148: Wilderness Walker, Forest Beast

The sky had just begun to lighten when Wang Dalong, still dreaming, was yanked out of his sleeping bag.

“Brother Feng, what’s going on...” he mumbled discontentedly, rubbing his eyes.

“Pack up. We’re going into the mountains.”

Lin Feng’s voice was cold. He was already fully dressed and checking his hiking pack.

Wang Dalong instantly sobered up.

He looked outside at the primeval forest, which lacked even a faint trail, resembling a monstrous maw waiting to devour people.

He couldn't help but shiver.

“Seriously, Brother Feng? Just walk straight in? We’ll be walking until the year of the monkey?”

Lin Feng stuffed the climbing rope into his bag without looking back, his tone brooking no argument: “The RV can't drive any further. We have to rely on our legs.”

The two locked up most of their supplies, only taking five days' worth of food and emergency tools.

Both backpacks were stuffed full, weighing a good thirty kilograms.

Wang Dalong tried it on, and his face instantly fell.

This wasn't hiking; it was pure masochism!

Just as they were about to set off, an old, dilapidated pickup truck drove up. A man in his fifties, dark-skinned with sharp eyes, jumped out. He was the park ranger.

The ranger saw their professional hiking packs, frowned, and walked over.

“You two are going into the mountains?” His accent was heavy.

Wang Dalong forced a smile: “Yes, Uncle. We're hiking enthusiasts, just going for a casual walk.”

The ranger’s expression grew more serious. He pointed toward the deep mountains and shook his head.

“Take my advice, young people, don't go too deep inside.”

“These past few years, the mountains have been strange! There are more wild animals, and they're getting aggressive!”

He lowered his voice and spoke mysteriously: “A few days ago, a herdsman at the foot of the mountain lost a calf. When they found it, only the clean-picked skeleton remained! The footprints on the ground, hoo, they were bigger than a washbasin! It must have been a Blind Bear!”

“And Snow Leopards, they appear and disappear like ghosts, capable of biting through a neck in one go!”

Wang Dalong was terrified, but he forced himself to sound brave: “Don’t worry, Uncle, we’ll just walk around the periphery. We won't go deep.”

The ranger sighed and warned them before leaving: “If you really must go in, keep the fire burning bright at night! Don’t let it go out!”

After bidding farewell to the ranger, the two shouldered their packs and stepped into the unknown forest.

The moment they entered the forest, the outside noise was instantly cut off. Towering trees blocked out the sky, and the air was cold, damp, and filled with the smell of decaying leaves.

Underfoot were thick layers of fallen leaves; stepping on them caused them to sink in halfway up their calves, making walking extremely arduous.

There was absolutely no path here. They could only rely on the red dot on the GPS for direction, forging a path through bushes and tree roots.

The first day of hiking was a massive test.

Steep slopes, slippery moss, thorny bushes—the omnipresent obstacles left them utterly exhausted.

They walked from dawn until dusk, and the sky quickly darkened.

Checking the GPS, they realized they hadn't even advanced ten kilometers in a straight line all day.

“I can’t do it, Brother Feng... I can’t take another step...” Wang Dalong threw down his bag and collapsed on the ground, panting heavily.

Lin Feng was in slightly better condition. He gritted his teeth, found a wind-sheltered hollow, cleared the ground with his shovel, set up the tent, and gathered dry branches.

Soon, a bonfire was burning. The orange-red flames dispelled the cold and darkness, bringing a trace of warmth and security.

The two leaned against their packs, chewing on hard energy bars.

Wang Dalong recovered slightly and asked with lingering fear: “Brother Feng, was the ranger telling the truth? Are there really Blind Bears bigger than a washbasin?”

Lin Feng didn't speak.

He simply plunged his military shovel into the soil beside him. The blade gleamed coldly in the firelight.

This action was more powerful than any answer.

Wang Dalong’s heart sank, and he didn't dare to ask again.

After eating, Wang Dalong habitually set up a night-vision camera, aiming the lens at the dark woods around them for peace of mind.

The two agreed to take turns keeping watch.

Wang Dalong was about to go to sleep when he inadvertently glanced at the monitor screen.

In the screen's sickly green world, a massive black silhouette appeared silently.

Wang Dalong's breathing stopped instantly, and a chill shot straight to the top of his head!

“Bro... Brother Feng...”

His voice trembled as he stiffly raised a hand and pointed at the screen.

Lin Feng immediately followed the direction he pointed, and his pupils contracted sharply!

At the edge of the camp's bonfire, fifty meters away behind a large tree, stood an indescribably huge black shadow!

As they watched, the black shadow slowly stepped out from behind the tree, entering their field of view.

It was a bear.

No, it wasn't a bear; it was a moving small mountain!

An Ussuri Brown Bear whose size far exceeded the limits of their imagination!

Standing on all fours, its shoulder height surpassed 1.5 meters. Standing upright, it must have been over three meters tall! Its massive physique, under the sickly green light of the night-vision lens, carried a devastating sense of oppression.

It didn't roar or snarl; it just stood there quietly.

It watched the two people by the bonfire with a pair of small, gleaming eyes.

That gaze... it wasn't the gaze of a wild beast at all!

There was no bloodlust or frenzy, but a calm, scrutinizing stare!

Like a king assessing tiny creatures who had trespassed into his territory, judging whether they were a threat or dinner.

In this moment, the surroundings were utterly silent.

Wang Dalong didn't dare to breathe, his heart pounding against his throat.

Time seemed to stretch indefinitely.

One minute.

Two minutes.

Five minutes.

The giant bear watched them in silence for a full five minutes.

Then, seeming to lose interest, its massive body turned, and it silently melted back into the darkness.

It wasn't until the figure had completely vanished that Wang Dalong collapsed, his back drenched in cold sweat.

“It... it was watching us just now?” Wang Dalong's teeth chattered. “Judging if we were... prey?”

Lin Feng’s face was pale, the knuckles of the hand gripping the shovel white, veins bulging.

He didn't answer. Instead, he turned and pulled two items from his bag: a canister of high-pressure Bear Spray and a flare gun.

He shoved the Bear Spray into Wang Dalong’s arms.

“Hold this. Don’t let go.”

Lin Feng looked in the direction the giant bear had disappeared, his voice hoarse.

“It will be back.”

These words were like a bucket of ice water, plunging Wang Dalong back into a frozen dread.

“We’ll take turns standing watch tonight.”

Lin Feng picked up the flare gun and, with a 'click,' loaded a red illumination flare into the chamber.

This night was exceptionally long.

Lin Feng was responsible for the first half of the night. He sat by the fire, his back straight, tightly gripping his sole reliance—the flare gun.

The bonfire's light had a limited reach; beyond it lay an abyssal darkness.

Every rustle of wind or grass made his heart jump, and his finger instinctively tightened on the trigger.