Twenty Seconds

The black bear attacked seven or eight times without pause, each assault weaker than the last.

The heavy crashes gradually dwindled into halfhearted slaps.

"That should be about it..." Qi Xia said. "Its attacks should stop here."

Just as Qi Xia had predicted, after one final, feeble attack, the black bear eyed the iron plate warily, snorted a few breaths of hot air, and gave up.

It did not look particularly tired, yet it stopped attacking.

"That's it?" Qiao Jiajin poked his head around the iron plate for a look. "That thing should still have some strength left."

"Animals are different from humans. To cope with the dangers that are everywhere in nature, they rarely let themselves reach complete exhaustion. Even if it still has strength left, it isn't going to fight this iron plate to the bitter end."

Sure enough, the black bear silently turned around and walked toward a corpse on the ground.

It was the woman who had died right at the start of the game.

She was also a more reliable, safer source of food for the black bear.

Keeping its eyes on the iron plate, the black bear sniffed the corpse on the ground, then opened its mouth and tore into her belly with a wet squelch.

It sounded like a plastic bag full of water being bitten open, and bright red matter spilled all over the ground.

Then the black bear nudged around with its nose and began using its tongue to select the organs it liked. Before long, wet smacking sounds rang out, as though it was thoroughly enjoying its meal.

Everyone turned away, unable to bear watching.

The black bear ate while watching the iron plate, leaving the two sides in a bizarre standoff.

Fortunately, there was little time left.

Amid the tense, oppressive atmosphere, the black bear made no further move. It merely ate everything inside the corpse's abdomen, exposing several stark ribs.

Qi Xia checked the time. There were only thirty-odd seconds left. It looked as though the game was about to end.

But just then, the well-fed black bear suddenly gave a low growl and came running over again, its enormous body swaying.

It seemed to know that time was running out too, and was ready to make one final attempt.

"Here it comes! Get ready!" Qi Xia shouted, warning Qiao Jiajin.

Qiao Jiajin thrust his feet back and braced his body against the iron plate at an angle.

The line behind him hurried into position as well. They were working together now, each person firmly supporting the one in front with both hands.

They had thought they could weather this attack safely too, but to their surprise, the black bear reached the iron plate and reared up. Standing over two meters tall, it cast an overwhelming presence over them.

"This is bad..." Qi Xia immediately sensed trouble.

The next second, the black bear planted both forepaws on top of the iron plate and stretched its head over it. Its mouth was open, scraps of human flesh still caught between its teeth.

"ROAR!"

The tremendous roar nearly deafened Qi Xia, and the black bear sprayed foul-smelling saliva all over his face.

"Hold it!" Little Glasses shouted.

Qiao Jiajin clenched his teeth and pushed hard against the tabletop. He could clearly feel several hundred kilograms bearing down on him, trying to crush him into a meat patty.

"Fucking... hell..."

Qiao Jiajin could barely speak. Qi Xia immediately stepped forward to brace the plate alongside him. The black bear's strength was so terrifying that the people behind them were stunned.

The black bear shoved forward a few more times. When it found that the iron plate would not budge, it hooked both paws around the edge and suddenly pulled it toward itself.

Qiao Jiajin and Qi Xia were already pushing outward against the tabletop. Neither had expected the black bear to pull in the same direction, using their momentum to yank the tabletop straight down onto the ground.

Both men abruptly lost their support and fell forward.

Clang!

With the deafening crash of the iron plate hitting the ground, everyone was exposed to the black bear, including Qiao Jiajin and Qi Xia, who were the most vulnerable.

Before either man could react, the black bear lashed out at Qiao Jiajin with a forepaw.

Qiao Jiajin abruptly rolled over, narrowly avoiding the blow.

"Hey! Liar Boy! Get up!" Qiao Jiajin shouted after rolling aside. "Stay down there and you're dead!"

Qi Xia lay on the ground, rolling over and over. He felt as though he had struck his chest in the fall, and for the moment he could barely breathe.

Qiao Jiajin scrambled to his feet and looked anxiously toward Qi Xia. "This is bad... Liar Boy, get up!"

Qi Xia wanted to get up too, but the pain was unbearable. He tried several times, only to collapse again.

The black bear seemed to notice Qi Xia's condition. It abandoned the nimble Qiao Jiajin and lunged at Qi Xia instead.

Qiao Jiajin gritted his teeth and stamped his foot. After two running steps, he leaped into the air and drove a knee in from the side, striking the black bear square in the face.

The black bear howled, squeezed its eyes shut, and swept a forepaw into Qiao Jiajin's abdomen.

"Argh!"

The blow looked casual, but it struck one of the most vulnerable parts of the human body. Qiao Jiajin went flying.

"Cough, cough... Fuck..." Qiao Jiajin felt as though his ribs had broken.

"Wh-what do we do..." Little Glasses said nervously. "We have to save them..."

As soon as he said it, an idea struck him. He turned to the middle-aged man. "Old Lü! Take your shoes off! I have a way to save them!"

"Don't be an idiot!" the middle-aged man said. "Little Glasses, are you trying to get yourself killed?! As long as the black bear eats those two, we'll be safe! Time's almost up!"

Little Glasses looked up. Sure enough, there were fewer than twenty seconds left before the game ended.

The black bear reached a foreleg toward Qi Xia again. Judging by the situation, even though the game was nearly over, Qi Xia was certain to die.

This man had been doing everything he could to hold off the black bear at the iron plate. Whatever his ultimate goal might have been, he had indeed saved their lives.

After a second of internal struggle, Little Glasses made up his mind.

"Hey! You bastard!" he shouted, jumping a step forward. "Leave him alone!"

The black bear froze and recoiled slightly.

The middle-aged man was startled too. He growled, "Holy shit! Little Glasses, have you lost your mind?!"

"You damn bear..." Ignoring the middle-aged man, Little Glasses kept swearing at the black bear. "Come chase me if you've got the guts..."

Before he could finish, the black bear lunged at him.

Little Glasses went pale with fright, turned, and ran. He had thought he could keep the black bear occupied for a few dozen seconds, just like Qiao Jiajin.

But he had never imagined how terrifying it would be to be chased by an enormous predator brimming with murderous intent. Hot gusts of air kept coming from behind him, carrying a faint stench. Although he tried his best to stay calm, his legs shook uncontrollably, and he fell every couple of steps.

All he could do was keep getting up and falling, then falling and getting up again.

At this rate, he might fall to his death before the black bear could kill him.