Hide and Seek: The Mad Girl Sees All novel Chapter 65

Chapter 65

“It’s fine, Lyra said, ruffling Lily’s hair. ‘So this round really is hide and seek. The System sure knows how to play, she thought.

She glanced at the others. “Has anyone here ever owned a cat?”

Lydia stepped forward. “I had one when I was a kid.”

Sergei followed. “I had one when I was young too.”

Lily shook her head, sounding a little disappointed. “I never had one. What about you, Goddess Lyra?”

Lyra shook her head. “Me neither.”

“So, do you guys know what makes cats tick?” Lyra asked as she walked.

She headed further inside the Midnight Mall, with the others trailing behind.

Lina thought for a moment and said tentatively, “Cute?”

“Soft and fluffy,” Lydia added.

“Super fun to cuddle,” Sergei chimed in.

Lily bounced on her toes. “And they go meow!”

Lyra kept walking. “That’s all about their looks. What about other things?”

Lydia thought about her childhood cat, which was super mischievous. It would bolt when it got into trouble, and if it couldn’t get away, it’d turn on the charm. “They’re agile, quick, and can jump crazy high. Plus, they’re really good at sizing up a situation.”

Sergei remembered his own cat, a total foodie. “And their hearing and sense of smell are insane. Just tap the lid of a cat food can, and they’ll come running. If you try to sneak some food, they’ll catch you every time.”

Lyra stopped by the mall map. “Okay, what about their weak spots? If I’m right, this round is basically cats playing tag with us, so we need to know what they’re not good at.”

Lina’s smile froze. “Cats?”

“Hunting us?” Lina couldn’t believe it. “How are they supposed to do that?”

“Are they normal cats or Wraith cats?” Lina asked, a hint of unease creeping in.

Lyra shrugged. “No idea. We’ll have to wait and see when the System starts, but I bet they’ve got some special abilities.”

Lyra’s words made everyone’s hearts sink. Six hours of being hunted was already a long time, but if these were Wraith cats with special powers, this round was going to be a nightmare.

“My cat’s only flaw is that it’s lazy and loves lounging in the sun, but that’s not really a flaw, is it?” Sergei said, sounding

unsure.

“My cat didn’t have any flaws at all. So how are we supposed to deal with such perfect creatures?” Lydia added.

Lyra couldn’t help but feel exasperated listening to how much they idolized their cats, seeing them through the ultimate rose-colored glasses. She resisted the urge to roll her eyes-no need to shatter their illusions and break their hearts.

1/4

30

O

O

m

111

15:10 Tue, Jun 30 15

Chapter 65

Lily clung to Lyra’s sleeve. “Goddess Lyra, what should we do?”

Lyra struck her classic thinking pose. “Let’s check out the mall layout first. The System always gives us a shot at survival

“And if it doesn’t, we’ll fight our way out!” Lyra declared.

“Yeah! We’ll steafnroll through this game!” Lily pumped her fist and shouted.

The mall had three floors.

The first floor had jewelry, cosmetics, electronics, bubble tea, accessories, and toy stores.

The second floor had clothing, bedding and linens, outdoor gear, and an eyewear shop.

The third floor featured a cinema, arcade, gym, restaurants, and a pet store.

Lyra pointed at the pet store on the third floor. “That’s our target.”

“Let’s head there first and check it out. Even if these are Wraith cats, they probably still act like real cats.” Lyra said.

“Alright!” Everyone followed Lyra onto the escalator and went upstairs.

Lyra looked around, thinking hard. If they couldn’t figure out any weaknesses, maybe it was time to flip the script. “If these cats are hunting us, what do you think they’ll do?”

Lydia frowned. “Cats are nocturnal, so the dark might give them an edge.”

Sergei nodded. “They’re predators. They’ll stalk us, set up ambushes, and wait for the perfect moment.”

Lily clung to Lyra’s arm. “Goddess Lyra, the System called this mission the Midnight Mall. Do you think the power will go out as soon as the System starts?”

Lily’s question made Lina freak out. “What? The power goes out? Is this game even letting us survive?”

Lyra patted Lily’s head. “Could be. So we’d better grab some flashlights or something. If I remember right, cats hate bright lights.

They reached the third floor, and the pet store was just a short walk from the escalator. The glass door let them see the shelves inside.

“Let’s go in and take a look,” Lyra said, pushing the door open.

The store was brightly lit, with shelves packed full of all kinds of pet supplies.

There was cat food, dog food, litter, toys, and even a cat tree.

But there was only one of each item. Lyra raised an eyebrow. “The System sure is counting every single thing. Looks like this place could be promising, she thought.

She wandered through the aisles and picked up a Chicken Can.

[Chicken Can: Irresistibly attractive to kittens. It can lure them in for ten minutes.)

Lyra’s eyes curved in a smile as she read the pop-up description. ‘Wow, this is a real bonus round,’ she thought.

“Goddess Lyra! Goddess Lyra! I just grabbed this, and the System sent me a message.” Lily called out.

“It says [Catnip: Super attractive to kittens, makes them get totally hyped up for half an hour.] What does that even mean?” Lily asked, running over to Lyra with a pot of catnip in her hands.

224

30

O

m

111

ය

B

Chapter 65

“Lyra, I got one too,” Lina said, holding up a can. “The hint says (Salmon Can: Irresistible to kittens, can lure them in for ten minutes.]”

“Lyra, same here!” Lydia said, waving a cat teaser. “But the hint says if I stop shaking it, the cats will instantly snap out of their trance So, if I keep shaking this thing for six hours straight, does that mean we just win?”

Lyra blinked. “Seriously? You think you can entertain cats for six hours non-stop?”

Lydia flexed her bicep. “I took the Strength Potion, so maybe I can give it a shot.”

Sergei was holding a big bag of cat food. “Everything here is probably meant to help us survive this round, but the other players have no clue, so nobody’s paying attention to the pet store.”

Sergei’s words made Lily’s eyes light up. She tugged on Lyra’s sleeve. “Goddess Lyra, we need to grab all the stuff before anyone else does, or the other teams will try to take it from us!”

“Exactly!” Lina said, clearly catching on. “Right now, the players don’t know the Hunters are cats, but the folks outside will clue them in. We need to hurry up.”

“Alright!” Lyra said.

They split up to grab whatever they could find. Lyra headed to the counter, pulled open a drawer, and found some record books, pens, and a stack of paper inside.

Lyra flipped through the record book, which was filled with pet sales records. She quickly scanned the pages until her gaze stopped at a particular page.

It said: “Ten special breed cats sold.”

Each one had a special ability written beside it.

“Found it,” Lyra murmured, her heart giving a jolt.

“Their abilities are right here,” Lyra said, her voice brimming with excitement.

Lina, Lydia, Sergei, and Lily all crowded around.

Lyra pointed at the record book. “Check this out.”

“Shadowcat: Shadow Sneak. It can slip into the shadows and vanish from sight-almost impossible to spot.”

“Ambercat: Speed Boost. It can outrun any normal cat by a mile.”

“Tabby Mirage: Illusion Trick. It can create illusions that make you lose your sense of direction.”

“Tricolor Mimic: Voice Mimicry. It can mimic any sound to lure its prey right into a trap.”

“Cowcat: Jump Burst. It can launch itself to crazy heights in an instant.”

VERIFYCAPTCHA_LABELVerify