Chapter 15

Outside the cave, the world was now clear and moonlit; after stepping out, Xiao Yi could still see the puddles reflecting the moonlight.

It had been a sudden downpour, and after it ended, the dark clouds scattered with the wind.

Inside the cave entrance, the bear was still groaning in pain, but when it saw Xiao Yi leave, it opened its blurred black eyes in a distinctly human way, stealing a glance at Xiao Yi’s back.

Only after confirming Xiao Yi had truly left the cave did it dare to slightly move its body.

This scene was just captured by the drone that exited the cave afterward, instantly sparking massive online uproar.

“What the hell was that just now? I thought it was agreed that animals couldn’t attain enlightenment after the founding of the nation?”

“Heh, after the founding of our nation, only our country’s animals can’t attain enlightenment—what does that have to do with Canada’s demons?”

“No, that bear’s expression was just too pitiful—it’s clearly terrified after being punched twice by Xiao Yi.”

“Is this really the wild king I imagined? Look at this bear.”

“Haha, all I can say is Xiao Yi is truly fierce—damn, he fought a bear barehanded!”

“Actually, that scene isn’t that strange—an adult black bear has the intelligence of a three-year-old child; under the circumstances of knowing it couldn’t win and being cornered at the cave entrance, such behavior is understandable.”

“This is such a disgrace to our bear kind, but Xiao Shen is awesome.”

“I’ve never seen such a cute bear—I suddenly have a bold idea.”

“I advise you not to have such a bold idea!”

“I also advise you not to entertain such a thought.”

“If you don’t have Xiao Yi’s combat power, it’s best to abandon this bold idea.”

“That’s right—an adult black bear weighs over 300 jin, stands taller than an adult man, can tear apart tigers and leopards with its claws, and delivers a single strike of at least a thousand jin; it’s also extremely temperamental. Now you can think again.”

“After hearing you say that, I’m even more determined to raise a black bear as a pet.”

“...”

“...”

“Is that so? Outside hibernation, an adult black bear consumes forty to fifty jin of food daily, preferably meat.”

“Forget it! I can’t afford it—I haven’t had meat in three days, and there’s not a drop of oil left in my pot.”

“...”

“...”

“Heh, was today a battle between two kings? But it seems the result is clear—henceforth, Xiao Shen is the true King of the North.”

“Correct—I now declare Xiao Yi the apex predator of the Arctic Circle.”

“This is definitely a human-shaped ferocious beast.”

“Today’s livestream was worth every second—Jinghua Shuiyue gifted Xiao Yi three Lamborghinis.”

“99999 gifted Xiao Yi the exclusive item ‘Tiger Roar Across the Land’ x10—one word: awesome!”

“Qieyi gifted Xiao Yi the exclusive item ‘Dragon Totem’ x10...”

…

…

Of course, Xiao Yi himself knew none of this.

Speaking of which, not only was the black bear somewhat afraid of him, but Xiao Yi was also afraid of the beast.

In truth, walking alone through the wilderness at night was not advisable, but in Xiao Yi’s view, the vast wilderness now held less danger than the cave.

So he chose to trudge through muddy paths and walk under the night sky, continuing his search for shelter, rather than spending the night with the black bear.

…

…

“Captain, radar shows it’s right ahead!”

“Everyone be careful—this time, the contestant in Live Room Six encountered an adult black bear; we still don’t know its condition. Prepare the tranquilizer guns.”

“Don’t worry, Captain—my shot won’t just knock down a black bear; even an elephant will kneel. But will the contestant in Live Room Six be okay?”

Upon hearing this, everyone fell silent; when they set out, Li Yong, the head of Yinfu, had briefly informed them of the situation.

In their eyes, Xiao Yi was likely already dead.

As for the man called Captain, he didn’t fully answer the question; instead, he turned to his team’s medical unit and said:

“I’ll be counting on you three later.”

Hearing this, the three medical personnel nodded solemnly.

“Captain, there’s a red light over there—it must be coming from the drone’s electro-optical sensor.”

At that moment, someone suddenly shouted, and everyone grew tense.

In this remote wilderness, where a black bear roamed, even professional rescue personnel felt a sudden surge of unease.

The Captain, however, remained calm and shouted: “Turn on the spotlights, confirm Xiao Yi’s location, and all personnel remain alert for a black bear ambush.”

Upon hearing this, the entire ten-person rescue team was instantly bathed in bright light.

This sudden scene startled Xiao Yi, who was still on the move.

Where in this remote wilderness did the light come from?

“Captain, that… looks like Xiao Yi? There’s no black bear around him.”

At once, the rescue team rejoiced—seeing Xiao Yi unharmed was exactly what they hoped for.

Still, they didn’t lower their guard and swiftly advanced toward Xiao Yi’s position.

Xiao Yi, too, was startled by the familiar language and quickly understood what was happening.

He shouted out: “Everyone relax—there’s no black bear nearby, no need to be so tense.”

Hearing this, the rapidly moving rescue team froze in confusion—was the rescued person calming *them* down?

Fortunately, they were approaching each other, and soon gathered together.

“Contestant Xiao Yi, hello—I’m Shen Mengsan, Captain of the Sixth Rescue Team. Are you alright?”

“We received orders from headquarters that you were attacked by a black bear and were to be rescued immediately—but we’re truly glad to see you safe.”

Upon hearing Captain Shen say this, Xiao Yi thought to himself: “So it was as I thought!”

Meanwhile, inside the livestream, the mood was unusually cheerful, with many users joking around.

“Captain, if you’d arrived a little later, the black bear might’ve been beyond saving.”

“Yes, Captain, go check on the little bear cub! This man is too brutal.”

“Could you please quickly examine and treat my Xiong Bao? That chubby bear face—how will it ever find a mate? If it can’t find one, blame Xiao Shen!”

Exactly, exactly—nurse, go check on Xiong Bao!

…

…

Black Bear: “Don’t I have any dignity?”

Xiao Yi: “Do you even have dignity?”

…

…

“Captain, thank you for the rescue, but it was just a minor matter—I’ve already handled it here. I didn’t activate the emergency rescue button, so I shouldn’t be eliminated, right?”

“Th-this-this!”

Upon hearing this, Shen Mengsan’s mouth twitched involuntarily; he stammered, hesitated, and didn’t know how to respond.

According to regulations, any rescued contestant was automatically disqualified and would return with them to the rescue base.

But Xiao Yi’s case was unusual—they hadn’t participated in his rescue, and Xiao Yi hadn’t even activated the distress signal.

Yet his authority was too low to give Xiao Yi a definitive answer at this moment.

Fortunately, his phone rang again—yet the timing felt oddly familiar.

Seeing it was Li Yong calling, Shen Mengsan breathed a quiet sigh of relief and instructed the accompanying medical staff: “Give Xiao Yi a basic check-up first.”

“Director Li! Contestant Xiao Yi has been found, but we didn’t participate in the rescue—do we still classify him as eliminated?”

“I understand. Give him a full physical check. If his body is fine, you all return immediately.”

“Understood, Director Li!”

Though Li Yong didn’t say it outright, Shen Mengsan now confirmed Xiao Yi retained eligibility to continue the competition.

Of course, he was now even more curious—how had Xiao Yi escaped the black bear?

After all, without Xiao Yi activating the emergency signal, headquarters had already dispatched them.

That meant headquarters believed Xiao Yi had truly faced mortal danger—possibly even a near-certain death.

But now wasn’t the time to discuss this.