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At first, no one paid much attention to Xie Huai's disappearance. To them, he was simply someone who had chased after the Volcanic Hare and hadn’t returned for a while.
To prevent Xie Huai from getting lost, Xu Hang had even set up a folding iron pole on the volcanic rock, hanging a white piece of clothing from it, which stood out prominently against the black sandy soil.
Believing that Xie Huai was sensible enough, Xu Hang soon stopped worrying about him and instead discussed with the others the rare sighting of several Cedar trees, suggesting they choose this spot as their Campsite.
Having not encountered any plants all day, the group was thrilled to see the dusty Cedars, as if they had stumbled upon an oasis in the desert, and they refused to move another step.
Seeing the others swaying around near the Cedar trees, Xu Hang didn’t say much. After a brief rest, they began preparing dinner and setting up their sleeping area for the night.
Xu Nuan and the others were hesitant to light a fire on the dormant volcano. Even though they knew that the chances of a fire waking it up were low, their cautious nature led them to decide to act carefully.
In this situation, Xu Nuan was incredibly grateful that she had brought aluminum foil. She wrapped their food in it and buried it in the steaming hot earth, leaving only waiting ahead of them.
While the women buried the food, the two men set up two large tents. This plan had been made back at the Supply Station; regardless of how dangerous the volcano might be, they aimed to stick together at all times and ensured that each person carried enough protective gear.
The men naturally didn’t need to worry about this; their relationships remained unchanged. Meanwhile, Xu Nuan had come to terms with her feelings towards Tang Jingshu and Deng Yinyin. The three of them reached a superficial agreement and seemed to get along well on the surface.
“It would be great if Xie Huai could bring that wild hare back; we could just bury it in the ground and have an extra meal,” Deng Yinyin said, resting her chin on her hands as she stared at several mounds in the ground where their dinner lay.
Xu Nuan had no doubt that as soon as Tang Jingshu declared that it was ‘ready to eat,’ Deng Yinyin would unhesitatingly dig into the sand with her bare hands.
It seemed she wasn’t quite a foodie after all; inexplicably, Xu Nuan came to this conclusion.
Tang Jingshu was quite practical.
"Since that rabbit can survive near the volcano, its constitution must be different from an ordinary rabbit, at least more heat-resistant."
"Ugh!"
Deng Yinyin's face was filled with disappointment.
Xu Nuan suppressed a laugh and turned to look at the Dwarf Fir Forest on the hillside. Not long ago, Xie Huai had chased a wild rabbit into that very forest.
From Xu Nuan's perspective, the low and dilapidated trees in that forest didn't seem special at all, and she could easily see through to the other side without any danger in sight.
Feeling relieved, Xu Nuan waited with Deng Yinyin for their food to be heated up. Even Tang Jingshu, who was blushing, didn’t seem to mind much despite having urgent matters to attend to.
It wasn't until Gu Ze and Xu Hang arrived at the food area after setting up the tent that Xu Nuan sensed something was off.
"Where's Tang Jingshu?"
Xu Hang casually asked upon noticing someone was missing.
Deng Yinyin, still focused on the ground, answered without thinking.
"She went to take care of something important."
Xu Hang immediately fell silent, understanding something.
At this moment, Xu Nuan also pointed out what felt off.
"But she has been gone for quite a while."
"Really?"
Deng Yinyin looked up in confusion. Preoccupied with thoughts of food, she had little awareness of the passage of time.
The taciturn yet very masculine Xu Hang had never quite gotten along with Xu Nuan, but he held a grudging admiration for her judgment. So when Xu Nuan spoke up, Xu Hang's expression turned serious, especially since Gu Ze, who had never contradicted Xu Nuan after their encounter, was present.
"Xie Huai has been gone for too long."
Gu Ze added, and only then did everyone realize that the usually inconspicuous Xie Huai had been away for at least an hour. Judging by the size of the Dwarf Fir Forest they had crossed, it certainly shouldn't have taken that long.
The group began to feel that the situation was becoming serious.
Thinking about what Tang Jingshu might be dealing with in the Cypress Forest, Xu Nuan felt compelled to volunteer, but someone else was quicker.
"I'll go. You all should stay here and rest."
Gu Ze suggested, casting a glance at Xu Hang. Xu Nuan keenly caught this look but didn't understand its meaning.
Xu Hang, true to his role as Gu Ze's good friend, quickly understood the situation, a hint of helplessness and compromise evident in his expression.
This only deepened Xu Nuan's confusion.
Xu Hang's words resolved Xu Nuan's doubts.
"Xu Nuan, you should come along too. You’re in charge of finding Tang Jingshu."
Xu Hang shot a quick glance at Xu Nuan before turning to Deng Yinyin.
"Aren't you hungry? Then keep handling the food; it’ll be a good chance to eat early."
Lost in her thoughts about food, Deng Yinyin obliviously overlooked the fact that Gu Ze and Xu Nuan would be teaming up again. Xu Hang breathed a sigh of relief, and so did Gu Ze.
Watching the entire exchange, Xu Nuan blinked, momentarily at a loss for words.
Under Xu Hang's watchful gaze, Gu Ze and Xu Nuan set off together.
After walking a short distance, Xu Nuan took the initiative to speak.
"Do you have something to say to me?"
This was the only explanation for the interaction between Gu Ze and Xu Hang, and Xu Nuan had complete faith in her judgment.
"Hmm?" Gu Ze turned his head and looked at Xu Nuan with an innocent expression. For a moment, Xu Nuan felt she might have misunderstood him.
"Are you trying to tell me about that thing related to the game right now?"
Xu Nuan stated bluntly, leaving no room for retreat.
"No," Gu Ze replied, a smile playing on his lips, his expression still innocent, and his eyes calm.
"I won't slip up after I pass this level, and of course, I won't say anything in advance."
A feeling of being toyed with surged within Xu Nuan, and the events of that morning replayed in her mind like a slideshow, one image after another.
That strange sensation returned, more intense this time, making it impossible for Xu Nuan to ignore.
"Gu Ze, do you have something against me?"
Xu Nuan blurted out.
In her impression, Gu Ze had always been polite and kind to others, a rare quality for someone so capable. Xu Nuan admired such people and couldn't understand why Gu Ze kept teasing her.
If Gu Ze knew what Xu Nuan was thinking, he would definitely be spitting blood. However, even if he didn't know, he felt like he might just do that anyway.
"How... how did you come to that conclusion?"
The more innocent Gu Ze looked, the more Xu Nuan doubted him, creating a vicious cycle.
"It's because of your behavior."
After hesitating for a moment, Xu Nuan decided not to voice this thought and instead chose to change the subject.
"Forget I asked. Let's go find those two."
Just as Xu Nuan was trying to let the matter slide, she caught a glimpse of disappointment flickering across Gu Ze's face.
Was he disappointed because she didn't press him for answers?
Xu Nuan was puzzled. But wasn't it because he thought he was innocent that she hadn't asked?
After blinking a few times, the confused Xu Nuan quickly reached a conclusion.
Men are utterly incomprehensible.
In the twilight, Cypress Forest became shrouded in mist, and visibility narrowed significantly; one could easily bump into a cypress tree and sustain unnecessary scrapes.
However, the key point was:
"I don't have a flashlight."
Xu Nuan felt a bit frustrated.
"I didn't bring anything either," Gu Ze replied calmly.
At that moment, they were solely focused on finding someone, not thinking too much about their surroundings. Who would have known that dusk would fall so quickly?
In the twilight, Xu Nuan clenched her hands tightly, unconsciously biting her lower lip.
"I'll go this way, and you take that path. It will be faster this way."
They had been calling out for Tang Jingshu and Xie Huai since they arrived at Cypress Forest, but there was no response, which made Xu Nuan increasingly anxious.
As she considered these people her companions, she began to fear the weight of their potential deaths. Death was a heavy word.
So no matter what happened, Xu Nuan couldn't help but think of that word. In reality, she could easily substitute it with "missing" or "lost" given the current situation.
Just as Xu Nuan decided to head in the direction she had chosen and took a couple of steps forward, she bumped into a tree. However, she pretended nothing had happened, slightly adjusting her direction to continue walking.
When someone suddenly grabbed her wrist, Xu Nuan instinctively prepared to throw them over her shoulder, but her brain's reasoning stopped her from acting on that impulse.
"Men and women should keep their distance."
Xu Nuan uttered a dry remark, trying to pull her hand away from Gu Ze.
She was single and she liked Qin Yaojie.
This was a fact Xu Nuan would never deny, which is why she couldn't accept any contact with other men; it was part of her emotional purity.
She admired Gu Ze and recognized his character, confident that he would not engage in any inappropriate behavior, which is why she agreed to come out with him at dusk to look for someone.
As she pondered what to say to break the awkwardness, Xu Nuan attempted to free herself from Gu Ze's grip, but to her surprise, he only tightened his hold. She could hear her own heartbeat and the sound of Gu Ze's footsteps.
"It's already dark; we need to hurry and find Tang Jing Shu and Xie Huai."
Xu Nuan could even hear the sound of her own swallowing.
"You... have night blindness."
In her moment of intense nervousness, Xu Nuan heard Gu Ze's voice and froze completely, forgetting to pull away.
It was true that she had night blindness.
It was also true that her childhood friend, Qin Yaojie, did not know about it.
She wanted to create the image of a perfect girl in front of Qin Yaojie and would never voluntarily step into darkness to expose her flaws. She felt fortunate that Qin Yaojie had never discovered this about her, yet she also felt a sense of loss that he remained unaware.
She faced Qin Yaojie, always selfish and contradictory.
"How did you know?"
Knowing full well that she shouldn't ask this question, that comparisons were off-limits, Xu Nuan couldn't control her mouth as darkness surrounded her.
Gu Ze didn't answer. Instead, he walked over to Xu Nuan and stood beside her.
"Indeed, men and women should maintain a distance, but we are companions now. It wouldn't be wise to have another injured person before we find the two of them, would it?"
Once again, Xu Nuan felt the pressure emanating from Gu Ze, the weight of an authority figure and a strong presence.
Gentle yet forceful, a gentleman and rude, proud yet reckless.
Another multifaceted person.
So much like Yaojie.
Yet so different.
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