Hide and Seek: The Mad Girl Sees All novel Chapter 76

Chapter 76

“We’ll know what’s behind the door when we open it,” Lyra said.

Lily nodded and let it go.

The five of them huddled in the back of the shop, each checking their gear in silence. Only the occasional scream from outside reminded them that the game was still on.

Time ticked by.

Lydia periodically sprayed perfume into the crack of the door, Sergei double-checked the vent for any blockages, and lina kept fidgeting with her shield item, turning it over in her hands again and again.

Lily sat next to Lyra, swinging her legs back and forth, when suddenly she snapped to attention.

[Attention, all players.]

[In three minutes, the mall will be hit with the first round of Treasure Chest Rain.]

[The chests are packed with supplies and loot to help you survive the game.]

[Friendly reminder: If you don’t join the scramble, you’ll be marked as uncooperative and get 24 hours of bad luck as your reward.]

The game’s announcement echoed through the mall.

Lily tugged at Lyra’s sleeve and whispered, “Goddess Lyra, is that the game’s voice, or is the Tricolor Mimic just messing with us?”

Lyra glanced outside. There was no cat in sight by the door.

“Did you all hear that?” Lyra asked.

Everyone nodded.

“Then it’s the game’s voice,” Lyra said, turning back. “The Tricolor Mimic can only copy voices if it’s right by the door. The farther it is, the more garbled the voice gets. And there’s no cat hanging around our door right now.”

Lily’s eyes lit up. “Now I get it!” Without Lyra, they’d have no way of knowing if there was a cat outside or not.

Lyra stood up. “Let’s get ready to move.”

She grabbed the citrus perfume, twisted off the cap, sprayed it twice on her neck and once on her sleeve, then handed it to Lydia.

“Make sure you all spray it on, and don’t be shy with it,” Lyra said.

Lydia took it, sprayed herself three times, then passed it to Lina. Lina sprayed herself and handed it to Sergei. Lily was last. She took the bottle and sprayed a circle around her head, leaving herself completely drenched in citrus fragrance.

“Even if a cat spots us, we won’t be its top priority,” Lyra said. “The game said if you don’t go for the chests, you’ll get bad luck. So even the players who don’t want to fight for them will probably show up too.”

“As long as the cat leaves us alone, that’s all we need,” Lydia said, tucking The Book of True Names into her inner jacket pocket and zipping it up.

The announcement blared again.

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Chapter 76

[Treasure Chest Rain countdown: 60 seconds.]

Lyra walked over to the roller shutter door and glanced back at the four of them.

“Lina, Lil Lily, Sergei, you three go wait for us at the basement supermarket, Lyra said.

“I’ll take Lydia and we’ll track down the Ambercat,” she added.

“Once we find it, we’ll catch up with you guys at the supermarket downstairs,” Lyra said.

Lina asked, “What if you guys don’t make it?”

“Improvise if you have to. Staying alive is the most important thing.” Lyra replied.

Lina bit her lip and just nodded, keeping quiet.

[Thirty seconds.]

Lina and Lydia unlocked the glass door and slid it open to the side.

Sergei stood by the roller shutter door, his hand on the lever, waiting for Lyra’s signal.

[Twenty seconds.]

[Ten seconds.]

All around the mall, the sound of roller shutters opening echoed in waves, one after another.

Some players hesitated, while others sprang into action.

&

Even the ones who wanted to stay hidden were pushed out of their hiding spots by those six words: “24 hours of bad luck.” Nobody knew what that really meant, but in this game, any punishment could be fatal.

Clatter!

Clatter-clatter!

From the first to the third floor, the metallic shutters rolled up one after another, echoing through the mall.

(5, 4, 3, 2, 1]

[Treasure Chest Rain, begin.]

Sergei yanked the roller shutter door open, the metal slats rattling as they rolled up.

Lyra was the first to burst out, her footsteps echoing down the corridor. She looked up-and the whole place was suddenly glowing.

It wasn’t the overhead lights-it was the treasure chests lighting up the place.

Colorful lights rained down from the three-story-high ceiling-red, blue, gold, green. Glowing boxes of all sizes tumbled from above, hitting the floor, bouncing a couple of times, and rolling off into every corner.

In the pitch-black mall, these glowing spots were scattered everywhere, like fireflies lighting up the night.

Lily burst out, looking up, her eyes lit up with the glow, her mouth hanging open in awe. “Goddess Lyra, this is gorgeous,” Lily whispered, completely mesmerized.

“Quit gawking, run!” Lyra yelled.

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Chapter 76

Lyra grabbed Lily’s wrist, and the five of them dashed down the corridor toward the escalator.

The mall was already in chaos.

Players poured out from every shop-some made a beeline for the treasure chests, some lingered nervously at the doorways, and others took a few steps out only to retreat back inside.

The cats started moving too.

Meows echoed from every direction, the rapid tap of paws on the floor, the whoosh of their jumps-all tangled up with the players’ footsteps and shouts. You couldn’t tell who was ahead and who was behind.

Lyra led the group down the escalator, their footsteps thundering on the metal steps. She didn’t spare a glance at the treasure chests, her eyes locked on the first-floor lobby.

When they reached the first floor, she shot a quick look at the fire exit-no cats lurking by the entrance.

“Lina, Sergei, Lil Lily, get in there and head downstairs. Wait for us at the supermarket,” Lyra ordered.

Lina nodded, grabbed Lily, and ducked into the fire exit. Sergei squeezed through the narrow gap after them, glancing back at Lyra.

Lyra waved them off, and the three of them disappeared around the corner of the stairs.

“Let’s go,” Lyra said, spinning around and dragging Lydia with her in the opposite direction.

On the first floor, treasure chests crashed down everywhere, scattering glowing lights that rolled across the floor. A player threw himself at a golden chest, barely reaching out to open it-when suddenly, a shadow shot out from the darkness. A Shadowcat burst from the gloom and smacked its paw down hard on the player’s back.

A scream tore through the air.

Lyra yanked Lydia aside, hugging the wall as they ran.

Cats were hunting players, players were fighting over treasure chests-the whole place was pure chaos.

“The Ambercat was on the south side carlier,” Lyra said as they ran. “Let’s head there first.”

They dashed past a clothing store, and Lydia’s foot slipped on a blue treasure chest. She grabbed it without missing a beat, clutching it to her chest as she kept running.

They hadn’t gone far when they ran into a cat-a Golden Veil. Before they could even react, the Golden Veil leapt out of their way.

They kept running, circling around the fountain in the atrium and weaving through a row of toppled signs. Finally, they spotted the figure they were searching for.

The Ambercat.

At that moment, the Ambercat was going wild on a player’s back, practically dancing on them, while the player was trapped beneath a treasure chest, screaming and desperately trying to shake the Ambercat off.

Lyra stopped and grabbed Lydia’s arm. “That’s it.”

Lydia pulled out The Book of True Names, flipped it open, her eyes locking onto the blank page.

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