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The antidote was ineffective; it was unclear whether it was due to not taking it in time or if the antidote provided by the supply station simply could not alleviate the toxins within the water ghost.
Tang Jingshu, after a moment of despair, found a flicker of hope, only to plunge back into the depths of despair. No matter how Gu Ze tried to comfort her, Tang Jingshu's gaze remained hollow and devoid of light.
The bloodthirsty howls of the water ghosts sounded particularly grating at that moment. Fearful of fire, they no longer clawed at the tree trunks with the same fervor as before, granting them time to wait for dawn to arrive.
Xu Nuan maintained her unchanged expression, leaning against the tree trunk with one leg bent and the other stretched out, resting a hand on her knee. She listened as Deng Yinyin continuously echoed Gu Ze's words, offering encouragement to Tang Jingshu. Eventually, Xu Hang and Xie Huai also joined in comforting Tang Jingshu.
Tang Jingshu ignored everyone.
Xu Nuan lifted her head and glanced at the sky; it would brighten in less than an hour.
Her estimation was accurate. Before long, sunlight began to rise slowly from the east, first tinting the eastern sky red. As it ascended higher, it radiated a dazzling golden hue that filtered through the gaps in the leaves and began to dance on the ground, as if playing an unknown melody.
The golden light enveloped everything—from the river that flowed like a blue ribbon to the lush trees and faraway hills that emitted a faint yellow glow.
The red that had lingered throughout the night dissipated. The water ghosts scurried back into the river before sunlight could touch their bodies. Soon enough, the area returned to its still blue waters, where the creatures within remained motionless, and those water ghosts that had entered were nowhere to be seen.
Everyone climbed down from the trees. The relief of surviving overshadowed their fatigue from a sleepless night. The tension that had been tightly wound could not relax at this moment due to Tang Jingshu's green arm, which evoked feelings of disgust and fear.
The soothing efforts during the latter part of the night seemed to have had no effect; Tang Jingshu still appeared as if she had been abandoned by the entire world. This left everyone exchanging glances, unsure of how to help Tang Jingshu regain her spirits.
Before them lay a dreamlike landscape that transformed into a hellish scene at night. Xu Nuan withdrew her gaze from the calm river surface and turned towards Tang Jingshu, who was surrounded and leaning against a tree, voicing her thoughts.
"There might be a corresponding antidote at this supply station."
With a flat tone that concealed the turmoil within, Xu Nuan quickly shifted her gaze away from Tang Jingshu, seemingly afraid of that injured arm.
This action drew a puzzled look from Gu Ze, but he could never guess what Xu Nuan was thinking. At that moment, comforting Tang Jingshu was the priority.
"I believe once we reach the Supply Station, your... injury will definitely heal. This game doesn't want any Player to get hurt," Gu Ze said, as if he heard a faint scoff in response, though it might have just been his imagination.
The others nodded in agreement with Gu Ze's words.
Deng Yinyin attempted to pat Tang Jingshu on the shoulder, speaking with a firm voice. "Once we get to the Supply Station, you will be fine. We won't leave you behind."
It was unclear which words touched Tang Jingshu, but she began to move her eyes, her vacant expression starting to fade, and some color returned to her face.
Xu Nuan avoided meeting Tang Jingshu's gaze and glanced at Deng Yinyin as she wrapped the green arm with bandages. They were all waiting for Tang Jingshu to be ready to stand up so they could set off together, for Tang Jingshu's sake and their own survival.
Having gone a night without rest did not hinder their determination to move forward; even breakfast was consumed on the go.
Xu Nuan had no appetite. She knew it wasn't because of the gruesome sights from the previous night or fatigue; something inside her was clamoring about 'giving up.'
Giving up on the game?
Xu Nuan forced a smile, pulling at the corners of her mouth in a strained attempt at cheerfulness.
She finally realized how incredibly weak she was.
The scenery around her remained unchanged, and Xu Nuan continued to casually glance around. When she turned her head again, a bottle of water appeared before her.
Xu Nuan did not take it but instead looked at Gu Ze with concern.
"I have water, I don't need it."
"It's the same, so you won't have to put down your bag to get it out."
Gu Ze did not retreat because of Xu Nuan's attitude.
His deep brown eyes resembled a shallow sea, holding all the light of the world within them, giving this man a unique charm without making him seem too sharp or unapproachable. In fact, in Xu Nuan's perception, Gu Ze was the most approachable among the other five.
Different men could be labeled in various ways.
Domineering, weak, gentle, enchanting, fickle, devoted—countless descriptors.
Yet she didn't know how to describe the man before her, an unforgettable man. Just as she wouldn't know how entangled she would become with him in the future days of this Death Game.
Xu Nuan recalled Gu Ze from last night, how decisively and readily he had given Tang Jingshu the Antidote. She thought of how he had saved her days ago, touching her neck, and their moments hunting and barbecuing together. Even further back, she remembered their first meeting in this game.
Gu Ze had looked at her with a peculiar gaze.
Xu Nuan suddenly realized that this man had appeared in her faint memories. She finally remembered where she had heard the name Gu Ze before.
It was during her university days when several names in the dormitory discussed Gu Ze. He was the new male idol, coming from a good family, handsome, capable at work, excelling in studies, and possessing a good personality—such men were rare.
Yet, she often turned a blind eye to him, as her heart belonged to someone else.
Xu Nuan even recalled how she frequently saw Gu Ze's name on the honor roll during her time at university; he had won awards in many activities.
However, throughout her university years, she never had a face-to-face interaction with Gu Ze. It was normal not to be familiar with his appearance, but his fame left her with some impression of him.
Three years after graduating, remembering a celebrity from her own school made her feel pained. Xu Nuan thought that she must have shown it clearly this time; otherwise, the person in front of her wouldn’t have displayed such an expression.
A look of panic.
Xu Nuan waved her hand to stop Gu Ze from asking what was on his mind. She reached for the bottle of water in his hand, slightly lowering her gaze as they walked side by side, hoping to change the subject and regain some normalcy.
“If water ghosts attack again at night, how should we deal with it?”
As she wished, Gu Ze didn’t press on about the earlier awkwardness but followed her lead instead.
“From what we can see now, hiding in the trees is the best method. We can gather enough firewood before nightfall. As long as nothing unexpected happens, we should be fine until dawn.”
Xu Nuan’s gaze kept darting through the forest. The sunlight illuminated her profile, gently outlining soft curves.
This was indeed the best method and the only one available. However, she had to bring up a potentially harsh reality.
“What if we can’t find the Special Tree in this area?”
Xu Nuan withdrew her gaze and looked directly at Gu Ze, seemingly wanting to see a hint of embarrassment or fear on his face, as if that alone could fill the increasingly hollow space in her heart.
Little did she know, she could never guess what Gu Ze would say next.
This feeling made her anxious and somewhat displeased.
Anxious? It had been a long time since she felt this way.
"This is the worst-case scenario," Gu Ze said, seemingly oblivious to the sarcasm brewing in Xu Nuan's eyes. Although he didn’t understand why Xu Nuan had turned into a porcupine overnight, he remained composed and continued to express his views.
"So as we move forward, we still need to find a way to cross the river. The best-case scenario is that we follow this path and find the Special Tree, which would save us a lot of trouble. In that case, we can approach this challenge with an optimistic mindset."
All the barbs she wanted to unleash retracted in that moment; Xu Nuan finally found the source of her displeasure and anxiety.
Gu Ze was different from her; he approached each Survival Game with ease, using his intelligence and flexibly applying his experience. In short, Gu Ze was enjoying this game.
His attitude contrasted sharply with that of Xu Hang and the others, who still complained and constantly hoped for a shortcut to breeze through the challenges.
She was jealous—Xu Nuan suddenly realized this. She had been forcing herself not to be afraid, to adapt, while refusing to acknowledge her own weaknesses. Meanwhile, Gu Ze seemed free from such constraints, like a protagonist who occasionally possessed a golden finger, turning danger into safety and overcoming obstacles with ease.
Was this the difference between the Third Batch of Players and herself, compared to the First Batch of Players?
Xu Nuan suppressed her swirling thoughts, raised her gaze to Gu Ze, and curved her lips into a wicked yet beautiful smile.
"That depends on the Designer's intentions—are they malicious or just normal?"
Upon hearing this, Gu Ze simply ruffled his unkempt short hair, his sea-blue eyes showing no sign of displeasure.
Xu Nuan turned her head away, refusing to look at him, but exchanged a glance with Deng Yinyin, who was comforting Tang Jingshu while occasionally glancing back at their direction.
The tense and cautious expression finally led Xu Nuan to understand something. She turned her head back to look at Gu Ze, a smirk forming on her lips that hinted at mischief.
"Looks like your luck isn't too bad."
With that, Xu Nuan strode forward, leaving Gu Ze momentarily stunned.
Rubbing the back of his head again, the smile on Gu Ze's lips became more genuine, making him appear more vibrant.
Between Blue River and the dense forest lay a path worn down by footsteps and axes. Xu Nuan and her companions were happy to enjoy the fruits of others' labor as they followed the path ahead. As the sun grew more intense, a sound emerged from the not-so-short reeds nearby.
Immediately, Xu Nuan and her friends became alert, their hands resting on the short knives at their waists.
From the reeds slowly emerged a figure.
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