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墨書 Inktalez
Time has a certain magic; after going around in circles, everything remains the same yet feels different.
After more than two months apart from He Min and Yu Hao, Xu Nuan saw He Min again.
A few strands of her black hair, styled like delicate pear blossoms, were slightly disheveled, with some clinging to her pale face due to sweat. Her already angular face had grown even thinner from the hardships of the game, accentuating her large eyes that seemed to always be smiling during conversations. The faint blue under her eyes hinted at her fatigue, and the rapid flaring of her nostrils indicated her unstable breathing. The sickly flush on her pale cheeks was alarming to behold.
What shocked Xu Nuan the most was He Min's right leg, twisted in an unusual position. The fabric around her leg was soaked in blood, and there were many signs of abrasion elsewhere.
"What happened?"
Xu Nuan rushed to He Min's side, extending her trembling hand, unsure of where to touch. Even the voice that emerged from her throat was filled with fear.
"What about Yu Hao? Wasn't he always by your side?"
He Min and Yu Hao were friends Xu Nuan had made among the Second Batch Players. In fact, she had known them before entering the game; they were acquaintances then but had become close friends once they started playing together. They had always been together in the game until Xu Nuan decided to separate from He Min and Yu Hao to verify Guo Dafu's intentions, which led to their loss of contact.
He Min was a senior nurse at a Tertiary Hospital, knowledgeable and gentle. When Xu Nuan first met her, they hit it off immediately. In the game, she often helped Xu Nuan alongside her boyfriend Yu Hao and was aware of Xu Nuan's situation with Qin Yaojie. While constantly comforting and encouraging Xu Nuan, she also taught her some nursing skills. Xu Nuan had learned how to bandage her own injuries from He Min.
Yu Hao, He Min's boyfriend, was a high school teacher known for his honesty and his affection for He Min. When they first appeared in the game, their loving relationship made others envious.
Xu Nuan could not imagine a scenario where He Min and Yu Hao were separated.
Even injured, He Min maintained her gentle demeanor. She reached out and patted Xu Nuan's shoulder softly, speaking in a weak voice.
"I got separated from him, and unfortunately, I was struck on the leg by a boulder that rolled down the slope. My leg is broken, and I lost my medicine. I had no choice but to leave a signal for help. I figured you and the others who set signals were probably in this Survival Game too, so I kept praying. It turns out that prayer really does work."
In just a few sentences, she conveyed the sorrow of being separated from her boyfriend, being injured by a boulder, and evading wild beasts.
Xu Nuan had once been pampered to the utmost, so she understood the difficulty of learning to be independent after suddenly losing that affection.
"It's very useful."
Xu Nuan dared not look at He Min's sad smile at that moment; instead, she focused on her right leg, her hands unconsciously rummaging through her backpack.
"If it's a fracture, it needs to be treated; otherwise, there will be aftereffects. Tsk, why doesn't this game provide a doctor?"
Xu Nuan pulled out a pile of wound treatment medications and rolls of bandages. After a moment's thought, she also took out anti-inflammatory medicine and medical alcohol. Back and forth, Xu Nuan still lacked the courage to roll up He Min's pant leg.
As if sensing Xu Nuan's concern, He Min spoke gently.
"Don't worry, I handled it in time. Besides needing someone to help stabilize my knee, the other injuries aren't serious."
Xu Nuan bit her lip in silence. In her memory, He Min was gentle and generous with others, while with the honest and simple Yu Hao, she often displayed a playful demeanor, even seeking comfort from him when she scraped her finger.
How could she say something like that now?
Still hesitating about how to proceed, Xu Nuan gently rolled up He Min's pants and discovered that aside from the fractured area that couldn't be stabilized alone, the rest were just abrasions—some old ones nearly scabbed over and some new ones still bleeding without treatment. The large patch of blood on her pants came from this.
As she pondered how to start, He Min's voice rang out again.
"That wound isn't a big deal. I ran into a tiger while I was in this cave. Even though I was far away and the tiger didn't notice me, I was so nervous that I ended up falling and injuring myself. Quite useless, right?"
"Not at all! How could my nursing professor be useless?"
Xu Nuan took a deep breath, tilted her face up, and smiled at He Min before starting to tend to the wounds.
With her head lowered, Xu Nuan couldn't see the pain etched on He Min's face; she could only gauge it from the suppressed yet audible low groans that escaped her.
The afternoon sunlight poured into the cave, highlighting its shabby condition. No one cared; in the face of the determination to survive, no one cared.
For Xu Nuan, bandaging external injuries was something she was quite skilled at. However, to help He Min stand up better and to minimize any long-term effects from her injured leg, it needed to be immobilized. This left Xu Nuan at a loss.
"I'm really sorry, but I truly need your help," He Min spoke again during the silence in the cave, her lips curled into an apologetic smile that inexplicably made Xu Nuan feel even worse.
"I've helped out in orthopedics before and know how to perform some first aid; I just need you to fetch the materials for me."
He Min finished speaking and eagerly awaited Xu Nuan's response, but the prolonged silence from Xu Nuan gradually sank her heart.
"Indeed... this is too much to ask."
"No," Xu Nuan suddenly became serious, looking directly at He Min, speaking slowly and deliberately.
"Amin, if you continue to be this polite, I will get angry."
Her light brown eyes held the afternoon sunlight within them, reflecting a long-lost determination. They mirrored her own uncertain figure, and not long ago, those eyes had been filled with the image of a man.
"Nuan is still as straightforward as ever."
After leaving the cave and finding some large leaves and grass to cover the entrance, Xu Nuan ventured into the forest under the blazing sun.
While searching for herbs for He Min and good wood for making a splint, Xu Nuan occasionally glanced at the waterfall nearby, cascading down with relentless energy. The view from this high vantage point was quite impressive.
In truth, Xu Nuan did not have high hopes for the wild herbs; her ability to identify them was poor, and she often made mistakes. No one knew if the Game Designer would throw challenges at her in these details. More importantly, her backpack contained enough medicine to help He Min hold on until they reached the Supply Station.
“So, I need planks, some fruit for coating, and also…”
The only sound in the forest was that of a Macaque climbing through the branches, giving Xu Nuan the illusion that she was alone in this vast wilderness. This compelled her to talk to herself to dispel the unease creeping into her mind.
After searching high and low, Xu Nuan realized the sun was already setting. Looking at her difficult harvest entangled in vines, she decided to try making a walking stick using the method she had seen on a television show.
She didn’t want anything else to happen to He Min’s right leg. She couldn’t bear facing Yu Hao if she couldn’t carry He Min, and a walking stick would definitely be a crucial tool for overcoming obstacles.
“Crucial tool my foot!”
After yet another failed attempt at making the walking stick, which left a new scratch on her delicate hands, Xu Nuan angrily threw the failed attempt to the ground and stomped on it several times.
Noticing how difficult it was to stomp down, Xu Nuan sulkily sat down on the side.
The evening breeze carried a slight chill, just like yesterday.
“They must have gone far by now. I hope they didn’t encounter any eggs about to hatch.”
After sitting quietly for a while, Xu Nuan finally found some suitable wood and began chopping it with effort before continuing her attempts at making the walking stick.
“If I fail again, I’ll burn all of you.”
Xu Nuan spoke in a childish manner, but there was no one familiar around her to engage with.
When He Min saw Xu Nuan fiercely dragging back a pile of firewood, she moved her lips for a long time without saying anything.
Was she out chopping wood?
However, when Xu Nuan handed her a cane wrapped in vine skin, He Min understood everything. A child expressing her feelings in a clumsy way, forced to grow up quickly while still holding onto her initial thoughts—was it something to smile about or to weep over?
After gathering what He Min needed, Xu Nuan helped her secure the injured leg under He Min's guidance while sharing their respective adventures since they last parted ways.
Upon learning that the Third Batch of Players and Xu Nuan were from the same company, He Min was quite surprised. Amidst her astonishment, she seemed to ponder something, but unfortunately, Xu Nuan, with her head down, did not notice.
"Warm, would you like to team up with them? They seem like simple-minded and easygoing people, right?"
Simple-minded, in relation to this game.
Xu Nuan fell silent, her hands continuing their work. After a long while, she finally responded to He Min.
"Yes, they are very simple," she paused before adding the second half of her sentence, "and easy to get along with."
After chatting for a while longer, He Min suddenly brought up the Special Tree.
"By the way, did you encounter the Special Tree on your way here?"
"Yes," Xu Nuan now engaged in a question-and-answer format.
"Get up, we're still quite a distance from the Special Tree. How did you end up here?"
"When I encountered the tiger, I panicked and ran without thinking," He Min admitted, a bit embarrassed.
"But I found a path nearby that can quickly lead us to the Special Tree. Analyzing the direction and position, I estimate we could make significant progress. If we rest tonight, tomorrow I can use the walking stick you made to get there."
Significant progress?
Xu Nuan slightly slowed her movements. That likely meant they could run into the Third Batch of Players.
Good news? Bad news?
"You and Yu Hao have agreed on other markers, right? Should we go look for Yu Hao first? Or did you agree to meet him in front of the Supply Station?"
Almost instinctively, Xu Nuan said this. Deep down, she wanted to avoid certain people more than she was concerned about Yu Hao.
"Hehe." He Min brightened up at the mention of Yu Hao.
"I found a marker he left, just along that path."
"That's great! Let's set off tomorrow."
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