Just then, the continuous tremors behind them suddenly stopped. In their place came a low growl, a sound that seemed to come from an ancient behemoth, carrying a chilling pressure that echoed through the silent wilderness. The previously ferocious wolf pack instantly fell silent, restless and uneasy, their green eyes all turning to the rear, fear spreading among them.
Ning Yu and Mu Xue also sensed something amiss. They turned their heads with difficulty, looking in the direction from which the sound came. The thick darkness obscured their vision, allowing them to see only a huge black shadow moving slowly, like a demon crawling out of the depths of hell. The low roar sounded again, clearer and more chilling than before.
The wolf pack began to stir. Some of the more timid wolves had already tucked their tails between their legs and slipped away silently. The remaining wolves were also restless, hesitating between fleeing and staying. They feared the unknown behind them, yet greedily coveted the readily available food before them.
Ning Yu's heart pounded. He didn't know what had terrified the wolves so much, but this was undoubtedly their only chance to escape. He struggled to stand up, supporting Mu Xue, but found his legs were numb and unable to support his weight.
“Let’s… go…” Ning Yu gritted his teeth and squeezed out a few words.
Despite the excruciating pain, Mu Xue tried her best to stand up, but her legs had also lost all feeling.
Just then, the enormous black shadow let out another deafening roar, this time laced with a painful whimper. The wolves could no longer bear the fear and scattered in all directions, disappearing into the night in the blink of an eye.
Ning Yu and Mu Xue, supporting each other, swayed as they stood up. They dared not look back to see what the dark figure was; they only wanted to escape this terrifying place as quickly as possible. However, just as they took their first step, a hoarse voice sounded behind them:
"Who...who are you...?"
Almost instinctively, Ning Yu shielded Mu Xue behind him, gripping the broken hilt of his dagger tightly, and warily watching the direction from which the voice came. The hoarse voice rang out again, accompanied by heavy breathing; the speaker seemed to be injured as well. "Don't come any closer…we…we're not bad people…" Ning Yu answered, forcing himself to remain calm, his voice trembling with exhaustion.
In the darkness, the enormous shadow slowly approached, gradually revealing its outline. It was a gigantic mutated bear, at least twice the size of an ordinary bear, its body covered in thick, steel-like black fur. Its left foreleg appeared to be injured, constantly dripping black blood.
The moment Ning Yu saw the mutated bear, his heart sank. Judging from the wolf pack's reaction, this mutated bear was clearly more dangerous than the wolves. They had just escaped from the wolves' jaws, only to fall into another, even more terrifying trap.
The mutated bear didn't seem to intend to attack them. It stood a few meters away from them, its scarlet eyes fixed on them, growling in a low voice, as if warning them not to come closer.
“We…we’re leaving now…” Ning Yu helped Mu Xue up and slowly backed away. Every step felt like walking on a knife’s edge; he dared not make a sound, for fear of angering this raging beast.
Mu Xue gripped Ning Yu's arm tightly. Her face was pale, her lips were chapped, but her eyes were unusually firm. She didn't speak, but silently followed Ning Yu, feeling the strength and warmth emanating from him.
They retreated step by step, trying to avoid the mutated bear's line of sight. Silence reigned all around, broken only by the bear's heavy breathing and their faint footsteps.
Suddenly, Ning Yu felt his foot step on something, making a slight cracking sound. Startled, he looked down and found he had stepped on a dry twig. The faint sound was particularly jarring in the quiet night.
The mutated bear's ears twitched, and its scarlet eyes immediately turned to them. It let out a low growl, seemingly impatient.
Ning Yu knew they couldn't retreat any further; if they did, they would be exposed to the mutated bear's attack range. He looked around and spotted a huge rock not far away. "Xue'er, let's go over there!" Ning Yu whispered, then helped Mu Xue up and ran towards the rock.
Seeing this, the mutated bear let out a deafening roar and began to chase after them with heavy strides. Ning Yu used all his strength, dragging his exhausted body, and ran forward desperately. He knew they had to reach the rock behind them before the mutated bear caught up.
Just as they were about to reach the rocks, Ning Yu felt a gust of wind behind him. He turned around sharply and saw the mutated bear's huge claws swinging towards them... "Get down!" Ning Yu shouted, tackling Mu Xue to the ground.
The mutated bear's massive claws whizzed past their heads, slamming heavily onto the rocks with a deafening roar. Debris flew, and dust billowed everywhere.
Ning Yu and Mu Xue lay on the ground, still shaken. They looked up at the mutated bear so close to them, their hearts pounding in their chests. The mutated bear seemed to be stunned by the attack as well; it stood motionless, its crimson eyes fixed on them.
"Roar..." A low roar came from the mutated bear's throat, carrying a hint of doubt and... pain? Its huge body trembled slightly, as if it was enduring great pain.
Ning Yu and Mu Xue exchanged a glance, both seeing confusion in each other's eyes. Could it be that this mutated bear... was also seriously injured? Just then, a voice came from the darkness: "Black Fiend, stop..."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
