Marvel Magic Case Files

Chapter 562 The Bear Hunter (First Update)

"I can't believe I actually escaped from under the claws of a bear!" Laura muttered to herself, enduring the pain.

Even in her highly insulated mountaineering gear, she still needed to hug her arms tightly to slow the loss of body heat. Her body trembled slightly, the cold relentlessly biting at her. She was struggling to stay conscious; if she lost consciousness in this snow-covered mountain valley, the only outcome would be death from hypothermia or its various clinical manifestations. Hypothermia causes immense damage to the central nervous system; she needed quick reflexes and great strength—only these qualities could allow her to remain agile during the continuous climb and survive in this heavily guarded, ancient, icy ruin before her.

Trinity acted too quickly. From the cliff, Laura saw that Trinity's mercenaries had already built many outposts and prefabricated houses in this ruin, seemingly planning a long-term mission here.

With her exceptional wilderness survival skills and Olympic-level gymnastics-like coordination, Laura Crawford established a makeshift camp with a fire and shelter, crafting a rudimentary bow and a few barely usable arrows from wood and ore. The Soviets had once built various infrastructures here, all serving one purpose: the Gulag prison built here, but it was quickly abandoned after Stalin's death. This prison was built on the site of a Golden Horde stronghold, and if she wasn't mistaken, the Mongol army that attacked Kiterzan included members of the Holy Trinity.

She might be able to leave through the tunnels the Soviets built. But she was cold and tired and needed to rest.

Scandal! Renowned historian's outrageous remarks proven wrong; all published works removed from university libraries! Sir John Crawford states he will not comment further until his new book is published!

Laura woke up with a start.

She didn't know how long she had slept, but her intuition urged the dream to worsen, reminding her of the first time she saw her father angry as a child. She still remembered how terrified she was that day, as if her father had become a different person, suddenly transforming from the gentle father of the past into a hideous figure. His anger was so palpable that even Laura, standing far away at the door, could feel it. It was a fear she couldn't understand at the time, and for a time after she became an adult, she couldn't understand her father's obsession. Yet now, she was on the same path as her father. Now she could understand her father, and that fear had transformed into self-blame, because everything she saw in Yamatai proved that her father was not wrong, and the friends she knew also proved that her father was on the right path.

Immortality is not a myth, but a fact; supernatural forces lurk beneath the surface of reality.

Thanks again to my generous friend. Without him, Laura, who needed to work to earn tuition, wouldn't have been able to afford the expedition.

But she had no time to dwell on her memories; she had things to do. Beneath the branch where she crouched, the Trinity armband was pinned to the mercenary's arm. Snow covered her red mountaineering gear, making her inconspicuous in the dimly lit snowy night.

The moment the mercenary ended the radio call, Laura leaped forward, raising her axe high and bringing it down with tremendous force. The adrenaline surged, instantly erasing her frozen numbness. She used all her strength, her agile body, encased in heavy mountaineering gear, to pierce the man's skull with ease, the sharp axe tip sinking into the indistinct wool hat. She didn't linger on the corpse, immediately pulling out the axe, crouching low, and disappearing into the bushes ahead, white mist slowly escaping from her nostrils.

She held her breath, waited a moment, then lunged forward, smashing her still-dripping axe into the forehead of another approaching enemy. The darkness and snow concealed her actions; she was like a cheetah in the night, deadly and silent.

Laura twisted her wrist with practiced ease, turning the enemy's neck. With a spray of almost congealed blood, splattered brain fragments, and the crisp sound of bones dislocating, the man's cervical spine was completely broken. She didn't have time to pull the rifle she needed from beneath the enemy; that would have required moving the heavy corpse. She could only retrieve a pistol from a holster on the corpse's thigh. But that was enough. She had learned many essential combat skills since her last adventure. Salomon had given her not only funds but also methods of killing, some of which weren't even designed for human enemies, but rather for dealing with the undead, werewolves, and vampires. She continued forward, passing her makeshift camp. It had been discovered; she had to say goodbye to her cozy little shelter made of branches—Trinity's patrol routes had expanded to this point. After a period of rest, Laura felt she could continue fighting.

I wish I had a cup of hot cocoa.

She remembered Salomon saying that many myths on Earth were true. If that were true, she felt she should pray to Bolon-Yokte, the Mayan god of commerce and war, who had transformed into a cacao tree in a battle with the corn god. Maybe after praying, she could have some hot cacao to drink; now was not the time for fish and unleavened bread. She couldn't help but let her imagination run wild. Laura realized with a start that this was the onset of hypothermia. She had to quicken her pace and find another secluded temporary camp before freezing to death.

But she also knew she couldn't go too far.

Soon, Trinity will silently detect the situation via radio and send more personnel. Trinity's patrols are expanding in this direction, and to bypass the bear via the railway, she would have to traverse Trinity's extensive search network. In that case, it's better to confront the bear directly; at least the bear doesn't have a gun!

It was difficult, and she had to be prepared to run for her life at any moment. Laura Crawford wasn't arrogant enough to challenge a Siberian brown bear. "That guy looks angry," Laura muttered to herself, conveniently absolving herself of any responsibility for stepping into the bear's den. "Maybe it's because Trinity disturbed its sleep! That's not my fault!"

Despite saying that, Laura still prepared a countermeasure.

She sharpened several arrows with her knife and smeared them with the juice of mushrooms growing in the cave. She didn't know the purpose of the mushrooms, but their color told her they were inedible. She continued downhill, silently killing two mercenaries with her bow and arrows in the darkness. Then, Laura quickly went forward and removed the weapons from the two mercenaries lying on the rocks. Now she had a pistol, a homemade bow, a rifle, and two rifle magazines—enough to deal with the dangers to come.

She never expected the Siberian brown bear to hold a grudge like that. After Laura quietly dispatched the mercenary with her bow and arrow, the bear, smelling the blood, immediately rushed out of the network of caves in the mountains, emerging from an unexpected opening and beginning to devour the mercenary's corpse. It completely blocked Laura's path, leaving her no choice but to release the safety on her rifle and aim the sights at the bear.

She took a deep breath and then pulled the trigger.

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(End of this chapter)