160 The Pine Forest
Selma Payne’s POV:
We found ourselves lying on the snow outside the base when we woke up. We weren’t wearing much, as if we were just going to the toilet.
That was where the problem lay. Judging from the ti, we were very likely pulled into the illusion when we went out to hear the cries for help last night.
Furthermore, that man had disappeared.
We’d counted the number of people, and everyone was there except for Frank.
This wasn’t good. We could only search for his traces in the surrounding area, but we couldn’t find any trace of him within a 300-ter radius.
“Do you still rember when you went to look for soone with Frank? ” We asked Linda, who was the last person to have contact with him, “Where did you go? Where did you find that man?”
However, Linda’s answer shocked us. “I don’t rember that. The last thing I rember is going out with everyone to check on the situation. I don’t rember going out alone with Frank.”
How was this possible? Except for Linda, everyone had a mory of it.
At that mont, soone knocked on the door of the first base.
Everyone imdiately beca alert and kept quiet.
Aldrich motioned for us to get ready, and he went to open the door.
There was a mber of the advanced party standing outside the door. He looked a little familiar. Wasn’t he the mber who Frank sent to send the man down the mountain?
This person’s na was Mike, and he was currently looking at us with a puzzled expression. “Why are you all looking at like that? It’s really uncomfortable.”
“Weren’t you sent by Frank to send that man down the mountain?” I asked, “You’re back so soon? ”
“What man? What are you talking about?” Mike’s face was filled with doubt. “I’ve been staying in the second base all this ti. I had to pick up a new team mber this morning, so I went down!”
This ti, everyone shivered in unison.
If Mike wasn’t there yesterday, who was the person we saw?
Or rather, was what we saw real?
Now that I thought about it, I was still doubtful about that man’s existence. From what I recalled, Mike was sent out ‘this morning’. If we all fell into a coma last night, did Frank and Linda save the strange man?
Did we fall into the illusionary world the mont we stepped out of the base?
Suddenly, Dorothy’s voice could be heard from upstairs.
“You guys have to see this!”
We ran upstairs, and Dorothy was leaning against the window, observing the outside world.
We followed her line of sight but found nothing.
“What’s the matter?”
“That’s right!” Dorothy pointed at the forest in the distance. “If I rember correctly, we didn’t see many trees on our way here yesterday, right?”
In the direction she was pointing, a large patch of towering pine trees was in the shadow of the snowy mountains. It was impossible to notice without looking carefully.
That was the path we took to go up the mountain yesterday. I was sure that I had never seen this pine forest.
And it was a pine forest.
Thinking of that legend, I couldn’t help but have a headache.
“The seal must have loosened, right?” I mumbled, “The demon’s power is overflowing.”
I thought the crisis last night was caused by the devil’s power. Although I didn’t know why he didn’t bewitch us to unseal it and instead tried to kill us, it was not important for now.
More importantly, our actions would be ten tis more difficult under the devil’s shadow.
Since he had hard us once, would he not do it a second or third ti?
Silent dangers were always the most terrifying.
“Maybe we should go to the pine forest and look for it,” I suggested, “That’s the direction that Frank and Linda went last night. If saving the man isn’t an illusion, then Frank is most likely in the pine forest.”
Everyone agreed. Ti was of the essence, and every minute late would an more danger for Frank.
The werewolf grandmasters had to stay behind to heal the injured, and among the remaining candidates, only Aldrich was the most appropriate.
He didn’t feel at ease letting go alone, but I knew he had to co out and take charge of the situation.
I had Dorothy place a mark on everyone in the rescue team, including Aldrich.
“It’s not far from here. It’s only two kiloters away,” I comforted Aldrich. “If there’s any problem, I believe you will co to in ti, right? Have so confidence in , and have so confidence in yourself. We’re both carrying out our responsibilities.”
Aldrich was still frowning but didn’t say anything in the end. He only gave a firm hug.
“Take care of yourself, Selma.” He did not seem to care about the gazes of others at all. He held my face and said gently yet firmly, “For , for yourself.”
To be honest, I didn’t care anymore. I’d already experienced life and death. Who would care about the gossip of others?
“I promise you I’ll co back safely.” I pressed my forehead against his. “Take good care of the base and wait for .”
After packing up, I led Dorothy and the others out.
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