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Everyone was startled by the sudden turn of events, but no one impulsively jumped down to become playthings for the water ghosts. All eyes were on Tang Jingshu as they shouted at her.
"Throw it down!"
The incident of being bitten by the water ghost triggered a fierce reaction from Tang Jingshu. It was the first time she revealed such a ferocious side, smashing the water ghost that had bitten her hand against a tree with all her might, trying to shake off its long, slender arms. The violent impact forced the water ghost to release its grip and fall away.
Tang Jingshu let out a sigh of relief, but in the next moment, she saw her injured left hand visibly turning green, just like the water ghost.
"Ah! My hand!"
Tang Jingshu screamed frantically, waving her right hand but too afraid to touch her left. Her usually elegant face twisted in madness and horror, the fear deep in her eyes making it impossible to calm down.
In her frantic movements, Tang Jingshu nearly stumbled under the tree; at that moment, her injuries were no longer limited to just her arm.
Xu Nuan and the others focused their attention on Tang Jingshu. The sight of her left arm turning into a non-human green made their skin crawl.
It was definitely due to poison, Xu Nuan was sure of that. However, her gaze fell on Tang Jingshu's backpack that had fallen to the ground; inside was an antidote. This mistake not only injured Tang Jingshu but also caused her to lose the antidote. There was still a long time until dawn, and Xu Nuan couldn't imagine how far the poison would spread. She dreaded thinking about Tang Jingshu's fate.
"Tang Jingshu, stay calm!" Deng Yinyin tugged at her collar nervously, her fingers gripping so tightly that it wrinkled the fabric. Her eyes glistened with tears from the rising mist of panic.
"Don't be afraid; the poison has stopped spreading!"
Perhaps it was because the toxin injected by that water ghost wasn't much, or maybe due to other game settings; ultimately, Tang Jingshu's left hand merely turned as green as those of the water ghosts. But compared to the injury on her hand, the pressure weighing on Tang Jingshu's heart caused her even greater pain.
Her hair, soaked with sweat, clung in strands to her face. The shock drained all color from her complexion; even her once rosy lips lost their hue and began to ooze a crimson liquid from where she had been bitten during moments of tension and fear, accentuating her sharp chin in a pitiful manner.
Deng Yinyin's high-pitched voice startled even the water ghosts beneath the tree. Tang Jingshu snapped back to reality, staring stiffly at her arm that had taken on the same color as those of the water ghosts. She began to feel as if this arm was slowly becoming longer and thinner—of course, it was just an illusion; at that moment, she couldn't think clearly.
Panicking, Tang Jingshu turned around, her tear-filled eyes fixed on Deng Yinyin.
"Deng Yinyin, give me the Antidote. I don't want to become like them."
Seeing her friend cry in near despair, Deng Yinyin froze for a few seconds before hurriedly rummaging through her backpack. After gauging the distance between herself and Tang Jingshu, she gritted her teeth and threw the Antidote over despite Tang Jingshu's tearful gaze.
It was a relatively long distance, and both of them had to steady themselves on the tree, unable to afford any movement that might cause them to fall.
With such obstacles in mind, it was no surprise that Tang Jingshu failed to catch the Antidote. After several attempts, she finally spoke in a hoarse voice.
"That's enough, Deng Yinyin. No need to throw anymore."
The sound struggled to emerge from her chest but came out weak and powerless.
Xu Nuan noticed Deng Yinyin's sudden expression of sorrow and her lips moving as if unsure of what to say. Gripping the tree trunk, she felt a sharp pain as splinters pierced her fingers. Yet compared to what Tang Jingshu was enduring, it was nothing.
Tang Jingshu seemed exhausted, leaning against the trunk with her head down and face turned away. Her black hair fell over her features, emanating an aura of despair.
But this was not yet the time for despair.
Xu Nuan noticed Deng Yinyin's pleading gaze sweeping over herself, Gu Ze, Xu Hang, and Xie Huai one by one. However, as hope flickered in her eyes, it began to dim until she finally lowered her head and started to sob, her shoulders shaking with each breath.
No one could go over to comfort her; danger was not a means of solace.
Xu Nuan sighed. She understood the reason for Deng Yinyin's disappointment.
The tree where Deng Yinyin was located was the closest to Tang Jingshu, while the other four were very far away, so far that no matter how accurate the throw, the Antidote would never reach Tang Jingshu.
This was the reason Tang Jingshu chose to give up.
Xu Nuan glanced at her backpack and then touched her neck; the injury she sustained over ten days ago had nearly healed. She had to admit that this was thanks to the proper treatment she received initially. Her gaze unconsciously drifted toward Gu Ze, and she had a premonition, stemming from her not-so-deep understanding of him, that Gu Ze would definitely not ignore Tang Jingshu.
Sure enough, what met her eyes was Gu Ze pulling out a rope, testing its sturdiness and whether the iron claw at the end could accurately hook onto the branches protruding from the tree.
It was a good method, Xu Nuan nodded slightly, but it was also a very risky one.
"That's too risky."
Compared to Xu Nuan's internal contemplation, Xu Hang, as Gu Ze's friend, bluntly voiced this concern.
"And we don't even know if the Antidote will work?"
Xu Hang's thick eyebrows furrowed deeply and irregularly.
Xu Nuan blinked; those words sounded familiar. It seemed Xu Hang had said something similar to her before.
She glanced at Xu Hang, feeling a pang of bitterness in her heart that she couldn't quite articulate.
Hearing Xu Hang's voice, everyone except Tang Jingshu turned their attention to Gu Ze. Once Deng Yinyin figured out what Gu Ze intended to do, she immediately lost control and shouted out.
"Gu Ze, you can't take that risk! We can think of other ways!"
Xu Nuan had been worried about her friend just a moment ago, and now this person was displaying such an attitude. A hint of sarcasm immediately welled up in her eyes, but she was taken aback by her own reaction.
When did she start harboring these dark thoughts?
Was this twisted and stubborn attitude really what she should possess?
She should be the one reaching out to help!
As Xu Nuan questioned herself, she noticed Tang Jingshu lift her head. The once lifeless gaze suddenly lit up with a fierce desire to survive as it fell upon Gu Ze.
Tang Jingshu fixated on every movement of Gu Ze, her delicate eyes wide open without blinking. Despite this, Deng Yinyin and Xu Hang cast disapproving glances at Gu Ze, while Xie Huai trembled against a sturdy tree trunk, his attention solely on the terrifying creatures lurking below.
Xu Nuan glanced once more at the moonlit sky, closed her eyes, and began to pull out a large piece of clothing from her backpack. She then broke off several branches and placed them inside the clothing to prevent the red liquid from staining her own clothes. From her backpack, she retrieved a bottle of alcohol and poured it over the clothing she had contributed, taking a deep breath as her gaze fell upon the grass beneath the tree where Tang Jingshu and Gu Ze stood.
The water ghosts split into two groups; one was gnawing at the trees while the other attempted to wrap their slender arms around the trunks, climbing upward. Their smooth skin became their greatest hindrance, yet it did not diminish the psychological pressure their actions placed on those standing in the trees.
Xu Nuan kept a close watch on Gu Ze's movements. She saw him strap his backpack on, then throw the iron head of a rope with force. It secured itself firmly around a high branch of the tree where Tang Jingshu was located. Watching Gu Ze tug at the rope, she noted how he tested its stability before wrapping the other end around his own tree.
When she noticed Gu Ze unfurling a towel and wrapping it around the rope, she ignited the bundle of branches wrapped in clothing in her hands and tossed it into the sparse grass. The sudden burst of flames caused the water ghosts to retreat in alarm.
Xu Nuan quietly observed the burning clothing; the flames danced in her eyes, casting warm silhouettes that appeared cold and devoid of heat upon closer inspection. The fire consumed both fabric and branches, but she felt an ever-growing emptiness within her heart—a chasm that could not be filled. Her soul was engulfed in darkness, torn apart chaotically.
Then a blue figure caught her eye as it raised its hands to grasp the towel, skillfully passing through the flames without encountering any obstacles before landing on Tang Jingshu's tree. This scene felt familiar; she had experienced something similar during an outdoor activity with someone long ago.
Xu Nuan blinked, as if something deep within her had been stirred—like a stone dropped into water, sending ripples across its surface.
As Gu Ze nodded to himself, Xu Nuan turned her head away, continuing to watch the clothes that were still burning. She had merely thrown a piece of clothing down; she would never go to such lengths as this man did, risking herself to save others.
Yes, that was who she was— the old Xu Nuan was never coming back.
Realizing this, Xu Nuan pretended not to hear the sounds coming from the trees nearby.
"Why isn't the Antidote working?"
"Don't worry, let's try this one; it will be effective."
After the serious, deep voice, a woman's low, intermittent sobs followed.
"Gu Ze, you have to save me, you must help me!"
Xu Nuan suddenly recalled the scene when Tang Jingshu couldn't climb the tree, and how Gu Ze and Xu Hang had been helpless and awkward.
And now? Facing an even more difficult situation, she found it easier to make choices.
Xu Nuan felt a part of her heart slowly crumbling. She clearly remembered the moments during the day when they all laughed and chatted together—Gu Ze and Xu Hang's tacit performances, Deng Yinyin's singing, Tang Jingshu's explanations, and Xie Huai's magic tricks.
What was she thinking? Had she really given her heart to someone who had discarded her?
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