of the windows!
The tourists were stunned.
“Shit! That kid fell out of the bus!”
“Hurry up and save him! This is the tiger sanctuary!”
Cheng Tingting turned pale and stick her head and hand out of the window to try to grab her son. But she cannot reach Liangliang, and the window is not big enough for her to push her body through. The ground is not hard, and Liangliang is not seriously injured from his fall. However, he was shocked by the fall and sat there, crying for his mum and dad.
Cheng Tingting shouted to her son. “Liangliang! Get up! Hurry and get back up!”
“Sob! Mum! Mum!” Liangliang could only cry.
The driver and the guide were panicking. They quickly stop the bus and look out of the bus. The rest of the tourists were also looking out through the windows.
Cheng Tingting turned and shouted. “Open the doors now! I want to get off!”
“Calm down! We are in the tiger sanctuary now!” The driver replied.
“My son is outside! Hurry and let me off!”
The driver looked around quickly and did not see any tigers. He mustered up his courage and said. “Stay here! I will go and save him!” Although this wildlife safari zoo had only opened recently, the driver is different from the tourists. The drivers had received training on how to handle sudden accidents before they start work. The driver took a deep breath and was about to open the door to save Liangliang.
But a tiger roared suddenly!
The driver was shocked and saw a Siberian tiger coming out slowly from the overgrown shrubs. This tiger must have been attracted by Liangliang’s cries and is staring at the bus!
“Shit!”
“Ah! There is a tiger!”
The guide immediately asked for backups through her radio set.
The driver dare not open the bus door, and he was sweating profusely as he looks at the tiger some distance away.
The tiger is facing the bus door, which is also where Dong Xuebing, Yu Meixia side of the bus. Liangliang had fallen out from the other side of the bus, and the tiger cannot see Liangliang from its position. It suddenly becomes tense, and even Cheng Tingting held her breath. She dares not to shout as she is afraid the tiger will rush over suddenly. The tiger remained still in its position staring at the people on the bus.
One minute…
Two minutes…
Three minutes…
The people on the bus and the tiger were still looking at each other.
Help should be arriving soon.
But a few minutes later, the tiger moves towards the bus. But its direction is towards the back of the bus. This tiger is going to circle behind the bus!
“Oh, no! The tiger might have discovered the child!”
“Shit! It is getting closer!”
“Liangliang!” Cheng Tingting shouted.
The driver got back into the driver seat and shouted. “Hang on!”
The driver reversed the bus, hoping to block the tiger’s path and scare him away. But the tiger did not give up. It only stops for a second and moves forward carefully. After the bus moved, Liangliang is exposed in front of the tiger. The tiger growled, and its eyes are fixed on the crying Liangliang.
Cheng Tingting was scared and shouted at the tiger. “Don’t get any closer! Get lost!”
The tiger continued forward slowly!
Dong Xuebing was also worried and threw the snacks he bought for Qianqian out of the window. Among the snacks, there is an opened packet of soy beef. He hopes it will distract the tiger, and the rest of the tourists followed suit. They started throwing meat snacks out of the bus.
The tiger looked at the snacks on the ground and continued its way towards Liangliang.
The driver saw the snacks are not working, and quickly turned the steering wheel, hoping to knock the tiger down. But the tiger is more agile than the bus, and it easily avoided the bus with a short leap to its side. Now, the tiger is closer to Liangliang, and the driver reverses back to block Liangliang from the tiger. But the tiger had its sights fixed on Liangliang and carried its way forward.
Everyone was worried.
Yu Qianqian crying and hugged her mother tightly.
That’s it! Everyone knew that child would not survive!
“Liangliang!” Cheng Tingting shouted. “Please save my son! Please save him!”
No one said anything. How are we going to save him? If we open the doors, the tiger might get on the bus, and all of us will be in danger. Furthermore, even if we manage to get off the bus, we will have to face the tiger, and even if we can get to Liangliang, how are we going to bring him back into the bus? Impossible!
The situation is too dangerous!
The driver took a deep breath. “Does anyone have a pocketknife?”
None of the tourists brought knives with them.
“Use something to hit the tiger! Get something heavy!” An old lady said.
“That’s right!” The driver pulled out a fire extinguisher and threw it at the tiger through the windows. Bam! But he missed the tiger!
“Roar!” The tiger got agitated and let out a ferocious roar!
“Shit!”
The driver saw the tiger getting closer. He quickly reverses the bus and turns to another direction, letting the bus door face Liangliang. Now, the bus is only a few meters away from Liangliang, and he can get back into the bus within a few steps.
But before anyone can get out of the bus to pull Liangliang back into the bus, the tiger rushed forward!
Within a split second, the tiger had moved several meters!
Liangliang looked at the approaching tiger and cried. “Mum! Save me! Mum…”
“Liangliang!” Cheng Tingting shouted out to her son through the windows.
Dong Xuebing clenched his fist and cursed in his heart. F**k! I should have used BACK earlier. However, he dislikes Duan Zhengan and Cheng Tingting, that have nothing to do with the child. When Liangliang fell out of the windows, Dong Xuebing had not thought of using BACK as he thought the child would be rescued. But no help arrived after so long, and the tiger appeared out of nowhere. This standoff with the tiger lasted quite long, and Dong Xuebing had only around six to seven minutes of BACK left. It is too late for him to use his power and can only watch the tiger approach Liangliang helplessly.
Dong Xuebing is someone who takes everything seriously, and he felt this is his fault and is extremely uncomfortable. If he had used BACK immediately when Liangliang fell out of the window, he would not be in danger!
But it is too late to regret it!
Six meters…
Five meters…
Four meters…
The tiger had reached the bus door and is staring at the boy. “Roar…”
“No!” Cheng Tingting’s face was as white as a sheet. “No! Liangliang! Liangliang!”
The tiger opened its wide mouth!
“Save him! Someone, please save my son!” Cheng Tingting is shouting and hitting the windows. “Liangliang! Liangliang!”
“Sob… sob… Mum!” Liangliang, who was still on the ground, reached out towards his mother!
“F**k!” Dong Xuebing cursed and stood up. “Open the doors!”
The driver and tourists were stunned. “What?”
“I am asking you to open the door! Now!” Dong Xuebing walks up to the door.
Yu Meixia shouted. “Xiao Bing!”
The driver opened the door, and Dong Xuebing jumps out of the bus. The tiger is only three meters away from Liangliang, and Dong Xuebing immediately get in front of him. The tiger roared and pounced forward!
“Who are you scaring?!” Dong Xuebing scolded and unleashed a kick forward!
Everyone, there were stunned by Dong Xuebing’s action!
Cheng Tingting looks at Dong Xuebing in shock. She did not expect out of so many tourists, and it was the person she hated that step forward to save her son!
Cheng Tingting started crying!
