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墨書 Inktalez
Disaster never comes alone.
At this moment, Xu Nuan deeply understood the meaning of this phrase. After Gu Ze went missing in the avalanche and Deng Yinyin left to assist Xu Hang, she lost contact with both Tang Jingshu and Xie Huai.
The cause was a sudden avalanche. The three of them were passing by a slope covered in thick snow when a crack appeared in the snow without warning. A massive surge of snow came crashing down, leaving them no time to react.
As Xu Nuan was swept away by the snow, she realized that the rope around her waist had somehow come undone. When she was thrown out into the open, it suddenly struck her that Gu Ze might have gone missing for the same reason.
Once buried under the snow, a person could die from suffocation and cold within half an hour.
With this realization hitting her, Xu Nuan struggled to steady herself against the force of nature. As she fell from the cliff, she tried her best to bend her legs slightly.
She landed almost upright in the snow.
The impact left her dizzy and nauseous, making her feel like she might vomit.
"Cough, cough."
Xu Nuan's body lurched forward uncontrollably, forcing her to kneel on the ground. She bent over, clutching her chest and coughing violently. A painful sensation spread through her limbs, as if her organs were being squeezed. Every cell in her body screamed in agony.
But no matter what, Xu Nuan was grateful to be conscious; at least she could search for a way out or call for help if absolutely necessary. In the next moment, Gu Ze's smiling face appeared in her mind.
"Oh no, if he fell unconscious during his fall, that would be disastrous."
Thinking this, Xu Nuan barely had time to catch her breath before she crawled a few paces on the ground and managed to stand up. However, just as she rose, darkness enveloped her again, and she collapsed back down. She felt as if her blood were flowing backward. The soreness throughout her body transformed into a burning frenzy; her fingertips buried in the snow began to tremble violently, and her thighs started to spasm.
Xu Nuan lay twisted in the snow, sweat starting to bead on her forehead. Her eyes were tightly shut, and her eyelashes trembled irregularly. Her lips, clenched tightly, began to bleed.
This was the first time Xu Nuan couldn't determine what was happening to her. She couldn't even tell which part of her body was injured, and she felt her body temperature gradually dropping. Eventually, she released her lips, which moved up and down, but no words came out.
She thought of Gu Ze's gaze from last night, that long, silent exchange of looks. But Gu Ze was also in deep trouble now and wouldn't notice her injuries.
She thought of the man she loved deeply, the one who was gradually fading from her dreams. He might be facing difficulties in the Survival Game right now; he might be resting; he might be thriving.
She wasn't a conceited person. She was sure that the ever-sneaky Guo Dafu participated in the game for money, but she didn't believe Qin Yaojie would join for the same reason. Initially, she had trusted Zhao Xi's reasoning, the one who had been abandoned and might already be dead. She believed in Qin Yaojie's friends and in Zhao Xi's gentleness. However, after Beautiful River and the Survival Game, she had thought a lot and developed doubts.
"Hiss."
Xu Nuan struggled to make a sound, her tightly closed eyes finally opened, revealing a gaze filled with fragmented lights like snowflakes.
She still needed to find Qin Yaojie for clarification. She also had to lure Guo Dafu into a deal, but before that, she wanted to locate her companion Gu Ze. Therefore, she had to be strong and brave; she couldn't fall here.
An orange figure crawled through the white snow at a slow yet determined pace. The blizzard continued to fall harshly upon the snowy ground, trying to erase any trace of humanity. The cold wind howled, attempting to prevent human intrusion.
What kind of emotions were those in the Game Monitoring Room feeling as they watched these scenes unfold?
Meanwhile, in another corner of the snowy mountains, Gu Ze stood nervously at a cliff, holding a short knife with bare hands. Not far from him on a high slope stood a Snow Leopard.
The distance between him and the Snow Leopard wasn't too great, but Gu Ze had no doubt about the agility and attack power of a poised Snow Leopard.
Those teeth contrasted sharply against the snow and could easily sever his neck. The blood gushing from his carotid artery could swiftly drain his body heat. Gu Ze could even foresee his own death.
Which offered a higher chance of survival: fighting the Snow Leopard or jumping off the cliff?
Gu Ze measured the situation in his heart.
The cold, predatory gaze of the Snow Leopard was reminiscent of the raging blizzard outside.
Gu Ze didn't even dare to blink.
A man standing at six feet tall, strong and desperate to survive, faced a wild, starving Snow Leopard.
Just as Gu Ze was trying to make a better choice, he heard shouting nearby.
"Gu Ze! Gu Ze! Where are you? Answer if you can hear me!"
It was the loud voice of Deng Yinyin.
"Gu Ze!"
That was Xu Hang's voice.
A mix of surprise and worry washed over Gu Ze's face.
What were the odds of two men and a woman facing off against a Snow Leopard?
It was still hard to measure.
"Xu Hang, don't come over now!"
In just a second of thought, Gu Ze made his choice and deliberately ran in the opposite direction of the sound. In that instant, the Snow Leopard, charged with power, sprang from its original spot.
The yellow and black figure darted across the snow at incredible speed, heading straight for Gu Ze, leaving almost no footprints behind.
Gu Ze's long legs raced through the snow, but they were no match for the four powerful legs of the Snow Leopard.
The contest of speed was decided within a few minutes.
As Gu Ze was thrown heavily to the ground, the Snow Leopard's two front paws seized his shoulders, its sharp claws piercing through his thick cotton jacket, sweater, and quick-dry shirt, reaching flesh.
When the Snow Leopard opened its mouth, the scent of wild blood made Gu Ze frown in discomfort. Yet, he thrust his short knife mercilessly toward the Snow Leopard's abdomen. This action caused the feline to narrow its slit pupils, a frenzied glint of predation shining in its golden eyes.
Gu Ze could only barely evade the Snow Leopard's teeth. When his gaze fell upon a trap not far away, he still hoped to lure the Snow Leopard toward it; that would give him a chance.
However, injuries from the avalanche and exhaustion prevented him from lifting his legs.
As he struggled desperately, a face suddenly appeared in his mind, transforming his effort into sheer willpower.
With blood on the blade, he thrust it into the Snow Leopard’s abdomen with a speed it could not evade. Seizing the moment when the Snow Leopard relaxed for an instant, Gu Ze rolled away, creating some distance between them once more. But this meager distance meant little to the injured Snow Leopard.
As the Snow Leopard lunged at him again, Gu Ze found himself without a short knife to defend himself. Just then, an axe flew in from nowhere and struck the Snow Leopard's head with precision. Blood erupted from its skull and splattered across Gu Ze's face.
Gu Ze couldn't care less about his current predicament; he quickly turned and rolled away. As he got back on his feet, he saw Xu Hang and Deng Yinyin rushing toward him.
Exchanging a glance with Xu Hang and signaling with a gesture was all it took for Xu Hang to understand Gu Ze's intent. As the Snow Leopard turned to attack Xu Hang with its proud ferocity, Xu Hang had already sprinted swiftly in another direction.
Before Deng Yinyin could fully grasp what was happening, Gu Ze swiftly approached her and urged her to step aside.
Deng Yinyin looked at Gu Ze in confusion, but her attention was quickly drawn to a startling sound nearby.
A winding trail of blood on the snow suddenly ended, and the Snow Leopard had vanished from sight, while Xu Hang stood calmly near a large pit.
Then, an unusual noise came from the snow slope, causing the composed Xu Hang to hurriedly retreat. The three of them, unable to ask each other what was happening, left the dangerous area before another avalanche struck.
Once they reached a safe spot, Gu Ze finally took a moment to assess his disheveled appearance. His thick winter coat was tattered and torn, exposing the contents inside. His hands were stained with still-drying blood, and there were droplets of blood on his chin.
“Ah, Gu Ze, where are you hurt?”
Deng Yinyin hurriedly pulled out tissues from her backpack and offered them to Gu Ze, then frantically rummaged for alcohol swabs to hand to him.
Gu Ze stopped Deng Yinyin's frantic movements.
“Thank you, but I’m not injured.”
He then turned to Xu Hang, hesitating slightly as he asked, “What about the others?”
Though Xu Hang was reserved, he quickly understood the unspoken concern in Gu Ze's voice. However, as his gaze briefly flicked over to the anxious and distressed Deng Yinyin, his tone carried a hint of reluctance.
“They’re searching for you in groups of three. I’ll remember the way back; we can call out a few times and run into them.”
Gu Ze nodded in relief, hastily wiping the blood from his face. He picked up the backpack he had thrown on the ground earlier and patted Xu Hang on the shoulder before striding forward, not sparing a glance at the expectant Deng Yinyin beside him.
Seeing Deng Yinyin's face instantly darken, Xu Hang turned his head, sighed softly, and tugged at Deng Yinyin's sleeve as he spoke.
"Let's go. You've worked hard today; make sure to rest well tonight."
Deng Yinyin pouted, looking aggrieved as she followed along, occasionally muttering to herself.
"What’s this? What kind of attitude is that? I rushed over here and this is how you treat me?"
Her voice was low, only audible to Xu Hang who walked closely beside her.
Before long, Gu Ze and the others encountered Tang Jingshu and Xie Huai, who were too afraid to take any further action.
After scanning the area and confirming once again that Xu Nuan was nowhere to be seen, Gu Ze completely abandoned the calm demeanor he had maintained when facing the Snow Leopard. His originally warm and deep voice now carried a hint of hoarseness.
"Where is Xu Nuan?"
Before the troubled Tang Jingshu and the anxious Xie Huai could respond, Deng Yinyin, who had been grumbling all along, suddenly sounded as if someone had grabbed her by the throat, her voice sharp and piercing.
"Gu Ze, what do you mean by this? All you do is ask about Xu Nuan! We've been working hard to find you too. She's so capable; she can handle everything on her own. What could possibly happen to her?"
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