Chapter 41: Hen? I Dunno.
"Good," Qi Xia nodded. "I have to survive here. If anyone tries to stop me, the consequences will be very serious."
This statement startled everyone present, because Qi Xia's eyes looked exactly like those of a murderer.
He seemed like he would actually kill someone.
Even Qiao Jiajin, who was usually all smiles, now wore a serious expression.
A question inevitably arose in his mind—
What kind of person is Qi Xia, really?
After this turn of events, everyone obediently stood up like a flock of sheep and moved behind the iron sheet.
Seeing this, Qi Xia slowly released his grip. The middle-aged man and the man with glasses, still shaken, leaned on each other for support.
Qi Xia knew he had achieved his goal. He was now the sole leader of this group.
"How are you going to make sure everyone survives?" asked a slightly chubby girl.
"It can be explained in one sentence," Qi Xia replied calmly. "The answer is 'Eagle Catching Chickens.'"
"Eagle... Catching Chickens?" The others seemed confused.
"Now we have all three roles," Qi Xia said, raising his hand and pointing to the black bear not far away. "The eagle."
Then he pointed at the disheveled two men and five women. "The chickens."
Finally, he glanced at Qiao Jiajin and called out, "The hen."
"Hen your mother..." Qiao Jiajin said with a look of disgust. "Can you pick another name?!"
The others were starting to understand now.
That iron sheet on the ground was very heavy. The best way to use it against the black bear was to roll it along the ground. But the iron sheet had limited surface area and poor maneuverability. If the group scattered, their situation would turn dangerous.
The best method was for one person to move the sheet while the rest lined up in a column behind them.
Just as everyone was thinking this over, the black bear approached. At this moment, its eyes seemed focused on no one but Qiao Jiajin.
"Here it comes!" Qi Xia signaled to Qiao Jiajin in a low voice.
Hearing this, Qiao Jiajin immediately stuck his legs out behind him, leaned his body at an angle, and braced the iron sheet with his shoulder.
The next second, the black bear swung its thick forearm and struck the iron sheet with brutal force.
*Clang!*
A loud noise rang out. The black bear's attack was deflected, and both it and Qiao Jiajin stumbled back a step.
Fortunately, Qiao Jiajin had assumed a defensive posture in advance. Otherwise, even if that blow couldn't break the iron sheet, it would have been enough to crush him into a meat patty.
Seeing how dangerous it was, everyone quickly tightened their formation.
The four men stood at the front of the line, the five women at the back.
The middle-aged man obediently grabbed onto Qi Xia's clothes.
"Hey, conman, how many more attacks like that are there...?"
Qi Xia glanced at the clock on the far wall and said, "Don't worry, only seven minutes left."
"Seven..." Qiao Jiajin was stunned. "Hells, that means we're just getting started?!"
"Black bears don't have great stamina," Qi Xia said. "I don't believe it will attack nonstop for the remaining time. As long as we get through the early part, we'll be fine. But don't let your guard down."
The black bear adjusted its stance and began to sidle around.
Qi Xia tugged on Qiao Jiajin's clothes, steering his direction, and the iron sheet started rolling along the ground.
This move stumped the black bear.
Though it possessed devastating strength, it wasn't an agile hunter. It couldn't immediately launch an attack from the side; it could only keep shifting its massive body.
But no matter where it moved, the iron sheet was always facing it.
"Roooaar—"
The black bear kept growling lowly. It had already circled the group completely, yet still couldn't find a weak point to attack.
In truth, there was a very simple way to break the "Eagle Catching Chickens" formation: the "eagle" suddenly changes direction. For example, if the "eagle" had been moving right, then suddenly veers left, the "chicken" line, due to momentum, would have its last person caught.
This was a tactic everyone had learned from playing the game countless times as children. Qi Xia didn't believe the black bear in front of him could come up with such a clever move in a short time.
"Good... good..." Qi Xia muttered to himself. "Just keep it up like this..."
At this point, everyone was holding onto each other. Although the line was long, they maintained a safe distance from the black bear.
"This plan of yours might actually work..." Qiao Jiajin said quietly. "I'm just a bit tired..."
"Hang in there a little longer," Qi Xia said. "Six minutes will pass quickly."
"But I haven't eaten anything for a whole day and night, I—"
"Here it comes!" Qi Xia shouted.
Qiao Jiajin immediately adjusted his center of gravity, crouched low, and collided with the black bear again through the iron sheet.
*Clang!!*
This impact was clearly stronger than the last. Qiao Jiajin nearly got knocked over, iron sheet and all.
"This damn blind bear just won't quit!" the middle-aged man yelled nervously. "Hey! Young man at the front, you better hold steady!"
"Try holding it yourself, you son of a bitch!" Qiao Jiajin cursed back. His whole body ached from the shock; his bones felt like they were about to fall apart.
The black bear, enraged that its full-strength blow still hadn't broken the defense, paused in place and began to back away slowly.
"What's going on?" asked the man with glasses. "Is it giving up?"
Qi Xia frowned slightly. Something felt wrong.
Backing away?
"Damn it!"
A thought suddenly struck him. He immediately lowered his own body and pressed against the iron sheet alongside Qiao Jiajin, then turned his head to the middle-aged man and said, "Hey! You control the direction!"
"Huh?"
Though confused, the middle-aged man knew that iron sheet was their lifeline. He didn't dare slack off. Imitating what Qi Xia had done, he grabbed the clothes of the two men and guided the sheet's direction.
Just as Qi Xia had suspected, the black bear wasn't giving up—it was preparing a running start to increase its momentum.
"It's going all out," Qi Xia said, glancing at Qiao Jiajin. "If we can block this one, we've got a good chance of surviving."
"That's like saying nothing at all," Qiao Jiajin shook his head helplessly. "The problem is we don't know if we can block it!"
The black bear kept backing up until it reached the wall.
Seeing this, the middle-aged man who was steering swallowed nervously.
The black bear's stationary attack was already lethal enough. If it added a running start and threw its full weight into the charge, could this iron sheet really stop its onslaught?
"Fatty!" Qiao Jiajin yelled. "Shout when it attacks!"
But the middle-aged man acted as if he hadn't heard a thing. His eyes darted around, as if he was thinking something over.
The black bear scraped its front claws on the ground, then suddenly began to accelerate.
Seeing this, the middle-aged man didn't hesitate. He abandoned everyone and sprinted toward an open space behind.
"Hey... you!" Qiao Jiajin didn't even have time to finish his curse before he heard the heavy footsteps. He had to hurriedly brace himself.
At that moment, the man with glasses stepped forward, tugged at Qi Xia's clothes, and shouted, "The direction's off! Move a bit to the right!"
Qi Xia and Qiao Jiajin's eyes both widened. "No time to adjust! Brace!"
No sooner had they spoken than they felt like they had been hit by a speeding truck. Their bodies, along with the iron sheet, were lifted off the ground. They flew backward half a meter before crashing heavily to the floor.
This collision not only knocked the entire formation into disarray, but also sent the iron sheet toppling over, pinning them both beneath it.