Chapter 44 Zhang Shan
The once orderly group descended into chaos as people scattered in every direction, driven by sheer panic. Yet, the black bear's focus remained unerringly on Specs.
"It's over! It's over!..." Specs babbled desperately, stumbling frantically around the room, "Mommy ah... I'm really going to die this time..."
In a mere ten steps, the bear had cornered him. Specs' legs, now betraying him entirely, gave out as he collapsed to the ground, paralyzed by fear and utterly unable to move. He leaned against the wall and glanced back, his vision filled with the terrifying visage of the black bear. Its face was grotesque, malevolent, and reeking of decay.
The bear extended its nose, sniffing his face intently.
Specs, now as pale as a ghost, stared blankly ahead, his eyes devoid of life. He dared not move a muscle as the black bear's mouth neared his neck. "Mommy..." he muttered faintly, "I can't come back... Mommy... Don't wait for me..."
The black bear's foul-smelling mouth was centimeters away from Specs' neck when Qiao Jiajin, lying prone on the ground, suddenly shouted, "Hey!! Time's up!! God damn it!! Don’t try to act dumb! Stop the killing already!!"
All eyes turned to the electronic clock on the wall, which had indeed finished its countdown and stopped at {0}. The tension in the room was palpable.
In the next moment, the distant iron gate creaked open, startling the black bear. Following this, a powerful suction emanated from the iron gate. The black bear, now resembling a leaf caught in a gale, wailed in pain as it was swiftly drawn into the gate by an unseen force. The game had reached its end.
"It's over..." a woman trembled, breaking the silence after several minutes. "The black bear is gone..."
The women slowly stood up, embracing one another, tears of relief streaming down their faces.
Specs, paralyzed with fear, remained on the ground, panting heavily.
"F*ck..." Qiao Jiajin groaned, stretching his aching body and clutching his abdomen. "That was anything but easy. Good work, Swindler Lad, your {Eagle Versus Chicken Tag} idea saved us all."
Qi Xia remained silent, his face etched with concern as he slowly got to his feet.
"What's wrong?" Qiao Jiajin inquired.
"Do you think..." Qi Xia hesitated, "the two of them survived?"
Qiao Jiajin understood that Qi Xia was referring to Tian Tian and Lin Qin. However, he couldn't bring himself to make any assumptions. None of them knew what had transpired in the other room.
Had Tian Tian and Lin Qin faced a similar ordeal, grappling with the relentless pursuit of an Asiatic black bear? Had they, too, been forced to unite and devise a strategy such as {Eagle Versus Chicken Tag}?
As everyone turned around, they saw that the stairs they had originally descended had reappeared behind them.
"Don’t overthink it," Qiao Jiajin said, giving Qi Xia a reassuring pat on the shoulder. "Let’s go find out."
Ole Lu helped Specs up, and the group, supporting one another, ascended the stairs to the room where the chairs had previously been arranged.
Terrestrial Ox stood silently, awaiting their {triumphant return}.
"Nine survivors?" Terrestrial Ox remarked after a momentary pause. "Impressive."
"Hahm-ga-caan..." Qiao Jiajin muttered under his breath, "One day, I’ll make sure to give every one of these people a proper beating."
"Please wait a moment; the individuals in the other room have yet to return," Terrestrial Ox gestured, indicating for them to take their seats.
The survivors, having narrowly escaped death, took no time for pleasantries and immediately sank into the chairs. Nothing in this place seemed more fearsome than the Asiatic black bear they had just endured.
After a tense wait of over two minutes, Qiao Jiajin could no longer contain his impatience. "Hey, Ole Ox," he called out, "Has their game not ended yet?"
"Both teams commenced their games simultaneously, so they should have finished by now. Yet, they have not returned."
"Wha—" Qi Xia’s brow furrowed, a familiar ache beginning to throb at his temples. He pressed his forehead and asked the ox-headed figure, "Does the fact that they haven't come back mean that they’ve all perished?"
"I cannot say for certain," Terrestrial Ox replied, shaking his head. "Please remain seated and remain calm."
Though advised to stay calm, anxiety gripped everyone, and their unease was palpable. The teams had been assigned randomly this time, which meant nearly every participant had teammates on the other team.
Qi Xia glanced around and noticed Specs seated not far in front of him, engaged in a whispered conversation with the middle-aged man beside him.
"Ah?! How can that be?!" the middle-aged man exclaimed, his voice filled with concern.
Specs gestured for him to lower his voice and continued to explain in hushed tones.
"No! No, I don’t agree!" The middle-aged man shook his head like a rattle drum[1], "No matter what you say, I won’t change my mind." As he spoke, he inadvertently locked eyes with Qi Xia. He quickly looked away as if trying to erase the encounter from memory, then continued in a lowered voice, "If that’s the case, I’ll have to let Zhang Shan make the decision for me!"
"Heh," Qi Xia sneered, piecing together the likely content of their conversation.
After waiting for five or six minutes, a heavy, deliberate gait emerged from the side door.
The initial footsteps were soon joined by a multitude of others, signaling the return of a significant number of survivors from the other team. A towering figure emerged slowly from the darkness beyond the door. His face was grave and stern, but it softened into a smile as he took in the sight of the survivors. "Damn... you all made it?"
"Zhang Shan(张山)! Zhang Shan!" Specs rushed forward with a mixture of relief and excitement, "Great! You’re okay—" His relief turned to horror as he took in the ghastly scene before him. "Holy shit!!!" Specs screamed, stumbling back in shock.
Earlier, Zhang Shan had been partially obscured by the darkness, making it difficult to discern his condition. But as he stepped into the light, the full extent of his injuries became apparent. His entire body was smeared with blood, and three deep gashes marred his chest. Under his right arm, he clutched two large, blackened objects that resembled thick tree trunks.
At that moment, Tian Tian and Lin Qin also emerged from the door.
"Leng-muizai!" Qiao Jiajin came forward and looked them up and down, "Are you gals okay?"
"We’re fine..." Tian Tian replied with a forced smile, "How about you both?"
"Survived, more or less," Qiao Jiajin said, shaking his head with a hint of exasperation. "We managed to get through thanks to Swindler Lad’s strategy."
"Really?" Tian Tian asked, astonished. "Qi Xia actually came up with a way to beat this game?"
Lin Qin, equally incredulous, remarked, "Qiao Jiajin, didn't you claim you'd handle all the {Ox Category} games on your own?"
"F*ck, don’t even start with that," Qiao Jiajin swore in frustration. "If it had been a human opponent, I could have managed, but it was an Asiatic black bear! Who on earth can take on an Asiatic black bear?"
Tian Tian and Lin Qin exchanged a glance, their expressions complicated. "It’s hard to say... There might be someone who really could take down a bear."
Upon hearing this, Qi Xia and Qiao Jiajin turned their attention to the imposing figure of Zhang Shan. Had he… actually defeated the bear?
As the rest of the team emerged from the door, the two counted and confirmed that there were exactly ten survivors. It was clear that no one from their team had perished.
Zhang Shan dropped the two objects from under his arm onto the floor with a heavy thud and then collapsed into a chair, visibly exhausted. "Damn... Ole Ox, you really outdid yourself. You actually used {bears} as props?"
The group looked down and saw that what Zhang Shan had discarded were not tree trunks but two black bear forearms, still dripping with blood.