Survival Queen of the Frozen Wastes novel Chapter 138

Chapter 138 Stalker’s Trap

Chapter 138 Stalker’s Trap

The next instant, a message from PineappleBeer appeared in that all-too-familiar group chat window.

“PineappleBeer: @Riley @TartKing You guys reading me?

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“PineappleBeer: The dungeon’s interference is no joke Had to burn a Group Chat Renewal Card just to get a signal back. What’s your status?”

Seeing those lines pop up, Riley felt a wave of relief.

“SpicyBurger: Loud and clear. I’m okay over here.

“SpicyBurger: By the way, just took down a Level 10 elite. Dropped a Basic Sealing Ball-apparently you can trap monsters with these things. Keep your eyes peeled and grab as many as you can.”

“PineappleBeer: Basic ones? Those won’t hold anything above low-tier.

“PineappleBeer: Since we’re linked up now, let’s mark our positions. No coordinate grid in this forest, so we’ll have to go by landmarks.”

“SpicyBurger: I’m in what looks like a humid rainforest. Giant broadleaf trees, dozens of yards tall. The ground’s covered in thick, rotting leaves, and there’s bioluminescent fungus glowing all over the place. That last monster was camouflaged as a plant, so… maybe don’t go touching random shrubs and flowers.”

PineappleBeer’s reply came back fast.

“PineappleBeer: My zone’s different from yours.

“PineappleBeer: I’m up in the canopy right now. The trees here… they’re colossal. We’re talking hundreds of yards, not dozens. The spacing is wide, ground’s pretty open-covered in ferns that come up to your chest.”

Riley’s brow furrowed slightly.

A damp, dense rainforest on one end, and an open woodland of massive trees on the other. Were they really in the same dungeon?

“SpicyBurger: @TartKing What about you? Sound off.”

A few seconds later, TartKing’s voice message came through-slow, and noticeably shaky.

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“TartKing: I’m here, I’m here! Oh man, you have no idea how glad I am to hear you guys. I was seriously starting to freak out!”

“SpicyBurger: It’s alright. Just describe where you are.”

“TartKing: It’s… really dry where I am. No water in sight, none of those huge trees either.

“TartKing: Feels like some kind of rocky valley. Steep cliffs all around, tangled with thick vines. And… the trees here are full of holes.

“TartKing: Dark holes, everywhere. When I passed by earlier, I swear I heard squeaking and chittering coming from inside.”

A dry valley, cliff faces, hollow trees, and what sounded like group-dwelling creatures.

Riley’s mind began piecing together a rough mental map of their three locations.

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7:49 pm

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Chapter 138 Stalker’s Trap

If she pictured the whole forest as one single ecosystem….

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She was likely in a low lying basin. PineappleBeer was somewhere in the giant-tree zone, probably more central. TartKing was most likely in a valley, maybe along the rim or on higher ground. That meant they were spread pretty far apart.

“PineappleBeer: Hollow trees? Group sounds? TartKing, be careful. That kind of setup usually means monkeys or swarm-nesters, Monkeys might be manageable, but if it’s something like killer wasps… all that meat on you won’t last long.”

“TartKing: Don’t scare me like that, Pineapple! I… I’ve already tucked myself into a rock crevice.

“Tartking: Just saw a couple of red-furred shapes dart past-way too fast. Good thing ducked down and kept still.”

“Spicy Burger: Are they high level?”

“TartKing: I can handle it for now. Don’t worry about me.”

“SpicyBurger: Alright. Pineapple and I will try to move toward you. It’ll be safer if we regroup. Can you spot any landmarks from there? A really distinct peak, or maybe a tree that stands out?”

“TartKing: Let me think… oh! Yeah! On the far side of the valley, there’s this dead tree that looks just like a skull! It’s huge, and covered in hanging vines!”

“SpicyBurger: Got it. Skull Tree. Pineapple, want to make that our rally point?”

“PineappleBeer: Works for me. I’ve got a decent vantage point up here. I’ll climb to the top of one of these giants and see if I can spot that valley.”

They exchanged a few more lines, confirmed everyone was holding up, and then signed off.

Riley took a short break, perched in the fork of a giant tree draped with violet moss.

She uncapped her canteen and took a small sip of warm, lightly salted sugar-water to keep her electrolytes in check.

The air around her was thick with moisture, almost oppressive.

“This terrain is way too complex,” she muttered under her breath.

She scanned her surroundings. Hundred-yard trees rose everywhere, her view choked by layers of hanging vines and massive leaves. She couldn’t make out any sense of direction.

“Gotta get higher.”

She looked up.

Staying ground-level with visibility this poor meant finding TartKing and PineappleBeer would be next to impossible.

Especially TartKing. Even though he played the scaredy-cat all the time, he always said “don’t worry.” There was no telling what kind of trouble he might actually be in.

As she began working her way upward, Riley instinctively pulled up the Regional Channel.

“Current players in region: 10/10000”

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1:49 pm