A huge chunk of Desert Tiger's head was missing due to the Winchester, but the bullet from the sniper rifle was not aimed for the head. The spot Laughing Soul was aiming at was the chest area where Eagle's Claw had landed earlier. This shot pierced through the armor and hit his energy core.
There was no movie-like explosion, nor did the creature make any last struggle. Like an electronic device whose power source had disconnected, he lost mobility and stopped reacting.
