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墨書 Inktalez
Surrounded by darkness and silence, Xu Nuan found herself standing alone, with nothing but blackness in sight, so still that she could hear her own heartbeat.
Panic began to rise within her as she recalled that she had been navigating through the Game Base, accompanied by someone.
She tapped her head, confusion filling her eyes.
"Who was I with during the game?"
A clear and ethereal voice echoed in the quiet space, but no one answered.
"Wait, why am I in a game?"
"What kind of game is this?"
The questions in Xu Nuan's mind multiplied, and she realized that the things she had forgotten were growing more numerous. Eventually, she even forgot who she was.
At this point, Xu Nuan felt a genuine sense of panic.
Alone in a world where she couldn't remember her own identity was unbearable.
Silence—terrifying silence.
Refusing to accept such quietude, Xu Nuan began to run frantically, shouting words she didn’t even understand.
The sounds of her screams, gasps for breath, heartbeat, and the wind filled the air, yet there were no responses from anyone else.
"Is anyone there? Is anyone still here?"
Xu Nuan's voice began to tremble, tears glistening as they fell, becoming the only light in the darkness.
"Is anyone there? Anyone will do, just someone!"
In the end, Xu Nuan could only kneel on the ground, her hands covering her face, her sobs echoing in the space. Being alone felt the loneliest; being alone held no meaning.
And she couldn't even remember who she was.
Her heart began to ache, a sharp pain stabbing at her insides, jabbing at her mind.
For a moment, she felt as if she were suffocating.
Xu Nuan suddenly opened her eyes, gasping for air.
"Ha, ha."
What greeted her was a sky tinged with dawn's light, trees intermingled with vibrant greens and withered yellows, and glimmers of light dancing through the gaps in the leaves.
In that instant, joy surged within Xu Nuan's heart as she remembered why she was in this game. Just a few hours ago, she and Gu Ze had escaped from danger and found a patch of solid ground where they could rest briefly. Exhausted, neither of them had paid much attention to their surroundings before leaning against a tree and falling asleep.
But the joy in Xu Nuan's heart faded when she realized she couldn't find Gu Ze anywhere within her sight.
Xu Nuan sprang to her feet, a sudden wave of dizziness causing her to stagger back a few steps until she leaned against a tree for support.
"Gu Ze?"
Xu Nuan called out a few times, but no one responded. She raised her voice again, yet still received no reply. A wave of panic washed over her, reminiscent of a nightmare, and the realization that she was alone cracked her expression.
She didn't want to be alone. She finally understood her true feelings; she didn't want to face challenges by herself. She hoped that when she found herself in crisis, someone would be there to help her. She wished that when she passed away, there would be others around to remember that she had been there.
Xu Nuan blinked in confusion, her eyelashes trembling violently from the repeated motion.
The scenery around her began to fade into desolation, vast stretches of emptiness dissolving before her eyes. When she spotted a coat lying a few steps away, Xu Nuan suddenly snapped back to reality. She hurried over, bent down to pick it up, and quickly scanned her surroundings. Noticing a trail of footprints leading through a thicket of bushes, she rushed over and pushed aside the branches, eager to pass through.
Then she saw him—a man in a blue short-sleeve shirt. He wore a calm smile on his lips, his face soft and gentle, effectively concealing the pallor that came from having survived something harrowing. The hair that fell over his brow was still damp with dew. He looked weary yet retained an undeniable charm.
Xu Nuan froze, unsure of what to say or do, and didn’t step aside to let Gu Ze pass.
"You’re awake. Here, have some berries," he said. "I heard from Tang Jingshu that the Tundra Blueberry and Blueberry Honeysuckle in the swamp are edible."
She listened to Gu Ze's words and realized how dry her own voice sounded in response.
"Thank you for your efforts."
Slowly stepping aside, she allowed Gu Ze to reach their chosen temporary resting place. She watched as he gently placed a large leaf wrapped around the berries on the ground before turning towards her.
"Try some. I tasted them; they’re quite good—tangy and sweet. I think you’ll like them."
Xu Nuan moved across from Gu Ze, sitting down carefully amidst the berries. She reached for one, took a bite, chewed slowly before swallowing.
"They're not bad," she admitted.
Xu Nuan continued to eat in silence, her movements somewhat mechanical.
Sitting across from Xu Nuan, Gu Ze reached out, almost touching Xu Nuan's forehead before abruptly pulling back. He hesitated and asked, "Is your wound hurting again?"
Before Xu Nuan could respond, Gu Ze began rummaging through his pockets. He pulled out the bandages and medicine he had saved earlier, looking pleased. "Good thing I kept these. After you finish eating, you should apply the medicine again and rewrap the bandage. Ahem, but you'll have to do it yourself."
"Mm." Xu Nuan replied lightly. After a moment, she added, "Gu Ze."
"Yes?" Gu Ze looked up from his breakfast of berries, his eyes sparkling with curiosity.
"Nothing." Xu Nuan lowered her head again and said no more.
Gu Ze was already accustomed to Xu Nuan's quiet demeanor and didn't think much of it.
The two finished their breakfast in silence. Gu Ze found an excuse to get up and leave, leaving Xu Nuan alone to change her bandages.
As expected, Xu Nuan discovered that the wound on her back had reopened and was showing signs of inflammation. She recalled the constant running, rolling down the hillside, and climbing through the marshes yesterday; unless she were a Saiyan, there was no way she could have escaped unscathed.
While waiting for Xu Nuan to finish changing her medicine, she noticed that there was less than a foot of bandage left and not much ointment either. If she didn't hurry to find Tang Jingshu and the others to retrieve her backpack or locate the Special Tree to head to the Supply Station, she would be in serious trouble.
"Don't jinx it."
Thinking about what happened yesterday, Xu Nuan suddenly chuckled lightly, able to poke fun at herself for a moment. But as she realized something was off, she quickly shut her mouth.
"Strange," Xu Nuan said, propping herself up against the tree trunk as she slowly stood up, frowning and patting her head.
"Very strange."
"Xu Nuan, are you ready?"
While Xu Nuan was still pondering her odd feelings, she heard Gu Ze's voice.
"Yes, I'm ready."
Xu Nuan quickly gathered her emotions and saw Gu Ze stepping out from behind the bushes, dressed in thin clothing. His face was slightly flushed, adding a touch of color to his handsome features—truthfully, it was a bit alluring.
But Xu Nuan's first reaction was, "Did you peek?"
Someone had done that before.
Remembering that person made the corners of Xu Nuan's mouth flatten unconsciously, which Gu Ze interpreted as displeasure.
"No, no, no! I absolutely did not peek!"
Gu Ze waved his hands in a panic, completely losing his earlier composure. The blush on his face remained; he had merely recalled the enchanting scene from yesterday while Xu Nuan was changing her bandage and felt a bit embarrassed.
If Xu Nuan's impression of Gu Ze were to turn terrible because of this, it would be a complete failure. After all, they had already fallen into such dire straits, and Gu Ze still had the mind to think about this.
Xu Nuan had no idea what Gu Ze was thinking. However, given Gu Ze's consistently good performance, she trusted him quite a bit. After nodding, she asked in confusion, "I thought you would be cold dressed like that. Are you actually feeling hot? Or was that berry we just ate alcoholic?"
Gu Ze quickly followed Xu Nuan's lead, raising his arm with a bright smile. "It is a bit warm. You know, guys tend to radiate more heat."
As a liberal arts student, Xu Nuan was successfully fooled by him.
"Let's go. We have nothing left now; I hope we can find them soon."
Having been misled, Xu Nuan immediately pushed the matter aside. Unbeknownst to her, Gu Ze smiled and patted his chest in relief.
Even as they searched for the marks left by their larger group and the Special Tree in the Swamp Forest, it was impossible to hide the fact that they had reached a dead end.
There was no food, no drinking water, no change of clothes. They needed to watch out for wolves and leopards and be wary of all the dangers that could arise in this forest.
Their possessions consisted of only a lighter, two short knives, some leftover bandages, and ointment.
Used to the Death Game rather than a Survival Game, Xu Nuan relied heavily on those compressed biscuits, medications, folding knives, and moisture-proof mats. To put it bluntly, her practical skills were poor; she had taken a crash course and gained some abilities but had learned a lot of knowledge beforehand—beyond that, she knew nothing.
Thinking about it this way made Xu Nuan suddenly realize how miraculous it was that she had made it this far. Tugging at her unwashed hair, her spirits sank instantly.
"It's fine. Didn't we agree on a team mark? We all leave marks for each other, and this forest isn't that big. We'll run into each other soon enough."
Xu Nuan, feeling down, heard the voice of Gu Ze walking beside her. She looked up at him in confusion, wondering how he could sense her mood.
Gu Ze continued to reassure Xu Nuan, "I've been through this before. When I was in college, I would go camping with friends whenever I had free time. I have some confidence in outdoor survival."
"Yeah, I've seen that."
Xu Nuan nodded affirmatively. For her, the initial trust she placed in Gu Ze was largely due to his knowledge of wild food.
Thinking of this, Xu Nuan suddenly remembered the roasted duck she had been longing for since entering the swamp. Sighing, she thought that if they hadn't been attacked by wolves and gotten separated from the main group, they might have had the chance to enjoy that roasted duck.
Regret aside, Xu Nuan was more focused on getting through this challenge. The Survival Game had a total of one hundred levels, and she had only reached the tenth level after spending over two months on it. The road ahead was indeed long.
Relying on dew and berries to maintain their strength, the two managed to keep a harmonious pace while occasionally discussing things that happened during their university days.
However, their hopes of catching up with the main group soon evaporated.
Because Xu Nuan had developed a high fever.
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