Chapter 832

Ryan had long figured out Sherry's personality. That was why he dared to joke with her so fearlessly. Only the innocent Eloise was left feeling uneasy. He estimated the weight of all the iron lumps to be about 200 pounds. Since they were scattered in pieces, it was difficult to take them back. Ryan frowned and scratched his head. "Do you have any idea how to bring these iron lumps back?" Sherry answered without hesitation, "We can use the horse to carry them back, and Eloise and I can walk." Ryan looked at Sherry with a puzzled expression. She was so shrewd back at the foot of the mountain and was even capable of coming up with schemes. But as soon as they left the mountain, she reverted to her simple-minded self. Ryan thought about it and had an insight. It was probably because when she was with other women, she had to be scheming and shrewd for her own benefit and to compete with them. Upon forming this conclusion, Ryan felt a mixture of emotions. Living together as a couple was simple, but living with a group of people was complicated. That was a price they had to pay for living in a community. In a forgiving tone, Ryan said, "Of course, we'll use the pony to carry them. What I mean is how to gather these iron lumps together. We don't have any bags that we can use." An embarrassed smile appeared on Sherry's pretty face. Her ears turned red as she frowned at their predicament. Just as Ryan was at a loss, Eloise walked over to a charred tree not far away and kicked it with her foot. As her kick landed, her foot felt the sensation of coming into contact with something soft. She was startled by this and screamed. Her loud cry pierced through the quiet atmosphere and echoed throughout the surrounding jungle. "What is it?" Ryan ran over immediately. With trembling lips, Eloise pointed fearfully at something under the tree. "It's an animal carcass!" Ryan looked closely and saw that although much of the fur was burned, the stark stripes were still visible. He turned the carcass over and saw the distinctive markings on the animal's forehead. "It's a tiger!" Eloise blurted out. Sherry was scared, but upon realizing that it was just a carcass, she took tentative steps and inched closer. The tiger was about the size of a small cow and seemed to weigh about 200 pounds. Apart from some singed fur, it had no other injuries. Its body was intact, with its head well-preserved and its mouth open, revealing its sharp fangs. The tiger had likely died from the thick smoke from the fire. Eloise said compassionately, "I guess this tiger isn't the only animal that died because of the fire." Sherry gasped and put her hand on her chest. "Thank goodness this tiger didn't enter our territory." She then looked at Ryan with eyes full of worry and said, "And thank goodness it didn't attack you when you went out to hunt for food." A chill ran down Ryan's spine, and he couldn't help but shiver. If the tiger had indeed ambushed him, he would have had no way to defend himself. Suddenly, Ryan had an idea. "I know how we can bring the iron lumps back!" He reached out his hand and said, "Sherry, give me the knife." Sherry's heart skipped a beat, and she felt a bit nauseous. "You don't plan to turn the tiger meat into jerky, do you?" Ryan replied, "I need the tiger's hide." With that, Sherry handed him the knife. Ryan skinned the tiger, and it was a bloody scene to behold. He estimated that one tiger hide wouldn't be enough to gather all the iron lumps. So, he said to the two women, "Look around to see if there are any other animal carcasses." The two women understood Ryan's intention and carefully searched the area. Sherry found a dead leopard with its fur intact and unburned. It was likely also killed by the smoke. Ryan skinned the leopard and saw that its hide had clear and beautiful markings. He gestured at Sherry and joked, "When we get back, I'll ask Nina to make you a leopard print shawl. What do you think?" Sherry thought of the stereotype associated with women who wore leopard prints. She recalled that none of them were decent.