Chapter 43: Twenty Seconds
The black bear launched seven or eight consecutive attacks, each one lighter than the last.
The heavy thuds gradually faded into almost insignificant pats.
"Almost there..." Qi Xia said. "Its attack should be done now."
Sure enough, as Qi Xia had predicted, after delivering one final feeble strike, the black bear cautiously eyed the iron sheet before it, snorted a few puffs of hot air, and gave up.
It didn't seem particularly tired, but it had stopped attacking.
"That's it?" Qiao Jiajin peeked out from behind the iron sheet. "That thing should still have some strength left."
"Animals are different from humans. To deal with the dangers that are everywhere in nature, they rarely let themselves become completely exhausted. Even if it still has some energy left now, it's not going to fight this iron sheet to the death."
Sure enough, the black bear silently turned around and walked toward one of the bodies on the ground.
This was the woman who had died right at the start of the game.
She was also a more stable and safer source of food for the bear.
The bear kept its eyes fixed on the direction of the iron sheet, sniffed the corpse on the ground, then opened its mouth. With a wet *squelch*, it bit right through the corpse's abdomen.
The sound was like biting through a plastic bag full of water, and bright red things splattered all over the ground.
Then, using its nose to nudge, the bear began selecting its preferred organs with its tongue. Before long, the sound of *smack-smack-smack* filled the air, as if it were enjoying a hearty meal.
Everyone turned their faces away, too afraid to watch the scene.
The bear continued eating while keeping an eye on the iron sheet, forming a bizarre standoff between both sides.
Fortunately, there was little time left.
In the tense, oppressive atmosphere, the black bear made no further moves. It simply ate out the entire abdomen of the corpse, exposing a few stark, gleaming ribs.
Qi Xia checked the time—only a little over thirty seconds left. It looked like the game was about to end.
But just then, after its fill of food and drink, the black bear suddenly let out a low growl and once again twisted its massive body, charging over.
It seemed to know that time was running out too, and was ready to go all out.
"Here it comes!! Get ready!!" Qi Xia shouted, alerting Qiao Jiajin.
Qiao Jiajin kicked his feet back, leaning diagonally against the iron sheet.
The column of people behind him quickly braced themselves. By now, everyone was somewhat united, each person steadying the one in front with their hands.
They thought this attack would pass safely as well, but they never expected the bear to rear up onto its hind legs in front of the iron sheet. Its two-meter-tall form pressed down on them with immense intimidation.
"Crap..." Qi Xia instantly sensed trouble.
The next second, the black bear placed both front paws on top of the iron sheet and leaned its head over. Its mouth hung open, with shreds of human flesh still stuck between its teeth.
"ROAR——!!"
A thunderous roar—Qi Xia felt like his eardrums were about to burst, and the bear's stinking saliva sprayed all over his face.
"Hold steady!" Glasses shouted.
Qiao Jiajin clenched his teeth, pushing against the table with all his might. He could clearly feel several hundred kilograms of force pressing forward, trying to crush him into a meat patty.
"I... fucking..."
Qiao Jiajin could barely even speak. Qi Xia immediately moved forward to help him brace. The bear's strength was so terrifying that the people behind seemed frozen in shock.
The bear pushed forward a few more times with all its might. Finding that the iron sheet wouldn't budge an inch, it suddenly grabbed the edges with its paws and yanked it toward itself.
Qiao Jiajin and Qi Xia had been pushing outward against the sheet, never expecting the bear to pull outward as well. The momentum flipped the sheet over onto the ground.
*CLANG!!*
With a loud crash of iron hitting the floor, everyone was now exposed before the bear—especially Qiao Jiajin and Qi Xia, who were the most vulnerable.
Before they could react, the bear immediately swung a front paw at Qiao Jiajin.
He twisted his body sharply, narrowly dodging the blow.
"Hey! Conman! Get up!!" Qiao Jiajin rolled to the side and yelled. "If you stay down, you're dead!"
Qi Xia rolled on the ground, gasping. It felt like he had slammed his chest during the fall, and for a moment, breathing was difficult.
Qiao Jiajin scrambled to his feet, looking anxiously at Qi Xia. "Shit... Conman, get up!"
Qi Xia wanted to, but his body ached so badly that every attempt to stand ended with him falling again.
The bear seemed to notice Qi Xia's condition. It abandoned the agile Qiao Jiajin and lunged toward Qi Xia instead.
Qiao Jiajin gritted his teeth and stomped his foot. He took two running steps, leaped into the air, and drove a flying knee from the side—right into the bear's face.
With a miserable howl, the bear shut its eyes and swiped its claw, striking Qiao Jiajin in the abdomen.
"Ugh—!"
The blow looked casual, but it hit one of the most vulnerable spots on the human body. Qiao Jiajin was sent flying straight back.
"Cough... damn..." Qiao Jiajin felt like his ribs might be broken.
"What... what do we do?" Glasses said nervously. "We have to save them..."
Then something came to him. He turned around to the middle-aged man and said, "Old Lü! Take off your shoes! I have an idea to save them!"
"Don't be stupid!" the middle-aged man said. "Glasses, you want to bring trouble on yourself?! The bear just needs to eat those two, and we'll be safe! The time is almost up!"
Glasses looked up—sure enough, there were less than twenty seconds left in the game.
The bear was now reaching out a front paw toward Qi Xia. Judging by the situation, even though the game was about to end, Qi Xia was as good as dead.
This man had done everything he could behind the iron sheet to fend off the bear. Whatever his ultimate goal, he had saved everyone's lives.
After a second of internal struggle, Glasses made up his mind.
"Hey! You bastard!!" He screamed, hopping forward a step. "Don't touch him!"
The bear paused, shrinking back slightly.
The middle-aged man was also startled. "Holy shit! Glasses, are you insane?!"
"You blind bear..." Glasses ignored the middle-aged man and kept cursing at the bear. "Why don't you come after me..."
Before he could finish, the bear pounced.
Glasses' face went pale, and he turned to run. He had thought he could tangle with the bear for tens of seconds, just like Qiao Jiajin had.
But he had never imagined how terrifying it would be to be chased by a massive hunter filled with killing intent. Hot wind kept blowing at his back, carrying a faint stench. Even though he tried to stay calm, his legs kept trembling, and every two steps he took, he tripped.
He could only keep getting up and falling, falling and getting up again.
At this rate, the bear might not kill him—he might just fall to death first.