195 Linda Is Missing
Selma Payne’s POV:
After some discussion, we’d decided to search within a three-kilometer radius tomorrow.
The area was not too small. This was not a simple walk. In fact, in the snow-capped mountain area, full of obstacles, even a range of 500 meters in diameter was very difficult to deal with. If anyone encountered some trouble that was difficult to solve, it would take an entire day.
We’d arranged for five teams of six to search in different directions. The werewolf grandmasters had carved the same mark on the team members as before so that if any team found traces of the pine forest, they could contact the other groups in time.
Master Kevin and Frank would stay behind to guard the ruins of the witch clan, while Master Hayley and Master Mary would lead two different teams. One of the other teams would be led by me, and experienced old members would lead the rest.
I thought Aldrich would lead another team, but he and Dorothy stayed by my side.
“You’re the most important factor in this plan,” he said. “Be it for public or private reasons, I want to stay by your side and protect you personally.”
At eight o’clock in the morning, we officially embarked on our journey.
We were lucky to have a sunny day. The environment, visibility, and temperature were all very friendly, making our search smooth. We didn’t find any traces of pine trees that exuded an evil aura.
At five o ‘clock in the evening, we returned without any results. Four other teams also returned with no results.
Now, our only hope in this life was the team led by Master Hayley.
When it was close to six o’clock, we received a notification from the mark.
This meant that the other team had made a discovery!
We could use the mark to guide us to the location of Master Hayley’s team, but it was almost dark now. It was hazardous to walk in the vast snowfield at night. The weather in the dark snow mountains was often unpredictable. If we forced our way out, we would likely encounter life-threatening danger, but if we didn’t go, we’d waste this precious opportunity.
What was more urgent was that Master Hayley and the others would not be able to return before dark.
Master Mary communicated with her sister through mind-link, and she said that Master Hayley’s team was lucky enough to find a safe and sealed cave near the pine forest, so they could spend the night in peace.
“They’ve decided to monitor the pine forest all night to ensure the target won’t disappear. She can contact me at any time if she has any questions.”
I was at ease and prepared for tomorrow’s journey.
However, in the middle of the night, an accident happened.
Master Mary was anxious and said thoughtfully, “Something happened. Hayley said that Linda is missing. She can sense that Linda is moving toward the pine forest. It seems that she was disturbed by the pine forest. They can’t rashly approach the pine forest. The confusion there is too great, and they need our support.”
This meant that we must set off at night.
This could not be delayed, but the problem was also in front of us: Werewolves had excellent night vision, but it was not good enough to see through the clouds and observe the weather. The snow-capped mountains at night changed at will like a baby’s face. No one knew when a strong wind or blizzard would blow. No matter how strong the body was, it was difficult to withstand the power of nature.
As we were preparing to pack, Dorothy suddenly suggested, “I can let the Soul Sparrow take the lead. It’s a creature made of souls, and although it looks like a little skylark, it’s very strong in flight. I can get it to monitor the weather changes in real-time and provide us with an alert.”
“Is this safe?” I was worried. “What if there’s a hailstorm or a blizzard? Will the Soul Sparrow be able to escape in time?”
“In any case, I’ll just break the spell,” Dorothy said, indicating no problem.
And so, we set off under the guidance of the Soul Sparrow.
Master Hayley’s coordinates had not changed. We advanced at full speed under the guidance of the mark. During this period, we had touched the tail of several small blizzards, but we had all changed our route under the guidance of the Soul Sparrow.
However, this also caused us to waste even more time.
At dawn, we finally arrived at the cave where Master Hayley and the others were.
Except for Linda, the other five were all on alert. Seeing us, they didn’t let out a sigh of relief but became more nervous.
“Linda’s mark is starting to blur. I think she has already entered the pine forest, and the mark is gradually weakening due to some kind of energy interference.” Master Hayley analyzed, “There’s no doubt that the demonic shards in the pine forest this time are stronger than the last time. At least the mark could still alert us when we encountered danger last time. This time, the mark can only barely maintain itself.”
This meant we’d encountered a powerful opponent, and the night had undoubtedly reduced our chances of victory.
Of course, I could devour every tree I come across, but the other members didn’t have such a useful ability to save their lives, so there was a high chance they’d be injured.
Thus, we had to reduce our manpower to prevent unnecessary casualties.
