Chapter 3
983 Words
Everyone heard it. Vesper's livestream was still on. Tears clung to her lashes, yet her entire body seemed frozen in place.
The ranger was the first to react. "Everyone, fall back to the safe room," he said.
Maeve's face went pale. "There isn't actually something in the forest, is there?" she asked.
The supervisor said sharply, "This isn't the time to confirm. Evacuate first."
Kaia finally panicked. She turned to count heads. "Have all four girls from Cabin 7 come out?" she asked.
I said, "Only three."
Everyone froze.
Vesper snapped her head toward me. "What do you mean? Are you accusing me of leaving someone behind?" she demanded.
I pointed inside the room. "Your phone stand, fill light, brand deal, and that borrowed white shawl are all still near the balcony," I said. "The ranger said not to approach the balcony. Were you even listening?"
Her lips moved, but she pretended not to hear.
She had spent two months working on that brand deal. The brand required a "forest animal interaction" vibe, plus livestream data screenshots.
In my previous life, she later skyrocketed to fame; her first wave of fans came from this very livestream about her "roommate dying tragically to protect her".
Now that I had left the room, the script was missing a scapegoat, and she was even more reluctant to cut the stream.
The live chat kept scrolling.
A: [Vesper, don't be afraid. The staff are exaggerating.]
B: [Did her roommate hire bots to scare people?]
C: [Snow White energy, go for it!]
Vesper looked at the screen, her expression shifting. She suddenly wiped away her tears, her voice softening. "Sir, I'm sorry," she said. "I'll go get my things and close the door right away."
The ranger blocked her. "You're not allowed in," he said.
She bit her lip. "But that's my livelihood," she said. "My stream can't be cut off. My family isn't well-off; filming videos is my only chance."
She made it sound so pitiful. But her family was only struggling because every month she spent her living allowance on buying trending topics, dresses, and renting photography studios.
In my previous life, I'd covered her rent three times, yet she ultimately spun it as "the only decent thing she ever did before she died".
Kaia took pity on her. "Could you have a ranger go in with her to get her things?" she asked. "It'd be a hassle for a student to lose her belongings."
The supervisor's expression was grim. "Rules are rules," he said. "Once wild animals have been drawn in by food, no one can enter the baited area."
Caius also tried to persuade her. "Vesper, let's go," he said.
But Vesper suddenly looked at me. "Freya, did you do this on purpose?" she asked.
I asked calmly, "Did I deliberately make you open the door, or deliberately make you toss the sausages?"
She was left speechless.
Maeve immediately moved to support her. "Freya, stop with the snark," she said. "Vesper's already scared out of her mind. Are you satisfied now?"
Juno added, "Besides, Vesper just said she only wanted to promote harmony between humans and nature. You insist on making her out to be trying to get people killed."
I looked at the resort supervisor. "Does the resort have a protocol for handling violations?" I asked.
The supervisor nodded. "Yes," he said. "Everyone will be evacuated tonight, and the room in question will be sealed off. Tomorrow morning, we'll pull the door sensor records, patrol records, and verify signatures on the check-in agreement before assigning responsibility."
Door sensor records. Vesper's eyes flickered.
She didn't know the heavy-duty animal‑proof doors had door sensors. In my previous life, I hadn't known either. Because by then I was already dead, and no one had reviewed the accident report for me.
Vesper was clearly starting to panic. She suddenly turned her phone camera toward me, her voice choked with tears.
"Everyone, be my witness," she said. "I admit I shouldn't have opened the door, but Freya kept insisting there would be bears, and that people would die. The way she's so certain about everything, I genuinely suspect she was planning to harm me all along."
What a classic move, turning the tables on me. She twisted "following the rules" into a curse and "warning about danger" into premeditation.
The livestream comments instantly blew up.
A: [This roommate is terrifying.]
B: [How did she know there would be a bear?]
C: [Could she have deliberately lured it here?]
Kaia was backed into a corner by public opinion and frowned at me. "Freya, why did you keep mentioning bears just now?" she asked.
I looked down and pulled out the check-in guide from my pocket. No recordings, no screenshots, no slamming evidence down. I simply flipped it over for everyone to see. A line of red text on the back read:
Black bears have been active at night in this area for the past three months. Please do not feed.
"Because I can read," I said.
The corridor fell so silent you could hear the wind.
Caius said quietly, "Everyone signed for the guide when they checked in."
The supervisor immediately added, "Signing means you were informed."
Vesper's fragile facade almost cracked. Her eyes darted around, and she suddenly clutched her chest. "My head is spinning," she said. "Maybe it's altitude sickness..."
Maeve immediately shouted, "Ms. Grant, Vesper is feeling unwell!"
Everyone's attention was diverted. Seizing the distraction, Vesper quietly reached for the door with her other hand. She wanted to go in and grab her phone stand and contract. I didn't stop her. I simply stepped aside.
But the ranger grabbed her wrist. "Miss, this is your final warning. Step away from the door," he said.
Just as he finished, a heavy thud came from the balcony. The entire outer wall of the wooden cabin shook.
- Writer
