Chapter 16 Chapter 16 Trap

I had completely gained Lulu's trust, and I knew it because she fell asleep snuggled up next to me as soon as the national anthem was over.I don't need to have any doubts about her, and I don't need to take any precautions.If she wanted me to die, she didn't have to show me the hive that day in the tree, she just walked away.Supporting each other with me is her most obvious idea, otherwise neither of us can win in the game, and the current situation is still extremely unfavorable for our survival, so I don't think about it so much. Plus, I'm still thinking about the pros and their supplies.Anyway, Lulu and I have to figure out a way to destroy their supplies, and I'm sure finding something to eat will be extremely difficult for them.Generally speaking, in the past, professional players grabbed food first, and then attacked others.In some years, they did not protect the food well. For example, some ferocious reptiles ate their food in one year, and in another year, the flood designed by the competition organizer washed away the food; Player wins.Pro players have grown up with nothing to worry about, which is actually their weakness, because they don't know how to deal with hunger.It's different from Lulu and me in this.

I'm too tired to make detailed plans tonight.My injuries have eased, but my brain is still a little dizzy from the bee venom.Lulu laying next to me with her head on my shoulder gave me a sense of security, and for the first time I felt how alone I was in the arena these days, how comfortable it was to have another person lying next to me!I'm drowsy. I'll do something tomorrow.By tomorrow, it would be the group of professional players who will be anxious. I was awakened by the sound of the rumbling guns, the sky was dawning, and the birds were chirping.Lulu stayed on a branch across from me, holding something in her hands.We waited and heard no more cannon.

"Who do you think that could be?" I couldn't help but think of Peeta. "I don't know, the others, anyone could be." Lulu said, "I think we'll find out tonight." "Excuse me, who's left?" I asked. "The boy from District 1, the two from District 2, the boy from District 3, Saresh and me, and you and Peeta," Lulu said, "That's eight. Wait, there's the boy from District 10 , the one with the broken leg, that’s nine, and one, neither of us remember.” "I wonder how this one died," Lulu said. "It's hard to say, but it's good for us. If one dies, there will be one less of these people. Maybe we should do something before the contest organizers feel that the progress is too slow," I said, "What are you holding?"

"Breakfast," said Lulu, and she held out her hand, revealing two large eggs inside. "What bird's egg is this?" I asked. "Not sure, there is a swamp over there, maybe it's a waterfowl." She said. The eggs were delicious when cooked, but neither of us wanted to risk a fire.I'm guessing that today's dead were the victims of the pros, which means they've recovered reasonably well enough to return to play.We sucked out the eggs and ate some rabbit legs and berries.Anyway, it was a good breakfast. "Ready?" I said, putting on my backpack.

"What?" said Lulu, jumping to her feet, and she could tell she would do anything I suggested. "Today we're getting the food out of the pros," I said. "Really? How to do it?" You can see the excitement in her eyes.In this, she was the exact opposite of Prim, who always found adventure a kind of ordeal. "I haven't figured it out yet, let's go, let's think about what to do when we hunt." I said. We didn't catch a lot of prey. I kept asking Lulu about the situation of professional players, and my mind was all on this.She had just finished spying on them not long ago, and she observed them carefully.Their camp was by the lake, and their supplies were hidden about thirty yards away.During the day, they would leave a boy from District Three to guard the supplies.

"The boy from District Three?" I asked. "Is he with them?" "Yes, he will stay at the camp during the day. When the group ran to the lake, the wasp followed, and he was stung by the bee." Lulu said. "I think they let him live on the condition that he see things, you know, he's not very tall." "What weapon does he have?" I asked. "It seems that there is no weapon, a spear, it's okay to use this to deal with a few like us, but Salish can kill him easily." "The food is just outside?" I said.She nodded. "It doesn't seem right to do that."

"I know, but I can't tell what it is," Lulu said. "Katniss, even if you can get to where they keep the food, how are you going to destroy it?" "Burn it, or throw it in the lake, or pour fuel on it." I poked Lulu in the stomach, the way I used to poke Prim. "Eat it." She giggled. "Don't worry, I'll figure it out, it's much easier to destroy than to build." We discussed in low voices what to do as we dug up grass roots and picked berries and wild vegetables.I also know more about Lulu. She is the eldest of six sisters. She loves her younger brothers and sisters very much and gives them her rations. She goes to the grass to dig wild vegetables to eat. The security police in her area are not as good as us The area is easy to talk to.When asked what her favorite thing was, she answered "music".

"Music?" I was a little surprised.In my opinion, music is something between a hair band on the head and a rainbow in the sky. At least the rainbow can also indicate the weather, but the music is not useful at all. "Do you have a lot of time to listen to music?" "We sing at home and when we work, and that's why I love your brooch, too," she said, pointing to my mockingjay, which I had long since forgotten. "You got mockingjays there too?" I asked. "Oh, yes, some of them are still my friends. We can sing duets for hours. And they can tell me the news."

"What do you mean?" I asked. "I'm usually the one who climbed the highest, so I was the first to see the flag of the end of work, and then I sang a special ditty." She opened her mouth and sang a four-note ditty with a clear and sweet voice. "The mockingjay spreads a little song all over the orchard so everyone knows it's time to shut down," she went on, "but it's dangerous if you get near his nest, but it's not their fault." I took off the brooch and handed it to her, "here, take it, it will be more useful to you than me."

"Oh, no," Lulu said, closing my outstretched hand. "I love it when you wear it. That's why I feel like I can trust you. Besides, I have this." Pulled out a straw necklace with a star, maybe a flower, "it will bring good luck." "Oh, so far, so," I said, pinning the brooch back on, "maybe you should keep it on." While eating at noon, we figured out what to do.In the afternoon we started to move as planned.I helped Lulu prepare firewood for two campfires, and she could prepare the third campfire herself if she had time.We agreed to meet at the place of the first meal, and the stream would help me find it again.Before I left, I made sure Lulu had enough food and firewood, and I even insisted that she take my sleeping bag in case we didn't meet up at dusk.

"What about you? Aren't you cold?" she asked. "I'll find another one at their camp near the lake, so it won't be cold," I said, "you know, it's not illegal to steal here." I said, grinning. At the last minute, Lulu decided to teach me the Mockingjay callout signal. "It probably won't help much, but if you hear the mockingjay, you know I'm fine, I just won't be coming back right away." "Are there a lot of mockingjays here?" I asked. "Didn't you see they've got their nests everywhere," she said, and I have to admit I didn't notice. "Well, then, if all goes well, I'll see you at dinner." To my surprise, Lulu stretched out her arms and hugged me, I hesitated a bit, and hugged her too. "You have to be more careful," she told me. "You too," I said. I turned and walked towards the creek, feeling suddenly worried.What if Lulu was killed?What if Lulu hadn't been killed?What if it's just the two of us?What should Lulu do alone?What should Prim do at home alone?No, Prim has Mom, Gale, and the baker who promised not to starve her; Lulu has me. I walked to the creek and went down the stream to where I saw the wasp the first time I was stung.I had to be careful because there was something on my mind about Peeta.Did the cannonade this morning herald his death?If yes, how did he die?Did it die at the hands of a professional player?Was it revenge for letting me go?I tried to remember when I was lying on top of Glimmer and he came rushing out of the woods.I remember him being all shiny gold at the time, which made me wonder if all this really happened. I must have walked very slowly yesterday, because it didn't take me a few hours to get to where I showered yesterday.I stopped to add some water and put another layer of mud on the pack.No matter how many times I muddled it, the pack seemed to stubbornly turn back to orange. As I got closer to the camp of the professional players, I became more and more alert. I stopped from time to time to listen for any unusual noises. An arrow had already been placed on the bow.I didn't see the other contestants, but I did see the things Lulu mentioned, the clumps of sweet strawberries, the herbs that gave me my sting, the beehive by the tree that trapped me.On the branches above me, I could see the black and white wings of the mockingjay flickering now and then. Under the tree where the hive was abandoned, I stopped for a moment, and I must muster up the courage to complete the next task.Lulu had told me the best spot to spy on their lakeside camp, and how to approach it slowly. "Remember, now you are the hunter and they are not," I told myself.I gripped the bow tightly in my hand, and stepped forward.I came to the little bush that Lulu had told me about, and again admired her intelligence.The bushes were right on the edge of the woods, but the bushes were thick and leafy, and the pros' camp could be easily observed without being detected.Between the bushes and their camp is the clearing where the Hunger Games began. There were four people in the camp, a boy from District 1, Cato, a girl from District 2, and a scrawny boy with a pale face who must have been a boy from District 3.He barely made any impression on me when we were training in the Capitol. I can hardly remember anything about him, the clothes he wore, his records, or even his interviews.Even now, sitting there with a plastic box in his hand, he seemed inconspicuous among his other tall, muscular companions. But he must have his own skills, otherwise others would not let him live until now.Why did they keep him as a guard, and I was even more puzzled to see how thin he was, why did they keep him alive? None of the four appeared to have fully recovered from the stalker bee sting.Even in this position, I can see the big bumps from the stings on them.They must not know that the thorn should be pulled out, and if they did, they would not know how to use herbs to heal the wound.Apparently, whatever medicine they found on the Horn of Zeus didn't work. The Horn of Zeus is still in its original location, but the inside has been cleaned.Most of their supplies, whether in crates, sacks, or plastic boxes, were neatly stacked away from their camp, with other items scattered around; It's very similar to the beginning of the Hunger Games. There is a net over the items. Apart from preventing birds, this net does not seem to be of much use. The way the whole thing was placed, the distances between it, and the skinny boys in District 3 baffled me.One thing's for sure, destroying these supplies isn't as easy as it might seem, and there's definitely something else to it, so I'd better hang around for now until I figure it out.I guessed all kinds of possibilities, maybe there is a trap under the pile of supplies, maybe there is a hidden deep pit, maybe there is a net falling from above, maybe there is a pull line, once touched, it will shoot a poisonous dart towards the person's heart. I was thinking about what to do when I heard Cato shout, and he was pointing to the distant woods.I knew without turning my head that it was Lulu who lit the first bonfire.At first we found a lot of green, damp twigs to make sure that when the fire was lit the smoke would draw their attention.The gang of professional players immediately armed themselves. They had a quarrel, so loud that I could hear it from here. It was probably a question of whether to let the boys from the third district follow or stay. "He has to go, we need him in the jungle, he's done here. Nobody can touch the supplies," Cato said. "What about the 'cute boy'?" said the boy from District One. "I've been telling you, leave him alone. I know best where he was stabbed. It's a miracle he didn't bleed to death. Anyway, it's impossible for him to attack us in his current state," Cato said. So Peeta is hiding in the jungle, badly injured, but I still can't figure out why he betrayed the pros. "Come on," said Cato.He thrust a spear into the hands of the boys from District Three, and they ran toward the fire.The last words I heard Cato say, after they ran into the jungle, were, "If I find her, I'll kill her my way, and nobody will." Somehow I don't think he's talking about Lulu, since she didn't throw the hive at them. For about half an hour, I stayed where I was, trying to figure out what to do with the supplies.The advantage of the bow is that it can be fired at a long distance. I can shoot flaming arrows at their supplies without any trouble, and I can get through the mesh with the accuracy of my arrows.So the supplies burn, so what?I got nothing but instead let them know a lot about me: my position here, I have an accomplice, I'm a good archer. With no other options, I try to get as close as I can to see if I can find their secret to securing the supplies.I was just about to walk out of the woods, but a moving object caught my eye, and a person ran out of the jungle on my right.At first I thought it was Lulu, but I recognized the fox face right away—she was not one of the people I saw this morning—and she tiptoed into the clearing ahead.After confirming that she was safe, she quickly trotted towards the place where the supplies were placed, and when she was about to run to the scattered items next to the supplies, she stopped, checked the surrounding ground, and carefully placed her feet on a point , and then in a strange way, she swayed slightly and hopped on one leg to approach the supplies, sometimes with both feet on the ground.At one point, she jumped into the air, over a small obstacle, and stood there on her toes.But because she was jumping with too much forward momentum, her body threw herself forward. At this time, she quickly put her hands on the ground. I heard her scream, but nothing happened.Then she got up again, and walked on to the place where the supplies were piled up. So I was right about the trap being laid, but it's clearly more complicated than I expected.I was also right about the girl, she was very cunning and found her way to the supplies and walked in so easily.She stuffed her knapsack full, and took a little of everything, biscuits from a crate, and apples from a sack hanging on a rope, so that no one would notice what was missing, arouse suspicion.Then she popped out of the circle again with small steps, and galloped into the jungle unharmed. I grit my teeth in frustration.Foxface confirmed my suspicions, but what trap did they lay that required such dexterity to get through?Are there many institutions?Why did she scream when her hands hit the ground?Unless—I suddenly realized—the ground is going to explode. "There are landmines below." I said softly, so I understood everything.Why the pros can leave camp, why Foxface hops away, and the boys from District Three whose factories make televisions and cars and explosives.But where did they find the mines?Is it in the supplies? It's not a weapon usually offered by contest organizers, who seem more willing to see bloody fights between "tributes".I slipped out of the woods and ran to the metal disc that carried the "tribute" to the arena.The ground around the disk had already been dug and filled back with soil.Sixty seconds after we stood on the disc, the mine detonated.The boys in District Three must have repurposed them.I've never seen anyone do that in a previous competition, and I think even the tournament organizers were taken aback by what they did. Well, the boys in District 3 are amazing, challenging their stereotypes, but what do I do now?Obviously, there was no way I could walk in and be unscathed.As for firing arrows with fire, it is even more ridiculous.The mine is triggered by pressure, of course, the pressure does not need to be too high.One year, when a girl was standing on the disc, she dropped a small wooden box, a souvenir of the district, and it was blown up, and people had to pick up her body fragments from the ground. My arms are strong, maybe I can throw a few rocks in there, what would that trigger?Maybe a landmine, that would set off a chain reaction, would it?When the boys in the third district planted landmines, were they only designed to trigger a single landmine without affecting several others?This keeps the supplies safe while blowing up the invaders.Even if I detonate a mine, it will bring all the pros back.What should I do?There are also nets there, obviously to prevent this kind of attack. In fact, I need to throw in more than thirty stones at once to trigger a large-scale chain explosion to destroy everything at the same time. I glanced into the woods to see the smoke from Lulu's second bonfire rising into the sky.By now, the pros may have figured out that this is a gauge, and the clock is ticking. There must be a solution, and I know there will be.I look carefully at the pile of supplies, boxes, jars, an arrow is unlikely to bring them down, but maybe one of them contains cooking oil, and I can shoot it with a flaming arrow, but on second thought Think no, maybe I'll run out of twelve arrows and miss a tank of oil, because I can only shoot arrows by guesswork.I seriously wondered if I could repeat Foxface's route, get closer to the supplies and find a better way.At this time, my eyes fell on the sack containing the apples, and suddenly my eyes lit up. I could hit the rope hanging the sack with an arrow. Didn’t I practice many times in the training center?A large bag of apples may only detonate a mine if it falls whole.If only I could knock all the apples off... I know what to do now.I move forward to within range of the bow and three arrows to complete the task.I pick the right spot, aim carefully, and shut out everything in the world.The first arrow flew out and hit the mouth of the sack and tore a large piece of it. The second arrow then tore a big hole in the sack. When I shot the third arrow, I saw an apple crumbling. , and then a third arrow knocked away the torn piece of the sack. In a few seconds, everything seemed to have frozen, and then the apples jumped out one by one and fell to the ground, and I was also hit by the blast of the blast, and my body flew into the air.