I'll take it on solo

Just as Liu Bo was about to turn and run, the brown bear across from him pushed off powerfully with its hind legs, effortlessly leaping over a massive fallen log.

"Stop!!" Su Yang urgently yanked Liu Bo to a halt.

The moment they stopped, the bear also paused, circling in place without immediately charging forward.

"B-bro... Didn't you say bears don’t show up in the outer areas? What the hell is that thing?!" Liu Bo looked like he was on the verge of tears.

His words were slurred, his throat dry as he kept swallowing, his entire body trembling uncontrollably.

Su Yang had frozen for a split second when he first spotted the bear, but he quickly forced himself to stay calm. Though his heart was pounding wildly, running wasn’t an option.

Even if he could outrun the bear, the three people with him couldn’t—and there were still six others lying unconscious on the ground.

If he just bolted now, he’d be a damn coward, and he’d never be able to live with himself.

If he were alone, he wouldn’t hesitate to turn tail and sprint. But right now, he couldn’t run. He wouldn’t.

The four of them and the bear stood frozen about thirty or forty meters apart, locked in a tense standoff.

Though Su Yang’s physical stats were high and his combat skills formidable, the thing in front of him was a several-hundred-pound brown bear—no mere martial artist could compare.

"Hah!"

Su Yang exhaled sharply, forcing himself to stay composed as his mind raced for a solution.

Two seconds later, he muttered to Liu Bo beside him, "Fatso, if it charges, you grab Tang Ziyun and Meng Qianyu and run!"

"W-what about you?!"

"Me?"

Su Yang gritted his teeth, eyes locked on the bear as he growled, "I’ll take it on solo."

"You’ll—wait, Yang-ge? That’s a freaking bear!"

"Even if it were a tiger, if it dares come at me today, I’ll make sure it leaves missing a layer of skin!"

As if tired of waiting, the bear let out a low roar and began lumbering toward them, swaying with each step.

No time to think. Su Yang’s pupils contracted sharply as he whipped his head toward Liu Bo and the stunned Tang Ziyun and Meng Qianyu, shouting, "Fatso, get them out of here!!!"

The moment the words left his mouth, the bear broke into a full sprint.

Liu Bo yelped, grabbing Tang Ziyun and Meng Qianyu before bolting.

Facing the charging bear, Su Yang channeled all his strength into his right fist and dashed forward to meet it.

Liu Bo glanced back mid-run, his jaw dropping at the sight.

Su Yang was closing the distance at an unbelievable speed.

The bear, likely just as shocked that this scrawny human dared to fight back, let out a furious roar—HOOOOWL!—before launching itself at Su Yang with a powerful leap.

Su Yang wasn’t stupid enough to go blow-for-blow with a two-meter-tall beast. As the bear soared toward him, he dropped low, sliding beneath it in a flawless skid.

The moment he cleared the bear’s hindquarters, his right hand slapped the ground, propelling him up as he seized the bear’s thick, still-suspended hind leg with both hands.

"Eat this!!" Su Yang roared, mustering every ounce of strength to yank the bear backward by its long fur. The several-hundred-pound beast jerked to a stop—then was even dragged back a step.

On the other side, Liu Bo and the two girls were utterly speechless.

"Bro... you some kind of Wu Song or what?" Liu Bo muttered under his breath.

The three of them hid behind a tree as thick as a barrel, watching the scene unfold.

Roar!!

The brown bear kept howling as Su Yang grappled with it. With a powerful kick of its hind legs, the bear broke free from Su Yang’s grip, sending him flying backward with tremendous force.

Before Su Yang could react, the bear pivoted and charged straight into his chest.

Bam!!

Su Yang couldn’t dodge in time—the impact sent him flying four or five meters before he crashed heavily onto the ground.

"Ugh!" Su Yang’s chest heaved violently, and he nearly spat out a mouthful of blood.

But before the blood could escape, his regenerative ability kicked in, forcing it back down.

Grimacing in pain, Su Yang rolled over and pushed himself up.

The moment he stood, the bear roared again and charged at him.

"You bastard!! I’m gonna kill you today!!" Su Yang’s eyes sharpened as he clenched his fists and sprinted straight toward the bear.

Wham!!

He leaped high and drove his fist into the bear’s snout. The collision sent both man and beast reeling.

The bear only let out a pained growl, but Su Yang was hurled backward once more.

Crash!! Thud!!

He slammed into the ground and skidded several feet before finally stopping.

"Guh—ack!" This time, he couldn’t hold back—a metallic taste filled his mouth as blood spilled out.

Without hesitation, Su Yang scrambled to his feet, wiping the blood from his lips with a wild laugh. "Come on, you mutt!! Either you kill me today, or I kill you!!"

Truthfully, Su Yang had already settled on a strategy: exploit his insane regeneration and outlast the damn bear.

He wouldn’t die. As long as he landed a punch every time he got close, he could either wear it down or drive it off.

The bear roared again—a deafening sound that echoed through the forest—yet the six unconscious figures on the ground still showed no signs of waking.

Liu Bo, still hiding behind the tree, glanced at the two petrified girls beside him. "Stay here. I’m gonna wake the others."

Bending low, he crept toward Pan Ning, the closest one.

"Pan Ning, wake up!!"

"Pan Ning!? Get up already, or we’re all dead!"

"Mmm… wh-what’s happening?" Pan Ning finally stirred as Liu Bo shook her shoulder.

"Shh!!" He pressed a finger to his lips. "No time to explain. Su Yang barely managed to lure the bear away. Get up now."

"Wait, what did he lure away?"

"A bear!! A damn brown bear!! A huge one!!"

......

Meanwhile, Su Yang fought while retreating. His goal was clear—outlast the beast. Without a weapon like a knife, fists alone wouldn’t take down a bear this size anytime soon. His only option was to draw it away, as far as possible.

Whoosh!

Before he could think further, the bear roared and charged again, this time leaping high with its claws aimed straight for his chest.

Su Yang kicked off the ground, twisting midair to dodge left and narrowly avoid the lethal strike.

"Should’ve brought Meng Qianyu’s damn knife!" After two minutes of back-and-forth, Su Yang had fully calmed down. The initial panic was gone.

The bear’s strength was terrifying, but its massive weight made it sluggish. As long as he avoided bites and swipes, he stood a chance.

At his current speed, he could easily toy with the bear.

After a brief two-second consideration, the brown bear turned and charged at him again.

Su Yang caught sight of a half-meter-long, calf-thick broken log about two meters away in his peripheral vision. He quickly rolled aside, grabbed the wooden stick, and sprang to his feet, circling behind the bear.

Before the bear could turn around, he lunged forward, leaped up, and used its hindquarters as a stepping stone to propel himself higher into the air.

With both hands gripping the thick log, he mustered all his strength and smashed it down onto the bear’s head.

CRACK!!

The log shattered the moment it struck the bear’s skull, sending the other half flying.

ROAR! The bear howled in pain and immediately spun around, slamming its massive body into Su Yang.

THUD! Su Yang was sent flying once more.

This time, however, the bear hadn’t put its full force into the blow, allowing Su Yang to land firmly on his feet. He hurled the remaining half of the log at the bear’s head, then turned and sprinted away.

Struck again, the bear reared back with another furious roar before charging after Su Yang.

But after only a few steps, it suddenly halted, changed direction, and barreled straight toward Liu Bo and the others.

Hearing the commotion, Su Yang glanced back—and instantly erupted in curses: "Damn you to hell!!"

......