She Was the Treasure All Along novel Chapter 365

Zelie’s silly, cheerful expression instantly vanished. She tried to convey a sense of panic, pointing again toward the mountain. “A big iron cage!”

Loyce's relaxed demeanor changed in a heartbeat. Her gaze sharpened as she looked in the direction Zelie was pointing—toward the very area where the students were participating in their activity.

“You’re saying the bear went there?” Loyce pointed to the mountain again. “Where did you see it from?”

“Behind,” Zelie said, pointing back towards the kitchen. “From behind.”

Loyce stood up abruptly, gripping Zelie’s arm. “Take me to where you saw it, okay?”

Zelie nodded, then wrapped her arms around Loyce's, happily leading her back toward the kitchen.

The kitchen staff gave Loyce apologetic looks. “Alright, Zelie, let go of the young lady now.”

“It’s fine,” Loyce said. “She’s just showing me where she lives. We’ll be right out.”

Zelie led Loyce into her small bedroom, which had a single window. She motioned for Loyce to stand in front of it and pointed. “Big bear.”

Loyce looked out the window and, relying on her extensive knowledge, immediately noticed distinct tire tracks in the muddy ground. Judging by their depth, they had to have been made by a large truck.

Only one refrigerated truck had come in yesterday, but Lucian’s men had checked it and found no problems at the time.

Loyce told Zelie to stay put while she went out to the clearing behind the kitchen. Crouching down, she examined the ground more closely and found what looked like drag marks from a heavy cage being moved.

“There’s a bear in the forest. Recall all the students immediately,” Loyce said, striding in with a grave expression. “If something happens, all of you will be held responsible.”

But that wasn’t even the most critical part. Many of the students at Victory High School came from wealthy families. If any of these scions died, the public and media backlash would be enough to destroy the careers of every soldier present.

“A bear? How could there be a bear? This area at most has some poisonous snakes and small animals. The owner of Yavon Manor maintains this mountain and monitors it constantly. Besides, we conducted a full sweep of the area. If there was a bear, we would have found it.”

A soldier sitting inside thought Loyce’s claim was absurd. It sounded to him like she was questioning their judgment. “Loyce, did you hear some joke and take it seriously?”

Loyce shook her head. “The refrigerated truck that came in last night was compromised. Someone tampered with it and smuggled a bear inside.”

The soldiers’ faces changed drastically at her words, but an older lieutenant immediately voiced his skepticism. “Loyce, that’s impossible! Harvey personally inspected that truck last night and confirmed it was full of frozen seafood, with no hidden compartments. And we surveyed this entire forest beforehand. There were no signs of any large predators.”