I work as a security guard at a cemetery, and I overhear the dead chatting about getting rich quick.

Zhou Xiao was sent to an outlying medical point that same day.

Three ribs fractured, left lung contusion, requires at least a month of rest.

Before leaving, he handed over the access to the remaining two sets of control equipment to Cheng Fang.

"That bear can't be delayed any longer."

Zhou Xiao lay on the stretcher, his voice weak.

"It already knows we're looking for what's inside. Give it a few more days, and nobody knows if it will move the item."

Cheng Fang took the access card.

"Focus on healing your injuries first."

"I'll settle the cost of the drone with you once I can get out of bed."

Zhou Xiao twitched the corner of his mouth, but didn't actually smile.

That night, the area around the cave was re-examined at seven locations.

The bear did not remain in the cave.

On the back slope, there is a long-trodden animal trail that extends northward along the mountainside. There is fresh dung, broken and rotten wood, and a few fresh bear paw prints on the trail.

The route passes through a narrow valley in the middle section.

The sides are steep slopes and rock walls, and the narrowest part is less than 15 meters wide.

The remaining two sets of containment equipment were transported into the valley in the early hours of the next day.

The first device was buried at the mouth of the valley, working in conjunction with the interception net to block the retreat route.

The second device is installed in the middle of the valley and is responsible for suppressing the surrounding spiritual energy.

Four alloy steel cables are fixed from both sides, connecting the two interception nets. All equipment has undergone basic odor treatment, and personnel are positioned downwind as much as possible.

The tranquilizer darts were fitted with longer needles, and the dosage was doubled compared to the previous day, based on the size of the bear paw, drone footage, and on-site destructive power estimates.

Cheng Fang sent everyone's location to the goggles.

"Control it first."

"Control failed, kill permitted."

"Once the giant bear breaks out of the restricted area, it is not allowed to pursue it."

He looked up at the forest.

"You and Jiang Yue will remain at the eastern control point, responsible only for observation and equipment support."

Lin Ye inspected the Zhenling Nail.

"This time it's far from where we are."

"I hope that when something happens, it will be far off."

Jiang Yue sat at the control panel, his right palm still wrapped in bandages.

After Zhao Cheng and Meng Chuan died, he became much quieter, but his work remained perfectly organized.

Cheng Fang glanced at him.

"Can you operate it with your hands?"

"able."

"If they can't hold on, replace them."

"I installed the equipment; it's easier for someone else to make mistakes."

Cheng Fang did not continue to persuade him.

At 10:00 AM, everyone entered their designated positions.

The valley was covered with damp fallen leaves.

The trees on both sides blocked the sunlight, making the ground somewhat dark.

Xu Mian lay prone on the high ground on the left, responsible for observing the valley entrance and firing at long distances.

Qin Zhao hid in the woods on the right slope.

Tang Zhi stood guard near the second device, and the traction wire had already been connected to four fixed points.

Cheng Fang stood at the very front of the valley.

Time passed little by little.

At 11:47, Xu Mian's voice came through the communicator.

Something is approaching.

"Three hundred meters outside the valley."

Not long after, a faint smell of blood drifted in from the valley.

Tang Zhi frowned.

"We didn't put it there."

Seven locations used only odor disruptors and did not use animal blood or flesh as bait.

Cheng Fang immediately raised his hand.

"There might be a third party; everyone be careful of the hillsides on both sides."

The bushes in front were slowly pushed aside.

The giant bear lowered its head and walked into the valley.

The wounds on his shoulder and brow bone had scabbed over, and his left hind leg landed slightly slowly.

It sniffed its way along the ground.

A piece of bloodstained animal hide was stuck in a crevice in the rocks on the right side of the valley entrance.

The giant bear sniffed it twice, then suddenly let out a low growl and slammed the animal hide into the mud with its paw.

It was as if it recognized that smell.

But it didn't leave immediately.

There were no obvious human voices in the valley, and the smell of people was not strong in the surroundings.

It took a few more steps forward.

It has been completely placed under lockdown.

"Activate Unit One."

Cheng gave the order.

Metal barricades appeared on both sides of the valley entrance, and four steel cables quickly tightened, blocking the escape route.

The giant bear suddenly turned around.

Almost simultaneously, two soft sounds rang out from both sides of the rock face.

Two tranquilizer darts were inserted into its old shoulder wound and the inside of its hind leg, respectively.

This time, the needle went completely into the muscle.

The giant bear let out a roar and turned to pounce on the left rock wall.

Cheng Fang met him head-on.

Iron bones quickly covered his arms and upper body.

The bear's paw fell.

Cheng Fang crossed his arms and blocked the view above his head.

boom!

The soil exploded in all directions.

His legs sank directly into the ground, and his legs below the knees were completely buried in the mud.

The giant bear raised its other forepaw.

Tang Zhi's tendrils have already wrapped around its left front and hind legs.

Instead of directly wrestling with the giant bear, she used the rock spikes and tree trunks on both sides to pull it to the side.

The giant bear shifted its center of gravity.

Cheng Fang took the opportunity to retreat.

"Equipment Number Two, start it up!"

Jiang Yue pushed down the control lever.

A deep humming sound rose from the middle of the valley.

The spiritual energy in the vicinity rapidly decreased.

The spiritual energy that had just gathered on the giant bear's shoulders and back seemed to have been dispersed, and the muscles that had been bulging also relaxed.

Two gunners immediately fired at its hind legs.

The bullets didn't concentrate on one spot, but instead crossed and blocked the target, preventing it from turning around smoothly.

A second barrier net popped out from the side, covering the upper body of the giant bear.

All four alloy steel cables are tightened simultaneously.

The giant bear's body sank, and it was forced to kneel on one knee.

Tang Zhi gritted her teeth.

"Is it under control?"

"no."

Lin Ye kept his eyes fixed on the giant bear's belly.

The anesthetic has taken effect.

Its movements began to slow down, and its eyelids drooped slightly.

Breathing is not disordered.

Inhale.

pause.

The abdomen slowly tightens.

The spiritual energy that had been dispersed by the sealing device within his body once again gathered along his spine towards his limbs.

"It's restoring its spiritual energy flow despite the lockdown!"

Jiang Yue immediately increased the power of the second device.

The buzzing sound grew increasingly piercing.

The spiritual energy that the giant bear had just gathered dissipated once again.

It was panting heavily and suddenly stopped tearing at the net on its body.

The steel cables are taut from four directions.

It will struggle towards whichever side hurts the most.

The steel cable on the left front is the shortest.

The giant bear surged forward with the pull.

The first impact hit the rock wall next to the fixed steel pile.

Gravel flew everywhere.

The steel pile visibly wobbled.

The second impact was even more ferocious.

The alloy steel cable cut into its flesh, and the wound immediately reopened.

It seemed oblivious to the pain, lowering its head and continuing to push against that spot.

"Add anchor points!"

Two field team members rushed to the left with spare steel cables.

Just then, gunshots rang out from the hillside on the right.

One of the guards was shot in the shoulder and tumbled down from behind cover.

"The Candlelight Gathering!"

A figure emerged from beside the rock.

It was the lizard shadow.

Instead of firing finishing blows at the wounded, he quickly severed the sensor lines along the edge of the hillside.

Jiang Zhaoye, along with three members of the Candle Shadow Society, rushed out of the woods and headed straight for the depths of the valley.

That blood-stained animal hide was what they used to lure the giant bear away.

While the seven men were lying in ambush in the valley, they were also waiting nearby.

The two sides had different goals, yet they collided.

"Stop them!"

Just as Cheng Fang turned around, Jiang Zhaoye jumped down from the hillside.

A short black stick came crashing down on me.

Cheng Fang raised his arm to block.

The stick struck the iron frame, causing both men to stagger back half a step.

Jiang Zhaoye didn't stop, and the end of the stick swept towards Cheng Fang's side.

Cheng Fang punched him in the chest.

The fists and sticks clashed again.

"Qin Zhao, right slope!"

Dark red embers spread along the hillside.

Feng Jin, a member of the Candlelight Society who was at the forefront, was forced to stop and rolled to the side.

Xu Mian's bullet landed right in front of him.

If they take just half a step forward, the next shot will be fired higher.

But the lizard shadow did not stop.

He continued to move inward along the mountain wall, his body color constantly changing, and he almost disappeared from sight several times.

Tang Zhi separated a strand of thread and wrapped it around his waist.

Just as the silk thread was about to entangle someone, a loud bang suddenly came from behind.

The giant bear crashed into the left fixed end for the third time.

A section of the steel pile was forcibly pulled out.

The team members responsible for reinforcing the area immediately retreated.

The giant bear turned around along the loosened steel cable and charged again with all its might.

The steel pile has completely fallen off.

Losing a fixed point immediately loosens half of the interception net covering it.

The giant bear raised its forepaws, grabbed the edge of the net, and tore it outwards with force.

The alloy mesh emitted a grinding sound that made your teeth ache.

"Power output of device number two has decreased!"

Jiang Yue stared at the screen.

The equipment's external wiring was just hit by a loose steel cable, and the readings are fluctuating rapidly.

Lin Ye looked up.

"It's coming out."

No sooner had the words left his mouth than the giant bear tore open the barrier net.

It dragged the remaining three steel cables as it rushed toward the middle of the valley.

The second device emitted the loudest beeping and vibration, which blocked the direction in which it was trying to escape the pull.

The giant bear charged headlong into it.

The metal casing dented on the spot.

Sparks flew from the internal wiring.

The spiritual energy suppressed in the valley was instantly restored.

The bear's shoulders and back suddenly bulged.

The remaining steel cables broke one after another.

"The lockdown has failed!"

Cheng Fang forced Jiang Zhaoye back with a single punch.

"Everyone evacuate the valley!"

The giant bear broke free completely.

It makes no distinction between the Seven Places and the Candle Shadow Meeting; it will crash into whoever stands in its way.

Feng Jingang had just rolled over to his feet beside the front line when the giant bear charged right in front of him.

He raised his short knife and instinctively held it in front of his chest.

A bear paw slammed down in your face.

The short sword broke on the spot.

Feng Jin crashed into the rock wall, his chest visibly collapsed, and he remained motionless after landing.

Jiang Zhaoye's expression darkened, but he did not approach rashly.

The anesthetic is still in effect.

The giant bear's steps were already a little unsteady, but it still rushed towards the valley entrance based on instinct.

That's the direction it came from.

It's also the shortest route away from the valley.

Cheng Fang pressed the communicator.

"Activate Interception Network Number One!"

The console is not responding.

Jiang Yue tried to operate the system twice, but the screen still showed that the line was interrupted.

The sensor wire that Lizard Shadow just cut and the emergency control line of device number one are in the same set of external conduits.

The automatic shutdown function still works, but the emergency release function fails.

"Cannot be opened remotely!"

"Have the people at the valley entrance release it manually!"

Just as Cheng Fang finished shouting, the giant bear crashed into the interception net.

The entire valley entrance trembled.

The right-side mounting bracket was knocked outwards.

As the two team members responsible for manually unlocking the device approached, the giant bear rammed into it again.

The support frame detached from the rock.

The thick metal support rod fell to the side.

One team member was unable to dodge in time and his right leg was trapped underneath. Another person's abdomen was ripped open by the rebounding steel cable, and he fell to the ground.

"Someone is trapped at the valley entrance!"

The control point where Lin Ye and Jiang Yue were located was on the eastern hillside, the closest one.

The two of them immediately rushed down.

"Lin Ye, stay behind!"

Cheng Fang's voice came through the communicator.

Lin Ye did not stop.

The giant bear is repeatedly ramming into the barrier net.

Each impact causes the retainer to continue deforming.

The player who was pinned down was less than ten meters behind the net.

Jiang Yue first grabbed the man with the abdominal injury and dragged him to the side.

Lin Ye crawled to the fallen metal frame and grabbed the protective vest of the trapped team member.

"Can you move your legs?"

"It's stuck!"

The anchor bar was pressing down on his knees.

Lin Ye tried to lift it, but it didn't budge.

The giant bear crashed into the netting again.

boom!

The last fixed end also began to loosen.

Lin Ye pulled out the Spirit-Shocking Nail.

"I shook the shelf open."

"The ____ does not work."

Jiang Yue reached out and pressed down on his wrist.

There were people trapped under the metal frame, and a team member with an abdominal injury was nearby.

At this distance, if the Spirit-Shocking Nail is activated, it's hard to say whether the frame will bounce off, but people will definitely be injured first.

Jiang Yue dragged the wounded man a few meters away and rushed him back.

"Lift this side."

The two exerted force at the same time.

The metal frame was raised slightly.

The trapped team member struggled to move out, but his right leg remained stuck in the deformed net frame.

The giant bear crashed into the net for the fourth time.

Both anchor bolts flew out at the same time.

The entire metal mesh bulges outwards.

"Almost there!"

Lin Ye grabbed the teammate's shoulder strap and pulled him outwards sharply.

The giant bear has begun to emerge from under the net.

Jiang Yue glanced at the distance, then suddenly loosened the metal frame and took out a sound and light decoy missile from his waist.

"Keep pulling."

"What are you doing?"

"Draw it away."

"Jiang Yue!"

Jiang Yue had already pressed the switch.

A piercing high-frequency sound echoed through the valley.

The giant bear had just emerged from under the interception net when it immediately turned its head.

Jiang Yue ran to the left while simultaneously raising his gun and firing.

The bullet struck the bear's newly opened wound in its shoulder.

The giant bear roared, completely abandoning the group at the valley entrance, and chased after him.

"The person is out!"

Lin Ye and the injured person next to him lifted the anchoring bar together and finally pulled the trapped team member out.

Cheng Fang had already rushed over from inside the valley.

"Take them away!"

He crossed the woods and chased after Jiang Yue.

Jiang Yue ran out along the evacuation route that had been cleared beforehand.

He's fast.

But when a giant bear puts its paws on the ground, it is much faster than a human.

The anesthetic made its body sway slightly, but it didn't stop it.

The distance between the two shortened rapidly.

Jiang Yue threw the decoy missile to the side.

A burst of intense light exploded through the trees.

The giant bear paused.

Jiang Yue flipped over a fallen log, and when he landed, his right foot sank into the wet mud, causing his body to sway forward slightly.

It was only a moment too slow.

The bear's paw was already sweeping in from behind.

Cheng Fang was still more than ten meters away from him.

"Get down!"

Jiang Yue immediately lunged forward.

The bear paw didn't strike his back head-on; it only grazed his right shoulder.

The immense force still sent him flying.

Jiang Yue crashed into a tree and didn't move after landing.

Cheng Fang collided head-on with the giant bear.

Iron bones covered his entire body.

He wrapped his arms around the bear's shoulders and neck, and used all his strength to push it to the side.

Xu Mian's bullet simultaneously struck the giant bear's old brow bone wound.

Qin Zhao's embers burned along the ground.

The giant bear roared and flung Cheng Fang away.

It was already injured and had been given a large dose of anesthetic, so it didn't linger and dragged its left hind leg into the woods.

The branches and leaves shook violently.

Soon there was no further movement.

When Lin Ye arrived, Cheng Fang was already kneeling beside Jiang Yue.

Half of Jiang Yue's protective armor on his back was broken.

His right shoulder and chest were severely deformed, and blood kept flowing from the corner of his mouth.

Medical personnel rushed over and administered hemostatic agents and cardiac stimulants.

no effect.

Jiang Yue barely managed to open his eyes.

His gaze swept across the process and landed on the two wounded men being carried away.

"They're all out?"

The sound was very soft.

Cheng Fang pressed down on his shoulder.

"They're out."

Jiang Yue did not speak again.

The tense fingers slowly relaxed.

My chest stopped too.

Xu Mian's urgent voice came through the communicator.

"Animales are approaching from both sides of the valley."

"There are a lot of them."

First, the sound of wild boars trampling down bushes came from the woods on the left.

On the hillside, pairs of wolf eyes gleamed from behind the trees.

At a lower elevation, the withered leaves undulated, and the rustling sound of snake scales rubbing against the ground grew closer.

The gunshots, the smell of blood, and the roar of the giant bear had attracted all the mutated beasts in the vicinity.

The Candlelight Society also failed to cross the valley.

Jiang Zhaoye led the remaining people to retreat to the other side, where a pack of wolves and several large wild boars appeared behind them.

The two sides stared at each other across the ravaged battlefield.

The gun barrels at seven locations were still raised.

The spirit weapon in the hands of the Candle Shadow Society was not put away.

But neither of them made the first move.

Cheng Fang slowly stood up and handed Jiang Yue over to the medical staff.

More and more beasts appeared in the valley.

The first encirclement and attack failed completely.

Both sets of containment equipment were completely destroyed.

One person died and several others were injured in seven separate incidents.

The Candle Shadow Society also left behind a corpse.

And the bear is still alive.

Now, they are all trapped too.