Hide and Seek: The Mad Girl Sees All novel Chapter 51

Chapter 51

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Lyra rushed back at full speed, her roots tearing through the ground, sending dead branches and leaves flying everywhere.

When she got to Lina’s spot, the three pits were still neatly covered, but a thin layer of frost had settled on the leaves.

The temperature had dropped faster than she’d expected.

One of her branches dipped down and gave two quick taps above Lina’s pit.

“Tap, tap.”

Lina lifted the cover and crawled out, curled up into a ball, her shoulders trembling and her teeth chattering.

“Lyra, you’re back,” Lina said, her voice shaky.

The other two pits stirred, and Lydia and Sergei climbed out, all three shivering uncontrollably.

Sergei rubbed his hands together, his hands turning purple from the cold.

Tiny shards of ice clung to Lydia’s hair.

Lina hurried over to Lyra.

“After the treasure chest vanished, the temperature dropped way too fast. Is this what the System meant by upgrading the hunt?” Lina asked.

Lyra’s branch swayed in the air, but she didn’t write anything.

Lina reached into her clothes and pulled out a silver necklace with a small shield-shaped pendant-her Guardian Necklace.

Lina held up the necklace for Lyra. “Check this out.”

“When the treasure chest spawned, a beam of light shot straight down onto me,” Lina explained.

“After I got the item, I threw the chest away. I could hear the ice trees hammering it for a while before things finally calmed down.”

“It’s a Guardian Necklace,” Lina said.

Lina spoke faster. “The System notification said it can protect me from ten deadly attacks.”

“So I put it on right away-it’s a lifesaver,” Lina added.

Lyra’s branch gave a quick nod, letting her know she’d heard.

She looked at the three, shivering in the cold. If the temperature kept dropping, they’d freeze to death before the hunt upgrade even kicked in.

One of her thorny branches pierced the ground, turning over the soil.

With her branch, Lyra carved two words into the earth: “Start a fire.”

Lina glanced down, pulled out her Firestarter, and hurried to the enlarged hay pit nearby.

She opened the Firestarter, blew gently onto the dry leaves at the bottom, and sparks ignited.

The dry leaves caught fire instantly, flames shooting up and heat rolling out in waves.

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Chapter 51

The three, stiff with cold, immediately crowded around the fire pit.

Lina held out her hands to the flames, breathing out a cloud of white mist.

Lyra stood at the edge of the fire pit, focusing all her attention on her thermal scan. The fire pit blazed with heat/lighting up her senses.

Last hour, the game’s rules had the ice trees tracking heat sources. If nothing had changed, this roaring fire would attract every ice tree nearby.

She waited quietly.

One minute passed.

Two minutes passed.

Three minutes passed.

On her thermal scan, everything looked normal-just the fire pit and the three players nearby, nothing out of the ordinary

Lyra reached a thin branch into the depths of the hollow tree and pulled out the Compass.

Right now, the Compass needle was pointing steadily west-not toward the pond, and not toward their current fire pit.

Lyra understood. Just like in the previous mission, the ice trees were prioritizing the coordinates given by the System.

Lyra used her branch to write more words in the dirt.

Lyra wrote, “Lydia, did you get the treasure chest?”

Lydia saw the words and quickly shook her head. “No.”

Lina jumped in to explain, “The chest didn’t show up by the pond, so Lydia missed it and just came back. She hasn’t even used The Book of True Names yet.”

Lyra withdrew her branch and glanced at the Compass in her hand.

“Click.”

A faint click came from the center of the Compass. The needle, which had been still, suddenly whipped halfway around the dial and locked onto the fire pit.

‘Oh, crap. Looks like they’re coming for us now, Lyra thought.

Without hesitation, Lyra pressed the tip of her branch against the Compass switch and shoved it hard to the side, making the needle swing to another spot.

[Countdown: 18 minutes.]

“Click.”

The needle snapped back, locking onto their position once again.

Lyra kept pushing the switch.

The needle swung to the other side.

[Countdown: 16 minutes.]

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Chapter 51

The needle snapped back, pointing straight at the fire pit again.

Lyra kept pushing the switch.

[Countdown: 15 minutes.]

The needle kept snapping back, each time quicker than before. The System was correcting itself faster and faster.

We need to get out of here, Lyra thought.

Lyra coiled a branch around the Compass and stuffed it into Lina’s arms.

Another thick branch wrote a single word in the dirt: “Push.”

Lina hugged the Compass, glanced at the word on the ground, and immediately understood. “I’ll handle it.”

Sergei and Lydia straightened up, bracing themselves for action.

Lyra didn’t waste another second. Three thick branches wrapped around Lina, Lydia, and Sergei’s waists, yanking them clear of the fire pit and charging straight east.

Lyra barreled through the woods, while Lina steadied herself, clutching the Compass with both hands, her eyes locked on the silver needle at the center of the dial.

“Click.”

The needle snapped back toward their position. Lina flicked it with her finger, forcing it to swing west.

“Lyra!” Lina yelled urgently.

“Thirty seconds!” Lina yelled.

“It only lasted thirty seconds before it snapped back!” Lina shouted.

“The System is after us!” Lina yelled.

Just as Lina finished speaking.

“Click.”

The needle snapped back again.

Lina’s fingers danced across the switch, flicking it again without hesitation.

A dozen or so seconds later.

“Click.”

This time, it didn’t even make it to twenty seconds.

Lina kept flicking the switch.

Ten seconds.

Five seconds.

Lina’s finger had just pushed the switch aside, and she hadn’t even let up yet.

The needle jerked back with force, snapping loudly into place, locking onto their position.

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Chapter 31

It clung to them relentlessly, refusing to let go.

“Lyra!” Lina shouted.

“I can’t move it anymore!” Lina yelled.

“As soon as I push it, it snaps right back!” Lina shouted.

“We’re completely locked onto!” Lina yelled.

Lyra didn’t slow down. Her branches whipped around in a sharp turn, dodging a thick tree trunk ahead.

The System is really playing dirty now. Last round, the Compass worked till the game was over, Lyra thought.

She snatched the Compass from Lina’s hands and stuffed it into a hollow tree without a second thought.

‘If it’s useless, then whatever, Lyra thought.

Lyra zigzagged through the woods, ducking and weaving to stay ahead.

‘Dodge, dodge, dodge-just keep dodging, Lyra told herself.

Just run. Lyra thought.