Chapter 9: The Bet
Night fell, and the Azurebird Training Camp sat like an impregnable fortress, quietly dominating the valley.
Suddenly, the camp’s loudspeakers emitted a buzzing alarm. The new recruits froze, momentarily confused.
It wasn’t an air raid siren. Air raid alarms were a critical part of base defense, used for disaster alerts, emergencies, and in wartime, warnings of attacks.
The veteran soldiers, however, instinctively looked toward an old building at the back of the camp. A short, sharp buzz like this usually meant a soldier was about to undertake self-redemption.
In the dormitory, Bai Yuhao, just out of the communal bath with wet hair, paused at the sound, a slight smirk curling his lips. “Heh… this guy’s definitely not ordinary… he actually dared to go.”
Meanwhile, Liu Xi sat on his bunk, playing Go chess with his two lackeys, Xu Qiang and Gao Feng.
Though it was one versus two, Liu Xi always won. The two lackeys had never beaten him.
Just as Liu Xi was about to win another round, the sudden alarm buzz made Xu Qiang jump. “Young Master Liu, what’s that alarm?”
After all, Liu Xi came from an influential noble family and had done plenty of homework before joining the army. Curling his lips, he said, “That’s not an alarm—it’s an announcement. Someone’s probably going for self-redemption, heading to that little black room for the Night of the Hatchling Eagle to challenge the grizzly bear.”
Xu Qiang and Gao Feng were dumbfounded. They had no idea what good facing a grizzly could do. Having faced the dog that night, they knew danger all too well.
Before they could ask more, a fellow recruit burst in, eyes wide. “Oh my God! Chen Ning from our group… he’s going into the black room to face the grizzly!”
The words hit like cold water on a boiling pot—the dorm erupted with chatter.
Liu Xi frowned at the news. A cold smile soon spread across his face. “So it’s him… I bet he knows he can’t survive tomorrow, so he’s going all in, running into the black room to challenge the bear for redemption.”
Xu Qiang asked, “And if he succeeds, what does he gain?”
Liu Xi smirked. “At the very least, the Angel’s Kiss serum.”
Gao Feng frowned. “Why would the instructors give him a hand if he survives?”
Liu Xi leaned back confidently. “Instructors are strict, but they want elite soldiers. If someone can survive half an hour under a bear’s claws without serious injury, that soldier has potential. They’ll extend a single hand of aid to ensure no talent is wasted.”
Xu Qiang and Gao Feng paled. “If he survives and gets the serum… he could completely turn things around!”
Liu Xi laughed coldly. “Even the trained Azurebird soldiers wouldn’t dare face a hungry, furious grizzly alone barehanded. Fatigued, wounded, and weak, he’s just jumping into the fire—asking to die.”
He stood up. “Let’s go see how long this fool lasts”
Liu Xi, Xu Qiang, and Gao Feng, along with a crowd of spectators, approached the Hachling Eagle building. Armed soldiers are patrolling the area. Observing from outside was allowed; entering uninvited would get them removed forcefully.
They saw Chen Ning escorted to the seventh-floor corridor by two soldiers. The guards frisked him, ensuring he carried no weapons, then shoved him into the black room and locked the iron door with a crisp click.
Inside came a low, furious growl—an awakened grizzly, disturbed from its sleep.
Not all gathered were there for mere curiosity. Many, like Chen Ning, were on the edge of elimination, eyeing the Angel’s Kiss as their lifeline. They anxiously speculated: could Chen Ning succeed? If he could, will they also stand a chance?
But upon hearing the bear’s growl, chills ran through them. There is no way an ordinary human can survive a bear’s wrath. Falling back into despair.
Liu Xi, hearing the growl, smirked, also convinced that Chen Ning was doomed.
Then he noticed Bai Yuhao nearby. Liu Xi’s eyes narrowed—why was this guy even here?
Bai Yuhao, like Liu Xi, came from the southern capital, Vermilion Phoenix City. The Bai family was even more prestigious, with a descendant recently promoted to a major. Though not close, they were from the same social circle.
At the camp, Bai Yuhao always finished tasks first, often beating Liu Xi, which stoked Liu Xi’s quiet resentment. Bai Yuhao’s arrogance extended even toward Liu Xi, treating him as he would any commoner.
Liu Xi, sly and aware, always masked his irritation with a smile around Bai Yuhao.
Now seeing him, Liu Xi greeted politely, “Young Master Bai!”
Bai Yuhao smiled elegantly. “Young Master Liu, you’re here too.”
Though polite, the smile was clearly fake, like a shopkeeper’s forced grin, further igniting Liu Xi’s inner ire.
Liu Xi said nonchalantly, “Heard one of our fools decided to run into the black room to court death. I’m here for the show.”
Bai Yuhao’s eyes twinkled. “And why are you so sure Chen Ning won’t make it out alive?”
Liu Xi frowned. “Grizzlies stand two meters tall, weigh over four hundred pounds, with immense strength and claws. Even trained soldiers dare not face them barehanded. Chen Ning can’t even finish training, let alone survive punishment. If he makes it out, that would be shocking.”
Bai Yuhao’s gaze was calm. “You’re right—but don’t underestimate human potential. People survive venomous snakes, zombies, even earthquakes. Mothers lift cars to save children. I have a feeling Chen Ning might just survive the black room.”
Liu Xi snorted but said nothing.
Bai Yuhao, aware of Liu Xi’s disdain for Chen Ning, smiled mischievously. “Looks like Young Master Liu is the more practical one, while I’m the type who loves to hold on to fantasies and hope about everything. How about this—why don’t we make a little bet?”
Liu Xi raised an eyebrow. “A wager?”
Bai Yuhao said lightly, “A small bet for amusement. We bet on whether Chen Ning will survive. If he does, I win, and your Angel’s Kiss tomorrow goes to me. If he dies, I lose, and my serum goes to you. Deal?”
Both men were strong enough to withstand a day or two without serum, so the wager was feasible. Liu Xi, long resentful of being bested by Bai Yuhao, eagerly agreed.
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Inside the black room, the two-meter-tall, 400-pound grizzly stirred, awakened by Chen Ning’s intrusion.
Dim light filtered through a small window, falling across Chen Ning.
The bear, initially angry, now saw a small human. Its eyes gleamed with hunger—it had already identified Chen Ning as prey.
Chen Ning, locked in the iron door with no escape, knew there was no turning back. His heart pounded, breath shallow—but then he thought of his beloved little daughter, Xiao Guo.
His tension eased, replaced by determination. Slowly, Chen Ning smiled, and called out bravely, “Hello there, big kitty—”
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