Rebirth in 1972: Redemption in Changbai Mountain

The axe cleaved through the bear's scalp, the blade making a ten-centimeter-long gash before colliding heavily with the skull.

Thud. The black bear slumped to the side and fell over.

"Has my strength increased too?" Zhou Rui looked at his right hand, which was gripping the axe.

The black bear staggered to its feet, blood gushing from the back of its head—Zhou Rui had severed its artery.

A roar... The black bear was enraged and roared at Zhou Rui with its two-meter-tall body standing upright.

Zhou Rui felt a surge of excitement, his courage rising sharply. "Ah..." Zhou Rui shouted, and then actually charged towards the black bear.

The axe in his right hand swung forward, and the black bear raised its left paw to block, but the axe struck the black bear's forelimb directly.

The black bear's left forelimb was torn open, bleeding profusely, but its right paw slammed down. Zhou Rui bent his elbow to protect his head.

With a snap, Zhou Rui was knocked to the right. He instantly realized he had overestimated himself; his strength was far inferior to that of the black bear. So, he rolled to the side, using the force of the bear's paw to deflect the impact.

"Ah..." Lin Qiuyue's exclamation came from not far away.

After rolling around a few times, Zhou Rui stood up and looked at his dangling left arm, which was dislocated.

"Serves you right for being so cocky. You thought you were invincible in the mountains just because you've gained some strength. You deserve it," Zhou Rui muttered, cursing himself.

Next, Zhou Rui changed his strategy; he decided to kite the black bear. The axe he had obtained by dislocating his arm proved very useful. With one of its limbs injured, the black bear's running and chasing speed was greatly reduced, and Zhou Rui was able to easily dodge its attacks.

The black bear slowed down more and more, its two wounds causing it to bleed almost dry. The wound on the back of its head, in particular, wouldn't stop bleeding, like a tap that had been turned on.

The black bear shook its enormous head, finally realizing the danger, and ran away.

Without hesitation, the black bear turned its obese body around, used its limbs to exert force, and sped away.

It was too late. What the black bear thought was fast was like a snail in Zhou Rui's eyes. In fact, if Zhou Rui had just waited a little longer, the black bear would have collapsed on its own without Zhou Rui having to do anything.

Zhou Rui stepped onto the hard ground, pushed off with his feet, and caught up with the black bear in a few steps. "Hey!" he exhaled, and swung his axe at the back of the bear's head again, then quickly jumped back, determined not to repeat the same mistake.

This time, the black bear was struck and immediately collapsed, motionless. Blood was still flowing from the back of its head, but much less than before.

This time, Zhou Rui didn't go forward again; his dislocated arm made him much more cautious. Anyway, as long as the black bear didn't run away, it could bleed to death. Zhou Rui carefully took a few steps back, then waved his axe at Lin Qiuyue and Yang Ping.

Lin Qiuyue and Yang Ping walked over slowly after a while, walking very carefully, as if afraid of disturbing something.

"How, how is it?" Lin Qiuyue asked, her teeth chattering, as she gripped Yang Ping's hands.

"He probably won't be able to get up; he's almost bled to death." Zhou Rui's expression was calm, but a hint of smugness flickered in the corner of his eye. It wasn't surprising he was smug; anyone who had taken down a black bear with just a wood-chopping axe would have the right to boast. Perhaps with continued training, his modified body could continue to increase in strength, and one day he really would be able to take down a black bear without an axe.

I'm asking about your hands.

"Huh?" Zhou Rui glanced at his left arm. He moved his shoulder, but his forearm was dangling. "Your elbow is dislocated, but it's not a big problem."

"What should we do?" "What are we going to do?"

Lin Qiuyue and Yang Ping asked hurriedly.

"Don't rush, do this. You two hold my hands tightly, and I'll see if I can recover."

So Zhou Rui pointed at the two of them, and their four hands gripped Zhou Rui's left forearm tightly.

"Hold on tight, don't let go." With that, Zhou Rui jumped up and down with all his might. Yes, he jumped up and down like a grasshopper.

Zhou Rui checked himself over and said, "Okay, you can relax now."

"Really?" "Zhou Rui, are you really better?"

The two were overjoyed. Zhou Rui was their only fighting force. If Zhou Rui were injured or something else happened, they would have no chance to resist him.

"That's great, look!" Zhou Rui said, flexing his left hand.

Normally, after a dislocated arm is reset, it should be bandaged to prevent secondary dislocation. However, Zhou Rui was overconfident in his improved physical abilities and believed that he would recover after a good night's sleep.

"Oh, right, Yang Ping. Go and call my younger siblings over, and bring my things with you."

"Okay, Zhou Rui, I'll be right there." Yang Ping said and jogged towards Zhou Ping and the others in the distance.

"Are you really alright?" Lin Qiuyue asked with some concern.

She and Yang Ping were terrified. Wolves and black bears, wild beasts they had only heard of in books and never seen before, suddenly appeared before their eyes, and were even more cunning and ferocious than described in the books.

If Zhou Rui hadn't stood firmly at the front, the two of them might have had no way out, not even the possibility of escaping, because their legs went weak.

"It's really nothing. Didn't you see? You don't even have a single wound on your body," Zhou Rui comforted her softly.

Lin Qiuyue didn't actually see it. When the bear paw came down, she was so scared that she closed her eyes. When she opened them again, she only saw Zhou Rui rolling on the ground.

Hearing Zhou Rui say this, Lin Qiuyue could only look him up and down, and kept patting the dust and grass clippings off his clothes.

Um… Zhou Rui watched Lin Qiuyue clean the dust off his clothes, and for some reason, he felt a little… a little happy. Like a wife cleaning her husband who had just come home from work…

Zhou Rui quickly closed his eyes, silently repeating to himself, "What am I thinking? I'm still young, still young, not old enough to get married yet."

But why is my heart pounding? This is so troublesome.

"Second Brother, what's wrong?" A startled exclamation interrupted Zhou Rui's chaotic thoughts.

An'an saw Lin Qiuyue patting Zhou Rui's clothes and checking him over from head to toe. Thinking that Zhou Rui was injured, she rushed forward at top speed.

When Zhou Rui saw An An rushing over with a worried look on her face, he quickly put down the axe in his hand and picked An An up.

"It's nothing, it's nothing. Your sister Qiuyue was just brushing the dust off Second Brother because he was dirty," Zhou Rui comforted An'an while giving Lin Qiuyue a meaningful look. "Right?"

"Yes, uh, that's right. Your sister saw that your second brother was dirty and was helping him brush off the dust," Lin Qiuyue chimed in.

"So you're going to be my second sister-in-law? I saw Aunt Changchun dusting off Uncle Kangri." An'an's brain was a bit off. Seeing that her second brother was alright and seeing Lin Qiuyue's behavior, she blurted out.

Lin Qiuyue's face flushed crimson, and she quickly turned her head away. "No, nothing."

Zhou Rui, however, was thick-skinned. He rubbed his nose against An'an's cheek and calmly said, "Sister Lin and Second Brother are good friends. She saw that Second Brother was dirty, so she helped him clean himself up."

"Is that so?" An'an blinked her big eyes, her young mind unable to grasp the adult's thoughts.

"Second Brother, are you alright?" Zhou Ping arrived just then with Zhou Rui's rifle and Yang Ping, who was holding Xiao Niangao, his face filled with anxiety. Although he was far away and couldn't see clearly, Zhou Ping still saw Zhou Rui roll on the ground.

"Yeah, it's fine," Zhou Rui said calmly. "Here, give me the rifle."

Zhou Rui took the Mauser rifle from Zhou Ping.

"Turn around and cover your ears."

Everyone followed suit, except for Zhou Ping, who held Xiao Niangao in his arms and covered her ears with his hands.

Bang! The bullet exploded on the bear's head, and the bear only shuddered. It was finally over.