Ah Huang stood still, his eyes fixed on the figure moving slowly in the distance.
The brownish-yellow muntjac had long since disappeared, and the other party had clearly shifted its attention from the muntjac to Ah Huang, which felt threatened by this unexpected visitor.
The enormous figure moved slowly, its footsteps silent. If it weren't for the canine's unique agility, humans would never have been able to spot such a terrifying hunter under the cover of night.
This is a leopard, or more specifically, the North China leopard, which belongs to the Southeast Asian subspecies of leopard.
This is a large feline species that is mainly distributed in Henan, Hebei, Shanxi, southeastern Gansu, and northern Shaanxi in China. It is unexpected that they also exist in Lianshan Bay.
This large creature, with its bright colors, brownish-yellow fur, and black spots and rings forming coin-like markings, is an adult male leopard.
It was about two meters long and weighed over seventy kilograms, about the same as Ah Huang. At this moment, all its attention was focused on Ah Huang.
It was no stranger to dogs; it had seen these creatures before. It often encountered hunters with their dogs hunting on the outskirts of the mountains, but it always managed to spot them first and then calmly leave.
The North China leopard has exceptionally keen eyesight and sense of smell, and is very alert. Moreover, felines move so silently that hunting dogs can never detect this apex predator in the forest before it does.
The North China leopard also did not want to have a direct confrontation with those packs of hunting dogs. It knew how troublesome those guys were, and what's more, they were always accompanied by some more cunning humans, making it impossible for it to guarantee victory in the battle.
But today's situation is different. As the North China leopard moved slowly, it carefully observed its surroundings. Apart from the dog in front of it, which was much larger than the hunting dogs it usually encountered, there were no other hunting dogs or hunters nearby.
This is somewhat different from the usual situation, but it's also better. Without other factors interfering, it can properly fight against this outsider.
It was somewhat annoyed that this sudden appearance had ruined its hunt, causing its prey, which it had been chasing for a long time, to escape. It had already ceded its territory on the outskirts of the forest to them, and now they dared to venture deep into the heart of the mountains.
It had to teach this outsider a lesson, to let them know that the depths of the mountains and forests were still its territory, not a place they could set foot in and meddle with.
The North China leopard approached Ah Huang with slow, deliberate steps. The feline's excellent ambush ability made its movements silent, but fortunately, Ah Huang had already spotted it. Ah Huang's attention had been focused on the North China leopard ever since it appeared.
Its eyes were fixed on the slowly approaching creature, its mane stood on end, and its long tail swayed gently. Ah Huang felt an unprecedented threat from this big guy, but at the same time it was extremely excited.
The Central Asian Shepherd Dog has the genes of ancient mastiffs in its blood. They are exceptionally brave and never fear any fight.
Ah Huang hadn't fought in the mountains for a long time, and it was full of anticipation for this challenge, with a strong determination to conquer the forest.
Ah Huang began to growl in its throat. It stood still, but it was already prepared for battle.
The creature opposite seemed large and had a steady gait, but Ah Huang was absolutely certain that it was much smarter and more agile than those clumsy wild boars.
As the North China leopard moved, the distance between the two sides gradually closed. When they were about five meters apart, the North China leopard finally launched its attack.
Its attack was silent yet incredibly swift. Ah Huang was startled by the sudden and unexpected speed of the attack. Although it had anticipated it, the speed of the opponent still exceeded its expectations.
Fortunately, the North China leopard's attack came from a great distance, and Ah Huang, who was prepared, had enough time to dodge the attack.
Ah Huang dodged the North China leopard's attack with a sideways movement, and then launched its own attack without hesitation.
Ah Huang's weight was similar to that of the North China leopard, but the leopard was shorter and had a more slender body, so Ah Huang had to lower his body to attack.
It bared its teeth and lunged at the North China leopard's neck. Ah Huang had its own plan: as long as it could lock the leopard's throat, no matter how powerful it was, it would be taken care of.
But a leopard is a leopard after all, and this is a fully grown North China leopard. Its main food in the mountains and forests is wild boar. It has experienced countless battles, big and small. With just a light leap, it dodged Ah Hu's pounce and didn't even let Ah Hu touch its fur.
With swift attacks and agile dodges, Ah Huang had already felt the terror of its opponent in just two rounds. It realized that it had underestimated its opponent before, but fortunately, the battle had only just begun and it still had time to adjust.
The North China leopard has exceptional endurance, and Ah Huang's endurance is also considerable, which is a major advantage that distinguishes it from other large, fierce dogs.
After dodging, the North China leopard used the momentum from its forelimbs to turn around and pounce on Ah Huang again. This close-range attack left Ah Huang with no way to dodge, but Ah Huang was not afraid of such close combat, and it also pounced on the North China leopard.
The moment they met, both lunged at each other's necks, but both, prepared, dodged the attacks. However, Ah Huang was a beat too slow; the North China Leopard circled around to Ah Huang's side and pounced again, knocking Ah Huang to the ground...
Despite falling to the ground, Ah Huang remained calm. One mistake did not mean the end of the battle; the more excited it became, the clearer its mind remained.
The moment it fell to the ground, Ah Huang deliberately tucked its neck in, baring its teeth to protect its throat, using its sharp teeth to resist the bloody maw of the North China leopard.
This defensive technique was something it learned from its previous battles with mountain jackals. There were many wild animals in this forest, and Ah Huang had experience fighting most of them.
Unable to find a way to bite Ah Huang, the North China leopard shifted its target from Ah Huang's neck to Ah Huang's forelegs. It bit down, and its sharp teeth instantly pierced through the flesh. In that instant, Ah Huang raised its head, struggled to stand up, and bit the side of the North China leopard's neck.
The North China leopard's bite force is not strong. Among jackals, tigers, and leopards, the most powerful bite force in the mountains and forests belongs to the jackal, whose bite force exceeds four hundred pounds.
The North China leopard's teeth pierced Ah Huang's flesh, but its slightly insufficient bite force prevented it from damaging Ah Huang's thigh bone for a short time. Ignoring its own pain, Ah Huang began to frantically tear at the North China leopard's side of its neck.
The North China leopard has an extremely thick neck with exceptionally well-developed muscles and loose yet tough fur, making it difficult for Ah Huang to inflict a large wound on it in a short time.
However, it did not give up. It endured the pain and tore at the leopard's fur. Finally, large pieces of flesh and blood from its neck began to fall into Ah Huang's mouth.
The sudden intensification of pain drove the North China leopard somewhat mad. The silent hunter bit Ah Huang's thigh and lifted him up, knocking the unsteady Ah Huang to the ground again. Even so, Ah Huang still did not let go of his teeth.
Ah Huang's bite force is much stronger than that of this North China leopard. The Mastiff, which ranks first in bite force among dogs, has a bite force of over 500 pounds, which is stronger than that of the jackal, the number one dog in the mountains.
Ah Huang's biting continued; it dared not let go. It had witnessed its opponent's speed and agility, and knew that if it were given enough space to fight, it would have no chance to gain any more advantage.
The North China leopard, which had once again knocked Ah Huang to the ground, still couldn't find a good attack point. It dared not attack Ah Huang's neck, because if it did, its own neck would be exposed first.
The creature that had been biting at Ah Huang's neck wouldn't give up the chance to lock its throat. The North China leopard didn't dare to take such a risk, so it could only continue to bite Ah Huang's front legs. When the wounds on the legs were torn open to a certain extent, it fiercely moved its target to Ah Huang's chest.
The North China leopard's movements made Ah Huang's attack increasingly difficult. It didn't loosen its teeth, but because of this, its body was pulled and bent by the North China leopard. It began to lose strength, and the pain in its chest became more and more intense.
The wound on the side of the North China leopard's neck was getting bigger and bigger, but even such a large tear was not fatal. Ah Huang's body was already twisted, and it could no longer exert force as before. The wound on its chest had been opened up. If the injury there was too severe, it would damage the pleura, causing pneumothorax. Once pneumothorax occurs, it will be life-threatening.
Ah Huang had to change; it loosened its teeth and raised its head to attack the North China leopard's head.
Its sharp teeth left deep cuts on the North China leopard's ears, face, and nose. These cuts did not cause serious damage, but they successfully distracted the leopard. It abandoned its attack on Ah Huang's chest and instead attacked Ah Huang's neck.
Ah Huang once again used his toothed knife to block the North China Leopard's attack, and then in that brief moment of opening, he got up again and quickly ran to the side.
Blood was flowing from its thighs and chest, and the pain was extremely intense. It felt it was necessary to re-evaluate this guy.
But the North China leopard didn't give it a chance to catch its breath. The wound on the side of the big guy's neck was also quite large, and blood was gushing out. It couldn't remember how long it had been since it had suffered such an injury. Its ferocity had been fully aroused by Ah Huang. It roared and pounced on Ah Huang with the same speed as before...
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