0060 – Play With The Bear
As the night gradually receded, the dawn brought with it a faint light. The forest, cloaked in a gentle morning mist, appeared to be awakening from its slumber. The trees, flowers, and rocks emerged faintly from the fog, adding a poetic and dreamlike quality to the scene.
On a mist-shrouded forest path, a black bear ambled along. During the spring and summer, when food was abundant, it foraged intensely both day and night, rarely finding time to sleep. Today was no exception. As a creature barely maintaining its position at the top of the food chain in this forest, it usually walked with a domineering swagger.
However, ever since it was knocked unconscious by a mysterious two-legged creature a few days ago, its movements had become slow and cautious. Each time it bent down to eat berries, it would cautiously look up two or three times to ensure no other creatures were watching.
This time, as it eagerly lowered its head to savor some sweet berries, it immediately lifted its head again, wary of any sudden surprises. And as it looked up, it froze once more.
Why again? Because the moment it looked up, it saw a familiar face – that of the two-legged creature it could never forget.
Zoe, crouching with great interest in front of it, spoke. “Big Bear, why did you wander so deep into the mountains? I’ve been searching for you since dawn.”
The black bear’s eyes widened as it stared at Zoe, who was playfully complaining. Why did it run so far? Did she really not know? If the bear could speak, it would have unleashed a torrent of curses by now. Unfortunately, it couldn’t.
After a moment of stunned silence, the bear leaped back as if it had seen a ghost and then, without hesitation, bolted away at full speed, as if its feet were greased. Its entire body quivered with effort as it ran, fleeing from death.
Seeing this, Zoe immediately gave chase, catching up in just a few strides. Running side by side through the thorny forest, her white robe inevitably turned into tattered rags. Glancing at the panting bear beside her, Zoe, whose breathing remained steady, considered persuading the bear to stop.
But considering that the bear couldn’t understand human speech and was overwhelmed with a mix of tension, fear, and anticipation, there was no chance it would listen. Moreover, Zoe's purpose for this trip was to have Big Bear evaluate her newly developed Killing Intent Wave Fist.
After a brief thought, Zoe landed a light punch imbued with her killing intent on the bear’s forelimb. Instantly, the bear roared and collapsed unconscious, nearly toppling over. Quick as a flash, Zoe caught it in a princess carry, preventing it from injuring itself.
Looking at the unconscious bear in her arms, Zoe smiled in satisfaction. She hadn’t used much force, yet the bear was knocked out cold. The power of the Killing Intent Wave Fist was indeed formidable.