Culinary God in Wilderness

"ROAR!!!"

The Black Bear let out an agonized roar, its front paws rising up almost humanly before quickly dropping down again.

Lin Chen’s shot had been cleverly placed. It hadn’t affected the bear’s hind legs, instead lodging itself squarely in the thickest part of its rump.

It was like getting a shot at the hospital as a child; a puncture in that area would only cause a dull, throbbing ache after a fleeting moment of pain.

The arrow’s force was diminished by about half, so the damage it caused the Black Bear was minimal. It would only serve to enrage it further. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝙚𝔀𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝒐𝒎

"Two in a row!"

"Looks like yesterday’s practice paid off. I can even hit a moving target with precision now, though my aim could still use some work."

He offered this quick explanation to the camera, chalking the shot up to a miss so his performance wouldn’t seem too unbelievable to the audience.

The Black Bear, recovering its senses, twisted its head to glance at the arrow lodged in its rump. It let out a series of furious roars and then charged recklessly toward him.

An enraged Black Bear could charge at incredible speeds. Its stumbling gait affected it slightly, but not by much.

A black bear at a full sprint can reach speeds of over thirty miles per hour, which is about forty-nine feet per second.

The two had been separated by over thirty yards. The bear’s short jog had closed that by five or six yards, and with its current sprint, it was within ten yards of Lin Chen in the space of a few breaths.

And this was its speed while injured. In peak condition, it would have been even faster.

Lin Chen still didn’t move.

On screen, the ferocious-faced Black Bear grew rapidly larger, looking as if it would pounce at any second.

A gust of rank wind blasted him in the face. Lin Chen’s brow furrowed as he smoothly drew another arrow and nocked it.

’It’d be a lie to say I’m not nervous.’ After all, he was facing a wild bear, a notoriously dangerous animal. The slightest misstep would mean getting torn to pieces.

You could probably search through every past season of the show and not find another contestant who dared to face one head-on at such close range.

Just as the Black Bear leaped into the air, its massive claws raised high overhead and its gaping maw splattering viscous saliva that seemed about to hit him in the face...

Lin Chen finally moved.

He took a few quick shuffle steps to the right, circling halfway around a thick tree trunk. He easily dodged the Black Bear’s frontal assault and ended up at its flank.

He pushed the bow forward with his left hand while his right three fingers drew back the string, bringing the arrowhead to bear on the Black Bear’s thick hind leg.

THUNK!

The sharp arrow pierced clean through the Black Bear’s left hind leg. The bear hadn’t fully checked its forward momentum, and the impact caused it to lose its balance and collapse.

The arrow had only pierced muscle, not bone. Given a bear’s robust physique and strength, it could still manage basic movements.

It had taken three arrows without so much as touching a hair on its prey. The Black Bear let out two furious roars, its head whipping around. Its wide, fierce eyes locked onto Lin Chen, burning with the desire to tear him apart.

"Ooh, I’m so scared~"

With a glint in his eye, Lin Chen turned and bolted.

The Black Bear, which had been somewhat hesitant, saw its cunning prey dare to turn its back and run. Its dormant predatory instincts instantly kicked in. With its ferocity renewed, it gave chase, limping as it went.

"See that?!"

Lin Chen glanced back, aiming the camera at the stumbling Black Bear. "When you encounter a bear, anywhere, never turn your back and run. It will chase you, one hundred percent!"

...

"Reckless!!"

Watching the perilous scene unfold, Robert slammed his hand on the table and shot to his feet. Beside him, Daniel and Ariana were also staring at the screen, their faces tense.

"Hei! Quick, get ready to take off! We’re going to get Lin! How could he let a Black Bear get that close? I just don’t understand!"

Daniel looked slightly calmer, but he still grabbed a laptop and headed for the door.

"Don’t worry too much," Daniel said. "That Black Bear has taken arrows to both its front and hind legs, so its movement is impaired. In theory, it shouldn’t be able to outrun a person."

"At this range, with Lin’s current accuracy, it’d be difficult for him to miss. A few more arrows, and the Black Bear will be the one trying to escape."

"I get it," Ariana said, shouldering the first-aid kit. "He knows his long-range accuracy is limited, so he risked getting close to shoot. It’s a smart choice, but it’s far too reckless. Who gambles with their own life like that!"

The three of them had just boarded the helicopter and Hei was starting the engine when, just as Daniel predicted, the situation on screen took a dramatic turn in a matter of seconds.

Lin Chen was running uphill. Although the slope wasn’t steep, it was a nightmare for the injured Black Bear.

After chasing for only a few dozen yards, the intensifying pain began to clear the bear’s rage-fueled haze. For whatever reason, it abandoned the chase, skidded to a halt, and turned to flee.

"Trying to run? You didn’t ask my arrow for permission!"

Lin Chen had been keeping a close eye on the Black Bear. The moment it turned, he slammed his right foot against a tree trunk, using the rebound to launch himself forward several feet and start sprinting downhill.

He drew the hunting bow, which he already had at the ready.

TWANG—

The bowstring vibrated.

The fleeing Black Bear took another arrow to its hind leg. It could no longer keep its balance and toppled over, tumbling down the slope.

THUD

Its massive body slammed into a tree trunk with a dull thud.

It struggled a few times but couldn’t get back up. A look of panic finally appeared in its eyes.

By now, Lin Chen had closed the distance to just over ten yards. He advanced step by step, his right hand already nocking another arrow.

"Well then, goodbye, Mr. Black Bear."

The Black Bear instinctively raised its paws to protect itself, trying to block an attack from an unknown direction.

When no sound came after a long moment, it tentatively parted its paws, creating a small gap.

"PSSSST~~~~"

A thick cloud of white mist surged through the gap between its claws and sprayed directly into its face.

"ROOOOAAAAR!!!!!!"

’Huh, who knew this Bear-Repellent Spray was actually pretty effective?’

Seeing the miserable sight of the Black Bear writhing on the ground, Lin Chen glanced in surprise at the cold metal can in his hand before stuffing it back into his pocket.

He remembered Andre telling him that the stuff was basically pepper spray; it didn’t just work on bears, but on any animal with eyes, a nose, and a mouth.

He’d only ever seen the effects of pepper spray in videos; this was his first time using it himself.

He’d be lying if he said he wasn’t surprised that it could instantly incapacitate a behemoth of over two hundred pounds like this Black Bear.

He drew his bow again, the arrowhead tracking the writhing Black Bear.

In an instant.

A black streak flashed In the Forest.

The frantic sounds stopped abruptly.

The Black Bear’s massive body rolled a few more times from its momentum. Its limbs twitched faintly as it struggled to rise.

It managed to push itself up slightly before collapsing, lifeless, onto the grass.