Chapter 69

The four of them working together could barely hold back the man-bear for less than three seconds; within those three seconds, He Xiong tried to immediately retrieve his lost sniper rifle, but after quickly scanning the surroundings, he found no trace of it—the only possibility.

“No way it’s that unlucky—the rifle’s under the armored vehicle.” He Xiong’s face darkened instantly.

Wang Jian was also searching for the sniper rifle; after checking everywhere and finding nothing, he reached the same conclusion as He Xiong—it had most likely fallen beneath the overturned armored vehicle.

Under these circumstances, they had no extra time to flip over the armored vehicle and recover the rifle.

“If we can’t retrieve the sniper rifle right away, this is trouble,” Wang Jian’s eyes showed a flicker of panic.

Under these conditions, only two choices remained before them.

One: scatter and flee immediately.

But doing so would inevitably cost several comrades’ lives, because this man-bear wouldn’t just stand there watching everyone escape—it would definitely chase them down.

The second choice: abandon the sniper rifle and have all five of them join forces to kill the man-bear outright; if luck favored them, casualties would be fewer than in the first option, though if misfortune struck, all five of them could be wiped out right here.

But reality gave them no time to deliberate further.

The duration the Eye could delay had ended; the man-bear, now out of its daze, regained full awareness, its eyes reddening with fury as it let out a roar of rage, then spun sharply toward the four behind it.

Under the terrifying aura, Zheng Gong, the new recruit, trembled and involuntarily stepped back.

Even Wang Jian, He Xiong, and Chen Hao—all seasoned veterans who had seen blood—felt a chill run through them, a sharp sense of danger surging in their chests; at this moment, they felt like prey.

“Fight together—kill this beast right here! Fleeing is impossible now. If we die, we die together,” Wang Jian growled, making his choice.

At the moment he sensed the beast’s danger, he knew: if they scattered, at least three of them would die.

Better to sacrifice no one and risk everything than to abandon comrades and save only one or two.

As soon as he spoke, Wang Jian, as the investigator, charged forward first, determined to die, rushing at the man-bear.

“No other choice.”

He Xiong, his longtime partner, took a deep breath, glanced at Chen Hao beside him, then lunged forward in tandem with Wang Jian, attacking from left and right.

“They’re creating an opening for me.”

At this moment, Chen Hao instantly understood.

Whether Wang Jian or He Xiong, both were only there to distract the man-bear; the only one with a real chance to kill it was him.

“If Li Yi were here, my attack might actually work.”

Chen Hao felt immense pressure and lost confidence in his own strength; Li Yi’s image surfaced unbidden in his mind—back at the training base, Li Yi had easily defeated Lu Yue, while Chen Hao couldn’t even beat Lu Yue, let alone Li Yi.

But Li Yi had just risked everything enduring the man-bear’s attack to buy them time to escape from the carriage; his current status was unknown, and he couldn’t possibly join the fight yet.

“Let’s go.”

Chen Hao gritted his teeth and charged forward, fists clenched, eyes locked on the man-bear’s head.

That was its vital point.

Meanwhile,

Inside the abandoned shop beside the street, Li Yi struggled to his feet, his arms numb and weak; taking the man-bear’s blow head-on had been excruciating—he’d nearly thought both arms were broken, the sheer force terrifying.

Yet when he checked his injuries, he found himself unharmed—no fractures, not even a scratch.

“After taking such a heavy blow, how could I be unscathed?”

The situation baffled him, but soon he realized something.

“This robe must’ve absorbed most of the damage. The beast’s attack wasn’t strong enough to tear through Qiu Long hide. I thought this robe was all style and no substance—turns out its combat performance is astonishing. Now I’m at ease—I don’t need to defend against beasts; I can strike back head-on.”

Li Yi felt a surge of joy—clothing made from this supernatural creature’s hide was truly extraordinary.

But the danger hadn’t passed; this wasn’t the time to dwell on it.

Li Yi had already regained his composure; he moved his foot and shot forward, ready to settle the score with the beast.

The beast’s roar still echoed around them.

Wang Jian and He Xiong had already reached the man-bear’s front; they unleashed their full strength—one swept his leg horizontally, the other gripped a sharp dagger and thrust straight at the beast’s heart, hoping to cripple the terrifying creature with their combined force.

But as Wang Jian’s sweeping kick landed, his expression changed instantly.

His attack was like a joke—it didn’t even shake the man-bear’s body; beneath its thick black fur lay tough flesh and unbreakable bones. Merely making contact shattered his own leg bone, sending searing pain through him.

Clearly,

His physical condition was far inferior to the man-bear’s.

He Xiong’s situation was worse—he hadn’t even reached the man-bear’s chest when a black paw, moving at an impossible speed, slammed into his shoulder.

“Wah!”

Blood sprayed instantly; the immense force snapped his remaining arm, twisting it grotesquely, then hurled him like a ball against the ground, bouncing him back up.

One strike.

He Xiong lay bleeding, unconscious, his life or death unknown.

“Die!” a roar rang out.

In the instant He Xiong fell, Chen Hao lunged forward, leaping high and driving both elbows downward toward the man-bear’s skull—his move was brutal, ferocious, and unleashed with full power, determined to end it in one blow, unwilling to miss this chance.

But the man-bear wasn’t a mere beast—it was a creature in evolution, savage yet possessing a degree of intelligence.

So the moment Chen Hao appeared, the man-bear roared and kicked Wang Jian away with one leg.

The force sent Wang Jian flying like a launched boulder, crashing straight into Chen Hao.

Before either could close in, both rolled and were flung far away.

“Damn it, how could this happen? It’s just a beast—not even a supernatural creature. Is it really this hard to deal with? I don’t believe it.”

Chen Hao wasn’t badly hurt; he gritted his teeth, rolled up, and prepared to strike again.

But as he rose, his pupils shrank sharply.

The man-bear, now enraged, charged toward him at astonishing speed; before it even reached him, a foul wind struck his face.

Chen Hao’s heart pounded—he instinctively braced for defense.

But a voice inside told him: he couldn’t block this attack—he’d likely be killed on the spot.

But it was too late to retreat; he could only leave it to fate.

“Bang!”

In that instant, a gunshot rang out.

A bullet struck the ground between the man-bear and Chen Hao, kicking up shards of stone.

Too weak—it wasn’t a supernatural-grade sniper rifle; it was a pistol.

Chen Hao, trained in firearms, recognized it instantly.

Beside him,

Zheng Gong, the new investigator, held a pistol; his whole body trembled before the beast, yet he still fired without hesitation.

The loud gunshot did have an effect—it startled the man-bear, causing it to abandon its attack on Chen Hao and Wang Jian.

But the cunning beast quickly realized the bullets were too weak to harm it; it roared again, this time turning toward Zheng Gong, the shooter.

“Run! I’ll lure it away!” Zheng Gong shouted, then spun and fled, buying precious time for the others.

But after charging a few steps toward Zheng Gong, the man-bear suddenly halted, sniffed the air, sensed a hint of danger, and instantly turned its head backward.

Something behind it posed a greater threat.

“Li Yi?” Chen Hao’s face lit up with relief.

Li Yi strode forward, face grim, fists clenched, eyes gleaming as he stared fixedly at the man-bear before him.

He knew the man-bear was dangerous, but hadn’t expected it to be this powerful—four cultivators who had awakened their Spirit Media had been crushed in a single clash; even He Xiong was life or death unknown. If he’d arrived a moment later, the rest might all be dead.

“Does this beast know I’m the biggest threat?”

As Li Yi stared at the man-bear, the beast stared back—and in its savage gaze, a flicker of caution appeared.

After all, Li Yi had taken the man-bear’s full attack head-on and now stood unharmed; the beast now saw him as an opponent, not prey.

“Li, Li Yi, don’t be reckless—you’re no match for this thing. We need the team leader to handle it. You take everyone and run now—I’ll hold it off. Cough—”

Wang Jian struggled to his feet, blood dripping from his mouth—he was badly injured.

He didn’t want to see his comrades die one by one; he made a painful decision.

“We haven’t even fought yet—how do you know we can’t win? And in this situation, do you really think we can just walk away?” Li Yi said coldly. “The only way we survive is by killing this thing.”

“Roar~!”

But before he finished speaking, the man-bear roared, its massive, furry body exploding with power as it charged forward in a frenzy.

“Come on!”

Li Yi growled, his foot striking the ground with explosive force, cracking the concrete beneath him; his body shot forward like an arrow.

In the blink of an eye, the two figures collided.

“Bang~!”

Dust erupted as the beast’s heavy, terrifying paw met Li Yi’s punch, infused with fist energy.