Beast Tamer's Rebirth National Treasure Edition novel Chapter 204

Chapter 204 A New Mission

The group got into a seven-seater Mercedes business van and headed for the airport.

Under the night sky, a shooting star streaked across the horizon as the sleek black Mercedes business van sped down the empty highway.

Half an hour before takeoff, they managed to board the plane.’

Wildlife rescue was always complicated and exhausting, and no one knew how many sleepless nights lay ahead. So, once they were on the plane, the wildlife rescue team all silently agreed to catch up on some sleep.

By the time they got off the plane, two and a half hours had passed.

At the airport, they rented a seven-seater Mercedes business van and, after an hour and a half on the road, reached the foot of the mountain where Emery had marked the spot for them.

They’d barely arrived at the foot of the mountain when Emery’s call came in.

Emery sounded urgent the moment Sierra answered. He said, “Ms. Sterling, something’s happened. Just five minutes ago, the white tiger suddenly charged out and knocked one of my colleagues down. It didn’t hurt him, though. It just knocked him over and then bolted.

“And we all saw it with a white tiger cub in its mouth. The folks at the rescue station think the tiger’s got cubs in the cave, and with its injured paw, it knows it can’t protect them, so it’s super on edge around people.”

Sierra felt her heart skip a beat.

This just got a whole lot messier.

“Understood. I’m coming to join you now,” Sierra said.

The Greenridge Mountains were reigning supreme over all the peaks around here. The folks from the Forestry Bureau spend most of the year up in these mountains, so they knew the place like it’s their own backyard.

Since the staff from the Forestry Bureau who were supposed to show them the way hadn’t arrived yet, Sierra and Ethan just drove over to a nearby village to stock up on supplies.

Once they’d finished shopping, the Forestry Bureau staff finally showed up.

The staff from the Forestry Bureau looked apologetic as he said, “Sorry, I kept you waiting. The roads were iced over, and my car broke down on the way.”

Sierra waved it off.

They all set off up the mountain with their gear. Felix, the Forestry Bureau guy, looked to be in his early forties and just slung a waterproof backpack over his shoulder. Apparently, it was something he’d picked up years ago for his kid’s school days.

His clothes and pants were no-name brands, nothing fancy at all.

Compared to Sierra and the others, who were all decked out in top-of-the-line gear, it was like night and day.

Felix was obviously a local expert. He’d keep pointing out cool spots along the way as they hiked.

He explained, “Up ahead, there’s a flat spot. But it’s winter, and with the high altitude, taking the cable car is way too risky. If something goes wrong, it’s almost impossible to get help up there, so they’ve shut it down for now.

“And the area we’re heading into is off-limits to regular folks. Only staff are allowed up here.

“Over the decades, a lot of our colleagues have lost their lives just trying to make this route safe. So, whatever you do, don’t fall behind.”

Felix turned around and saw that, except for Sierra and Sophie, the other guys were slumped against a pine tree, catching their breath with portable oxygen tanks.

Felix thought, ‘Are people really this out of shape these days?’

Then he glanced at Sierra and Sophie, who weren’t even breaking a sweat, and Felix couldn’t help but look a little stunned. Ethan and the others could feel Felix’s look; it said everything he wasn’t saying, and honestly, it was like swallowing bitter medicine. None of them even knew how to open their mouths.

Sierra had told them before that ever since she not the System her stamina was at least ten times better than before. Even

when she fell off an elephant, she bounced ba Successfully unlocked!

even a scratch left behind.

And Sophie? She was playing a completely different game, tay stuck, rough and through. Every male ancestor going back to the boat had worn a uniform.

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Chapter 204 A New Mission

Her old man stuck her in a kiddie boot-camp the day she turned five, she signed real papers at eighteen, and by twenty she’ d vanished into one of those “we-neither-confirm-nor-deny” special missions units.

A year later, campfire stories were already being told about the blonde shadow who could vanish mid-conversation.

If a bad jump hadn’t wrecked her knee, if she hadn’t limped into Sierra’s bar looking for weekday work, people like them would never have shared oxygen with someone like her in a dozen lifetimes.

As for the rest of them, sure, they spent most of their time out in the wild, but that was up in Coliburg, where the altitude was sky-high.

They got some training in, but had to take it easy because of altitude sickness. Most days, they were just keeping an eye on snow leopards.

Sierra had got a cheat code, while Sophie was a natural-born warrior. How could they ever hope to compete?

Felix had no idea what was running through their minds. Seeing their faces burning red with embarrassment, he just shook his head and let out a sigh.

He said, “Guys, you really need to work on your fitness. If you don’t, when trouble hits, you won’t even be able to run for your, lives.”

Ethan and the others went beet red, wanting to explain themselves but not even knowing how to begin.

Sierra and Sophie stood off to the side, stifling their laughter.

Sierra even nodded in agreement with Felix. She said, “Felix’s got a point. We all really should start working out more.”

The guys, desperate to prove they weren’t total weaklings, just sucked it up and powered through, refusing to fall behind no matter how much it hurt.

Five hours in, Timothy was the first to run out of steam.

He slumped over a big rock, gasping for air. He said, “Ethan, Felix, how much farther is it? I’m dying here. I don’t think I can take another step.”

This was an off-the-beaten-path trail, and the farther they went, the deeper the snow got.

Even Felix had put on his thick knee pads an hour ago.

By now, Felix was starting to breathe a little heavier. He said, “We’re still at least two hours from Emery’s spot. Let’s take a quick break here and grab something to eat, get our energy back.

“But don’t rest too long. If you sit still for too long, you’ll get cold, and the risk of hypothermia goes way up.”

They took a ten-minute break right where they were.

Everyone munched on a couple of energy bars and some chocolate, then sipped the hot water they’d brought from the village to warm up and make sure they didn’t get chilled.

Once they’d caught their breath, they got moving again.

By two in the afternoon, they finally made it to the base camp.

Emery spotted them from afar and hurried over. He called out, “Felix, did all the experts make it?”

Felix stepped aside, letting Emery see the wildlife rescue team, who looked like they’d been run over by a truck.

Emery quickly came up and said, “You guys must be wiped out after coming all this way. Bet you’re beat. We’ve got some hot coffee ready. Come warm up!”

Emery couldn’t help but feel a wave of admiration for these experts. The Greenridge Mountains in winter were brutal. Normally, hiking this trail would take at least sixteen hours, but these guys made it in just eight.

He thought, ‘Damn, that’s impressive.’

Then, something suddenly occurred to Emery. He shot Felix a worried look and murmured under his breath, “Felix, you didn’ t seriously drag the experts all the way up here without giving them a break, did you?”

Felix put on an innocent face and said, “Hey, you guys called and said it was an emergency, told me to get the experts up here fast! Plus, I did let them rest for a solid fifteen minutes.”

Emery was so stunned he almost blacked out.

He shot back, “Fifteen minutes? You call that a break?

“Felix, you’re way too hardcore. Not everyone’s a mountain goat like you. You’ve been trekking this trail with your dad since you were a kid, over thirty years, and probably a hundred trips.

“These folks aren’t built like that. Even for us, the fastest we’ve ever done is twelve hours, you know!”

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Chapter 204 A New Mission

Emery patted his chest, feeling a wave of relief as he watched the wildlife rescue team barely able to stand.

He thought, ‘At least nobody dropped dead.’

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