"It seems the accuracy is fine; I just need to adjust it a bit more," Chen San nodded, continuing to adjust the sights of the sniper rifle in his hands. "It definitely can't have any errors at the critical moment."
The birds in the woods were startled into flight. Tang Xin noticed the strange sound and looked up slightly, discovering that Xu Xiaoyou had arrived by her side at some unknown time, also carrying a sniper rifle on her back.
She had changed her outfit, her long golden hair tied back in a crisp, efficient ponytail. She wore thick, long thermal boots, and tactical straps were buckled over the black cotton-sock-like tights on her thighs. Two daggers were inserted into the straps, looking like the hidden fangs of a hunter.
Under the constriction of a tactical vest, the girl's figure appeared a few inches taller and more slender. She had shed some of her usual gentleness, replaced by a touch of sharpness and severity.
Tang Xin had never seen Xu Xiaoyou dressed this way or with such an aura. She was momentarily dazed, only smiling after a short pause. "How did you end up dressed like this? It suits you quite well."
"Mm," Xu Xiaoyou replied, her aura steady and restrained as she stood still, gazing into the distance of the woods.
Deep within the heavy shadows and silence of the forest, a massive brown figure was slowly pacing. The fat accumulated under its brownish-gray fur rippled like waves of water. With every step, its enormous head swayed, and a shrewd light flickered in its small black eyes. Foul-smelling saliva dripped from its mouth from time to time.
"What's wrong?"
"There's a brown bear near the campsite. If we don't want to be attacked at night, we have to find a way to deal with it."
Tang Xin nodded thoughtfully. She had learned in her textbooks that the brown bear was a creature with a strong sense of territory and high aggression; they were cunning and extremely vengeful.
If a brown bear appeared nearby, it meant it had already set its sights on you. The reason it hadn't attacked directly was only because it was still observing. Once the timing was right, they would pounce without hesitation, using their bodies—which weighed several hundred kilograms—to pin their prey down, beginning a bloody feast before the prey was even dead.
Even if they moved their camp now, it would follow their scent and launch a surprise attack.
Xu Xiaoyou's eyes turned sharp as she unslung the sniper rifle from her back. She took a step back with her right leg, the butt of the rifle braced against her shoulder.
Assuming a firing stance, she adjusted the sights amidst the biting wind. After confirming they were set to the proper angle, hot breath escaped the corners of her mouth and drifted slowly upward.
A muffled gunshot rang out!
The bullet burrowed into a snowdrift, sending snowflakes flying.
The brown bear watching from a distance was startled. The greed and desire for flesh in its small black eyes vanished, replaced entirely by fear. Leaping from the snow, its massive body shook as it sprinted toward the depths of the forest.
"Did I miss...?"
Xu Xiaoyou frowned slightly. After slinging the rifle back onto her back, she also gave chase toward the depths of the woods.
In the world of pure white, a brown figure and a golden figure engaged in a pursuit beneath the layered shadows of the trees.
Two rows of footprints appeared in the snow. The whistling cold wind constantly swirled past their ears. The branches stretching from both sides were like the reaching hands of ghosts. The forest scenery flashed by in their peripheral vision, and they soon reached the deepest part of the woods.
Further down was a small slope. Looking down, one could see the bushes and thin vegetation at the bottom.
She saw the brown bear leap toward the bottom of the slope. Its massive body lost its center of gravity on the hillside, and it rolled down repeatedly. The scene was somewhat comical for a moment until it reached the bottom, where it stood back up, swaying. Clearly, wrapped in its thick fat and fur, it hadn't sustained any actual damage.
Xu Xiaoyou clicked her tongue inwardly. Just as she was about to slide down the slope as well, she suddenly felt a heavy aura rushing at her face, and a sense of foreboding rose in her heart.
Underneath a fallen giant tree, red light flickered. Looking closely, there was actually another brown bear crouching in the darkness, waiting for its chance. At this moment, those crimson eyes were reflecting her image, filled with a hunger for blood and food.
It was a trap.
"Roar!"
The brown bear's tall body suddenly pounced. Before Xu Xiaoyou could even raise her rifle, a massive bear paw landed on her, knocking her to the ground. A large mouth emitting a foul stench and the smell of blood snapped toward her neck. Her expression remained calm, showing no signs of chaos despite the sudden attack, as she quickly held her sniper rifle horizontally in front of her.
The brown bear's bloody maw bit down on the gun barrel, which glinted with a cyan-cold light, leaving two rows of marks. Looking closely, shallow dents actually appeared on the metal body of the gun.
After reaching grade 2, such an attack was far from enough to wound her, but the sudden ambush had put her on the defensive. Under the terrifying strength, she was temporarily unable to break free and could only grip her rifle tightly, resisting the creature's near-frenzied biting.
The brown bear shook its massive head again and again, its huge paws pressing down on the girl's shoulders, trying to toss aside the piece of iron blocking its way. Right then, a cold sensation came from its neck. A dagger had been thrust into its throat and was being twisted!
Hot blood splashed out, landing on Xu Xiaoyou's face. She continued to control her body calmly, and while evading the creature's bites, she rapidly delivered stabs with the dagger in her hand. Before long, the massive creature stopped breathing and collapsed heavily, rolling powerlessly down toward the bottom of the small slope.
Before she could catch her breath, an ear-splitting roar reached her ears, sounding like a clap of thunder!
As soon as she looked up, she saw that the brown bear that had previously hidden in the woods now had eyes as red as blood. Rage and ferocity erupted from them. While roaring, it charged rapidly toward her position on the slope again. Its speed was so great that it arrived before her in an instant!
Having just gone through a fight, her body hadn't fully recovered yet. She felt a sense of unease as light gathered at her fingertips. Just then, a feeling of lightness suddenly spread throughout her entire body, followed by a warmth like a drenching spring.
It felt as if her entire body was overflowing with inexhaustible strength.
Looking up, Tang Xin had arrived just in time.
The girl's white dress fluttered in the cold wind, and a blue magic circle emerged in her palm. Her voice rose in song, and a beautiful, melodious melody echoed above the deep forest. Layers of blue and light purple radiance bloomed beneath Xu Xiaoyou's feet; those were the special effects of 【Blue-Winged Voice】 and 【Heroic Hymn】.
With the double buffs active, Xu Xiaoyou's movements were nearly twice as fast as before. She successively used several Scatter and Bolt! cards, her figure shifting through the air as she opened up distance from the brown bear. A standard-issue alloy longblade wreathed in flames appeared in her hand.
Flames flickered wildly. Her body was like a nimble ghost as she stepped quickly across the snow, simultaneously using Dawn Haze Blade and Back Alley Thrust. She danced out a circle of flaming radiance that sank deep into the giant bear's neck.
The entire forest was illuminated by the soaring light of the fire.
She extinguished the flames on the longblade in her hand, and the giant bear's body collapsed along with it, letting out a heavy thud.
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