She Was the Treasure All Along novel Chapter 367

Loyce quickened her pace, knowing she had to find the bear before it found the students, or at least sound a warning.

Just as she rounded a dense thicket of ferns, she heard the chatter of several girls up ahead, punctuated by Marnie’s excited shouts and Cyrilla’s listless replies.

“Cyrilla! Look! The map says the supply drop is just in that little hollow up ahead! If we hurry, we can sleep in a tent tonight instead of freezing out in the open!” Marnie’s voice was full of anticipation.

Cyrilla glanced apathetically at the map. The events of last night still weighed heavily on her heart, leaving her drained and distracted. “Yeah, it’s close,” she mumbled.

“Wait a minute, Cyrilla, Marnie, hold on.” A tall boy pointed at the map and then at the dense woods ahead, his tone doubtful. “Are we going the wrong way? The safe boundary line the instructors marked should be right around here. Look at that forest ahead—it’s clearly a primitive secondary forest. The canopy is so thick it blocks the light, and it's choked with vines. It doesn't look developed at all. They wouldn’t put a supply drop in a place like this; it’s too dangerous. We should be heading southwest, where there's a marked path.”

“Oh, you’re so rigid!” Marnie waved her hand impatiently, desperate to prove herself right. Her voice rose. “Do you think the ‘treasure’ in this winter camp is supposed to be easy to find? Maybe they deliberately hid the supply drop in a place that looks dangerous but is actually safe, to test our courage! Don’t forget, finding important supplies or treasure adds a lot of points to our overall evaluation!”

Her words were persuasive, and the eyes of the other hesitant students lit up. Those points would matter for their final school evaluation!

“I think Marnie has a point!” another girl chimed in. “Admiral Shapiro organized this. He wouldn’t let us get into any real danger. It probably just looks a little scary.”

“But…” the tall boy tried to argue. He had attended a jungle summer camp before, and these were the exact kinds of warnings the instructors had drilled into them.

Just then, another girl pointed toward the edge of the dark woods behind Cyrilla and let out a short scream. “Ah! Over there! The bushes are moving! I think… I think something’s in there!”

Everyone’s heart leaped into their throats. They all stared at the rustling bushes, holding their breath.

After a quick glance at them, Loyce resumed searching the ground for tracks, adding, “Go back. Regroup with the others. Tell the soldiers and Lucian to suspend the activity immediately to prevent any casualties.”

The gravity in Loyce’s tone and the look in her eyes made it clear she wasn’t joking. A few of the students were visibly frightened by her stare.

“A bear? Why on earth would someone intentionally release a bear to harm students?” Cyrilla, who had been quiet and sullen the entire way, suddenly became animated. She was the first to voice her doubt. “That’s impossible! That’s a serious crime—people go to prison for that!”

Ever since last night, when Lucian had publicly humiliated her by chasing after Loyce, the name ‘Loyce’ had become a sharp thorn lodged deep in her heart. The slightest touch was enough to set her off.

Why did Loyce get to be so close to Lucian? Why did she get to use that commanding tone, as if a single word from her would command Lucian’s full attention? Was Lucian her lapdog, ready to obey her every command?