mtl008 Chapter 413 Symphony of Death
Chapter 413 Symphony of Death
The black bear clearly smelled the scent of humans inside the cave. It lingered in front of the cave entrance, its heavy breathing creating a white mist.
Then it stretched out its huge claws and tried to reach into the hole, but the opening was too narrow and only half of its front claw could fit in.
The claws were less than a foot away from Li Xiangyang's face, and he could clearly see the sharp nails, which were at least three or four inches long.
Faced with such a critical situation, Wang Ergou nervously raised his gun, aimed, and was about to fire.
Just as he was about to pull the trigger, Li Xiangyang's urgent voice rang in his ears: "Don't shoot!"
"Are you crazy?! What time is it? Why aren't you shooting?" Wang Ergou's neck veins bulged, his eyes fixed on the black bear. "This beast's claws are almost touching you. If it doesn't die, we're all doomed!"
Li Xiangyang lowered his voice and said urgently, "Absolutely not! Look at this cave entrance, it can't get in at all! Shooting will only provoke it. And what if the smell of blood attracts more wild animals? Besides, there are wolves outside. Killing it now won't do us any good."
A foul wind, carrying the stench of rotting flesh, rushed into the cave. It then slammed its paw against the rocks at the cave entrance, sending shards of rock flying onto the two men.
Just as Li Xiangyang said, the black bear couldn't get in at all; no matter how hard it tried to squeeze in, it was all in vain.
Enraged, the black bear let out a deafening growl, and the stench of rotting flesh filled the cave. It pulled its paw back and slammed it against the rocks at the cave entrance.
Stones fell with a rustling sound, and dust flew everywhere.
Li Xiangyang knew that this situation was all about endurance. As long as he didn't provoke it and let it run wild, it would eventually calm down.
Thinking this, he completely ignored the black bear eyeing him from outside, and instead took out a cornbread, broke it in half, and handed it to Wang Ergou.
"What time is it? You can still eat? You've had the worst luck imaginable. First you were chased by wolves and ran into this bear! Are we having a run of bad luck this year?"
Wang Ergou put down his gun and wiped the sweat from his palms.
Seeing that he wasn't eating, Li Xiangyang, biting into a cornbread so hard it could break your teeth, stared at the cave entrance and mumbled, "What's the panic? It's hard to say whether it's bad luck or just a stroke of good fortune. What if two groups of beasts fight to the death..."
Li Xiangyang leaned closer and offered words of comfort.
"Come on, wolves aren't stupid. Let's think about how to break out during the day." Wang Ergou rolled his eyes and plopped down on the ground, trying to ignore the noise the black bear was making.
Just then, a loud wolf howl rang out from outside.
The black bear's attention was clearly drawn to the wolf's howl, and it temporarily abandoned its prey in the cave, turning instead to face its more direct competitor.
Li Xiangyang could hear its heavy breathing and the sound of its claws scratching the snow.
A few minutes later, a flurry of footsteps sounded.
Under the moonlight, a dozen gray wolves appeared on the snow, forming a semicircle and growling incessantly at the black bear.
The largest gray wolf at the front was probably the alpha wolf, with a wild rabbit in its mouth, which was Li Xiangyang and his group's prey.
It looks like negotiations are in the works.
As Wang Ergou thought, the wolf pack isn't stupid.
However, the wolves were willing to make peace, but the black bear was not interested at all. With a roar, it charged at the wolves and slapped one of the unlucky wolves that couldn't dodge in time.
Struck by the bear's claws, the creature screamed and rolled onto the snow, its blood quickly staining the white snow red.
After killing a gray wolf with a single swipe of its paw, the black bear, having tasted the sweetness of victory, once again pressed forward with its massive body, revealing its menacing fangs.
The situation among the wolf pack immediately descended into chaos.
Seeing one of its companions killed on the spot, the alpha wolf angrily threw the rabbit in its mouth to the ground, let out a long howl, and commanded the other wolves to scatter and form a larger encirclement.
"See that?" Li Xiangyang said in a low voice, his eyes glued to the battle outside the cave. "Didn't we just hit the jackpot? A perfect opportunity has presented itself."
Wang Ergou stared wide-eyed in disbelief: "Has the black bear gone mad? That's an entire wolf pack! Even if it's incredibly strong, it can't withstand a relentless attack from so many wolves."
“It’s not crazy, it’s shrewd,” Li Xiangyang explained softly. “The black bear knows the wolves are begging for peace because there’s not enough prey to go around. Killing one not only gives it more food but also intimidates the pack. Look at that wolf; although it’s howling loudly, it hasn’t dared to attack rashly.”
Sure enough, just as Li Xiangyang had said, outside, although the wolf pack was howling fiercely, they were only maintaining their formation, tentatively approaching the black bear, and then quickly retreating when they were almost in front of it, luring the black bear to chase.
“These beasts are quite clever,” Wang Ergou muttered.
A glint of shrewdness flashed in Li Xiangyang's eyes: "Now all that's needed is to add fuel to the fire. We must get them fighting, so they both suffer heavy losses, only then will we have a chance to escape."
"How do we add it? By shooting?"
Li Xiangyang shook his head: "That definitely won't work. If a shot is fired, all the hatred will be directed at us."
He looked around, picked up a few sharp-edged stones from the ground, weighed them in his hand, and handed half to Wang Ergou: "These are more effective than guns. When the wolf pack comes to probe, I'll shoot the wolves, you shoot the bear. Once both sides feel the pain, the battle will inevitably escalate."
As they spoke, the two squatted down at the entrance of the cave, patiently waiting for their chance.
Outside the cave, the black bears and wolves were still nervously probing each other.
Finally, as a gray wolf tentatively approached the black bear and then quickly retreated, Li Xiangyang seized the opportunity and threw the stone forcefully, hitting the gray wolf squarely in the nose.
"Awooo!" The wolf cried out in pain and turned to run away.
The sudden scream attracted the black bear's attention. It turned its head to look, and just then, Wang Ergou, who had been waiting for a long time, suddenly threw a stone, which hit the bear in the face.
Enraged by the stone, the black bear roared to the sky and charged at the wolf pack.
The battle erupted instantly, with the wolf pack and the black bears engaging in a fierce fight on the snow.
"The plan succeeded!" Wang Ergou whispered excitedly.
Li Xiangyang shook his head: "Not enough." With that, he grabbed another stone, this time aimed at the alpha wolf, and threw it with all his might.
The stone struck the alpha wolf squarely in the side, causing it to howl in pain and command the pack to attack the black bear even more fiercely.
Seeing this, Wang Ergou didn't sit idly by either. Whenever he found an opportunity, he would pick up a stone and hurl it at the wolf's face.
Faced with the two men's occasional sneak attacks, the wolf pack instantly erupted into chaos.
The initial probing rhythm was completely disrupted, as more than a dozen pairs of green-glowing eyes stared intently at the cave entrance, eager to rush in and bite the two to death.
However, to reach the cave entrance, one must avoid the black bear in front of them. But with the black bear now 'helping' them, it is in full ferocity and will not let the wolves have their way. Whenever a wolf tries to flank, it is instantly intercepted.
The pair of bear paws were now waving around with great force.
Any wolf that gets scratched by a bear's paw will either be slapped away or suffer broken bones and tendons.
In an instant, the howls of wolves, the roars of black bears, the cracking of bones, and the muffled thuds of flesh colliding created a symphony of death in the snowy night.