Chapter 41

"Very well." Qi Xia nodded. "I must survive here, and if anyone obstructs me, the consequences will be severe."

This statement frightened everyone present, as Qi Xia's eyes resembled those of a murderer.

He seemed like he really would kill.

Even Jiao Jiajin, who was usually playful, now had a serious expression.

A question couldn't help but arise in his mind—

What kind of person is Qi Xia?

After this change, everyone stood up obediently like lambs and moved behind the iron plate.

Seeing this, Qi Xia slowly released his grip, and the middle-aged man and the small glasses-wearing boy supported each other, still shaken.

Qi Xia knew his goal was achieved; he was now the sole leader of the group.

"How will you ensure everyone's survival?" a slightly overweight girl asked.

"A simple answer will do," Qi Xia replied slowly. "The answer is 'Eagle Catching Chicks.'"

"Eagle... catching chicks?" Everyone seemed a bit confused.

"Now we have all three roles," Qi Xia extended his hand and pointed to the black bear nearby, saying, "The eagle."

Then he pointed to the two men and five women, saying, "The chicks."

Finally, he looked at Jiao Jiajin and called out, "The hen."

"The hen, my ass..." Jiao Jiajin said with a look of disgust, "Can we change the name?!"

At this moment, everyone began to understand.

The iron plate on the ground was very heavy. The best way to use it to defend against the black bear was to roll it on the ground, but the plate's area was limited, and its maneuverability was poor. Once the group dispersed, their situation would become dangerous.

The best way was for one person to move the plate, and the rest to form a line behind him.

As everyone was thinking, the black bear had already approached. At this moment, it seemed to have no other target, only focusing on Jiao Jiajin.

"It's coming!" Qi Xia whispered to Jiao Jiajin.

Hearing this, Jiao Jiajin immediately extended his legs backward, forming a diagonal angle with his body, and used his shoulder to push the iron plate.

The next second, the black bear swung its thick front arm and struck the iron plate hard.

"Clang!"

A loud noise echoed, and the black bear's attack was deflected, causing it and Jiao Jiajin to step back.

Fortunately, Jiao Jiajin had already taken a defensive stance; otherwise, even though the plate wouldn't break, he would have been crushed into a pulp.

Seeing the situation, everyone quickly formed a tighter formation.

Four men stood at the front of the line, and five women stood at the back.

The middle-aged man also obediently grabbed Qi Xia's clothes.

"Hey, trickster, how many more attacks like this...?"

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

"Seven...?" Jiao Jiajin was stunned, "Damn, isn't this just the beginning?!"

"The black bear's endurance isn't good," Qi Xia said. "I don't believe it will attack continuously for the remaining time. We just need to endure the initial phase, and don't be complacent."

The black bear adjusted its posture and began to move to the side.

Qi Xia also tugged at Jiao Jiajin's clothes, controlling his direction, and made the iron plate roll on the ground.

This move confused the black bear.

Although it had destructive power, it wasn't an agile hunter and couldn't immediately attack from the side. It could only move its massive body.

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

"Roar—"

The black bear kept growling. It had circled around the group but still couldn't find a weak point to attack.

Actually, there was a very easy way to break "Eagle Catching Chicks," which was for the "eagle" to suddenly change direction. For example, if the "eagle" was moving to the right and suddenly moved to the left, the "chicks" would be caught due to inertia.

This was a strategy everyone had learned from playing the game many times in their childhood. Qi Xia didn't believe the black bear would come up with such a smart move in a short time.

"Very good... very good..." Qi Xia muttered, "Let's keep this stalemate going..."

At this moment, everyone was holding onto each other, forming a long line but maintaining a safe distance from the black bear.

"Your method might actually work..." Jiao Jiajin whispered, "But I'm a bit tired..."

"Just bear with it," Qi Xia said. "Six minutes will pass quickly."

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

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

Jiao Jiajin immediately adjusted his center of gravity, lowered his body, and collided with the black bear again.

"Clang!!"

This time, the force was clearly greater than before, and Jiao Jiajin almost fell with the plate.

"This blind bear never stops!!" The middle-aged man shouted nervously, "Hey! The young man at the front, you need to hold it!"

"Why don't you try it yourself?!" Jiao Jiajin shouted angrily, feeling his whole body shake and his bones about to fall apart.

The black bear, seeing its full-force attack still couldn't break through, became very angry.

It paused for a moment and began to slowly retreat.

"What's happening?" the small glasses-wearing boy asked, "Is it giving up?"

Qi Xia frowned, sensing something was wrong.

Retreat?

"Trouble!"

He suddenly realized something, immediately lowered his body, and braced the iron plate with Jiao Jiajin, then turned to the middle-aged man and said, "Hey! You control the direction!"

"Huh?"

Although confused, the middle-aged man knew the iron plate represented everyone's lives, so he didn't dare to be careless. He imitated what Qi Xia had done, pulling the two men's clothes to control the direction of the plate.

As Qi Xia had expected, the black bear's retreat wasn't a sign of giving up but a preparation to enhance its attack with a running start.

"It's going to make a full-force attack," Qi Xia looked at Jiao Jiajin and said, "If we can withstand this, we have a high chance of surviving."

"You're not saying anything helpful," Jiao Jiajin shook his head helplessly, "Our problem is whether we can withstand it!"

The black bear kept retreating, almost reaching the wall.

The middle-aged man, who had been controlling the direction, couldn't help but swallow hard.

The black bear's stationary attack was already deadly. If it added a running start and its full weight, could the iron plate withstand its charge?

"Fatso!" Jiao Jiajin shouted, "Remember to warn us when it attacks!"

But the middle-aged man seemed to hear nothing, his eyes rapidly moving as if deep in thought.

The black bear scratched the ground with its front paws and suddenly started to accelerate.

The middle-aged man, seeing this, no longer hesitated and ran to an open area behind the group.

"Hey... you!" Jiao Jiajin didn't have time to scold and could only quickly lower his body as he heard the heavy footsteps.

At this moment, the small glasses-wearing boy stepped forward, pulled Qi Xia's clothes, and shouted, "The direction is wrong! Move a bit to the right!!"

Qi Xia and Jiao Jiajin widened their eyes simultaneously: "No time to adjust the direction! Hold it!"

As they spoke, they felt as if they were hit by a speeding truck. Their bodies, along with the iron plate, were lifted into the air and flew back half a meter, then crashed heavily to the ground.

This collision not only made the entire group stagger but also knocked the iron plate over, pinning the two men under it.