The black bear launched relentless attacks seven or eight times in a row, each assault weaker than the last.
The heavy thuds gradually turned into feeble, almost negligible slaps.
“It’s about time…” Qi Xia muttered. “Its attacks should be over now.”
Just as Qi Xia predicted, after one final sluggish strike, the black bear cautiously eyed the metal plate before it, snorted a few hot breaths through its nose, and gave up.
It didn’t seem particularly exhausted, yet it stopped its assault.
“That’s it?” Qiao Jiajin peeked out from behind the metal plate. “That thing still has energy left.”
“Animals aren’t like humans. To survive the ever-present dangers of the wild, they rarely push themselves to complete exhaustion. Even if it has strength left, it won’t waste it all on this metal plate.”
Sure enough, the black bear turned silently and lumbered toward a corpse on the ground—the woman who had died at the very start of the game.
She was, after all, a far more stable and secure meal.
The bear glanced back at the metal plate, sniffed the corpse, then opened its jaws and—*squelch*—bit into the corpse’s abdomen.
The sound was like puncturing a water-filled plastic bag, crimson spilling across the ground.
Nudging the body with its snout, the bear began licking and selecting choice organs. Soon, the wet, smacking sounds of its feast filled the air.
The others turned away, unable to stomach the sight.
Meanwhile, the bear ate while keeping a watchful eye on the metal plate, creating an eerie standoff.
Thankfully, time was nearly up.
Under the group’s tense, suffocating dread, the bear made no further moves—only hollowing out the corpse’s abdomen until a few stark ribs were exposed.
Qi Xia checked the time: barely thirty seconds remained. The game was almost over.
But then, the well-fed bear suddenly let out a low growl and charged once more, its massive body barreling forward.
It seemed to sense the dwindling time and was making one last desperate attempt.
“Here it comes!! Brace yourselves!!” Qi Xia shouted, alerting Qiao Jiajin.
Planting his feet, Qiao Jiajin leaned diagonally against the metal plate.
The line behind him quickly steadied, displaying rare unity as everyone firmly held the person in front.
They thought they could weather this assault too—until the bear reared up on its hind legs, towering over two meters tall, casting an oppressive shadow.
“Oh no…” Qi Xia’s stomach dropped.
The next second, the bear planted its front paws atop the plate and leaned in, jaws agape, flecks of human flesh still lodged between its teeth.
“ROAR—!!”
The deafening bellow nearly ruptured Qi Xia’s eardrums, and the bear’s rancid saliva sprayed his face.
“Hold it back!” Glasses yelled.
Gritting his teeth, Qiao Jiajin shoved against the plate with all his might, feeling the crushing weight of hundreds of kilograms pressing forward, threatening to flatten him.
“I… fucking… hell…”
Words came out strained. Qi Xia rushed to help, pushing alongside him. The bear’s strength was terrifying, leaving those behind them frozen in fear.
After several failed attempts to push forward, the bear suddenly gripped the plate’s edge and yanked it backward with brute force.
Qiao Jiajin and Qi Xia had been bracing outward—never expecting the bear to pull. The plate flipped over with a thunderous crash, sending them sprawling to the ground.
*CLANG!!*
The deafening impact left everyone exposed—especially Qiao Jiajin and Qi Xia, now the most vulnerable.
Before they could react, the bear swung a paw at Qiao Jiajin.
Rolling desperately, he barely dodged the strike.
“Hey! Liar! Get up!!” Qiao Jiajin bellowed from the side. “Stay down and you’re dead!!”
Qi Xia writhed on the ground, clutching his chest. The impact had knocked the wind out of him, leaving him gasping.
Scrambling to his feet, Qiao Jiajin stared anxiously at Qi Xia. “Damn it… Liar, move!!”
Qi Xia tried to rise, but the pain was too much. Each attempt ended with him collapsing back down.
Sensing his weakness, the bear abandoned the agile Qiao Jiajin and lunged at Qi Xia instead.
With a curse, Qiao Jiajin sprinted, leaped, and drove a knee straight into the bear’s snout.
Yelping, the bear swiped blindly, its claws slamming into Qiao Jiajin’s abdomen.
“ARGH—!”
The seemingly casual strike hit the weakest spot. Qiao Jiajin flew backward, coughing violently.
“Ugh… damn…” He clutched his ribs, certain at least one was broken.
“Wh-what do we do…” Glasses stammered. “We have to help them…”
A thought struck him. He spun toward the middle-aged man. “Old Lü! Take off your shoes! I have a plan!”
“Are you insane?!” the man hissed. “Glasses, you’ll get us all killed! If the bear eats them, we’re safe! There’s barely any time left!”
Glasses checked the clock—less than twenty seconds remained.
The bear raised its paw again, poised to strike. Even with the game ending, Qi Xia was doomed.
This man had risked his life at the front, facing the bear head-on. Whatever his motives, he’d saved them all.
After a split-second debate, Glasses made his choice.
“Hey! You overgrown mutt!!” He jumped forward, yelling. “Leave him alone!!”
The bear flinched, momentarily confused.
The middle-aged man paled. “Holy shit! Glasses, have you lost your mind?!”
“You blind bastard…” Glasses ignored him, taunting the bear. “Come get me instead…”
Before he could finish, the bear charged.
Glasses bolted in terror. He’d hoped to buy time like Qiao Jiajin—but now, pursued by a massive, bloodthirsty predator, he realized how terrifying it truly was.
Hot, foul breath blasted his back. His legs trembled uncontrollably, sending him stumbling every few steps.
He kept falling, scrambling up, only to collapse again.
At this rate, he’d break his neck before the bear even reached him.
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