Chen Lishu stood in place, watching Gu Xingdong’s departing back, then glanced at the crowd by the bear enclosure. Still worried, she took Rui Rui’s hand and followed Gu Xingdong.
…
When Wan Liansheng ran back, many people had already gathered outside the enclosure. Just as he was about to look for his wife and son, a heart-wrenching female voice reached him from not far away: “Someone save my son, I beg you, save my son!”
Wan Liansheng’s heart lurched. He quickly pushed through the crowd towards the sound and then saw a scene that made his eyes split with fury.
His wife, Jiang Yuchi, had tears streaming down her face, her hands clinging tightly to the protective fence. Less than a meter away through the fence, a mere stone’s throw from her, was Wan Liansheng’s four-year-old son. Further still, a black bear, alerted by the screams, turned its head towards them. It quickly realized intruders had entered its territory, stood up, and slowly began to walk towards the child.
As the black bear drew closer, Wan Liansheng felt as if he could no longer breathe.
“Xiao Xin, come to Mommy quickly, climb up!” Seeing the black bear getting closer, Jiang Yuchi’s voice was almost a scream of terror. However, the child seemed frightened and remained frozen where he had fallen.
She regretted it immensely now. If only she had known, she would never have let him climb the fence, even if he cried. Now, he had fallen.
“Yuchi, calm down.” Wan Liansheng comforted his wife while instinctively reaching for his pocket. He found it empty and belatedly realized that today was his day off. For convenience, he wasn't wearing his uniform and hadn't brought his service pistol.
Quickly assessing the distance between the bear and the child, and then glancing up at the height of the fence, Wan Liansheng leaped and grabbed the top edge of the fence. However, the mesh was too dense, offering no foothold for his feet. With great effort, he finally managed to pull himself over. Upon landing, he rolled a couple of times due to inertia, but he ignored the pain, scrambling to his feet to pick up the child.
The surrounding onlookers gasped collectively. That was a three-to-four-hundred-pound black bear, capable of swatting an adult man away with a single blow. Wasn’t this man jumping in to his death? “It’s okay, Xiao Xin, Daddy’s here.”
The terrified child, upon being pulled into his father’s arms, finally snapped out of his daze and burst into a wailing cry.
The cry startled the black bear. Especially with Wan Liansheng’s movements, it sensed another intruder in its territory. Its pace quickened, and soon it reached Wan Liansheng from behind. It stood on its hind legs, bared its teeth, and roared at the father and son, raising a paw and swiping at them.
“Ah—” someone screamed out of tension and fear. The more timid ones covered their eyes.
Feeling the fetid gust of wind from the paw, Wan Liansheng hugged his child tighter, ducked, and rolled to the side in a clumsy maneuver.
…
When Gu Xingdong arrived, he saw a dark figure vaulting over the protective fence and jumping inside. Without specialized wilderness survival training, it was difficult for an ordinary person to escape from such a massive black bear.
He quickly surveyed the terrain, pushed off the ground with his right foot, and as he leaped, he used his left foot to quickly push off the fence. In the blink of an eye, he had scaled to the very top of the enclosure.
…
Jiang Yuning and Jiang Yuwei had arranged to meet their cousin Jiang Yuchi at the zoo. However, due to a last-minute issue, they were delayed. As they searched, they reached the bear enclosure and overheard someone saying a child had fallen inside the fence. Out of curiosity, they joined the crowd.
Then, Jiang Yuning saw that familiar, handsome, and upright figure. He had already climbed the fence in a few swift moves. Jiang Yuning’s heart tightened, and she blurted out, “Xingdong, be careful!”
Feeling it wasn’t enough, she quickly pushed through the crowd, desperately moving towards the familiar figure.
“Big Sister?” Jiang Yuwei, with sharp eyes, spotted Jiang Yuchi slumped on the side and instinctively tugged on Jiang Yuning’s arm.
It was only then that Jiang Yuning noticed that inside the fence were her brother-in-law and nephew.
…
“Give me the child.”
As the black bear’s second attack was about to land, a male voice echoed from above. Although Wan Liansheng narrowly dodged the first strike, his clothes were already torn by the bear’s sharp claws, with faint red liquid seeping through the rips.
He knew that with his own skills, it would be difficult to survive against the black bear today, but he was content with saving his son.
“Catch.” Wan Liansheng quickly handed the child in his arms to Gu Xingdong. The moment Gu Xingdong received the child, he quickly turned. The onlookers rushed forward to help, and with a flurry of hands, the child was caught.
Seeing the child safely on the ground, Gu Xingdong looked back at Wan Liansheng. A man and a bear were locked in a tense confrontation at very close range. At the same time, another disturbed bear was slowly approaching.
One bear was already a handful. If there were two, Wan Liansheng would surely perish today.
Chen Lishu tilted her head slightly, her gaze fixed on Gu Xingdong above the fence. She was terrified that Gu Xingdong would impulsively jump into the enclosure to save them. It wouldn’t be two people, but two black bears, and one misstep could cost him his life.
“Xingdong!” Chen Lishu called out anxiously.
Gu Xingdong turned his head and gave her a reassuring look. “Don’t worry, I’m fine.”
Even so, Chen Lishu couldn’t relax. Her grip on Rui Rui’s hand tightened, her palms breaking out in a nervous sweat.
Gu Xingdong glanced at the two black bears again, rapidly calculating several options, and quickly settled on the most feasible one.
He flipped over the fence, quickly grabbed a stone from the ground, and accurately hurled it towards the black bear’s face. His movements were swift and fierce. The bear, in pain, stopped its attack.
Gu Xingdong quickly adopted a horse stance, crossing his hands in front of his chest, and called out to Wan Liansheng, “Quick.”
Wan Liansheng reacted swiftly, instantly understanding Gu Xingdong’s intention. He placed his hand on Gu Xingdong’s and used it as leverage to quickly climb the fence.
Just as he reached the top and looked back down, the two black bears lunged at Gu Xingdong together. His heart leaped into his throat. “Comrade, be careful!”
Seeing that the person had safely made it up, Gu Xingdong swiftly ran a couple of steps towards the side of the fence. He took a deep breath, pushed off with both feet, and just as the bear’s paw was about to hit him, he flipped over the fence and landed safely.
The series of actions was completed almost instantly. The adults and child were safe and sound. Soon, someone cheered and started clapping.
The two black bears inside the enclosure paced and roared below, unwilling to give up.
Seeing that he was unharmed, Chen Lishu, whose heart had been in her throat, finally felt relief. She pulled Rui Rui along and hurried towards Gu Xingdong.
However, a figure darted in front of her and reached Gu Xingdong first.