Good

"Crack!"

The sound of bone shattering sent a jolt through everyone's nerves. A two-meter-tall black bear had just crushed Wang Ding's head.

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

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

"Run!"

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

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

Li Hongbing's face changed. He was the closest to the bear and was now frozen in place. The sounds of bones being torn and crushed made him too terrified to move.

"Let's go!"

Fortunately, someone grabbed his arm. It was the guy who had been slapped twice by Scarface, his face now swollen like a pig's head. He quickly pulled Li Hongjun, who was still in a daze, and they turned to run.

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

Its barbed tongue could lick your face and instantly inflict the pain of a thousand cuts.

As for climbing trees, it was laughable. Bears were known as the all-around athletes of the land, making climbing, swimming, and even rock climbing or running child's play for them.

The group scrambled after Zhao Ke, but the roars of the bear grew closer. It was fast, just as Zhao Ke had guessed. One person's corpse was far from enough to fill its stomach.

"Good thing I'm not alone."

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

As they moved deeper into the forest, Zhao Ke thought he saw a faint light 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 light, and a flicker of hope appeared in their eyes.

At that moment, the female office worker glanced at the slope beside her, a sinister glint in her eyes. 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 fall, Qi Liang, the university student who had been supporting Li Hongbing, turned pale. He stepped forward and shoved the female office worker, saying, "You're trying to kill her!"

"Kill her? What are you talking about? She slipped and fell. Don't spout nonsense," the female office worker retorted, turning her head away.

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

With that, Li Hongbing broke into a run towards the firelight, eager to get away.

Qi Liang's face flushed with anger. He clenched his fists, his swollen cheeks trembling.

"Are you even human?!"

Qi Liang then looked at the girl with glasses at the bottom of the slope. "You guys go ahead. I'll save her."

"Tsk, idiot."

Seeing Qi Liang actually start to climb down, the female office worker sneered, secretly pleased. "I hope they both die here and get eaten by the bear later."

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

That saying applied here. With two people staying behind, they would buy the others a lot of time to escape the bear.

The female office worker then turned her attention to 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 along, his sharp eyes and agile movements making him seem more reliable than the others.

There was another reason too: Li Hongjun had vanished in the blink of an eye. The only person left to rely on was the man in front of her.

With that thought, the female office worker quickly approached Zhao Ke and whispered seductively, "Brother, let's go together. Let's leave them behind."

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

Zhao Ke looked her up and down, a wicked 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 delight.

She failed to 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 she came to her senses, Zhao Ke had a hand around her throat, gripping her hair as he dragged her towards the bushes.

Indeed, a person couldn't outrun a beast, but if a sacrifice was needed, he wouldn't choose this woman.

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

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

"Quick! Put some effort into it!"

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

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

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

Qi Liang's face was flushed red. The one-meter-eight tall man stretched out his arms, straining to lift the girl with glasses. Even though she was thin, she was definitely not light.

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

Fortunately, at that moment, the weight on top of him suddenly lightened, giving Qi Liang a moment to breathe. He quickly clenched his sphincter. 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' arm, pulling her up.

"You!"

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

Zhao Ke, holding a wooden stick he'd apparently found somewhere, handed one end to Qi Liang. "Stop gawking! Hurry, that bear is coming after us."

Though there was no sound, Zhao Ke knew the beast was nearby. The strong, pungent stench in the air was the same as the smell he'd caught earlier.

"Oh, oh!"

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

He had seen the female office worker getting along quite well with Zhao Ke earlier. How had she disappeared in the blink of an eye?

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

Zhao Ke sniffed the air. The strong stench was getting closer, and he urged Qi Liang and the girl with glasses to hurry. It was as if his words were being confirmed.

The bushes to the left suddenly rustled violently. Seeing this, Qi Liang's expression changed. He stopped thinking and quickly followed Zhao Ke, moving at a brisk pace.

"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 pale and colorless. 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.

"Snap!"

Suddenly, the female office worker's body stiffened. The sound of heavy breathing by her ear grew closer, like countless insects crawling into her collar, making the hairs on her back stand on end.

"Rustle... rustle..."

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

"A person!"

Seeing this, the female office worker's eyes lit up, and she couldn't suppress her glee. 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 struggled to crawl forward, trying to get closer.

Her hands crawled 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? He's from the mountains, his brain must be slow," the female office worker cursed inwardly.

Just then, her hand seemed to grasp something cold and smooth. Touching it, she realized it was a hand. The female office worker's heart relaxed, thinking, "He finally remembered to pull me up."

However, the moment the female office worker looked up, the joy in her eyes vanished, replaced by a chill that crept up her spine.

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