“Cough, cough…” Qiao Jiajin lay on the ground, coughing incessantly, feeling as if his internal organs had been shattered by the impact.
The bespectacled man reacted swiftly, scrambling to his feet and immediately starting to reposition the iron plate.
“Come help!” he roared at the women behind him. “If these two collapse, we’re all done for!”
Though terrified, the women knew the situation was dire. They gritted their teeth and bent down to help move the iron plate.
Qi Xia lay on the ground, his head spinning.
The black bear’s attack had nearly knocked his soul out of his body. He couldn’t fathom how Qiao Jiajin had managed to withstand two such strikes alone.
“That fat bastard who ran away… I hope he rots in hell,” Qiao Jiajin cursed through clenched teeth.
“Seeking profit and avoiding harm… it’s human nature,” Qi Xia murmured from the ground. “As recorded in *Memorial to General Liang Shang*: ‘As for pursuing advantage and shunning peril, fearing death and loving life, such tendencies are universal…'”
“Did that hit scramble your brain?” Qiao Jiajin forced his eyes open to glance at Qi Xia. “What does some damn general have to do with this? If that coward hadn’t abandoned us, the plate wouldn’t have fallen like this…”
By now, the women had managed to lift the iron plate back up. The bespectacled man bent down to pull Qi Xia and Qiao Jiajin to their feet. “You guys okay?”
The two stood up weakly, leaning against the iron plate for support.
“Not ‘okay,’ just ‘not dead,'” Qiao Jiajin replied, glancing at the black bear.
After the collision, the beast wasn’t faring much better either. Its massive body swayed dizzily as it shook its head to regain clarity.
“Let me take over this time!” the bespectacled man said. “You two rest at the back for a bit.”
With that, he mimicked Qiao Jiajin’s stance, lowering his body and bracing the iron plate with his shoulder.
But he looked far too frail for the task. Just holding the plate seemed excruciating—his legs trembled violently, veins bulging on his forehead.
“Damn… is this thing really that heavy?” He adjusted his footing slightly, but the weight didn’t ease.
“Listen, man, no offense,” Qiao Jiajin shook his head helplessly, “but if you’re the one holding the plate, we might as well not even stand behind you. We’re dead either way.”
“R-right… maybe you should take over,” the bespectacled man chuckled awkwardly, stepping aside.
By now, the group had mostly reassembled their defensive formation, and Qiao Jiajin resumed his position against the iron plate.
The black bear, having mostly recovered, initially aimed to charge again—until it spotted the middle-aged man standing alone nearby.
“Shit! Old Lü!” the bespectacled man panicked. “Get over here now!”
“Hmph,” Qiao Jiajin scoffed. “If that fat bastard wants to die, let him.”
“No…” The bespectacled man’s expression darkened. “Old Lü saved my life once. I can’t just abandon him!”
“You’re an idiot,” Qiao Jiajin muttered.
Before the bespectacled man could devise a plan to save Old Lü, the black bear had already positioned itself between the group and him.
It seemed to understand that if Old Lü made it behind the iron plate, it would lose its chance to kill him.
The bespectacled man grew increasingly frantic. After a long pause, he turned to Qi Xia. “Can you help save Old Lü?”
Qi Xia’s gaze turned icy. “Sure. You go ahead. I won’t stop you.”
“I—I can’t do it alone… That’s why I’m asking you,” the bespectacled man stammered. “You seem capable… Can you help me?”
“No,” Qi Xia replied without hesitation. “If you want to save him, do it yourself.”
The bespectacled man opened his mouth to argue but realized he had no right to demand a stranger risk their life for him.
After a long pause, he clenched his teeth. “Fine… I’ll do it myself…”
He slowly released his grip on Qi Xia’s sleeve and fixed his gaze on the bear.
Then, in an almost comical display, he took three deep breaths, let out a yell to psych himself up, stomped his right foot, and charged toward the bear.
At the last possible second, Qi Xia reached out and stopped him.
“Jesus—!” The bespectacled man nearly twisted his waist from the sudden halt. “What the hell?!”
“You’ll die. Aren’t you afraid?” Qi Xia asked calmly.
“Of course I’m fucking afraid!” The bespectacled man looked on the verge of tears. “But I can’t just watch Old Lü die!”
“In that case, let’s make a deal,” Qi Xia said, eyes locked on the bear. “If I can keep you both alive in this game, your ‘tokens’ belong to me.”
“Huh?” The bespectacled man hadn’t expected such a demand and hesitated.
“Of course, if you refuse, you’re free to save him yourself.”
Qi Xia’s tone brooked no argument, leaving the bespectacled man torn.
He and Old Lü had risked their lives for this game—what was the point if they walked away with nothing?
“I can only promise my own ‘token.’ As for Old Lü’s…” He hesitated. “I don’t know if he’d agree.”
“Then vouch for him,” Qi Xia said. “You’re together, aren’t you?”
“I… I…” After a moment of deliberation, he decided life was worth more than tokens. “Fine. I’ll vouch for him. If we both survive, our ‘tokens’ are yours.”
“Good.” Qi Xia nodded. “Now take off your shoes and give them to me.”
“What?”
“Your shoes,” Qi Xia repeated.
Confused but compliant, the bespectacled man quickly removed his grimy sneakers and handed them over.
“Hunting principles: Animals are instinctively wary…” Qi Xia recited silently. “First rule: Never strike the back.”
He weighed one shoe in his hand, then took a sudden step forward and hurled it with full force at the bear’s back.
The impact startled the beast, making it shudder and whirl around in search of the threat.
“Second rule: Never injure the nose.”
Qi Xia grabbed the other shoe and flung it straight at the bear’s snout.
Though the throw wasn’t powerful, it struck squarely, causing the bear to stagger.
Enraged, the bear completely ignored Old Lü and charged straight at Qi Xia instead.
Qi Xia reacted instantly, yanking Qiao Jiajin’s sleeve to adjust the iron plate’s angle.
This time, the bear’s attack was erratic—just wild swipes with its massive paws.
Once, twice, three times.
Though it roared furiously, its strikes lacked the earlier devastating force, all being blocked by Qiao Jiajin and the iron plate.
Seizing the moment, Old Lü scrambled over and rejoined the group.
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