As Papa Bear sped off into the distance, the outcome of the race was no longer in doubt. Having lost the previous two events to Papa Bear, the final running race was even more of a forgone conclusion. By the time the human contestants completed the cycling segment and started running, Papa Bear had long since vanished into the complex mountain trails.
Now, the spectators could clearly track Papa Bear's movements through the drone's perspective. As Papa Bear plunged into the mountainous terrain, it was like a dragon entering the sea, fully entering its home turf. No big pits, no thickets, nothing posed a problem. It maintained full speed without a moment's pause. The 5-kilometer mountain cross-country race, which took human athletes nearly thirty minutes to complete, was finished by Papa Bear in less than ten.
The moment Papa Bear crossed the finish line, two figures immediately rushed out from the side. It was Mama Bear and the little bear cub. Perhaps sensing Papa Bear had taken first place, Mama Bear, usually stern and temperamental, was uncharacteristically gentle. The heartwarming scene of the bear family of three immediately drew exclamations from the crowd.
"Brother Bear is truly a winner in life! He won the prize and his wife and child came to celebrate."
"Other contestants are still cross-countrying, and Brother Bear is already with his wife and child by the warm hearth."
"Hmph, you all pretended not to see when he was getting beaten up at the zoo."
"At this rate, they might be having a second child soon."
"It's okay if we lost; Brother Bear finally stood up this time."
"Agreed!"
But just as the crowd finished speaking, something even more unexpected happened. Papa Bear suddenly reached a paw into its swimsuit. After a few rummages, it pulled out two large fish, each weighing several pounds. It then presented the fish to Mama Bear as if offering a treasure. The entire audience fell silent. Clearly, Brother Bear hadn't quite stood up after all.
It had to be said that no one could have predicted the final outcome of the triathlon before the race began. People couldn't even guess which animal contestant would participate, let alone that an animal would win first place. Yet, the final result left them feeling utterly proven wrong.
However, even so, the spectators' excitement remained high. After all, they had personally witnessed a giant bear with incredible athletic talent showering its wife with affection. As for the human contestants who had yet to finish, the crowd had seemingly forgotten their existence.
It was at this moment that a sudden change occurred in the live video feed. The human contestants in the frame suddenly began to accelerate as if they had been injected with stimulants. Already nearing exhaustion after enduring the swimming and cycling portions, their sudden burst of speed naturally caused confusion among the onlookers.
"What's going on? Knowing they lost to a bear, they suddenly unleashed their potential?"
"Got it. This is called 'shame leading to courage.'"
"But they're running too fast."
"It does seem a bit abnormal, but perhaps they're speeding up because they know they're close to the finish line."
"Wait, why do their faces look so strange? It's as if they're afraid of something."
"What are they looking back at? Is there something behind them? Are they being chased by a bear too?"
The thought of a recent news report they had seen couldn't help but cross their minds. As the audience pondered their questions, the drone's camera began to ascend. When the camera reached a sufficient height, the spectators finally understood why the contestants had suddenly accelerated.
About fifty meters behind them, four colossal figures were charging rapidly, kicking up dust like small tanks. At a single glance, most of the audience recognized the identity of these behemoths.
"Emma, where did these wild boars come from? Oh my goodness."
"If you hadn't said they were wild boars, I would have thought four more big black bears had appeared out of nowhere."
"They're indeed wild boars. No wonder they suddenly ran so fast; they were being chased by wild boars."
"It's normal to encounter wild boars in this kind of mountain terrain. Our hometown mountains are full of them, in herds. These four are few."
"Yes, yes, our mountains are the same. It was better when they could be hunted, but in recent years, under protection policies, these wild boars have reproduced too quickly."
"This is hilarious. I was wondering how these people could suddenly break their physical limits, only to find out they were being chased by wild boars."
"Are wild boars that scary? They're just pigs, aren't they? Why are these people afraid of them?"
"Are you really this foolish, or are you faking it? With their charging speed, even tigers would run from these four wild boars."
"Where is the organizing committee? Hurry up and find a solution! These guys have no chance of outrunning the wild boars."
"Right, right, this is a work error. Why didn't they drive the wild boars out of the venue?"
After an initial wave of amusement, the spectators gradually realized the seriousness of the situation. If things continued as they were, the four wild boars could indeed catch up to the human contestants. Then, the situation would become dire.
Upon realizing this, the organizing committee's security department immediately activated emergency protocols. However, it was clear they hadn't anticipated the appearance of wild boars, and given the complex terrain of the mountain course, it would likely take some time for them to arrive.
It was at this moment that a figure suddenly ran over from the side. When everyone got a clear look, they realized it was Yang Lin, the director of the Xi Hong Zoo. Yang Lin arrived in the middle of the course and immediately went to the bear family of three.
"Papa Bear, Mama Bear, it seems we need your help this time. Hurry and go help. I'll watch the cub."
Upon hearing Yang Lin's words, everyone immediately understood his intention. Clearly, if they wanted to rescue the athletes as quickly as possible, no one on the scene was more suitable than Papa Bear and Mama Bear. They not only possessed speed far beyond humans but also formidable combat strength that humans couldn't match.
While some onlookers doubted whether Papa Bear and Mama Bear could understand Yang Lin's words, they immediately began to gallop towards the racecourse at an incredibly fast pace. The little bear cub left behind was cradled by Yang Lin. Under the eager gazes of the crowd, Papa Bear and Mama Bear soon appeared in the drone's camera view.
At this point, the four large wild boars were less than twenty meters away from the human athletes. The athletes, already terrified to the point of near-unconsciousness, suddenly saw two big black bears appear in front of them, nearly causing them to faint. However, in the very next second, these two big black bears ran past them and positioned themselves in front of the four wild boars.
ROAR! ROAR!
With two immense roars, the entire mountain forest trembled.
ps: Seven chapters concluded. Tomorrow will continue with a guaranteed six chapters, and seven if possible. My back is aching from sitting. Good night, brothers. If you have time, please click for more updates and support with ads.