The smile on the bearded man's face froze, his mouth gaping wide open, revealing his yellowed teeth.
The tall, thin man tilted the beer bottle in his hand, spilling beer on his pants. The cold liquid made him shiver, but he forgot to wipe it off.
All eyes followed Black's rough finger and stiffly shifted to Su Wei.
incredible.
absurd.
ridiculous.
This was the thought that popped into everyone's head.
This Asian boy looks like he barely has any beard, with fair and delicate skin?
That's a 600-kilogram furious brown bear!
It's not the rabbit from the backyard!
"Ha..."
The bearded man chuckled dryly, trying to break the awkward silence. " Black, that's not a funny joke at all."
He waved his hand, as if to say, "I understand," and said with a hint of teasing, "You want to mentor the newbies and give us old guys some face? We get it."
"I wanted to give this kid a boost so he could get more work from the guild later. But he's really gone a bit overboard, old buddy."
"Exactly," someone chimed in, their tone laced with obvious disdain. "Has this kid been weaned yet? In that situation, it's a miracle he didn't wet his pants. Shoot? Shoot him in the heart? Don't be ridiculous."
"That sense of oppression... my legs went weak just looking at the corpse. How could he hold a gun steady with those skinny arms?"
The doubts immediately arose, louder and harsher than the previous compliments.
They were unwilling to believe it, or rather, they instinctively rejected the fact.
If Black killed him, they would accept it, because he's a legend.
But if a newcomer, especially an outsider, manages to do something even seasoned veterans struggle with, where would they put their faces?
Their qualifications immediately became a joke.
Su Wei remained leaning against the bar, listening to the harsh taunts.
He wasn't angry, nor was he in a hurry to defend himself.
He just found it a bit noisy, and the pain in the web of his right hand made him frown slightly.
To the bearded man, this calmness looked like a guilty conscience, a pretense.
"Hey kid." The bearded man took a step forward, reeking of cheap liquor. "Your teacher would tell such a lie just to promote you. Aren't you ashamed? That rifle butt against your shoulder, didn't it break your bones?"
A burst of malicious laughter erupted from the surrounding area.
"Bang!"
A loud bang.
It wasn't a slam on the table; it was the dull thud of a heavy object hitting the solid wood floor.
Everyone was startled and turned around to look.
Aruk, the Alutiiq man who was as strong as a bear, jumped directly onto the thick oak table in the middle.
The table leg groaned in pain.
Aruk's face was flushed red, from anger, and also from finally finding an outlet for the words he had been holding back all the way.
"Shut the fuck up!"
Aruk roared at the top of his lungs, his voice so loud it made dust fall from the roof. The tavern fell silent for a moment.
"You bunch of spineless cowards who only know how to drink horse piss here, what do you know!" Aruk pointed down at the group, spitting as he spoke. "You think this is target practice? Or child's play?"
He took a deep breath, his chest heaving violently, as if he could return to that hellish scene as soon as he closed his eyes.
"That was an ambush! It was an encounter!"
"That beast is just five meters away!" Aruk stretched out five fingers as thick as carrots, staring intently at the bearded man. "Five meters! Do you know what five meters means? That mother bear didn't even have time to blink when she charged out of the bushes!"
"A female bear?" someone seized on the key point. "Wasn't it supposed to be a male bear? Isn't that King of the Island a male bear?"
"Two! There are two!" Aruk roared, his expression fanatical. "Kill the male first! While we were dealing with the carcass, the female bear attacked! A fifty-meter sprint, without making a sound!"
" The Su Wei rifle is out of bullets! There's no time to reload!" Aruk gestured with his hands, his movements exaggerated and powerful. " Black is blocked by the blind spot! Old Kash has no chance either!"
"Only Su Wei!"
He suddenly pointed at the young man at the bar.
Just as the bear opened its mouth, about to bite his head off like a watermelon...
The tavern was so quiet that only Aruk's heavy breathing could be heard.
Everyone was captivated by the scene he described; it was the hunter's worst nightmare—out of bullets, the behemoth was upon them.
"0.5 seconds!" Aruk held up one finger, then bent it halfway down, his eyes wide with surprise. "Only 0.5 seconds!"
"That kid threw away his empty gun! Just as the bear's mouth was about to touch his nose, he pulled out the pistol from his waistband!"
"A pistol?" Old Joey frowned, instinctively retorting, "Nonsense. What pistol could pierce a brown bear's skull? Not even inside its mouth, unless..."
His voice suddenly stopped.
" Ruger Super Redhawk!"
Aruk's voice cracked with excitement, sharp as fingernails scratching a blackboard.
". .454 Casull!"
As soon as this statement was announced, the expressions of all the veteran hunters present changed drastically.
0.454.
That's a hand cannon.
That's a monster that can shatter an ordinary person's wrist and is used to hunt elephants.
In that life-or-death moment, how could you hold a gun with one hand and guarantee a hit the moment the beast lunged at your face?
"Impossible." Old Joey shook his head, his tone resolute, but a hint of wavering appeared in his eyes. "That recoil, firing hastily, would only send the bullets flying into the air, or shatter this kid's wrist."
"You don't believe me?" Aruk sneered.
He jumped off the table, rushed to Su Wei's side, and without any hesitation, reached into Su Wei's back holster and pulled the gun out.
It was a huge silver revolver.
The gun was heavy, with a thick, long barrel that gleamed with a cold, violent metallic sheen under the dim light.
The muzzle of the gun still carried a faint smell of gunpowder, evidence that it had just taken the life of a top predator.
Aruk slammed his gun heavily on the bar.
Thump!
The heavy clanging of metal pounded against everyone's eardrums.
"The gun's right here! There's still blood on it!" Aruk pointed to the back door, his eyes bloodshot. "If you don't believe me, go see for yourself! Go see the hole in the other bear's chin! Go see the bowl-sized crater in the back of its head!"
"If that wasn't fired from a.454, I'd swallow this gun right here and now!"
No one moved.
Aruk's words were harsh, and the gun was indeed there; the murderous aura was undeniable.
Their attention had been so focused on the enormous bear head, the King of the Island, that they seemed to have completely overlooked the smaller bear head.
Old Joey stood up.
He didn't speak, but simply pushed back his chair and strode heavily toward the back door, the door leading to the hunting and trading room.
The spoils from the pickup truck have already been moved inside.
He was one of the most experienced hunters here, and he trusted only his own eyes.
A few minutes.
It might only last a few tens of seconds.
But to the people in the tavern, it felt like an eternity.
Su Wei remained seated quietly, even gently rubbing her wrist—a subtle movement noticed by many.
The heavy curtain at the back door was lifted once again.
Old Joey came back.
His steps were heavier as he returned, each step feeling like he was walking on cotton.
His face had lost its shock, replaced by utter bewilderment and a sense of utter defeat that paled in comparison to that of a human.
He walked back to the table, picked up his flat stout, and chugged it down in one go.
The wine dripped down his beard, but he didn't bother to wipe it away.
"How was it, Old Joey?" the bearded man couldn't help but ask, his voice trembling with anticipation, hoping that Old Joey would say it was a joke.
Old Joey put down his glass and let out a burp that smelled of alcohol.