His legs went weak, and he almost couldn’t swim, sinking down.
Suddenly, at that moment, his arms on both sides were grabbed by someone. He came to his senses and saw it was You Yi and Dou Dou, who had actually come back to help them!
With the assistance of two strong young men, Li Wenjun gathered all his strength again and quickly caught up with Xin Meng and Qi Xiaokui, who were waiting ahead. The six of them supported each other and followed closely behind the little black men.
The sharks, drawn by the scent of blood, began to chase after them. Fortunately, a bright light gradually appeared in front of the six, and the sea was just ahead!
Just before the sharks could bite their behinds, Dou Dou, who was at the back, climbed up onto the beach, and the sharks returned in disappointment.
“Huff… huff… that was so thrilling…” Dou Dou plopped down on the beach, panting, his hands propped behind him, tilting his head back to enjoy the warm sunlight. “This game is really amazing! I’ve experienced all the scenes I’ve seen in movies and novels firsthand. I’m almost becoming a die-hard fan of this game!”
The others were completely the opposite of him; Qi Xiaokui even wondered if he had gone crazy.
He seemed normal at first, but how did he become more and more bizarre later?
Xin Meng immediately observed the surrounding environment. The white sandy beach they had just come up from led to the sea, while the other end extended into a piece of land, at the end of which was a large open-air zoo.
The zoo was surrounded by rusty iron bars, and it wasn’t very large. The main gate faced this direction, adorned with beautiful decorative panels, with a fluffy bear face in the center, its dark black eyes quietly watching them.
The bear looked so real that Xin Meng was startled when he first made eye contact, but upon closer inspection, he realized it was just a painting, and the angle of the eyeball was painted directly facing the beach… the very spot they were standing.
Although it might have been a coincidence, Xin Meng still felt a chill run down his spine.
Three little black men wanted to rush inside but were caught and controlled by them to allow for some rest. Once they woke Luo Yingying and wrung out their clothes, they finally let go, and the little black men rushed into the open gate of the zoo like a train, not looking back.
Inside, it was called a zoo, but it was more like a bear park. The area was divided by iron bars, and countless live black bears sat inside. When they entered, those black bears did not make a sound or move, but all stared at them, turning their heads as they moved.
“So scary…” Qi Xiaokui hugged her arms. “What’s up with these bears? Why are they looking at us like that?”
“And don’t you think the arrangement of the zoo’s bars looks a lot like… a prison?” Luo Yingying said weakly. “These bears seem like prisoners locked up in a jail…”
Upon hearing this, everyone carefully observed and found it increasingly similar.
“But why are there no doors? How did these bears get in?” Xin Meng frowned, surveying the surroundings.
This bear park did not place the bears’ activity area lower like most zoos; instead, it was level with the ground, creating a greater sense of oppression. The small square spaces formed by the iron bars resembled cages without tops, yet there were no doors to open or close.
“I have a bad feeling about this,” Dou Dou wasn’t very interested in animals but was quite intrigued by the iron bars. He even curled his fingers and flicked one, producing a “ding” sound. “What material is this? Is it sturdy? If they break out…”
His words seemed to act as a switch, and those tall bears suddenly got up from the ground, standing upright, slapping their paws against the cage, using their weight to push. Those seemingly sturdy iron bars were easily knocked down!
“You jinx!” Qi Xiaokui scolded Dou Dou, instinctively turning to run out of the bear park, only to realize that the originally open gate had silently closed tightly!
She rushed over to shake the iron door with her hands, but the door seemed to have suddenly become one solid piece, remaining unmoved despite her pounding and kicking.
“The door won’t open!” As more and more bears emerged from the cage, gradually gathering towards them, sweat began to bead on Qi Xiaokui’s forehead as she continued to struggle with the door.
“Stop wasting effort on the door,” Xin Meng shouted based on experience. “Since the door is closed, it’s meant to keep us from going out. No matter how hard we try, it won’t open. Look for keys or something strange nearby!”
The six of them were chased by the bears, having to dodge while also searching for a “key,” forcing them to scatter. Fortunately, this time the little black men were quite agile, only running around in a panic without any being caught by the black bears.
However, it was strange that the bears’ movements were not fast; they were merely pursuing closely, and rather than hunting them down, it felt more like they were herding…
Herding?
When Xin Meng realized this, he was suddenly yanked to the side by You Yi, while instinctively grabbing a little black man. He then shouted, “Gather together! Don’t let the NPCs be alone!”
However, it was too late. At some point, they had exchanged places with the bears that had run outside the cage, standing where the bears had originally been. Just as Xin Meng finished speaking, before the others could gather together, the fallen iron bars surprisingly stood up by themselves!
They were now trapped in the “prison” like the bears had been!
The few of them looked at each other through the iron bars, their hearts sinking, and immediately turned to the three little black men!
Xin Meng had one in his hand that he instinctively grabbed, while another was left unclaimed but was separated from Qi Xiaokui. The last one was in a worse situation, alone in a solitary cell.
“We’re locked up!” Luo Yingying had also been separated from Li Wenjun. She clutched the railing with both hands, pressing her face against it, gazing longingly at her husband, who was separated by three or four rows of iron bars.
“What do they want by locking us up?” Qi Xiaokui felt uneasy, watching the little black man on the other side shaking the bars, and grabbed it to hold in her hands.
Initially, they all thought that these bears would hunt them and the little black men down, likely using their weight to crush them based on the lyrics. But now it seemed otherwise; even though they had exchanged places with the bears, there were still iron bars in between, and they couldn’t even touch each other. What was going on?
The bears that had gone out did not attempt to break through the main gate to leave the zoo; instead, they gathered together, sitting on the ground. From Xin Meng’s perspective, they looked like rows of spectators sitting in a cinema, while they and the little black men were positioned right in front of the screen.
“So bizarre, why does it feel like they’re watching some kind of performance?” Li Wenjun said uneasily, stretching his hand through the gaps in the iron bars but still unable to reach his wife.
“Yeah, yeah, they just need popcorn!” Dou Dou nodded repeatedly.
The others: “…”
What a cold joke.
But regardless, the group shared the same feeling, indicating that these bears were indeed watching them? Moreover, it seemed they hadn’t gotten to the main event yet, as they were clearly waiting for something.
Waiting for what?
They didn’t have to guess for long, as the “surprise” fell from the sky.
“Whoosh!”
Suddenly, a sound of something cutting through the air came from above their heads. They looked up to see small black dots appearing above them, which grew larger and closer. When they were only about ten meters from the ground, they finally saw clearly: it was bears!
Those falling were bears!
The bears, with their large, round, furry behinds facing down, maintained a sitting position even in the air, falling straight down.
“Watch out!” Xin Meng shouted. “Don’t get crushed, and watch out for the NPCs!”
Just as he finished speaking, the bears fell faster, one after another crashing to the ground, or rather, right into the cages.
“Bang!” “Bang!” “Bang!”
The tremendous force shook the ground, and the continuous jolting nearly made the group lose their balance. They could only cling to the iron bars to barely avoid falling.
Once the shaking stopped and the dust settled, they coughed and looked around, discovering that just like when they entered, each of the roofless cages contained a large bear, including their own cage!
The positions of the bears in the other cages were quite random, but Xin Meng knew that the bear in their cage was heading straight for the little black man he was holding!
So he immediately looked up at the other two little black men. The one in the solitary cage had already been flattened into a meat patty by the bear’s large behind, with no chance of rescue.
That wasn’t important; the most crucial thing was the bear in Qi Xiaokui’s cage!
Fortunately, he had shouted in time, and Qi Xiaokui reacted quickly, pulling the little black man just in time to dodge the bear’s deadly fall.
The others breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing this.
However, it was still too early to relax.
The bears in the other cages sat quietly, their gazes fixed on the six of them, while the bear that had fallen into the cage with the six began to move!
They slowly stood upright, threw their heads back, and let out a roar, then charged at the six!
“Ah!” Luo Yingying screamed, barely avoiding being torn apart by a bear’s claw, rolling on the ground to escape. The others were also in a panic; the cage was too small, making it much harder to evade!
The bears in Xin Meng and Qi Xiaokui’s cage were even more ferocious, targeting the little black man!
Xin Meng was fine; with You Yi there, he was mostly safe. But Qi Xiaokui’s situation was much more dangerous. Having made it this far, she was already exhausted and in a state of severe physical fatigue. Now, not only did she have to quickly dodge the bears, but she also had to manage a little black man who was not cooperating at all, leading to an imminent crisis.
You Yi glanced at Xin Meng, seeing that aside from being a bit out of breath, he was still in decent shape, and said, “Be careful.”
Xin Meng nodded in understanding, and then saw You Yi firmly grasp the slick iron bars with crossed hands, climbing up the three-meter-high bars like a nimble monkey. He flipped over and leaped into the adjacent cage, landing and continuing to climb, skillfully moving between the adjacent cages. In no time, he jumped into Qi Xiaokui’s cage, just in time to kick away the bear’s paw, saving the little black man.
“Thank you!” Qi Xiaokui was almost moved to tears; having a reliable man was simply wonderful.
Dou Dou watched with shining eyes, wanting to learn from You Yi and climb the iron bars, but the bars were too slippery, as if oiled, making it impossible to grip. He tried several times but kept sliding down halfway, and when the bear lunged at him, he had no choice but to give up.
“I told you he wasn’t normal!” he muttered angrily.
