"Those were the words."
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The constable sprinted several steps ahead of the others and was the first to enter the forest.
Rustle, rustle—
Just then, bushes rustled in the distance.
Facing a volley of ranged weapons, Chen Guan didn't hesitate. He ran without a second thought.
Just look at how deep the arrows had sunk into the nearby trees.
Chen Guan didn't think his layer of fat was tougher than those sturdy trunks.
"You still think you can get away?"
The constable had only taken two steps in pursuit when he spotted three bodies beneath a tree ahead.
The fat bandit's back had caved in, his flesh a bloody mess.
The other two bandits' heads had been smashed to pieces by some tremendous force. They'd died horribly.
"A Fierce Beast killed them..."
At the sight, the constable paused for a moment.
Judging by their clothes, the bloodied long knives they'd dropped, and the direction Bandit Brother had fled at the start, he quickly concluded they were most likely his accomplices.
As bandits, they deserved a good death.
But a Fierce Beast killing people—perhaps even eating them?
That was another matter.
"I've heard that some monsters cultivate by devouring people's blood essence and vital energy..."
The thought made the constable's heart tighten. He fixed his gaze on the few constables hurrying up behind him.
Most of them, like the constable, were veterans who had seen all kinds of gruesome scenes.
They had developed a certain immunity to sights like this.
But one of them, a capable fighter who was still new and unseasoned, darted aside and vomited violently.
"It's already taken human lives..."
The constable didn't bother with him. He crouched beside the bodies and pulled back the bandits' sleeves.
After observing them for a few seconds,
he felt their thick arms and examined the calluses on their hands, built up from years of practicing with knives.
"This Fierce Beast killed three skilled men armed with blades... Its intelligence is extraordinary. It's no longer the ignorant wild beast we're used to.
"Everyone... be careful."
Without realizing it, the constable's voice had weakened. He no longer sounded as confident as he had at first, when he'd declared, "I'll kill it today, no matter what!"
In Bandit Brother's eyes, he might have been a "Postnatal Realm master."
But in truth, he had only just entered the Postnatal Realm, and could muster only four or five hundred jin of strength.
That was impressive compared to ordinary people.
But compared to an "intelligent bear" with at least a thousand jin of strength, it was nothing.
He knew his own limits.
The constable decided they'd be better off outsmarting the Black Bear monster.
So,
he laid out a plan for his men.
"Keep shooting as we chase."
An hour later,
the sunset had dimmed a little more.
Whump, whump—
The damp branches and rotting leaves on the ground crackled beneath a bear's paws.
Chen Guan sprinted on all fours, fleeing deeper into the forest.
The dense woods could serve as cover.
Thud—
As he ran, Chen Guan kept hearing the sound of arrows striking trees behind him.
It seemed these people weren't going to let up.
"If I stop, they stop.
"If I run, they chase.
"Is this a war of attrition?"
After running for several more minutes, Chen Guan grew tired and hid behind a large boulder.
The footsteps behind him abruptly stopped, followed shortly by the rustle of leaves.
They were resting nearby too.
It was a game of cat and mouse: he ran, they chased; he rested, they stopped.
The two sides kept a wary distance between them.
"These people are such a pain. I wonder how many arrows they've got left?"
Chen Guan glanced behind him, but couldn't see them.
During the break, both sides had tacitly hidden themselves.
Seeing that he couldn't find them,
Chen Guan didn't dare approach recklessly and risk running into a barrage of arrows.
"Damn it! Sure, close combat is tough against archers, but it's not like I can't 'change class.'
"Do they really think they can bully me just because I'm a short-armed little bear?"
Chen Guan gazed ahead through the gaps between the trees.
A pile of broken stones lay in the distance.
If the people behind him kept chasing,
he'd equip a weapon and transform into a [Veteran Rock-Throwing Black Bear Monster].
They had no personal grudge against each other.
Chen Guan understood that, as a bear who'd suddenly lashed out and killed people, he was bound to make them wary.
But he couldn't just surrender and let them take him.
With the difference between their species, right and wrong no longer mattered. This was about survival.
Huff, huff—
As he thought, Chen Guan ran toward the distant pile of stones.
"Chief! It's moving again!"
"After it!"
"Quickly, quickly!"
The constable led the others in pursuit.
He ran.
They chased.
As they pursued, the constables could draw and shoot without greatly affecting their speed or stride.
They all had some martial skill.
Even barehanded, each of them could handle two or three strong men.
Normally, a bear had far more stamina than a human.
But the constable and his men practiced martial arts, so their endurance was far beyond that of ordinary people too.
If this went on much longer,
it was anyone's guess who would outlast whom.
Still, even though the constables pursued with grim resolve, they couldn't help feeling uneasy when faced with the huge Black Bear ahead.
Chen Guan's blows crushed people's heads like bricks smashing watermelons. One swipe, and a skull burst.
Who wouldn't be afraid?
"Wear it down..."
As he ran, the constable aimed his bow at the bear and instructed his men:
"Don't get greedy or rush in for credit. We'll keep after it and wear out its strength."
"Who the hell would get greedy?" The constables hadn't even considered it.
The constable had mistaken their selfless loyalty for courage.
Huff, huff—
The chase continued.
After running a hundred meters,
Chen Guan reached the pile of stones and used it as cover. He picked up a rock about the size of a thermos.
His paws were nimble enough to grasp things.
In Chen Guan's thick paw, the sizable rock was like a cigarette box full of pebbles in an ordinary person's hand. He tossed it easily toward the constable.
"Watch out!"
In the dim light of the sunset,
the constable saw something flying toward them and yanked the constable beside him aside.
Thump!
The rock struck a tree behind them, shattering its thick bark and leaving a thumb-sized dent.
"Good heavens... If that had hit me, I'd be seeing my ancestors..."
The constable shuddered at the sight and cast the constable a grateful look.
The constable barely spared him a glance. His attention stayed fixed on Chen Guan, who had just ducked behind the rocks, in case another stone came flying.
Creak, creak—
Several other constables nocked arrows and took cover behind nearby trees.
The area fell silent.
Chen Guan didn't move, and neither did they.
After several minutes,
the constable weighed his options again, then addressed the others nearby:
"This beast is far too clever. It knows how to bide its time. We can't 'slay the monster and claim the credit' on our own.
"Someone should return to town and bring more men, along with the town's martial artists."
The constable had meant to ask their opinion and discuss it.
But as soon as he finished speaking, four of the five constables he'd brought volunteered to go back.
"Big Brother! The forest trails are hard to navigate at night. Why don't I go back for everyone?"
"I'll go! I'll go!"
"Chief! You know I'm the fastest runner!"
"Brothers, don't fight over it. I'll take the longer run and bear the burden. I'll go..."
Every one of them wanted to leave. They didn't want to keep tangling with this strange Black Bear.
Because this bear really did seem a little too much like a "person."
Besides, venturing deep into the forest was dangerous in itself.
Any normal person would panic.
Now that the constable had said it out loud—and his own tone had already begun to falter—the others naturally lost heart too once their leader's confidence wavered.
"The County Magistrate was right. I still need to work on how I speak..." Seeing this, the constable thought, Oh no.
He'd been too impatient and hadn't handled things carefully. He'd completely broken their morale.
Even if they kept pursuing the Black Bear, they'd only be tagging along at a distance.
There was no hope of getting them to risk their lives.
Still, the constable quickly steadied himself and sent two young constables back.
Before they left, they handed over all the arrows they had left.
Rattle—
Just as the constable had sent them off,
Chen Guan, still hiding behind the distant rocks, saw that they were about to summon reinforcements. There was no way he'd keep playing defense with them.
He took off running again.
But after he'd just gotten up and taken a couple of steps,
Chen Guan noticed a change in his proficiency.
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