Chapter 62: Guandong Mountain

The crowd was startled by his sudden shout, halted their steps, their smiles froze, and they looked at him in bewilderment.

Lu Qingshan's gaze was sharp as a blade, fixed on the silent, deep forest on the south side of Dead Ditch, cold sweat even beading at his temples.

His Mountain Wild Heart was frantically warning, a Biomagnetic Field far surpassing all previous beasts, bearing a savage, brutal aura, surged toward them like a heavy black cloud!

He could clearly "see" a massive, pitch‑black silhouette parting the knee‑deep snow, moving silently toward them.

The target was the blood‑soaked gorge and its fresh prey!

"A big creature has been drawn here by the scent of blood!"

Lu Qingshan's voice, heavy with gravity, sounded hoarse, "Quick! Everyone find cover immediately! Prepare for battle!"

"Big creature?"

A chill ran through the crowd; following Lu Qingshan's gaze, they saw nothing but white snow and pitch‑black trees.

Then a faint, almost imperceptible tremor came from the south, as if something heavy were trampling the ground, and even the wind seemed a bit more oppressive.

The most experienced Zhao Dazhi's complexion changed abruptly; he sensed a faint, pungent, fishy odor in the air.

Lu Qingshan's unprecedented solemn expression sank everyone's hearts.

What could make him this tense was certainly not a benign creature!

"Quick! Listen to Qing Shan! Hide yourselves!"

Zhao Dazhi reacted fastest, almost shouting to the others, and he himself darted in a single stride behind a large boulder.

The villagers who had just been basking in joy saw their smiles freeze instantly, replaced by a chill that rose from their feet straight to the heavens.

A younger villager's hand trembled, and the hatchet he had just picked up clanged onto the snow; he hurried to bend down and retrieve it, but someone beside him grabbed his arm and pulled him behind a large tree.

"Don't panic! Find cover!"

Zhao Yongnian also shouted commands, his voice tinged with a barely perceptible tremor.

Only then did the villagers snap out of their daze, unable to worry about the mountain‑high pile of game in the gorge, scrambling to find hiding spots.

Some hid behind rocks, some under the big tree, and some simply lay in the snowdrifts, covering themselves with snow to blend into the surroundings.

Zhao Tiezhu and Zhao Er Zhuang clenched their jaws, guarding the gorge entrance behind a makeshift barrier of wooden stakes and Rope Net; despite cold sweat soaking their palms, they gripped their staffs and Hunting Forks, eyes fixed on the south.

Liu Fugui's face turned even more pallid as he clutched his Hunting Rifle behind a large stone, his body trembling involuntarily, his teeth chattering.

Lu Qingshan swiftly gestured, and together with the equally solemn Zhao Dazhi, Liu Fugui, and the three archers Zhao Fei, Zhao Qiang, and Zhao Lei, they climbed the slopes on both sides of the gorge entrance, taking their respective firing positions.

This time, however, their barrels and arrowheads no longer pointed at the now‑harmless game inside the gorge, but were all aimed at the dead‑silent southern forest.

Dead silence, a death‑like hush, enveloped the valley.

Only the distant wind, like the low breath of some colossal being, struck the crowd's taut nerves repeatedly.

Suddenly, a clear, robust snapping sound rang from the southern woods—Snap!

"It's coming!"

Lu Qingshan let out a low warning from his throat, his gaze sharp as an eagle's.

Before the words finished, a massive black silhouette, like a moving hill, emerged slowly yet with unmatched pressure from the forest shadows, stepping on the deep snow, walking out at a leisurely pace.

Each step was immensely heavy; the snow creaked underfoot—Creak creak—sending a heart‑pounding sound, the ground beneath its feet turning into a soft beach.

It's a bear!

A genuine black bear!

Moreover, that massive, terrifying body is at least two times larger than a normal black bear!

Its huge frame looked especially ferocious in the dim light.

Limbs as thick as buckets, a back as solid as a wall, and a massive, drooping head—all proclaimed its unrivaled strength.

Especially the intense, fishy and savage aura it exuded, bearing a primal ferocity and the sediment of many years; this is undoubtedly an aged, true "Mountain King"!

The black bear halted, about twenty meters from the entrance of Dead Ditch.

Its fan‑shaped massive nose twitched vigorously, greedily inhaling the thick scent of blood, while a low, satisfied rumble emanated from its throat.

Its deep‑set brown‑black eyes, nestled in coarse hair, flickered with a ghostly green glow in the gloom, like two will‑o‑the‑wisps, coldly scanning the gorge's prey and then slowly sweeping over the villagers who thought themselves well hidden.

"Hiss..."

Among the hidden villagers, someone couldn't help but gasp a cold breath, the sound of chattering teeth clearly audible.

Though the sound was faint, it rang especially sharp in the silence.

The black bear's ears twitched slightly, and its massive head turned slowly toward the source of the sound.

That cold, ferocious gaze, tinged with a hint of mockery, made the villager it landed on instantly freeze, blood seeming to solidify, as if the Grim Reaper's scythe pressed against his throat.

Lu Qingshan's heart tightened, knowing they could wait no longer.

The bear's intelligence and oppressive presence far exceeded expectations; a black bear roused from hibernation could unleash fury enough to shake heaven and earth.

If it locks onto a specific target or eliminates them one by one, the consequences would be unimaginable.

Moreover, it clearly intends to claim the gorge's game.

"Uncle Dazhi! Fugui! Prepare! Target… the bear's head and chest!"

Lu Qingshan lowered his voice, commanding resolutely, his tone not loud but brimming with a decisive resolve.

Zhao Dazhi and Liu Fugui's hearts leapt, and the last hint of color drained from their faces.

Black bear!

This is the true ruler of Guandong Mountain!

Old mountain saying: better to encounter jackals than a dominant black bear!

Even a band of hunters would skirt around it, let alone provoke it.

Yet seeing Lu Qingshan's steadfast, unflinching profile and the eyes burning with deadly resolve, they gritted their teeth, their weapons creaking, the cold gunstocks pressed tighter, barrels locked onto the massive beast.

The black bear seemed to sense danger; it did not attack immediately, but let out another low roar.

Those brown‑black eyes swept over the hidden villagers one by one, bearing a chilling scrutiny and a cat‑playing‑with‑mouse mockery.

Just as everyone thought it was about to pick an unlucky victim, the black bear suddenly raised its head and let out a roar that echoed through the valley!

Awooo—!

The sound carried endless pressure and ferocity, as if it would tear the entire forest apart!

Its domineering proclamation echoed through the valley as the snow fell in flurries!

Before the roar faded, its mountain‑sized massive body surged forward, limbs moving in unison like an out‑of‑control black tank, bearing a foul wind as it charged wildly toward the entrance of the Dead Ditch!

Its target was unmistakably the prey piled within the Dead Ditch, emitting an alluring scent of blood!