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墨書 Inktalez
The morning light was faint, and a few dim stars still hung at the edge of the sky.
A few tall Cedars stood guard over two tents, while solitary grass peeked out from between the giant rocks. To the left of the hillside lay the expansive Dwarf Fir Forest.
On this dormant volcano, all the plants were heat-resistant and dull in color. In fact, the air here was much more unpleasant than at the foot of the mountain.
According to the knowledge Xu Nuan had deliberately acquired, volcanic soil could lead to two outcomes for plants. One was fertile soil that allowed them to thrive as if they were in paradise; the other resulted in barren land where nothing could grow.
As she extended her hand, she noticed her exposed skin reddening from the heat of the volcano. Xu Nuan sighed lightly and turned back to open the tent. Deng Yinyin was still asleep, while outside, Gu Ze and Xu Hang were pouring mineral water into a metal can before burying it underground.
The distance between them and the Cypress Forest had never changed, silently observing from afar.
When Xu Nuan found a stone to sit on, Xu Hang, fiddling with the can, spoke up.
“Later, we’ll take our backpacks and tools to look for people, just in case.”
His words were as concise as ever. Xu Nuan nodded in understanding, having accumulated enough familiarity over time.
“I understand.”
She couldn’t tell if it was just her imagination, but she noticed that Gu Ze’s face appeared somewhat stern under the morning light. The curve of his lips seemed sharper, and there was a depth in his eyes that suggested he was lost in thought, his expression quite indifferent.
It seemed he was contemplating something important, Xu Nuan concluded inwardly.
Could it be that he feared something bad had happened to the missing Tang Jingshu and Xie Huai? She recalled yesterday's events that had caused everyone so much concern.
Should she ask him about it?
Doubt lingered in her mind; after all, Gu Ze rarely wore such a serious expression. Xu Nuan arrived at this conclusion from her own perspective. She had no idea what had transpired during her absence when she went off to find He Min. In her subconscious, she believed that everyone else got along harmoniously without her.
"Cough, cough."
Xu Hang's intentional cough brought Xu Nuan back to reality, and she realized she had been staring at Gu Ze the whole time. Gu Ze remained completely still, allowing her to gaze at him without any reaction.
Xu Nuan blinked and quickly shifted her attention to Xu Hang.
Xu Hang twitched his lips again.
"As for finding partners later," he said while glancing at Gu Ze, which caught Xu Nuan's attention, "we can decide whether to split up or not when the time comes."
Two directions or four? Xu Nuan frowned, recalling the differences from their searches last night, and spoke up.
"If we're considering potential dangers, then let's divide into three groups."
Both Xu Hang and Gu Ze looked up at her.
Xu Nuan smiled as she met their gazes and pointed behind her.
"I'll be in a group with her; we can look out for each other."
"Huh? What happened?"
Deng Yinyin, still groggy from just waking up, blinked in confusion.
Xu Nuan didn't turn around to explain. Instead, she lowered her head under Gu Ze's gaze, a triumphant smile playing on her lips.
After a quick breakfast, Xu Nuan and her group arrived at the Dwarf Fir Forest. Observing the fir trees in daylight, they noticed that thick layers of dust had accumulated on the leaves—a characteristic of plants growing on volcanic soil.
The four of them entered the Cypress Forest from three different directions, as instructed by Xu Nuan. Shouts echoed through the air, but the few who received no response remained vigilant, paying close attention to their surroundings in hopes of discovering the whereabouts of the two missing individuals.
Xu Nuan felt no particular discomfort being alone with Deng Yinyin, yet she noticed the awkward expression on Deng Yinyin's face, indicating her unease.
Should she comfort her or not?
Xu Nuan wasted a few seconds pondering this question before quickly concluding that it was best to let Deng Yinyin sort out her feelings. There was no way for her to control what others thought, nor was it necessary to exert effort to soothe someone just to change their mindset.
Thus, Xu Nuan continued at her own pace, occasionally ignoring Deng Yinyin's hesitations to speak.
Eventually, from Xu Nuan's observations, it seemed that Deng Yinyin had also given up her inner turmoil and shifted her focus to finding the others.
Xu Nuan quietly sighed in relief.
The Cypress Forest was not large; Xu Nuan could often hear Gu Ze or Xu Hang calling out from the other side. Despite their collective shouts, no one responded.
As time passed, Xu Nuan decided to change her search strategy, focusing on observing any anomalies among the cypress trees in hopes of uncovering some mechanism that had come to her mind.
When the sun rose higher in the sky, the group, burdened with heavy backpacks, felt the heat. Wiping away the sweat that dripped down, Xu Nuan noticed that her sweat had turned black upon contact with the air. It was clear that she looked quite disheveled; the dark stains were particularly noticeable.
Searching around yielded nothing but a monotonous view of gray-black leaves, slender branches, and soft, warm soil.
As Deng Yinyin complained about feeling hot and tired and expressed a desire to rest, Xu Nuan was about to say something when she heard Gu Ze's excited shout.
"Come over here! I've found a mechanism!"
That voice was like a refreshing spring in summer, invigorating Xu Nuan and Deng Yinyin. They exchanged glances and hurried toward Gu Ze's direction.
Xu Nuan and Deng Yinyin hurried through the Cypress Forest, following the continuous prompts from Gu Ze. Just as they arrived, Xu Hang caught up behind them.
Xu Nuan took a closer look at the fir tree Gu Ze was pointing at. It appeared much cleaner compared to the other fir trees they had seen, and the soil beneath it showed clear signs of being disturbed. The fallen leaves around this tree were unusually abundant, almost as if it were intentional.
"It does look unusual, but how do we activate the mechanism?" Xu Hang asked after surveying the tree from all angles.
Gu Ze confidently raised his hand, and Xu Nuan noticed that his hand was already stained black.
As Gu Ze tapped on the fir leaves and finally twisted a branch at a node, Xu Nuan heard the sound of machinery whirring. With a creaking noise, the fir tree began to turn slowly, and a stone tablet-like screen emerged from the ground, stopping at about shoulder height for Xu Nuan.
She glanced at it, but there were no words displayed on the screen.
Such a mechanism could be discovered?
Xu Nuan admired Gu Ze but noticed that he was pursing his lips, his expression somewhat serious. She quickly turned her attention back to the screen, which had begun to display text.
Congratulations! You have unlocked a Hidden Level. You will gain one secret choice. Regardless of what you choose, you must not tell anyone else.
Please make your selection.
The game will end at this stage, granting you a reward of one hundred million. The game will not continue.
Yes?
No?
Above, there were two options clearly laid out. Choosing the first meant that one person could directly walk into the passage leading to the outside world and obtain a bank card worth one hundred million, thus exiting the game without informing anyone else. Choosing the second option meant they had to continue playing, but all other dangerous challenges could be disabled, allowing them to reach the Supply Station almost unimpeded.
Xu Nuan was stunned. There were explanations for why Xie Huai had chased after a rabbit and hadn’t returned, as well as why Tang Jingshu had yet to resolve the matter and come back.
It seemed they had chosen the first option, which was why they had searched for the Cypress Forest over and over again without seeing any sign of them.
The emotion brewing within her was anger. Xu Nuan took a deep breath, yet a bitter smile curled at her lips.
Gu Ze and Xu Hang had long fallen silent, while Deng Yinyin took a while to react before exclaiming.
“Did they encounter a Hidden Level and leave the game?”
It was true, but Deng Yinyin phrased it as a question.
Her face was filled with disbelief, mixed with anger.
Xu Hang let out a heavy sigh; his confident search for their companions seemed to come to an abrupt halt.
Xu Nuan felt somewhat at a loss. What should she do in this situation?
Should she vent her frustrations and complain about being betrayed? Or should she laugh it off and muster her strength to continue overcoming challenges? Perhaps she could also find a Hidden Level in this Cypress Forest?
Xu Nuan understood that this wasn’t betrayal; encountering a Hidden Level was their opportunity. They had the right to choose, but still, she felt a little disappointed.
“Do you remember when Xie Huai chased that wild rabbit? Its escape direction seemed off,” Gu Ze broke Xu Nuan's contemplation, posing an unexpected question.
"Um?"
Xu Nuan looked up to meet Gu Ze's gaze. When she saw the seriousness in his eyes, she began to recall the details carefully. As she reminisced, a sudden realization struck her.
"I remember that rabbit was clearly on the right side of Xie Huai, and the steep slope on the right would have been a good escape route for it. Yet, that rabbit chose to linger right in front of Xie Huai before running to the left, leading Xie Huai into Cypress Forest."
"My recollection of the scene is the same," Gu Ze repeated, emphasizing this point.
Xu Hang found it strange. "That rabbit was probably just panicking and running aimlessly. Does its behavior really have much to do with Xie Huai entering Cypress Forest?"
With red-rimmed eyes, Deng Yinyin looked at Gu Ze, unsure of what kind of psychological comfort she could draw from him.
Xu Nuan seemed to come to a realization; she appeared to understand Gu Ze's implication.
"You mean that rabbit was like a prop in a Survival Game, deliberately leading Xie Huai into Cypress Forest? So, this Hidden Level option could also be a trap?"
As soon as Xu Nuan finished speaking, Gu Ze's entire demeanor brightened, and he nodded vigorously.
"Given the Designer's malicious nature, I highly suspect this."
"But," Deng Yinyin recalled something from long ago. "Didn't we also trigger a Hidden Level in Beautiful River? That time it was real. Could this one be fake?"
Xu Nuan hesitated. "Well, there’s probably only a fifty-fifty chance. I don't really believe in coincidences, and animals are intelligent and sensitive."
"Even a fifty percent chance is worth a try."
Gu Ze made his decision, glanced at Xu Hang, and pressed the 'n' option.
The machine roared to life, and after a while, the cedar tree moved aside, revealing an entrance.
"Are we really going in there? Is it safe?" Deng Yinyin shrank back a little.
"We're just going down to see what's going on," Xu Hang said as he stepped toward the entrance first. "The fact that there's a passage even when we choose 'no' means there's something wrong with this Survival Game."
One by one, they entered the passage. It was shallow, and after walking just ten meters, they reached a bright and spacious area. The most eye-catching feature was a large screen displaying two people: Tang Jingshu and Xie Huai.
At that moment, the two were bound and suspended above the mouth of a volcano, which had begun to emit steam from its previously dormant state.
Below the screen was another choice.
Should they rescue these two?
If they chose yes, they would have to reach them before the volcano erupted. However, their current position was far from the volcano, which could erupt at any moment, and there was no guarantee that the two could hold on until help arrived.
Choosing no would allow them to proceed unconditionally to the Supply Station for the next round of the game; the passage was just to their right.
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