The Bearman Knocks, Devouring Anyone It Sees

After Feng Gu spoke with the Village Chief in Que Mi Village, everyone was arranged to stay in an Old House at the edge of the village.

When the Village Chief heard that they had been chased by a Bearman, his expression turned rather grim. He then informed the villagers to light their torches.

He also told their group not to sleep too deeply at night, and that if anyone knocked on the door, they must never open it. Even if someone spoke, they were not to answer.

These warnings frightened Feng Gu pale. Naturally, he understood what the Village Chief meant. That Bearman would likely do exactly that.

After all the fuss, everyone finally began eating in the Old House.

They did not light a stove, afraid that something might happen.

So they simply swallowed down dry rations with clear water.

The rations were fairly decent: dense unleavened cakes made with heavy oil and salt, mixed with dehydrated vegetables and strips of meat so fishy they made one panic.

They lasted a long time and could replenish what the human body needed. Other than tasting terrible, they had no flaws.

Lu Xingshi bit into one as well. He did not wash it down with water, instead gnawing on it dry until it crunched between his teeth.

The others found this rather novel and asked Lu Xingshi what it felt like.

Lu Xingshi said that good teeth were all it took.

"Only ten of us remain. How about we split into two groups of five and take turns keeping watch?" Feng Gu asked Lu Xingshi.

The others were all hired by Feng Gu, so there was no need to ask them. He only needed Lu Xingshi's agreement. In Feng Gu's eyes, Lu Xingshi was the main force for what lay ahead.

The guards under his command had possessed no ability to resist the Bearman at all.

Otherwise, two of them would not have died in a single exchange.

"No problem." Lu Xingshi naturally did not care. He could go without sleep anyway.

Once Lu Xingshi agreed, the remaining arrangements were simple.

Lu Xingshi was assigned the latter half of the night, while Feng Gu took the first watch.

Without Lu Xingshi standing guard, Feng Gu could not sleep, so he did not keep watch alongside Lu Xingshi.

At around ten-thirty to midnight, heavy knocking sounded from outside the door.

Feng Gu, who had been drowsing off, instantly snapped awake. The other four were the same.

They cautiously woke the remaining four people who were still asleep. Lu Xingshi had not been sleeping; the moment the knocking began, he rolled up to his feet.

Then he waved a hand, signaling for a guard to give him a blade.

The guard immediately handed it over, and Lu Xingshi crept toward the door on tiptoe.

In the moonlight and torchlight, a shadow stood outside the door. Knocking sounded from time to time, making it seem like a person.

Just as Lu Xingshi was about to give the Bearman a slash, the shadow moved, crouching down and leaving.

Apparently, after failing to get anyone to open the door, the Bearman intended to try another method.

Looking again, a silhouette appeared on a nearby window. Since the door had not worked, it had switched to the window.

"Open the door~" A low, strange voice sounded. If someone had been half-asleep, with the knocking concealing it, they truly might not have noticed anything different at first.

Terror appeared on everyone's faces except Lu Xingshi's. That Bearman could actually imitate a human voice.

Lu Xingshi was wondering whether its vocal structure could support that. Fortunately, he did not dwell on it and instead moved closer again.

What was the point of thinking so much? He would stab it first.

He had not made it in time before. Could it still run now?

"Hurry and open the door, it's urgent~" Knocking against the window came again, accompanied by that bizarre tone.

But Lu Xingshi ignored it completely. He abruptly rose and thrust the long blade forward with all his strength.

It pierced through the window paper first, then struck a tough, stiff part and met resistance.

Fortunately, the blade got stuck.

Yes, that was good news. Lu Xingshi fiercely retreated five steps, then took a running start and launched a flying kick at the end of the blade's hilt.

With that kick, he forcibly shattered the blade's obstruction.

"ROAR!!!"

A violent, pained bear roar erupted. Clearly, Lu Xingshi's kick had driven the blade into the Bearman's body.

Boom! The next instant, the window was ripped away by a bear paw.

The Bearman's savage face stared into the room. More than half the long blade had sunk into the left side of its chest.

Seeing this, unease rose in Lu Xingshi's heart. He suspected that the Bearman had gone berserk on low health.

So he retreated without hesitation.

Sure enough, after tearing away the window, the Bearman smashed apart most of the wall as well.

The entire Old House was on the verge of collapse. Seeing this, everyone naturally ran.

Though the wall had been smashed so badly partly because it had fallen into disrepair over the years, if Lu Xingshi had examined the overall structure and found its weak points, he could have done the same. But not so easily as the Bearman had.

With the Bearman enraged, Lu Xingshi had to avoid its edge for now. He had a chance of winning this time, but fighting it head-on would definitely not be worth it.

Trading the life of a Game Villager for the life of a beast? Lu Xingshi did not think his Game Villager's life was so worthless. It was precious.

However, the Bearman seemed to have fixed its sights on him because of that stab, and it kept chasing after him.

That made Lu Xingshi's scalp tingle.

The main reason was that when the Bearman tore the blade from its chest, it did not bleed heavily as he had expected.

He did not know whether that was because it was a Mutant and possessed exceptional gifts or for some other reason. But from its ruthless ability to keep fighting after such an injury alone, he understood that this kind of tough, unyielding foe absolutely could not be confronted head-on.

The commotion between them was tremendous. The Bearman's roars and the sounds of walls being smashed directly woke the villagers of Que Mi Village.

Then came clanging sounds and cries of alarm.

Some of those sounds came from gongs and drums, some from firecrackers, and others from people striking iron objects. Their one common trait was that they were loud.

"They're driving off the Bearman! Hurry, come drive off the Bearman!"

The commotion grew louder and louder, while the Bearman chasing Lu Xingshi gradually slowed, as though hesitating.

Only when the entire village had mobilized and headed toward the Bearman and Lu Xingshi did the Bearman cast Lu Xingshi a resentful look. Then it could only turn and flee in a flash, disappearing into the night as it ran toward the mountains and forests.

Lu Xingshi immediately let out a breath of relief. Though the Bearman was strong, it was still afraid of people in the end.

If it had truly been that powerful, why would the Bearman only strike on the Official Road or in the mountains and forests? It would have long since charged into the village and begun a Great Slaughter.

"This beast really is extraordinary." Lu Xingshi quickly headed toward where the crowd was gathered.

He did not really dare remain alone either. If the Bearman turned back, that would be troublesome. In some respects, this Mutant Bearman was indeed exceedingly cunning.