Chapter Thirty-Six: Entangled with a Formidable Nemesis

What should you do when being relentlessly chased by a black bear? Anxious, waiting for answers online.

In Lu Chen’s previous understanding, bears were bulky and clumsy creatures, certainly slower than himself. He believed he could easily outpace them and make a safe return to the river. He was also misled by the bear’s awkward climbing earlier. Only now did he realize that a large size didn’t mean slow speed. This beast was simply monstrous!

Its limbs were packed with powerful muscles, giving it explosive strength while running. Its massive body was like a heavy tank, crashing through the grass without any obstacle able to hinder its path.

In fact, it wasn’t just Lu Chen; many people misunderstood the speed of bears. At first glance, it’s hard to associate such hulking animals with “fast running.” But bears can truly run, reaching speeds of 50 to 60 kilometers per hour in a sprint. Perhaps many don’t grasp what this number means?

The average speed of Bolt, the world’s record holder in the 100-meter dash, is less than 40 kilometers per hour. And Bolt is a sprinter, unable to maintain that speed for long; after a hundred meters, his pace drops sharply. Bears, however, are different!

They possess not only incredible explosive power but also remarkable endurance, able to sprint at high speed for three kilometers straight. It’s like running a kilometer race at one and a half times Bolt’s peak speed—a feat that would make any human seem superhuman.

Within just a few breaths, the distance between them shrank to fifteen meters. It seemed that in another ten seconds, Lu Chen would be caught.

This couldn’t go on... Watching the enormous figure drawing closer behind him, Lu Chen knew he couldn’t keep running full tilt. He could only maintain his sprint for another dozen seconds or so before his speed would drop drastically.

If he didn’t immediately shake off his pursuer, he would soon face the fate of being hunted.

Given that... Climb a tree!

In a flash, Lu Chen saw his escape route. As he ran past a tall pine, he suddenly leaped nearly two meters high, his sharp claws gripping the bark tightly. Then his limbs swung in quick succession, rapidly climbing upwards. While not as agile as a big cat, he was still quite impressive.

By the time the bear reached the base of the tree, Lu Chen was already more than four meters high. Within a few more breaths, he arrived among the branches seven or eight meters above the ground.

Feeling temporarily safe, he finally opened his long jaws to cool off and catch his breath.

Lu Chen knew well that black bears were expert climbers, but staying on the ground would have meant certain death. Up in the tree, however, the dense branches could severely limit the bear’s physical advantage.

For example, now the beast was climbing upward, panting heavily. Though its speed was not slow, it couldn’t match its previous ground sprint. Moreover, every time it climbed another two meters or so, it paused for ten seconds to steady itself and adjust its posture, giving Lu Chen plenty of time to rest and plan.

The bear before him weighed over two hundred pounds, an undeniable advantage on the ground, but a clear disadvantage in the tree.

Most obviously, Lu Chen could retreat onto thinner branches to evade pursuit, which the bear couldn’t follow without breaking them.

Having thought of his escape, Lu Chen didn’t act immediately. Instead, he continued to lure the bear higher.

These pines, growing in temperate and subtropical regions, can reach heights of over fifty meters, true giants among trees. The one Lu Chen was climbing wasn’t quite so tall, but still stood at twenty meters—equivalent to a six or seven-story building in the human world.

Thus, their chase gradually brought them closer to the treetop.

At this moment, the bear’s eyes were bloodshot, filled with savage killing intent. Bears aren’t as intelligent as primates, but their intelligence is still considerable. They can use at least eleven different vocalizations to communicate with their companions and possess a degree of planning and thinking ability.

To this beast, the despicable reptile above it was trapped with nowhere to run. Just a little further, and it could tear its foe to pieces.

Feeling rested enough, Lu Chen suddenly launched himself upwards, jumping with all four limbs. His tail swung with the airflow, like the tail fin of an airplane, helping to balance his body midair.

Shielded by dense pine needles, he landed steadily atop another branch.

“Roar!” Lu Chen called up to his bewildered opponent, issuing a triumphant challenge.

“Growl, growl!” The black bear roared angrily again, its beastly eyes blazing with fury as it turned and began to climb down.

Reaching the branch where the reptile had rested, it swung its thick, powerful paw and struck fiercely.

Even before the bear’s claw landed, Lu Chen had already jumped to a lower branch. Repeating this maneuver, taking advantage of the pine’s elastic branches, he returned to the ground in just a few seconds.

Upon landing, he rolled and sprinted away once more.

The black bear, still high above, roared and quickly climbed down. By the time it reached the ground, the detestable reptile was nowhere to be seen. Furious, the bear did not give up, tracking its quarry by scent.

Among locals, the black bear is sometimes called “the blind one,” referring to its poor vision, but its sense of smell and hearing are exceptionally keen.

Typically, canines’ sense of smell is a hundred times greater than humans, but bears surpass hunting dogs by more than seven times. In other words, a bear’s sense of smell is more than two thousand times better than a human’s!

Scientists have conducted experiments: with a favorable wind, bears can detect faint scents half a kilometer away and hear footsteps from three hundred paces.

So, even though Lu Chen had fled fifty meters or more, he was still not out of danger.

But now, with experience from the first encounter, whenever he felt his body weakening, he climbed another nearby tree to rest.

Soon, the black bear appeared below, roaring threats before beginning its climb.

Once again, the same strategy repeated...

The reed marsh ahead was already in sight. Lu Chen didn’t climb again but instead accelerated, diving headlong into the thick reeds.

With the two-meter-tall reeds as cover, he finally breathed a sigh of relief, assured of his safety.

Yet his joy was premature. After barely half a minute’s rest, another roar sounded behind him, and the reeds a dozen meters away snapped and cracked.

Only then did Lu Chen recall that black bears, besides their violent temperament, held grudges as well. Whether against humans or other creatures, once provoked, they remember their foe through scent, appearance, and sound, keeping the memory firmly in mind.

They will pursue retaliation until vengeance is achieved.

So, all for a taste of honey, had he made an extraordinary enemy?

Lu Chen wasn’t too bothered; at worst, he’d avoid the nearby woods in the future. Surely the bear wouldn’t guard the riverbank forever.

Thinking this, he darted through the gaps in the reeds and finally entered the marshy waters, feeling utterly secure at last.

The flowing water would wash away the scent of his body, rendering even the bear’s sensitive nose useless underwater.

However, his long-desired honey-roasted fish was now out of reach.

A short while later, Lu Chen swam stealthily to the center of the river and surfaced quietly.

There, he saw the black bear standing at the riverbank, roaring furiously.