The siblings sat in the warm house, chatting idly. Tyler Walker hadn’t gone into the mountains; instead, he was leading a group of able-bodied young men practicing martial arts on the open ground north of the village. These past few days, none of them had gone hunting in the mountains. First, because they’d had a bountiful harvest over the past few months, enough to cover everyone’s food expenses. Second, the weather had turned cold, the north wind was blowing, and it would soon snow. The wild animals in the mountains were all very cunning; before the winter snow arrived, they had already stored up enough food. By now, they were probably holed up in their dens, waiting for the snow to fall. Even if they went into the mountains, they likely wouldn’t catch any prey. It was better to take this opportunity to practice martial arts and battle formations more, hoping for greater gains after the snow.

Time flowed by amidst this thick atmosphere of joy. Danny Goodwin chatted with Hannah Johnson for a while, then took a moment to glance at Tyler Walker’s copy of “Lihuo Heart Technique,” put it back, and showed a satisfied expression. Seeing it was getting late, he prepared to leave.

“It’s so late, why go home? Just eat here!” Hannah Johnson tried to persuade him to stay.

Danny Goodwin quickly shook his head. “No, if I go back any later, Mom will scold me again!”

Hannah Johnson laughed, “So you know Mom will scold you, huh? Then why not give her some peace of mind and behave better from now on!”

“I know, I know!” Danny Goodwin impatiently waved his arm and ran outside.

He ran fast, because it was already getting dark. If he got home any later, he’d be scolded again. But just as he reached the woodshed and was about to leave the courtyard, a loud bang sounded from inside the yard, followed by a scream.

“Big sis?!” Danny Goodwin suddenly stopped in his tracks, his heart tightening. That was Hannah Johnson’s scream—what had happened?

No time to think, Danny Goodwin grabbed a hatchet from the ground and rushed back into the yard.

As soon as he burst into the courtyard, he saw Hannah Johnson stumbling out of the house, her face full of terror. At the same time, hearing Hannah Johnson’s scream, Tyler Walker’s father also rushed out from the side room.

“What happened?!”

Tyler Walker’s father wasn’t very old, only about forty, and was quite strong. Seeing Hannah Johnson rush out in panic, he hurried to her side and steadied her.

“A bear, a bear, there’s a bear!”

“Roar…” A huge roar came from inside the house, and then the poor little house collapsed, door and walls together, as a black bear over ten feet tall burst out.

“A bear?!”

It really was a bear!

Danny Goodwin felt like his heart was about to leap out of his chest.

He knew the worst had happened.

Living on the edge of this vast mountain, if nothing else, he knew about bears coming down from the mountains to look for food in winter.

To store enough energy for hibernation, bears were at their most ferocious at this time. In the past, there had been incidents where bears, unable to find enough food and driven by hunger, came down to the village to forage. Each time, the village suffered heavy casualties, and only by sacrificing lives could they drive the bear away. But such things didn’t happen often—only once every few years—so no one paid much attention. Who would have thought it would happen today?

“Ah—!”

A scream of agony and two shrieks rang in his ears. The scream of agony was from Tyler Walker’s father. Seeing the black bear charging at Hannah Johnson, he rushed forward without hesitation—not because he had deep feelings for Hannah Johnson, but because he was worried about the child in her belly. Unfortunately, though he was strong, he was no match for the towering, imposing black bear. Before he could even get close, the bear swatted him on the shoulder, sending him flying. When he tried to get up, he found he had no strength left at all.

The black bear wasn’t interested in him. Its beady black eyes were fixed on Hannah Johnson and her belly. In its little brain, this strange creature with a big belly seemed especially attractive.

Danny Goodwin took a deep breath and raised the hatchet in his hand. He was terrified, scared out of his wits—his legs were shaking, his hands were shaking. But when he saw Hannah Johnson trip and fall to the ground, and the black bear lunged at her, a rush of hot blood surged to his head. He didn’t know where the courage came from, but he shouted and charged forward with the hatchet.

The black bear glanced at the little figure rushing over and didn’t care. Though it was a wild beast, as one of the few top predators on the edge of this vast mountain, it could easily judge the strength of its opponents. This little guy wasn’t even as strong as the skinny “monkey” that had just rushed up—utterly insignificant.

“Bang—!”

There was no suspense. Just like Tyler Walker’s father, Danny Goodwin was sent flying by a swipe of the black bear’s paw. The bear didn’t go easy on him just because he was a child. He was lighter than Tyler Walker’s father, so he flew even farther, crashing straight into the courtyard wall with a dull thud.

“Ugh—ah—!”

Danny Goodwin let out a strange cry, opened his mouth, and spat out a mouthful of blood, his body bouncing twice on the ground.

“Is it over? Is it finished?”