Good

"Crack!"

The sound of bone shattering jolted everyone's nerves. A black bear, two meters tall, had just crushed Wang Ding's head.

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

The burly man in work clothes felt a chill run down his spine, his muscles freezing up.

"Run!"

Zhao Ke's eyes narrowed. He sheathed the fruit knife in his hand and turned, sprinting towards the woods behind them.

Seeing this, the others immediately followed, chasing after Zhao Ke.

Li Hongbing's face changed. He was closest to the bear and his body had frozen. The sounds of bones being torn and crushed made him too afraid to move.

"Let's go!"

Fortunately, someone grabbed the burly man's arm. It was the guy who had been slapped twice by the scar-faced man, his face now swollen like a pig's head. He quickly pulled the still-dazed Li Hongjun and turned to run.

A black bear was not something they could handle. Pretending to be dead was a surefire way to die. A bear's hearing could easily tell if you were faking.

Then, its barbed tongue would lick your face, instantly making you feel like you were being flayed alive.

Climbing trees was equally futile. Bears, known as the all-around masters of the land, could easily climb, swim, or run.

The group scrambled and climbed, desperately following Zhao Ke. But the roars of the bear grew closer. It was fast, just as Zhao Ke had guessed. The corpse of one person was clearly not enough to satisfy its hunger.

"Good thing I'm not alone."

Zhao Ke glanced back. There was the female office worker in high heels, a female student with glasses, and the two men, Li Hongbing and Li Hongjun, supporting each other as they ran.

As they moved deeper into the woods, Zhao Ke thought he saw faint lights in the distance. He sniffed the air and, despite the distance, caught the scent of roasting meat, as if someone was cooking over a fire.

"That way!"

Zhao Ke pointed forward. The four behind him also saw the faint lights and their eyes lit up with hope.

At that moment, the female office worker glanced at the slope beside her. A sinister glint flashed in her eyes, and she suddenly pushed the girl with glasses.

"Ah!"

Before anyone could react, the girl with glasses tumbled down the slope. It wasn't a steep drop, but it would take some time to climb back up.

"What are you doing!"

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

"Kill? What are you talking about? She slipped and fell by accident. Don't spout nonsense." The female office worker turned her head away and denied it.

Li Hongbing also stepped forward, but his tone sided with the female office worker. "Yeah, she slipped. Let's not bother with her and just go."

After speaking, Li Hongbing actually broke free and quickly walked towards the firelight ahead, wanting to leave the place as soon as possible.

Qi Liang's face turned pale, then flushed. He clenched his fists tightly, his swollen cheeks trembling slightly.

"You guys!! Are you even human?"

Qi Liang spoke, then looked down at the girl with glasses who had fallen down the slope. "You guys go ahead, I'll save her."

"Tsk, idiot."

Seeing Qi Liang actually start to feel his way down, the female office worker sneered coldly, secretly pleased. I hope they both die here and become bear food later.

There's a saying: if you encounter a tiger in the wild, you don't need to be faster than the tiger, just faster than your companion.

That saying applied here. With two people staying behind, the bear would be delayed, giving them enough time to escape.

At this point, the female office worker looked at Zhao Ke, her eyes lighting up. Compared to the crude Li Hongbing, Zhao Ke seemed much more refined.

Moreover, Zhao Ke had been leading the way all this time. His sharp, capable eyes and agile movements made him seem more reliable than the others.

There was another reason: Li Hongjun had disappeared in the blink of an eye. The only person she could rely on now was the man in front of her.

With that thought, the female office worker quickly walked up to Zhao Ke and whispered in a sweet voice, "Big brother, let's go together. Let's leave them."

The faint scent of perfume on him made Zhao Ke frown slightly. Even though it was faint, his sensitive nose found it unpleasant.

Zhao Ke looked her up and down, a devilish smile playing on his lips. He nodded at the female office worker. "Okay."

Zhao Ke's agreement was surprisingly quick. But before the female office worker could show her joy...

She didn't notice the cold glint that flashed from Zhao Ke's hand the moment he nodded.

"Pfft..."

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

She couldn't understand why Zhao Ke would kill her.

By the time the female office worker came to her senses, Zhao Ke had already grabbed her throat and was dragging her by the hair towards the bushes.

That's right, humans couldn't outrun wild beasts, but if a sacrifice was needed, he wouldn't choose this woman.

At least in an unfamiliar environment, a person with poor character was usually unreliable.

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

"Quick! Put some effort into it."

Down the slope, Qi Liang gripped the girl with glasses's feet with both hands, pushing her upward.

"Higher!" The girl with glasses dug her palms forward.

"Aiya! I'm practically pulling you out!"

Qi Liang's face was flushed red. Standing at 1.8 meters tall, he stretched out both hands, straining to lift the girl with glasses. Even though she was thin, she definitely wasn't light.

He used all his might, pulling her up, feeling like he was about to shit himself.

Fortunately, at this moment, the weight on top of him suddenly lightened, giving Qi Liang a moment to breathe. He quickly clenched his backside, realizing that if it had been any later, he might have actually soiled himself.

Qi Liang looked up and saw Zhao Ke holding the girl with glasses's arm, pulling her up.

"You!"

Seeing Zhao Ke, Qi Liang couldn't help but be surprised. He had initially thought Zhao Ke would leave with the female office worker, not expecting him to turn back to save them.

Zhao Ke, seemingly having found a wooden stick from somewhere, held onto one end and handed the other to Qi Liang. "Stop gawking! Hurry, that bear is coming after us."

Although there was no sound, Zhao Ke knew that beast was nearby. The strong, pungent stench in the air was the same as the smell he had detected earlier.

"Oh, oh!"

Qi Liang quickly nodded and climbed up along the stick Zhao Ke offered. Looking around and seeing only Zhao Ke and the girl with glasses, he asked in confusion, "Where are the other two?"

He had seen the female office worker seeming quite friendly with Zhao Ke earlier, so where had she disappeared to?

"You're really nosy. Let's go, that beast is almost here!"

Zhao Ke sniffed the air. The strong, foul odor was getting closer, and he urged Qi Liang and the girl with glasses to hurry. As if to confirm his words, The bushes to the left suddenly began to shake violently. Seeing this, Qi Liang's expression changed. Without thinking further, he quickly followed Zhao Ke and hurried away.

"Wuwuwu!!!"

From the shaking bushes, a pair of helpless eyes watched Zhao Ke and the other two walk further away. The woman's face turned deathly pale. She opened her mouth and let out a silent scream.

Her body lay on the ground, blood gushing from her thighs and abdomen. She could only desperately shake the branches, trying to attract Qi Liang's attention.

"Crack!"

Suddenly, the female office worker froze. The sound of heavy breathing near her ears grew louder, like countless insects crawling into her collar, making the hairs on her back stand on end.

"Rustle..."

At this moment, the bushes in front of her parted, and a figure emerged. It was a man with a sturdy build, carrying an axe in his hand, seemingly a hunter from the mountains.

"A person!"

Seeing this, the female office worker's eyes lit up. Unable to contain her joy, she quickly opened her mouth and gestured with her hands, signaling for him to save her.

However, the figure in front of her remained motionless. Seeing this, the female office worker thought he hadn't seen her clearly and tried to crawl forward, wanting to get closer.

She crawled with her hands to the man's feet, grabbing his pant leg to pull herself up.

"Damn it, is this guy an idiot? Why isn't he helping me? Must be from the mountains, not very bright," the female office worker cursed inwardly.

Just then, her hand seemed to touch something cool and smooth. Feeling it with her hand, she realized it was a hand. The female office worker felt a sense of relief, thinking, "He finally remembered to pull me up."

However, the moment the female office worker looked up, the joy in her eyes vanished instantly, replaced by a chilling sensation crawling up her spine.

She saw the man raise the axe in his hand and bring it down in a chop.