The sound grew closer and closer, and the ground trembled. Zheng Aiguo's face grew increasingly grim. Was this a case of being caught between a rock and a hard place?

"Be careful, brothers. I'm so sorry. I've ruined your lives, making you lose half your illustrious reputations at the hands of this beast."

The person behind him said in a low voice,

"Why bring that up? I've always been a coward since I was little. Later, when I joined the army, my parents told everyone I was going to be successful."

"If I really die here, it won't be shameful."

"That's right, this thing is ferocious. Even the old hunters in our village are afraid of it. Killing one is enough, killing two is enough to make a name for yourself as a brother."

"As long as our brothers down the mountain are safe, what are we afraid of? Aren't we brothers?"

"They're here! They're here!"

Zheng Aiguo and his companions held their breath, while Cheng Chao and Qin Yi, not far away, watched intently, their grip on the dagger never loosening. The only ones relaxed were Jian Dan in the tree and the wolf pack on the other side.

"Holy crap! Again?"

The wolf isn't making a move; it's probably because it's had its fill and is just watching the show from the sidelines.

But even this bear alone is enough to cause trouble. If the atmosphere gets heated and bloodshed ensues, and the wolves also become murderous, then it's hard to say whether it will be one-on-one or one-on-two.

"Tsk tsk! We should attract something else, let them fight it out in a three-way battle, and then we can watch the show."

Soon, the two blind bears came into view of the others.

To be honest, its size alone is enough to intimidate people, and it's also tough and thick-skinned, making it even more difficult to deal with than a wild boar.

Cheng Chao was so angry that he started swearing.

"Damn! Why is it such a big guy?"

He glanced briefly at the stalemate ahead, then quietly climbed down the tree like a cat, retreated a few meters, and quickly disappeared.

Cheng Chao, who was not far away, seemed to sense something and looked over in their direction.

"Qin Yi, can you hear that?"

"No, is it just the sound of the wind?"

Qin Yi listened for a moment, then replied with some surprise, before looking ahead.

"Company Commander Cheng, what do we do now? Are we going to have to fight?"

Indeed, the bear in front had lost its patience, its thick paws slamming the ground. Zheng Aiguo and the others in front were shaken so badly that they could barely stand. When they finally managed to steady themselves by holding onto a tree or a rock, they were blinded by the swirling snowflakes.

“Let’s go too,”

The bear was hungry and impatient; it seemed this fierce battle was unavoidable.

Even with all those missions he'd undertaken, the chances of encountering such a large creature were slim. There were people here, and people down the mountain too, so he was a little unsure of himself. However, he couldn't simply leave them behind.

Cheng Chao quickly analyzed the situation in his mind.

"Qin Yi, you go help them deal with the one on the left in a bit,"

"Oh? And what about you?"

“I’m fine, I have experience. I’ll lure the other one away. The pressure of having two together is too great. I’ll try to manage them first. No matter what, we can’t let them go down the mountain.”

Since Jian Dan came up ahead of them, she must be nearby. They'll try to stall her until she gets here.

Cheng Chao himself didn't realize that he had unknowingly come to regard Jian Dan as a reliable support.

By this time, Jian Dan had already dashed quite far. In order to attract more animals, he encountered two wild boars on the road and bled them. He made them bleed, leaving them with large but not fatal wounds. Then he let them run around, spraying blood everywhere.

And just as she wished, the warm, pungent smell of blood drifted along the north wind into the deep forest.

This area is already deep in the mountains, so there are naturally many wild animals nearby. Soon, various noises and commotions came from all around, which made Jian Dan laugh. This is going to be interesting.

Turning back, she made marks along the way. Worried that the smell of blood wasn't strong enough, she threw out a few fresh pheasants, scattering them as she went, like carrots dangling in front of a rabbit.

Wild beasts kill, revel in bloodshed, don't think about problems, and simply follow.

When Jian Dan returned, there was already blood, and the scene was chaotic.

Zheng Aiguo and his men had already engaged the bear in combat. The bear had several crisscrossing bloody scratches on its body, but they weren't deep; they were just minor cuts to the bear's skin. However, these injuries enraged the bear, which roared and jumped around, slapping the ground with its paws and then striking the nearby trees.

The ground was stained red and white in patches with blood, and the snow had been trampled so badly that the ground was exposed in many places.

Several large trees, as thick as two people could hug, were broken off, some up to waist height, and the wounds were clearly caused by violence.

Zheng Aiguo and the others were all injured. Zheng Aiguo himself had a swollen face and one arm was in a sling, which was obviously due to exhaustion or a fracture.

The scene was a mess.

They didn't see another bear, but if they listened carefully, they could hear heavy breathing not far away. Jian Dan didn't know that Cheng Chao had also come, and assumed that the black bear had been overwhelmed by the group and had escaped.

Although the scene unfolded faster than she had imagined, she didn't think much of it.

After scanning the scene, everyone was exhausted. The black bear was very agitated, its huge body rampaging wildly without any order, and it stared straight at Qin Yi, who was closest to it.

Qin Yi felt like his legs were made of lead, and his arms were so sore that he could barely lift them. He watched helplessly as the dark shadow enveloped him, feeling extremely anxious, but he couldn't muster any strength in his hands and feet.

Oh God, God is going to kill him!

He hasn't gotten married yet, and he hasn't given his parents any descendants.

Qin Yi's mind went blank. He closed his eyes in despair. At this moment, only a god could save his life, right?

Jian Dan's expression hardened, and without waiting for the chaos to erupt, he stepped on the half-broken tree trunk and swiftly swept across the scene, pulling the desperate Qin Yi out in glory.

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!