Chapter 41: My God!

"Very good," Qi Xia nodded. "I must survive here. If anyone gets in my way, the consequences will be very serious."

This statement scared everyone present quite badly, as Qi Xia's eyes looked just like those of a murderer. He seemed like he really would kill someone. Even Qiao Jia Jin, who was always smiling and joking, now looked serious.

A question couldn't help but arise in his mind—what kind of person is Qi Xia?

After this turn of events, everyone stood up obediently like a flock of sheep and went behind the iron plate. Seeing this, Qi Xia slowly released his grip. The middle-aged man and the one with small glasses helped each other up, still shaken. Qi Xia knew he had achieved his goal—he was now the sole leader of the group.

"How are you going to keep everyone alive?" a slightly plump girl asked.

"It's simple," Qi Xia replied slowly. "The answer is 'Ying Zhuo Xiao Ji'."

"Ying... Zhuo Xiao Ji?" Everyone seemed confused.

"We have all three roles now," Qi Xia said, pointing to the black bear in the distance. "The Ying."

Then he pointed to the disheveled group of two men and five women. "The Xiao Ji."

Finally, he looked at Qiao Jia Jin and said, "The Mu Ji."

"Mu your mother..." Qiao Jia Jin said with a look of disgust. "Can we change the name?!"

At that moment, everyone started to understand. The iron plate on the ground was very heavy, and the best way to use it against the black bear was to roll it along the floor. However, its size limited its maneuverability, and if people scattered, the situation would become dangerous. The optimal strategy was for one person to move the plate while the others formed a line behind them.

As everyone was pondering this, the black bear approached. Its eyes seemed fixed solely on Qiao Jia Jin.

"It's coming!" Qi Xia whispered to Qiao Jia Jin.

Qiao Jia Jin immediately extended his legs backward, positioning his body at an angle and using his shoulder to brace against the iron plate.

In the next second, the black bear swung its massive forelimb, striking the plate hard.

Clang!

The impact echoed as the bear's attack was deflected, sending both it and Qiao Jia Jin stumbling back a step. Fortunately, Qiao Jia Jin had braced himself in advance; otherwise, even if the plate held, he could have been crushed.

Seeing the danger, everyone quickly tightened their formation. The four men stood at the front of the line, with the five women behind them. The middle-aged man obediently grabbed onto Qi Xia's clothes.

"Hey, kid, how many more attacks like that can we handle...?" he asked.

Qi Xia glanced at the clock on the wall. "Don't worry, only seven minutes left."

"Seven..." Qiao Jia Jin was stunned. "Damn, that's basically the start!"

"The black bear doesn't have great stamina," Qi Xia said. "I don't believe it can keep attacking nonstop. We just need to get through the early part—don't let your guard down."

The black bear adjusted its stance and began moving sideways. Qi Xia pulled on Qiao Jia Jin's clothes, controlling his direction and making the iron plate roll along the ground. This move baffled the black bear. Though it had devastating strength, it wasn't a agile hunter and couldn't immediately attack from the side. It could only keep shifting its massive body.

No matter where it moved, the iron plate always faced it.

Woo—

The black bear growled continuously as it circled the group, but it still couldn't find an opening to attack. In the game of "Ying Zhuo Xiao Ji," there's an easy way to break the defense: the Ying could suddenly change direction—for example, if it's been moving right, it switches to left, catching the last Xiao Ji due to momentum. This was a tactic everyone had learned from playing as kids, and Qi Xia didn't believe the black bear could come up with something that clever on the spot.

"Good... very good..." Qi Xia muttered to himself. "Just keep it like this..."

At that point, everyone was linked together in a line, maintaining a safe distance from the black bear, even though the group was long.

"Your plan might actually work..." Qiao Jia Jin whispered. "But I'm getting a bit tired..."

"Hang in there," Qi Xia said. "More than six minutes and it'll be over."

"But I haven't eaten for a whole day and night, I..."

"It's coming!!" Qi Xia shouted.

Qiao Jia Jin quickly adjusted his stance, lowering his body and colliding with the black bear again.

Clang!!

This strike was clearly stronger than the last, nearly knocking Qiao Jia Jin over along with the plate.

"This damn bear just won't quit!!" the middle-aged man yelled nervously. "Hey! Kid at the front, you have to hold on!"

"Why don't you come up and try it yourself, you bastard!" Qiao Jia Jin snapped back, his whole body aching as if his bones were about to fall apart.

Realizing its full-force attack still hadn't breached the defense, the black bear grew furious. It paused for a moment, then slowly backed away.

"What's going on?" the one with small glasses asked. "Is it giving up?"

Qi Xia frowned slightly, sensing something was wrong. Backing away?

"Oh no!"

He suddenly realized and quickly crouched down, joining Qiao Jia Jin to brace against the iron plate. Then he turned to the middle-aged man and said, "Hey! You take control of the direction!"

"Huh?"

Though confused, the middle-aged man knew the iron plate was their lifeline, so he didn't dare hesitate. He mimicked what Qi Xia had done earlier, pulling on their clothes to steer the plate.

Just as Qi Xia had anticipated, the black bear wasn't retreating—it was building momentum for a charge.

"It's gearing up for an all-out assault," Qi Xia said, glancing at Qiao Jia Jin. "If we block this one, we've got an eighty to ninety percent chance of making it."

"Your words are as good as nothing," Qiao Jia Jin replied with a helpless shake of his head. "The problem is, we don't know if we can block it!"

The black bear kept retreating until it reached the wall. The middle-aged man, who was steering, swallowed hard at the sight. A stationary strike from the bear was already lethal; if it added a run-up and its full weight, could the iron plate withstand the charge?

"Fat guy!" Qiao Jia Jin shouted. "Warn us when it attacks!"

But the middle-aged man seemed not to hear, his eyes darting around as if deep in thought.

The black bear pawed at the ground and suddenly accelerated. Without hesitation, the middle-aged man abandoned the group and bolted toward an open area behind them.

"Hey... you!" Qiao Jia Jin started to curse, but the heavy footsteps were already thundering, so he hurriedly lowered his stance.

At that moment, the one with small glasses stepped forward, grabbing Qi Xia's clothes and yelling, "The direction's off! Move right a bit!!"

Qi Xia and Qiao Jia Jin both widened their eyes. "Too late to adjust! Brace yourselves!"

No sooner had the words left his mouth than they felt like they'd been hit by a speeding truck. Their bodies, along with the iron plate, lifted off the ground, flew back half a meter, and crashed heavily to the floor. The impact scattered the entire group and toppled the iron plate, pinning the two men beneath it.