Chapter 151: Cooperation
Xia Lu Nong sat on the back of the golden eagle, his gaze fixed below.
On the ground, massive bears were running in from all directions, their brown-black fur stark against the snowy landscape.
Xia Huo Qu and Yan Xi Nian moved swiftly through the ruins, like ants on a mission, stuffing anything valuable into their bamboo containers.
They were racing against time, trying to gather everything before the bears closed in.
From the sky, Xia Lu Nong watched them collect notebooks, small instruments, computers, and other items, understanding that many of these held significant value.
These were things they definitely needed to take back.
Xia Lu Nong shifted his rifle to his chest, his eyes unblinking as he focused on the scene below.
If anything went wrong, he was ready to disrupt the bears’ approach from above with his rifle.
His dark eyes clearly reflected the situation on the ground.
The bears were charging, getting closer and closer.
In what felt like the blink of an eye, they were nearly upon Xia Huo Qu and the others from the horizon.
Xia Lu Nong used the walkie-talkie to warn his brothers, “They’re getting close. Brother, you need to retreat now.”
“Got it.” Xia Huo Qu quickly stuffed the remaining items into a bamboo container, then stashed the container in his backpack. His voice remained calm as he said, “We’re checking the armored vehicles now.”
The vehicles they encountered were wheeled armored cars, primarily used for transport, with weaker defensive capabilities. Many had shattered bulletproof windows, and the bodies were heavily dented.
Fortunately, several of the armored vehicles still had their keys inside.
Xia Huo Qu and Yan Xi Nian began testing the vehicles one by one.
Xia Huo Qu’s luck wasn’t great. After trying three vehicles, none of them would start.
He glanced at the control panel.
The fuel tanks were still full.
Yan Xi Nian muttered, “Maybe they got damaged during the battle. Let’s retreat for now, and we’ll come back once the bears leave.”
Xia Huo Qu looked up.
His sharp eyesight could already make out the bears running toward them in the distance.
They needed to leave immediately. If they didn’t, they wouldn’t make it out in time—the bears weren’t much slower than them.
Xia Huo Qu jumped down from the armored vehicle and sprinted toward another one. “Let me try one more.”
Xia Lu Nong, listening to their every move over the walkie-talkie, urged them, “I’m here to back you up from the air. Hurry up!”
Xia Huo Qu responded, “Give us two more minutes.”
Xia Lu Nong replied immediately, “No problem. Kong Zhi and I will head down to see if we can scare a few of them off.”
The golden eagle heard their conversation and flapped its wings, flying toward the nearest bear.
The bear, with its keen hearing, noticed them from a distance and immediately stopped, standing on its hind legs and looking up at them.
Xia Lu Nong locked eyes with the bear. The bear didn’t continue running, nor did it attack.
After a moment of staring, the bear suddenly grabbed a stone and hurled it toward them.
The golden eagle quickly beat its wings, flying upwards to dodge the rock just in time.
Xia Lu Nong was startled; he hadn’t expected the bear to act so human-like.
This was only the beginning. After throwing the stone, the bear roared loudly in place.
Its roar soon attracted the other bears.
Xia Lu Nong felt a sense of relief.
If the bears were focused on them, it wasn’t a bad thing. After all, they couldn’t reach them up in the air. If all the bears were watching their side, it would relieve some of the pressure on his brother’s side.
As he saw the bears approaching, Xia Lu Nong raised his gun, aimed at one of them, and pulled the trigger without hesitation.
The shot missed.
The bear, startled, looked even more aggressive, grabbing another stone and hurling it at them.
Xia Lu Nong hadn’t had much formal training with guns, so his aim was poor.
But the gunshot scared the bears, and now they all started charging toward him with terrifying growls and bared teeth.
Several bears chased after them, snarling and howling, creating a frightening scene.
Xia Lu Nong didn’t hesitate, firing several more shots at three of the bears below.
The golden eagle, understanding his intent, flew lower to help him aim better.
Xia Lu Nong’s luck was famously good.
Though his skills were lacking, his fortune made up for it.
After firing over ten shots, he managed to hit one bear, wounding it and causing it to fall with a thunderous roar.
The other bears, seeing their companion injured, became frantic.
The continuous bear roars were so powerful they shook the snow, causing it to fall from countless dead branches.
Xia Lu Nong, well-trained for such situations, remained unfazed. He kept firing shot after shot, steady and composed.
The more intense the situation became on their side, the less pressure his brother faced.
Xia Lu Nong stayed calm.
The bears kept attacking them.
Focused on the fight, neither Xia Lu Nong nor the golden eagle noticed that more bears were surrounding them than before—no longer just the original five.
By the time they realized the bears had gathered in a large horde, it was already critical.
A total of seventeen bears were now closing in from all directions, forming an encircling force.
Xia Lu Nong immediately understood that not only had they been buying time, but the bears had been doing the same.
He pressed his lips together.
The intelligence of these bears was astonishing—far beyond what they had anticipated.
They had to retreat immediately, or they might be in real danger.
“Brother, we need to run,” Xia Lu Nong said. “Don’t keep trying—it’s too late.”
Xia Huo Qu, who could also sense the incoming bear horde from afar, had a wild look in his eyes. “Buy us five more minutes. We have to at least get one armored vehicle moving.”
“Is it worth the risk?” Xia Lu Nong asked.
“This is our only chance. If we leave now, the bears will destroy these armored vehicles once they realize what’s happening,” Xia Huo Qu replied. “We’re taking a gamble.”
Xia Lu Nong was silent for a moment. “Alright, but if we’re gambling, I’m switching to the rocket launcher.”
“Can you do it without getting hurt?” Xia Huo Qu asked.
Xia Lu Nong pulled his backpack to the front and tipped out a bamboo tube holding the rocket launcher. “I can.”
Xia Huo Qu chuckled. “If you can handle it, go ahead.”
Xia Lu Nong didn’t respond further. He equipped the rocket launcher, aimed at the bear horde, took a deep breath, and said to the golden eagle, “Fly higher; I’m going to fire at the bears.”
Without a word, the golden eagle soared into the sky as requested.
The bears noticed their movement and immediately grew agitated, throwing rocks at them.
Xia Lu Nong’s hands remained steady.
Before firing the rocket launcher, he closed his eyes briefly, adjusting his aim based on instinct.
Then, without hesitation, he fired.
The powerful recoil of the rocket launcher knocked him flat against the golden eagle’s back, sending a sharp pain through his spine.
At the same time, a deafening explosion echoed across the wasteland.
Debris flew in all directions, and Xia Lu Nong felt something brush past his forehead.
It took several seconds for his vision to clear again.
When he looked down, he saw that only one bear had died, and another was severely injured, while the rest had only sustained minor wounds.
But the battle had officially begun.
The bears’ anguished and furious roars grew more terrifying.
Even Xia Lu Nong felt a chill hearing them.
The bears, realizing they couldn’t hit their targets, immediately turned their attention to Xia Huo Qu and Yan Xi Nian, who were hiding in the ruins.
Xia Lu Nong shouted a warning, “Brother! Run! The bears are coming!”
Xia Huo Qu already knew the bears were headed their way.
The distance between them was so short that they could smell the foul breath of the approaching bears.
The ground shook as the enraged bears charged, the vibrations reverberating through their chests as if squeezing their hearts.
Xia Huo Qu had managed to start one of the armored vehicles, but he wasn’t familiar with its controls, so the process was slow.
The vehicle also seemed to have some issues.
He needed more time to get it running smoothly.
Xia Lu Nong, seeing that his brother wasn’t going to give up, said nothing. Instead, he switched his weapon and began firing rapidly at the bears below.
Unfortunately, the bullets posed little threat to the bears.
They surrounded them from all sides again.
Xia Lu Nong didn’t have time to react to all the bears, and many of his shots hit the ground instead.
At that moment, Yan Xi Nian, who had been helping Xia Huo Qu, finally finished the final adjustment and suddenly leaped out of the vehicle.
A gigantic white tiger emerged the moment he landed on the ground.
His clothes were completely torn apart.
Feathers from his down jacket scattered everywhere, along with shreds of fabric and leather.
As soon as the giant tiger touched down, it swiped at the nearest bear with its enormous paw.
The tiger moved with incredible speed, and with one swipe to the bear’s head, it sent the huge creature tumbling to the ground.
After knocking one bear down, the tiger didn’t linger, roaring as it charged at another bear that posed a threat to the armored vehicle.
The armored vehicle started moving, gradually picking up speed.
Xia Huo Qu freed one hand and calmly said to Xia Lu Nong, who was riding on the back of the golden eagle, “Lu Nong, tell Xi Nian to change back into human form and have Kong Zhi help him.”
