Okay

Crack!

The sound of bones shattering tugged at everyone's nerves. The two-meter-tall black bear bit down and crushed Wang Ding's head to pulp.

"A bear! It's a real bear!"

The burly man in work clothes instantly felt a chill run through his entire body. Coldness crawled up his spine, and every muscle in his body locked up.

"Run!"

Zhao Ke's eyes turned cold. He pocketed his fruit knife, turned, and charged into the forest behind him.

The others immediately followed, chasing after Zhao Ke.

Li Hongbing's expression changed. He was closest to the bear, and at that moment, his whole body had frozen stiff. The repeated sounds of bones being torn apart and crushed left him too terrified to move.

"Move!"

Fortunately, someone grabbed his arm. It was the man scar-faced man had slapped twice earlier, his cheeks now swollen like a pig's head. He quickly yanked Li Hongjun, who was still standing there in a daze, and turned to run.

A black bear was not something people like them could handle. As for playing dead, that was simply the textbook definition of courting death. A bear's hearing could easily tell whether someone was pretending.

When the time came, all it would take was one gentle lick across your face from that barbed tongue for you to learn what it meant to be flayed alive.

Climbing a tree was even more ridiculous. Whether it was climbing, swimming, rock climbing, or running, all of it was child's play to a bear, the so-called master of all land-based skills.

The group ran and scrambled after Zhao Ke, but the bear's roars behind them were drawing closer and closer. It was too fast. Just as Zhao Ke had guessed, one corpse was clearly nowhere near enough to fill its stomach.

Good thing I'm not alone here.

Zhao Ke glanced behind him. There was the female office worker in high heels, the girl with glasses, and Li Hongbing and the other man supporting each other as they ran.

As they headed deeper into the woods, Zhao Ke vaguely saw a flickering glow in the depths of the forest. His nose twitched. Though it was still far away, he could smell the scent of cooked meat, as if someone were making a fire and preparing food.

"This way!"

Zhao Ke pointed ahead. The four behind him also saw the faint glimmer in the distance, and joy appeared in their eyes.

At that moment, the female office worker glanced toward the slope beside them. A sinister glint flashed through her eyes, and she suddenly shoved the girl with glasses.

"Ah!"

Before anyone could react, the girl with glasses rolled straight down the slope. It was not very high, but it did not look like she would be able to climb back up anytime soon.

"What are you doing?!"

Seeing the student get pushed down, Qi Liang, the college student who had been supporting Li Hongbing, immediately changed expression. He stepped forward and shoved the female office worker away. "You're trying to kill her!"

"What do you mean, trying to kill her? Which eye of yours saw that? She slipped and fell down herself. Don't go making things up." The female office worker turned her face aside and flatly denied it.

Li Hongbing stepped forward as well, but he took the female office worker's side. "That's right. She slipped down herself. Forget about her. Let's get out of here."

After saying that, Li Hongbing actually shook free and hurried toward the firelight ahead, wanting to leave this place as quickly as possible.

Qi Liang's face turned pale, then livid. His hands clenched tightly into fists, and the swollen skin of his face trembled.

"You people... are you even human?"

After saying that, Qi Liang looked down at the girl with glasses below the steep slope. "You run. I'll save her."

"Pah, idiot."

When the female office worker saw Qi Liang actually feeling his way down the slope, she sneered coldly. She was secretly delighted. Best if they both die here. Then the bear can eat them together later.

There was a saying: if you encountered a tiger in the wild, you did not need to run faster than the tiger. You only needed to run faster than your companion.

The saying applied here too. With two people left behind, the bear would spend a long time with them when it came. That would be enough time for the others to shake it off completely.

The female office worker then looked at Zhao Ke, who stood nearby, and her eyes lit up. Compared to the crude Li Hongbing, Zhao Ke seemed much quieter and more refined.

Besides, Zhao Ke had been leading the way at the front all along. His sharp, capable gaze and agile movements made him seem more reliable than the others no matter how she looked at it.

There was another reason as well. Li Hongjun had vanished in the blink of an eye, having run off without a trace. The only person she could rely on now was the man in front of her.

With that in mind, the female office worker hurried over to Zhao Ke and said in a coy voice, "Big brother, let's go together. Forget about them."

The faint perfume on her body made Zhao Ke's brows knit slightly. Though the scent was light, it still felt unpleasant to his sensitive nose.

Zhao Ke looked her over, and a wicked smile curled at the corner of his mouth. He nodded at the female office worker. "All right."

Zhao Ke's answer came unexpectedly readily, but before delight could appear on the female office worker's face—

She failed to notice the cold gleam that flashed from Zhao Ke's hand the instant he nodded.

"Pfft..."

The female office worker's eyes widened as she looked down at the dagger embedded in her abdomen.

She could not understand why Zhao Ke had killed her.

By the time she came back to her senses, Zhao Ke had seized her by the throat. Grabbing her hair, he dragged her toward the bushes nearby.

That was right. Humans could not outrun beasts, but if he needed to choose someone to sacrifice, he would not choose the woman beside him.

At least in an unfamiliar environment, a person of poor character was often unreliable.

She might drag you down, but she would never be of any help.

"Come on! Push harder."

At the bottom of the slope, Qi Liang gripped the girl with glasses' feet with both hands and pushed her upward.

"Higher!" The girl with glasses clawed desperately at the ground ahead.

"Ahhh! I'm about to shit myself!"

Qi Liang's face was bright red from exertion. Standing at a height of six feet, he spread his arms and strained to hoist the girl with glasses upward. She might have been thin, but she was by no means light.

Using every last ounce of strength he had, Qi Liang dragged her upward. He felt like he was about to spray shit out.

Fortunately, the weight above him suddenly lightened, and Qi Liang finally caught his breath. He hurriedly clenched his ass tight; if it had taken any longer, he might really have shit his pants.

Qi Liang looked up and saw Zhao Ke pulling the girl with glasses up by the arm.

"You!"

Qi Liang was somewhat surprised to see Zhao Ke. He had thought Zhao Ke would leave with the female office worker. He had not expected him to come back and save them.

Zhao Ke had somehow found a wooden stick. Gripping one end, he extended the other to Qi Liang. "Stop standing there! Hurry up, that bear's coming after us."

Though there was no sound, Zhao Ke knew the beast was nearby. The intense, pungent stench in the air was the same scent he had smelled before.

"Right, right!"

Qi Liang hurriedly nodded and climbed up using the stick Zhao Ke offered. When he looked around and saw only Zhao Ke and the girl with glasses, he could not help asking, "Where are the other two?"

Earlier, the female office worker had seemed rather close to Zhao Ke. How had she disappeared in the blink of an eye?

"You sure are nosy. Get moving. That beast is almost here!"

Zhao Ke sniffed. The thick stench was getting closer, and he urged Qi Liang and the girl with glasses to leave at once, as though confirming his words.

The bushes to their left suddenly shook violently. Qi Liang's expression changed. He stopped thinking about it and quickly followed Zhao Ke away.

"Mmgh, mmgh, mmgh!!!"

From within the shaking bushes, a pair of helpless eyes watched Zhao Ke and the others go farther and farther away. The woman's face turned deathly pale, and she opened her mouth in a soundless scream.

She lay prone on the ground, blood gushing from her thigh and abdomen. All she could do was desperately shake the branches, trying to catch Qi Liang's attention.

Crack!

The female office worker's body suddenly stiffened. The heavy sound of breathing by her ear drew closer and closer, like countless insects crawling into her collar, making every hair on her back stand on end.

"Rustle..."

The bushes before her parted, and a figure emerged. He had a broad, burly build and carried an axe in his hand. He seemed to be a hunter from the mountains.

"It's a person!"

The female office worker's eyes lit up, and uncontrollable delight surged in her heart. She hurriedly opened her mouth and gestured desperately, signaling for him to save her.

Yet the figure before her did not move at all. Thinking he had not seen her clearly, she struggled to crawl forward, trying to get closer.

Her hands reached the man's feet. She grabbed his pant leg and crawled upward.

Damn it, is this guy an idiot? Why won't he give me a hand? Typical mountain man, his brain doesn't work right.

At that moment, the female office worker's hand seemed to grab something. It was icy cold. Feeling it, it seemed to be a hand. Relief washed over her. He finally remembered to pull me up.

But the instant she raised her head, the joy in her eyes vanished. In its place came a chill that crawled up her spine.

The man raised the axe in his hand and brought it down.