ALL NOVEL Chapter 21 - War of Attrition!
Lu Lixing sought to evade combat, yet the black bear, suspected to be a Vicious Beast, was not of the same mind. It unleashed a barrage of roars, its massive legs pounding the earth with each step, shaking the ground beneath. The bear's colossal form tore through the forest, heedless of the barriers before it, fixated solely on the sight of Lu Lixing's desperate flight.
The bear rapidly narrowed the gap between them. Despite Lu Lixing's full-speed sprint, he couldn't lose the persistent creature, his heart growing heavier with each passing moment.
“This can't go on! It may be wounded, but its stamina far surpasses mine. If I keep running, I'll be the first to falter, and then I'm done for!”
A fierce look crossed Lu Lixing's handsome face. Realizing escape was futile, he decided to confront the bear trailing him.
With the thought firmly in his mind, Lu Lixing acted decisively. He spun around and dashed toward a robust tree to his left, swiftly scaling it. In an instant, he vanished into its lush foliage.
Just then, the bear caught up. Seeing Lu Lixing disappear into the treetop, it let out an enraged roar and charged the tree with savage force, its arms slamming into the trunk with a thunderous crash.
The sturdy tree quivered under the bear's relentless assault, threatening to snap at any moment.
Clutching a branch tightly, Lu Lixing peered through the leaves at the frenzied beast below. A grimace twisted his lips as he muttered bitterly, “Damn creature, your wounds aren't my doing. Why take it out on me? Do you think I'm an easy target?”
The black bear, oblivious to Lu Lixing's words, seemed to mistake the tree for its adversary. It let out another roar and struck the trunk once more, causing a noticeable tilt. One more hit, and the tree would surely give way.
Perched tensely in the tree, Lu Lixing's focus was unyielding as he glared down at the black bear below. His prediction proved accurate; following a futile second attempt, the bear launched into an impatient third charge. The forceful blow finally broke through the tree's last line of defense, and with a mournful cry, it toppled backward.
As the tree crashed down, the black bear, having overexerted itself and now without the tree for support, staggered, struggling to maintain its balance. Seizing the moment, a slender figure leapt from the tree, landing squarely on the bear's shoulder.
“Go to hell!” Lu Lixing's left hand clung to the bear's fur as his right hand, clutching an alloy dagger, plunged it viciously into the bear's sole eye.
Caught off guard, the bear could not defend itself as the dagger pierced its eye socket, Lu Lixing twisting the blade with force. The bear's eye sustained a brutal injury, and it erupted into a frenzy. It roared and swung its claw at Lu Lixing, who was perched on its shoulder. With no time to evade, Lu Lixing could only brace himself with his arms. A massive force hit him, snapping his arms instantly. He was flung from the bear's shoulder like a kite severed from its string, crashing violently to the ground.
A sheen of cold sweat coated Lu Lixing's forehead from the excruciating pain, yet he bit back a scream. He kept his gaze fixed on the rampaging bear, and only when he was sure he had gone unnoticed did he exhale in relief, a grimace of agony crossing his pale face.
Attempting to rise, he barely stirred before pain overwhelmed him, rendering him unable to stand.
“It's too strong,” Lu Lixing remarked. It was a stroke of luck he had blocked with his arms; a direct hit to his head or chest would have been fatal.
Resigned, Lu Lixing lay still, quietly observing the bear's frenzy. Unexpectedly, the creature began to settle down, as if it were sniffing out something.
Upon witnessing the scene unfold, Lu Lixing's complexion turned ashen in an instant.
While Lu Lixing was gripped by anxiety, the massive black bear let out a ferocious roar and charged in his direction. His heart plummeted at the sight; his greatest fear was coming to life!
Despite the intense pain wracking his body, Lu Lixing knew he had to fight for survival. With great effort, he managed to get back on his feet and dashed towards an area with complex terrain. The bear, now blind, could track Lu Lixing by scent but was oblivious to the obstacles in its path.
As Lu Lixing had anticipated, the bear's bulk allowed it to barrel through the forest, but its blindness was a significant handicap. Its pace slowed unavoidably, and it occasionally injured itself in its blind rage, which only fueled its temper, making its roars increasingly wild.
Both the black bear and Lu Lixing were in dire straits. Lu Lixing's situation was hardly better than the bear's; the agony of his broken arms was a relentless assault on his nerves, and the blood loss made his head spin. He longed to just lie down and succumb to a deep sleep.
Lu Lixing couldn't tell how long he had been running through the woods or how long the bear had been bellowing behind him. Only when dusk began to settle did the bear, after a day of madness, finally show signs of weakness. It collapsed to the ground, its breaths coming in heavy gasps. The extreme fatigue and blood loss had nearly brought the bear to the brink of death.
Meanwhile, Lu Lixing was faring no better, lying a mere twenty meters from the bear. One more charge from the bear would easily end his life. It wasn't that Lu Lixing didn't want to flee; he simply couldn't move.
“If I die like this, it wouldn't be shameful, would it?” f(r)ee
That was Lu Lixing's final thought before darkness claimed him.
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