The Mother Hen

Jack Li quickly scanned the team assignments. Relief and dread intertwined — he and Barrett were both assigned to the yellow team, while Candy and Taylor landed on green. If this truly was a physical challenge, the women faced dire odds.

Groans echoed through the chamber as others discovered unfavorable splits.

"Game rules," Earth Ox droned. "Teams compete separately. Survive ten minutes without elimination to earn Dao equal to survivor count."

The middle-aged man shot up. "What fucking rules?! What are we even—"

"Yellow team follow me." Earth Ox turned, ignoring the outburst.

Jack Li glanced at the green team. "Whatever happens behind that door, prioritize survival."

The yellow team descended into an arena-sized basement. A circular iron plate dominated the center, while a countdown timer glowed above sealed steel doors.

"Physical elimination game..." Barrett eyed the empty space. "Where's the damn challenge?"

The doors rumbled open. A guttural roar shook the walls as a nine-foot black bear emerged, saliva dripping from yellowed fangs.

"Fucking hell..." Barrett backpedaled. "That's no circus bear!"

Panic erupted. Two girls collapsed feigning death.

"Get up!" Jack Li shouted. "Black bears eat carrion!"

The bear sniffed a "corpse," then clamped its jaws around her neck. A sickening crunch silenced her screams.

"The plate!" Jack Li pointed at the rusted disc near the bear. "Our only shield!"

Barrett cracked his knuckles. "I'll distract this ugly bastard."

Approaching the beast, Barrett barked: "Oi! Over here, dumdum!"

The bear reared, towering eight feet tall. Barrett held ground until rancid breath washed over him, then ducked a paw swipe and rolled clear.

"Now, Jack!"

As the bear gave chase, Jack Li sprinted for the plate — only to find bare metal. No mechanisms. No clues.

Barrett zigzagged across the arena, the bear's claws tearing concrete where he'd stood moments earlier. "Hurry the fuck up!"

Jack Li's fingers traced the plate's edge. A faint groove...

The bear cornered Barrett against walls. With a roar, it swung both paws —

— directly into the iron plate Jack Li slammed between them. The impact reverberated through the arena as hairline fractures spiderwebbed across the metal.

"Rule one," Jack Li growled, bracing against the plate. "Never bring claws to an iron fight."

At this moment in the center of the arena, Jack Li had flipped over the iron plate and was studying it carefully. The massive metal sheet lacked even a handle, making it impossible to lift as defense against the bear's attacks.

Before Jack Li could devise a solution, a sudden impact struck his back as if something heavy had collided with him. Crouched on the ground, the force knocked him sideways. He looked up to see the middle-aged man from their group standing over him.

The man glanced at the fallen Jack Li and muttered "Sorry" before erecting the iron plate vertically. Gritting his teeth, he began pushing the slab across the floor toward the corner, eventually using it to shield himself while trembling in the recess.

Jack Li frowned, realizing the danger. He'd considered this strategy himself - using the plate to create a corner barrier dramatically increased survival chances. But this approach would only save one person, rendering the deadly game meaningless. Risking a life to win a single "Dao" wasn't worth it in Jack Li's calculus.

"Liar boy, still not done?!" Barrett roared from across the chamber. "You really taking me for a fool?"

"Wait, wait..." Jack Li replied hesitantly. "Give me more time..."

His mind raced. Retrieving the plate now wouldn't help - he needed to protect both himself and Barrett. But the metal sheet's limited size could barely shield one person. What could be done?

Thanks to Barrett's efforts, the remaining eight participants remained temporarily safe. But with only one minute elapsed in this ten-minute survival game, relying solely on Barrett was unsustainable.

A slightly plump girl suddenly rushed toward the middle-aged man's corner, voice trembling. "Let me hide with you... Please... I don't want to die..."

"No way!" the man shouted from behind his circular shield. "Only fits one! We'd both die!"

"We could..." The girl's legs shook uncontrollably. "Each take a side... It'll work..."

As they argued, a bespectacled young man from the man's original team scrambled over. Without consultation, he yanked the plate aside and squeezed into the corner.

"Four-Eyes!" the middle-aged man panicked. "What're you doing?"

"Lao Lü!" The youth retorted through clenched teeth. "You can't hog survival!"

The formerly stable barrier now teetered precariously against the wall, unable to accommodate both men's frames. Seeing this, the plump woman abandoned negotiation and squeezed in from the opposite side. The remaining four participants stopped fleeing and converged on the metal sheet - their last hope.

"Fools..." Jack Li murmured, approaching the scrum. Within seconds, the group had devolved into a bloody brawl over the plate.

"Lao Lü! Stop being selfish! We need to regroup!"

"Four-Eyes! You're young! You can outrun the bear!"

"Grab the plate!"

"Get off! No room left!"

Though they fought with bear-slaying ferocity, none dared approach the actual threat. The discarded plate lay forgotten as Barrett found himself cornered by the black bear. With no retreat left, he spun around and roared again.

This time the bear barely flinched. It lunged forward, claws gouging deep furrows in the wall as Barrett dodged sideways.

"Diu!" Barrett glared at the predator. "You're pushing it..."

Jack Li knew Barrett's death would doom them all. The idea of one man simultaneously fighting a bear and protecting eight others was absurd.

"Wait..." Jack Li's brow furrowed. "Defending while protecting others..." The familiar concept sparked realization. "That's it!"

He rushed to the plate, hefting the massive slab experimentally. "Barrett! I've got the answer! To me!"

"About damn time," Barrett growled. "Coming!"

The bear rose on hind legs, expanding its attack range as its prey appeared to flee. Instead of retreating, Barrett exploded forward - feet planted, hips pivoting, right fist arcing 180 degrees into the bear's cheek with a thunderous CRACK!

The impact staggered the beast backward. It shook its head, snorting steam, clearly dazed by the counterattack from its fleeing target.

"Fucker's built like a tank..." Barrett flexed his bruised hand. Enraged, the bear swiped downward. Barrett shifted weight fluidly, avoiding the strike while destabilizing the predator. As the bear stumbled, he delivered an uppercut to its jaw with a sickening crunch.

The creature howled, more insulted than injured. "Diu! My hand's breaking before you drop?" Barrett spat, rolling clear.

Jack Li stared, reassessing the gangster-turned-fighter's skills - these weren't street brawler moves but professional MMA techniques.

At the plate, Barrett massaged his hand. "Now what?"

"Here!" Jack Li positioned him behind the circular slab. "Use this as mobile cover."

"This?!" Barrett balked. "You gone soft, liar boy?"

"Optimal solution!" Jack Li adjusted the unstable disc. "Just roll it."

"Can't see the beast through this!"

"I'll guide you." Jack Li gripped Barrett's collar. "Left tug means left roll, right means right."

As the enraged bear approached, Jack Li shouted to the fighting mob: "Cease fire! Line up behind us if you want to live!"

The middle-aged man scrambled up, face bloodied. "Drop our plate, bastards!" He charged Barrett, only to be intercepted by Jack Li.

"Move!" the man roared. "Four-Eyes! Help!"

Jack Li's mind flashed to the Pareto Principle - control the critical 20% to command the group. Before reinforcements arrived, he seized the man's throat in a vice grip.

"Cooperate or die," Jack Li stated icily. The man gagged, beating uselessly at the unyielding arm.

Four-Eyes approached pleadingly but strategically flanked Jack Li. Noticing the youth's cracked glasses, Jack Li pinned him by the face, thumb pressing glass shards toward vulnerable eyes.

"No! No!" Four-Eyes froze. "We'll obey!"

The display cowed the group into submission. Even Barrett regarded Jack Li warily - this wasn't just a clever strategist, but someone willing to maim.

Once orderly behind the plate, a girl asked: "How save us all?"

"Simple," Jack Li pointed. "Eagle..." (the bear), "...Chicks..." (the group), "...and Mother Hen." He nodded at Barrett.

"Mother Hen my arse!" Barrett protested as realization dawned. The "Eagle Catching Chicks" formation required Barrett to maneuver the plate-shield while others followed in single file.

As the bear circled, Jack Li directed Barrett's movements through collar tugs. The rotating shield frustrated the predator's every approach attempt.

"How many more charges?!" Barrett grunted after deflecting a paw strike that reverberated through the metal.

"Seven minutes left," Jack Li monitored the clock.

"Seven?!" Barrett exclaimed. "We just started!"

"Bears fatigue quickly," Jack Li assured. "Endure the initial..."

The frustrated bear's guttural growls echoed as it completed a full circling maneuver, finding no weaknesses in the human carousel.