Chapter 1135: Collection
When Hesta finally recognized that way of speaking, her breathing stopped with it.
She immediately glanced behind her—the door was still closed, and she was alone in the room. No one would see her expression or reaction.
Hesta parted her lips slightly as if to say something, but all she heard were broken breaths escaping her throat.
The long silence seemed to concern the person on the other end. The voice coughed twice. "Hello? Can you hear me?"
Hesta's shoulders trembled involuntarily, like someone who had been bent over on the ground for too long and was suddenly pulled upright. The rush of blood left her dizzy. She gripped the edge of the telephone stand tightly, caught between an overwhelming pain and an equally overwhelming joy, unable to move.
Hesta nearly crushed the receiver in her hand, yet she could not say a word. Her brows knit tightly, and a wounded look suddenly crossed her face.
"...Ha," she breathed softly. "It's you."
"Yes, it's me." The voice carried the lightness of someone who had been recognized. "Are you all right?"
"Everything's fine... You—where are you?"
"I'm not far from you. You could say I've been watching you all along. Jane, you still haven't answered my question—are you still holding your spear?"
"...What?" Hesta ran a hand through her hair, struggling to suppress the sob in her throat. "I... I don't understand. Could you explain it more clearly...?"
"Some games are very fun. The better you play them, the more enjoyable they become. I've played them, so I know." The voice on the other end was slow and smiling. "But in the end, all those messy rules can easily drown a person and make her forget what truly matters. Jane, why did you come to District 12?"
"...Important