Hide and Seek: The Mad Girl Sees All novel Chapter 52

Chapter 52

Lyra didn’t hesitate for long.

She headed southwest.

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There was only one ice tree in that direction. With the group closing in from behind, ramming this lone ice tree was their best shot at escape.

Dirt flew as the massive gray trunk barreled forward, snapping the deadwood blocking their way.

Lydia, Lina, and Sergei were lifted off the ground, the wind whipping across their faces,

On the holo-net, the lone ice tree was getting closer, and they could finally see through the last bushes.

It was Jane!

Four mangled human bodies still hung from its thick branches.

When Jane’s thermal scan swept over, she locked onto the three figures dangling from Lyra’s branches, not Lyra herself.

Jane’s massive branches rose up, hanging in the air for a couple of seconds.

“Huh? What the hell? Why are these three still alive? They’re not impaled on the thorns-looks like the branches have pulled back their thorns and are actually shielding them, Jane thought.

Jane was confused, perplexed, and then downright pissed off.

Lyra’s roots slammed into the ground, forcing her way out from Jane’s right side. As their branches crossed, she reached for Jane’s furthest branch and grabbed it.

With a sharp twist, she snapped it off.

“Crack!”

The branch broke clean off.

‘It’s not one of us! It’s not killing its prey-it’s saving them!’ Jane realized.

As Lyra broke free from the encirclement, she could feel the bark on her body starting to crack and loosen.

I’ve been exposed!’ Lyra thought.

The gray bark peeled away from her fingertips, her roots pulled back and morphed into human legs. She stumbled as she landed, and her branches let go, dropping the three onto the ground.

Cold air rushed over her bare skin, making her shiver.

“Run!” Lyra shouted.

Behind them, Jane, now furious after seeing through Lyra’s cover, drove her roots into the ground and barreled straight toward them.

The four of them took off, their feet pounding through the fallen leaves as the sound of rustling chased after them.

“Lydia!” Lyra shouted to the side. “The book!”

Lydia pulled out The Book of True Names, its cover a deep crimson, and flipped it open.

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The words “Jane Sullivan glowed red on the page.

“Command her to block the remaining ice trees!” Lyra ordered.

Lina translated right away, and Lydia lifted The Book of True Names.

“Jane.”

“Sulli.”

“van.”

Lydia’s voice rang out, crisp and precise.

The characters on the page burst into crimson light, forming a tangible red beam that shot straight at Song Jinshu’s tree, the one closest behind them. The beam sank deep into her gray bark.

Lydia shouted in Ursarian, “Block all the ice trees behind us!”

The command took effect.

Jane’s roots drove forcefully into the earth, her massive trunk coming to an abrupt stop. She swung around to confront the nine ice trees barreling toward her.

This was a head-on, no-holds-barred fight to the death.

The first ice tree charged in, lashing out with its branches.

Jane lifted her two main branches to meet the attack.

“Bang!”

The two trees crashed into each other.

Wooden thorns splintered.

The third ice tree slammed into Jane.

A massive chunk of Jane’s bark was brutally torn away.

Gray sap splattered onto the ground.

Jane didn’t retreat. Her branches whipped out through the air.

On the Draconian Live Channel, the feed cut to this final stand.

The chat went quiet for a few seconds, then exploded with messages.

LyraSuperfan: [Saint Jane…)

Momo: [Even in death, Saint Jane is still fighting for our survival.]

NeverAteVeggies: [Even as a monster, she’s still protecting us.]

NeverAteMeat: [Even if it’s a forced command, knowing it’s Saint Jane makes me want to cry.]

SoftHeart: [I can’t watch this. She’s fighting nine at once, her branches are about to snap…]

LuckyKoi: [Salute to the warrior.]

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Chapter 52

BornToCuss: [Does this damn game even have a bottom line?]

GoDraconia: [Wait! Look at the top of the screen!]

LyraGOAT: [Something’s up with those trees on the right!]

At the center of the screen, Jane was locked in a desperate battle against nine ice trees.

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She was quickly overwhelmed, her strength fading fast as several of her branches snapped under the relentless barrage

But then, out of nowhere, six of the nine ice trees attacking her suddenly started moving erratically, their formation falling

apart.

Their branches, raised high in the air, froze mid-swing, and the rustling of their leaves suddenly stopped.

One of the ice trees was just about to drive its branch straight into Jane’s trunk.

The next second-

It froze.

Its massive roots twisted in place, turning to face the ice tree right beside it, the one it had been battling.

“Bang!”

The sluggish ice tree swung its branch full force, smashing it right into the trunk of another ice tree.

The bark on the hit tree shattered on impact, splintering everywhere.

A chain reaction erupted.

The second ice tree betrayed its own kind.

Then the fourth.

And the sixth.

All six ice trees dropped their orders to capture and started fighting alongside Jane.

Now it was seven against three.

The tide had turned.

The three ice trees still following the System’s orders were pushed back, shattered limbs and splinters flying everywhere.

The Live Channel chat exploded again.

LyraSuperfan: (Infighting? Betrayal? Wait, are those six trees actually buddies with Saint Jane?]

DontTalkToMe: [Those six are the dreamweavers by the pond.J

momo: [Yeah, it’s really the dreamweaver trees!]

BornToCuss: [What kind of dream did Goddess Lyra weave for them?]

LyraGOAT: [Could it be that the consciousness of the players who died on the battlefield was awakened by Goddess Lyra’s dream?]

NeverAteVeggies: [I don’t know…]

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GoDraconia: [If their consciousness really was awakened, then even after death, they’re still fighting for Draconia’s survival [

Soft Heart: [This just makes me want to cry even more TT]

Another DayAlive: [So after the game ends, will they get punished?]

At the Command Center, Lana Sterling stood in front of the main screen.

“Pull up the footage,” she ordered.

Garrett Hayes tapped away at the keyboard.

“Analyze the behavior nodes,” Lana continued, “and record the trigger response of the dreamweaving item.”

Garrett bent over to take notes.

“Chief Advisor, data extraction complete,” Garrett reported.

Lana Sterling gazed at Jane on the screen, thinking this could be the last time she ever saw her comrade.

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