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墨書 Inktalez
Life on the deserted island for one man and three women was far from joyful.
Tang Jingshu's leg injury kept flaring up, causing her to run a high fever. She could do nothing, and her anxiety grew, mirrored by the concern of those around her.
Deng Yinyin was caught in a whirlwind between Gu Ze and Tang Jingshu, unwilling to lose any chance to communicate with her crush while also distressed by her friend's suffering.
Xu Nuan remained calm and at ease, maintaining a routine. She searched for food, crafted paddles, secretly changed Gu Ze's bandages, and occasionally offered comfort to Tang Jingshu.
As for Gu Ze, well, that was another story.
Two days passed in this manner. The remaining few estimated that Xu Hang and Xie Huai should have returned by now, yet they waited from dawn until dusk without seeing any sign of them.
Another morning arrived. Xu Nuan woke up feeling conflicted; staying on the island like this was not a solution. They were making no progress in the game, and their food supplies were dwindling.
Gu Ze's injuries had mostly healed. It was time for her and Gu Ze to take charge of rowing the boat while Deng Yinyin looked after Tang Jingshu. Surely the four of them could set out to sea.
Unfortunately, Xu Hang had taken their only telescope with him—more accurately, it was Zhao Xi's telescope that had been left behind. Without it, searching for signs of other islands at sea would be challenging, let alone finding the Special Tree.
As Xu Nuan got up, she instinctively glanced toward the fire pit. According to habit, Gu Ze should have been sitting there by now.
But today was different; the fire burned brightly, yet no one added fuel to it.
Could he have gone off in search of food and not returned?
Xu Nuan pondered this as she looked at the resting Deng Yinyin and Tang Jingshu. She wiped her face casually and wandered into the woods. However, after wandering for a while, she still found no trace of Gu Ze.
After standing there conflicted for a moment, Xu Nuan suddenly tapped her head to dispel any impossible thoughts and instead called out Gu Ze's name.
"Gu Ze!"
Xu Nuan called out a few times, then began to feel a bit bewildered. What was she doing so early in the morning? The most frustrating part of this game was the lack of mobile phones for communication; finding someone meant shouting.
However, calling out was more effective than simply searching. Soon, she heard Gu Ze's voice coming from the direction of the shallows.
Her heart lifted, but her expression remained unchanged as Xu Nuan calmly quickened her pace toward him.
Having spent some time on this small island, Xu Nuan had nearly memorized every corner. Even at night, when visibility was low, she wouldn’t get lost. Of course, for Xu Nuan, this wasn’t something to celebrate; she would much rather see Xu Hang and Xie Huai return safely with good news.
After walking briskly for a few minutes in the direction of the voice, Xu Nuan spotted Gu Ze standing by the sea.
From this angle, Gu Ze looked quite graceful, but Xu Nuan would never voice that thought.
As she approached, Gu Ze didn’t turn around. Xu Nuan frowned, about to speak when she noticed something unusual.
She had been focused on Gu Ze and hadn’t paid attention to the surroundings. Now, looking up suddenly, Xu Nuan saw thick smoke rising from a spot on the sea surface.
“Could it be that an island is on fire? Are there other players in this round?”
Xu Nuan instinctively asked this question and suddenly remembered the other players—wasn’t that Xu Hang and Xie Huai?
“Could it be them?”
Her question shifted immediately.
Only then did Gu Ze jump down from the rocks and walk over to Xu Nuan with a gentle expression before looking back.
“It’s very possible. Perhaps something happened to them; their boat might have broken down or something like that, preventing them from coming back to find us. It could also be an accidental fire.”
“Another multiple-choice question!”
Xu Nuan felt a surge of frustration, the conflicted expression returning to her face.
Gu Ze silently admired this expression for a moment.
“It’s Xu Hang and the others; the likelihood is ninety percent.”
“Are you that sure?”
Xu Nuan was surprised, then speculated, “Did you agree on this code with them before they set sail?”
Gu Ze lightly shook his head, suddenly raising his right hand. Xu Nuan noticed that Gu Ze was also wearing the Tail Ring.
“Tang Jing Shu and the others are wearing theirs too.”
After noticing that Deng Yinyin had put on her Tail Ring, Xu Nuan realized that the others had also donned theirs, while Gu Ze had only just started wearing his today.
“What’s the use of this?”
In contrast to Deng Yinyin's confusion, Xu Nuan believed that Gu Ze, as an electronics technician, certainly knew what the Tail Ring was for.
“It’s a positioning device and alarm system for companions.”
As Gu Ze explained, he fiddled with the Tail Ring. Suddenly, a needle-like object extended from it, gradually enlarging until it transformed into a screen about the size of a dial. On it were five green dots; three were close together while the other two were nearby but at a certain distance from the trio.
Xu Nuan began to understand a bit more.
“If something happens to a companion, the green dot will turn red. But everyone’s color is the same; it’s only occasionally useful.”
Gu Ze emphasized the word “occasionally.”
Xu Nuan paid no mind, pointing to the two dots and comparing the direction between the light spots on the screen and the direction of Gu Ze and the smoking area in reality, nodding slightly.
"I understand why you are so certain now. This Tail Ring is quite useful for the team."
Xu Nuan smiled and then asked Gu Ze, "This shouldn't be something you figured out yourself, right?"
She remembered when she first saw Deng Yinyin with the Tail Ring and had asked about it. At that time, Deng Yinyin had simply said, "It's useful after all." Now it seemed that Deng Yinyin had been lying.
"Of course it's not something I figured out," Gu Ze shrugged. "This ring was obtained in the Hidden Level of Gorge. The System introduced how to use it right there. I always thought it was useless; I only brought it out because Xu Hang and Xie Huai haven't returned."
Xu Nuan nodded in understanding but her mind wandered in another direction.
The Tail Ring she had only measured temperature, and its design was different from those Gu Ze and the others had. Although she had started paying attention to Qin Yaojie’s various research directions regarding this Tail Ring after entering the game, it seemed now that they must refer to other aspects. As a game item, this Tail Ring likely had little connection to what Qin Yaojie had researched.
Xu Nuan realized she was becoming paranoid; without finding something suspicious, she felt uneasy. Yet when she did find something suspicious, her mind filled with various guesses and doubts, keeping her brain in a tense state, which wasn't good either.
"I hope there's nothing wrong."
Lost in thought, Xu Nuan murmured to herself, momentarily forgetting that Gu Ze was beside her.
"What’s wrong?"
Gu Ze had noticed Xu Nuan zoning out long ago. Half helpless and half dissatisfied, he seized the opportunity to ask.
"Huh?"
Xu Nuan's vacant eyes gradually regained clarity as they met Gu Ze's face. Realizing what had just happened, she awkwardly attempted to change the subject.
"Nothing much. That boat you found earlier really came in handy, didn't it?"
"Indeed. Time is of the essence. I'll go push the boat into the water; you go call them. Hopefully, we'll encounter some good fortune when we get there."
Gu Ze continued to follow Xu Nuan's lead, seemingly reverting back to the considerate and gentlemanly Gu Ze he had been before.
Distracted and flustered, Xu Nuan barely registered his words. She nodded hurriedly and headed toward the campsite, unaware of the solemnity and slight hostility lurking in Gu Ze's eyes.
Upon returning to the campsite, Xu Nuan began explaining things to Tang Jingshu and Deng Yinyin, glancing at the rings on their pinky fingers that faintly shimmered.
She sighed subtly, forcing herself to engage with their conversation about how they were certain that Xu Hang and Xie Huai were on the other side of the island and that there was another boat involved.
Feeling lazy about elaborating further, Xu Nuan pushed Gu Ze forward as a shield. Fortunately, Gu Ze held a level of authority comparable to Xu Hang's, so neither of her friends pressed for more details as they began packing their bags.
Seeing this, Xu Nuan also started on her own bag while tidying up Gu Ze's as well.
During the packing process, Deng Yinyin approached with an unabashed curiosity on her face, her eyes betraying a hint of jealousy.
"You've been getting pretty close to Gu Ze lately."
"I'm close to all of you; we're companions," Xu Nuan replied matter-of-factly.
Deng Yinyin pouted, unwilling to let it go.
"Well, he always talks to you first about everything."
"Just happened to be there."
Xu Nuan wore a serious expression; she did not want their conversation to end up like the confrontation on the snowy mountain.
Although she wouldn’t act foolishly, Deng Yinyin knew that continuing this way would annoy some people.
But if Deng Yinyin kept entangling herself like this, should she really distance herself from Gu Ze?
No, they were companions now; this was the distance between companions. It seemed that Deng Yinyin was overthinking it.
"I am your companion, nothing more."
After a moment's thought, Xu Nuan added this line. Seeing Deng Yinyin's suddenly brightened eyes made her feel inexplicably baffled. Fortunately, after she finished speaking, Deng Yinyin obediently left.
As soon as Deng Yinyin departed, Xu Nuan found herself facing Tang Jingshu, who looked hesitant.
"Hmm?"
Xu Nuan let out a low sound and waited for Tang Jingshu to speak. However, Tang Jingshu merely stood there for a moment, hesitating before breaking into a serene smile and walking away.
Xu Nuan shrugged, feeling confused.
The four gathered by the seaside. Gu Ze chuckled as he took the backpack Xu Nuan handed him and nodded at Deng Yinyin and Tang Jingshu. Without saying much, he quietly pulled out two oars—these were the only two they had successfully tested.
Before Deng Yinyin could reach for one, Gu Ze had already handed an oar to Xu Nuan.
Deng Yinyin immediately shot Xu Nuan a skeptical look.
Xu Nuan spoke up, "The waves are a bit rough; you and Tang Jingshu should support each other."
Deng Yinyin was finally satisfied as she helped Tang Jingshu onto the boat.
However, Xu Nuan felt perplexed when she met Gu Ze's slightly teasing gaze. In this day and age, one had to find a reason to take on hard labor; it was truly strange.
The place shrouded in thick smoke was not far from the island they were on, with the only obstacles being the wind and waves.
The four of them finally arrived at the smoke-filled island when the sun was high in the sky. Before they even set foot on the shore, they saw Xu Hang and Xie Huai waving at them from the beach, while a broken, unusable boat lay quietly nearby.
What surprised Xu Nuan and the others was that Xu Hang and Xie Huai had set fire to a row of trees. Although they had tried to keep a safe distance from other plants, they still felt that such an action was somewhat reckless.
Once they reached the shore, Xu Hang couldn't hide his excitement.
"You finally made it! We've discovered the Special Tree and found the Supply Station, which is not far from here. It will take at most an hour to get there."
Upon hearing this, Xu Nuan smiled faintly, a hint of melancholy in her expression.
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