Chapter 102: The Kind-Hearted Polar Bear

“Hmph, why should I listen? I refuse to end up like Mother, dying miserably in the end!” Qingyan grumbled to herself.

Meanwhile, in the main city, the city lord’s expression grew despondent as Qingyan’s virtual projection suddenly vanished.

At that moment, a woman beside him approached, wrapping her arms around his neck and speaking softly, “What’s wrong? Did you quarrel with Yan’er again?”

The city lord waved his hand irritably. “Why do you have time to come here? Have you finished the tasks I assigned you?”

The woman pouted in displeasure, pulling her hands away and saying, “I’m leaving,” before turning and walking off.

...

In the Eighth Survival Zone service area, Qingyan shut off the virtual projection. Clara entered and noticed Qingyan’s distracted demeanor. She came over with concern. “Looks like you didn’t have a good talk with the city lord, huh?”

Clara’s smile was gentle, but Qingyan wasn’t fooled. Seeing Clara return, she immediately composed herself.

“Why are you back all of a sudden?” Qingyan asked coldly.

Clara shrugged. “I forgot something, so I came back to get it. Turns out you and the city lord had already finished talking.”

“I’m leaving this place. The city lord has agreed, so you can let me go.”

Clara sat on the sofa, crossing her legs and leaning back, silently watching Qingyan.

Qingyan felt uneasy under his gaze. “Why are you looking at me like that? I’m talking to you!”

Clara smiled and extended his hand, holding a piece of paper. He waved it slightly and said, “This was sent to me directly from the city lord. It says no matter what, you must not leave this place.”

Qingyan was momentarily stunned, then let out a sigh of helplessness. Angrily, she sat aside, refusing to engage further with Clara.

Meanwhile, on the other side, Xi Yan was not in good shape.

A Yuan was locked in combat with a giant white bear, the outcome uncertain. Lin Shuang hovered nearby, watching Xi Yan as if he were a prisoner, her gaze never leaving him.

Lin Shuang’s stare made Xi Yan uncomfortable. He awkwardly coughed twice and suggested, “Why don’t we go help A Yuan? Staying here won’t do any good.”

Lin Shuang shook her head, declining again. “You should stay here. You’re still injured; it’s not suitable for you to fight.”

Xi Yan nodded awkwardly, saying no more, but something about Lin Shuang struck him as odd.

He had meant for Lin Shuang to help A Yuan, but she seemed not to understand.

Looking at her expressionless face, a thought suddenly crossed Xi Yan’s mind, though he wasn’t certain and decided to test her.

“By the way, how do you know Qu Ya?” he asked unexpectedly.

Lin Shuang was taken aback; she hadn’t expected the question and didn’t know how to answer. She merely smiled awkwardly without responding directly. “Why do you ask that all of a sudden?”

Seeing her reaction confirmed Xi Yan’s suspicion, so he didn’t press further.

Suddenly stepping back, he put distance between them and smiled playfully. “You’re not Lin Shuang—you’re the monster here, aren’t you?”

Exposed, Lin Shuang no longer tried to hide. She transformed back into her true form—a massive white bear, even larger than the one A Yuan was facing.

But this white bear appeared smarter than the one A Yuan had encountered. The other seemed to attack blindly, as if under someone’s command.

This bear, however, suddenly spoke to Xi Yan.

“I don’t want to harm you. Pay me 10,000 points, and you can leave safely. How about that?”

Xi Yan smirked. “So you want points, huh?”

“That’s right. I’m the kindest monster in this park. You must be from the roller coaster area, right? You should know how dangerous it is there.”

The white bear paused, then proudly added, “But my ski area is different. I’m a kinder bear. Anyone who comes here only needs to give me their points, and I won’t kill them.”

Xi Yan found it absurd but figured the bear was telling the truth. “Then make that other bear stop.”

“Fine.” The bear roared, and the one fighting A Yuan immediately ceased and started walking toward Xi Yan.

A Yuan was stunned when the bear suddenly stopped. Not understanding, she watched as it approached Xi Yan and hurried over, fearing it might harm him.

Because of the recent fight, A Yuan hadn’t noticed Xi Yan’s condition. She still thought Lin Shuang was by his side and felt somewhat relieved, focusing her attention back on the bear.

Seeing A Yuan return, Xi Yan pulled her close and whispered, “Don’t worry, these two bears won’t hurt us.”

A Yuan didn’t understand, but Xi Yan didn’t have time to explain.

“All right, we’ve stopped. You two owe me 20,000 points in total,” the bear said.

A Yuan was puzzled by the mention of points and looked curiously at Xi Yan.

Smiling, Xi Yan told the bear, “The person you turned into earlier is our companion. She has many points. All our points come from her, so we need to see her first.”

The bear growled in displeasure. “Fine! I’ll trust you this once.”

Playing the white bear, Xi Yan glanced at the other bear. He didn’t see how they communicated, but the second bear immediately ran toward Xi Yan’s direction.

Then the bear turned back to Xi Yan and said, “Your friend will arrive soon with 30,000 points. If you lie to me, you’ll die a miserable death.”

Xi Yan nodded earnestly. “We keep our word. Even if she doesn’t have enough points, I’ll find a way to get them. But can I gather some information from you in exchange for some points?”

Smiling, Xi Yan’s cleverness impressed the bear. “You really are smart!” the bear thought.