Chapter 10: Your Nightmare
“HROOOOAAAARRRRRRHHHHHHHH!!!”
The famished grizzly let out a deafening roar, then lunged at Chen Ning with unstoppable force.
Chen Ning rolled to the side, clumsily dodging the bear’s charge.
The grizzly slammed into the iron door with a thunderous BANG! Dust and cement fragments rained down from above.
On the open grounds outside the building, the spectators—curious recruits waiting to see the outcome—gawked, hearts pounding. When the commotion from the black room broke out, they finally realized that they had underestimated a hungry, furious grizzly… could it really be this aggressive? Is Chen Ning about to be torn to pieces instantly?
Liu Xi’s lips curved in a faint, cold smile as he glanced at Bai Yuhao.
Bai Yuhao, serene as ever. Was he confident in Chen Ning, or just indifferent to the wager, not caring about an Angel’s Kiss serum?
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In the black room building’s control room, Major Jian Qing had sent all other personnel away.
The computer screen displayed Chen Ning and the grizzly in the black room.
Originally, no cameras had been installed. She specifically ordered soldiers to set them up temporarily, curious to observe this anomaly—a human carrying the zombie virus but not yet turned. Why challenge the grizzly? Was it bloodlust induced by the virus?
If it was, human blood would be far more enticing than the bear’s. Human blood accelerates mutation and evolution for the virus.
Then why pick the grizzly, the far more dangerous opponent, instead of targeting humans?
Jian Qing was curious. She casually took off her black officer’s overcoat and hung it on the nearby rack.The tight uniform blouse clung to her curves, while the pencil skirt traced the flawless lines of her hips. Her long, slender legs, wrapped in sheer pantyhose, looked even more striking beneath it all. The tall black military boots on her feet lent her an extra air of bold, commanding allure.
Sitting, she sipped rose tea and watched as the fight began.
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The starving grizzly lunged at Chen Ning impatiently. Though disheveled and desperate, Chen Ning managed to roll aside like a startled donkey, narrowly avoiding the strike.
He escaped the bear’s first attack by sheer luck, but the beast quickly twisted around, its massive head turning as it locked eyes on him once more. With another thunderous roar, it charged again.
This time, its movement was slightly less fluid—still powerful, but a little clumsy compared to the first pounce.
Chen Ning dodged once more, barely escaping harm, but as he rolled away, his body slipped right into the shaft of light spilling through the small iron-barred window in the wall—exposing him completely to the grizzly’s sight!
“HROOOOAAAARRRRRRHHHHHHHH!!”
The grizzly leapt like a cannonball, claws extended.
This time, Chen Ning couldn’t completely dodge. The bear’s claws grazed his back, tearing through his clothes and leaving several deep gashes. Blood instantly streamed down his skin. If he had been even a fraction slower, that single swipe would have snapped his spine in half.
Even so, the searing pain twisted his face into a grimace. His mind reeled in confusion—why did the bear’s attacks alternate between lightning-fast and strangely clumsy?
Gritting his teeth, Chen Ning scrambled back into the shadowy corner of the small, pitch-dark room.
The grizzly turned around, seemingly losing sight of Chen Ning for the moment. It stood still, its massive head swiveling slowly from side to side. Its nose twitched slightly as it sniffed the air—trying to use its sense of smell to locate where Chen Ning was hiding.
Chen Ning’s eyes widened. Bears are nearly blind in darkness, but their sense of smell is extraordinary.
The grizzly’s fur was filthy and dull—long-term captivity had dulled its vision. In the pitch-black room, it relied on scent to track him.
After realizing why the grizzly’s attacks had slowed, Chen Ning’s eyes darted toward the small window in the wall.
An idea flashed through his mind. Without hesitation, he tore off his shirt, then dashed forward in a burst of speed. Leaping into the air like a basketball player going for a slam dunk, he hooked the shirt onto the small window frame.
In an instant, the light could no longer stream in. The small dark room grew even dimmer, swallowed once more by shadow.
The moment Chen Ning landed, the grizzly roared and lunged at him again.
Startled, he ducked instinctively to dodge—but the bear’s claw still grazed his left shoulder, tearing through flesh. Blood gushed out instantly, painting his shoulder crimson.
Carefully retreating to a corner, Chen Ning pressed against the cold walls. Feeling the 90-degree corner, he began climbing hand and foot, like Spider-Man scaling a building.
Chen Ning knew he couldn’t defeat the grizzly, but if he could just climb a bit higher along the corner of the wall—far enough that the bear couldn’t see or reach him in the darkness—he might survive.
All he needed was to hold out for half an hour. If he could endure that long, his trial of self-redemption would be complete, and Major Jian Qing and the others would open the door to let him out.
But the bear’s nose was sharp. Picking up the scent of blood in the air, it soon located its prey.
It lifted its gaze toward Chen Ning, who was struggling to climb upward, inch by inch.
The grizzly slowly rose onto its hind legs, towering high, and let out a deep, rumbling growl in his direction. Its intent was clear—it was getting ready to charge and leap.
“GRRRRHHHH—RRRRAAAGHHH!”
The massive bear leapt, jaws snapping at Chen Ning’s left foot.
Chen Ning had already noticed a faint ring of red light above his head — a surveillance camera. A military-grade unit, mounted on a triangular iron bracket and fixed to the upper corner of the wall.
Timing perfectly, he leapt higher, clutching the triangular bracket like a monkey, hanging in midair.
The bear missed.
The grizzly crashed back to the ground, but it didn’t give up. Instead, it got to its feet, backed off a few paces, then turned around. Its gaze locked onto Chen Ning, who was clinging to the camera’s iron tripod like a monkey—preparing to launch another assault.
Chen Ning could only grit his teeth and suffer in silence. The iron tripod he was clutching with both hands was only meant to hold a surveillance camera.
It had been fastened to the wall with just a couple of small screws—nowhere near strong enough to bear his weight. He could already feel it creaking under the strain, the faint crack-crack of metal loosening echoing in his ears, as the whole thing threatened to give way at any moment.
In the control room, Jian Qing’s jaw dropped, disappointed. This fool has no strength to resist… the bracket can’t hold him long… and the bear is about to strike again. He’s going to die.
Just as the grizzly was about to leap upward, there was a sharp crack!
The iron tripod Chen Ning had been clutching came loose from the wall. Still holding onto it, he plummeted straight down—right toward the grizzly below.
“Die!”
He slammed the iron bracket into the bear’s head with all his force.
BANG!
Thee triangle iron smashed fiercely into the grizzly bear’s left eye. This sharp and powerful strike landed precisely on the vulnerable eyeball of the bear.
No matter how strong the grizzly bear was, its eye was no match for the triangle iron. The eyeball was instantly shattered, and a mixture of ocular fluid and blood splattered out.
The camera attached to the iron bracket also shattered from the impact, the screen went black.
The bear screamed in agony. Chen Ning, now unhinged, took advantage of his position on the grizzly bear’s head, raised the triangular iron stand, and desperately slammed it against the bear’s skull. After several heavy blows, the bear’s face was smashed to a pulp…
With a furious roar, the grizzly bucked violently, hurling Chen Ning from its back.
He landed hard on the cold floor, his chest screaming in agony—two ribs were shattered. Yet, with a death grip on the triangular iron stand, he pushed himself to his feet. In the darkness, his eyes began to glow with a sinister crimson.
The scent of bear blood saturating the air agitated the zombie virus within him. The once foul stench now beckoned like the rich aroma of aged wine, stirring a primal, overwhelming thirst. His body craved blood, demanding a taste.
Meanwhile, the grizzly was a grievous wreck: its left eye obliterated, nasal cartilage shattered, a tooth broken, and its skull bleeding from multiple wounds. Weakened by prolonged starvation in its dark prison, its strength was waning.
Driven by a newfound ferocity, Chen Ning charged. He pinned the beast once more and rained down a frenzied storm of blows upon its head with the iron stand…
The grizzly finally collapsed, both eyes burst, its skull fractured, life bleeding out onto the floor with each shallow, final breath.
Lost to reason and driven by instinct, Chen Ning dropped down and pressed against the bear’s broken skull. With savage urgency, he drank the streaming blood—each swallow deeper, each gasp more animal than human.
Ten minutes later, he paused, the virus calming, and his eyes returning to normal. His body had grown stronger, somehow more resilient.
Ten minutes after that, the iron door clicked open.
Jian Qing, tall and imposing, cautiously entered with her squad.
They stared in stunned disbelief at the dead grizzly and the seemingly grievously wounded Chen Ning collapsed upon it. The troopers had thought it would be a victory if he could merely survive thirty minutes beneath the beast’s massive claws. Never had they imagined that Chen Ning would actually defeat the bear against all odds.
Jian Qing’s voice was sharp. “Recruit #999, Chen Ning, can you stand and walk out? If not, you’ll be considered too injured to continue training and will be eliminated.”
Chen Ning struggled upright. “Major, I can.”
Jian Qing frowned, noting his broken ribs and multiple injuries. “These are severe wounds…”
According to the rules, although he survived, if his wounds were classified as too severe to continue with the training, it would spell the end of his trial—a failed attempt at self-redemption, resulting in immediate elimination from the training camp.
Chen Ning’s jaw set. “Severe for an ordinary person. For me, it’s just scratches.”
He straightened and walked out confidently.
The Azurebird soldiers exchanged uncertain glances. One of them ventured in a low voice, “Major Jian Qing, does this count as a successful redemption… or a failure?”
Jian Qing’s eyes remained fixed on Chen Ning’s retreating back for a full two seconds before she replied with calm authority, “Have a dose of ‘Angel’s Kiss’ delivered to his quarters later.”
“Yes, Major!”
Outside, Bai Yuhao, Liu Xi, Xu Qiang, Gao Feng, and others awaited the outcome.
When Bai Yuhao saw Chen Ning emerge from the dark room, drenched in blood but pacing with resolute steadiness, a smile returned to his handsome face. “Young Master Liu,” he said, “do remember that your dose of ‘Angel’s Kiss’ tomorrow belongs to me.”
Liu Xi, Xu Qiang, and Gao Feng stared at Chen Ning in utter disbelief. The guy had actually come out alive!
Many recruits on the edge of elimination cheered. Chen Ning’s success proved that redemption was possible—they, too, could earn a second chance.
Bai Yuhao greeted him. “Congratulations, Chen Ning.”
Chen Ning nodded, then turned coldly to Liu Xi and his companions. “You didn’t finish me off. Starting tonight… it’s your nightmare.”
Liu Xi’s face darkened immediately.
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