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墨書 Inktalez
The sudden, piercing cry of the cat shattered the silence, and the sound of wings flapping from the creature that followed sent chills down their spines.
What kind of unwelcome guest had arrived at their temporary campsite?
Everyone pondered this question.
Deng Yinyin was hopping around, clutching her hand, casting furious glances at the cat that continued to wail. She even thought she saw mockery in its eyes.
"How dare you scratch my hand, you bold little cat! You're not cute at all."
Xu Nuan, feeling increasingly heavy-headed, impatiently picked up a twig and threw it at the cat. The agile feline dodged effortlessly and leaped to another branch.
Gu Ze couldn't shake off his worries and approached Xu Nuan to check on her condition. The emotions flickering in his eyes surprised Tang Jingshu and Xu Hang, who were close by, but they exchanged knowing glances and turned away, pretending not to notice.
Deng Yinyin was too focused on the cat to see what was happening, while Xie Huai, who wanted to check on Deng Yinyin's wound but felt too shy to speak up, also missed it. Even if he had noticed, Gu Ze wouldn't have cared; his feelings had subtly revealed themselves back when they faced Gorge.
The system's voice echoed for the third time that day.
"Slimwaist Cat: Appears cute but has a vicious personality. It likes to disguise itself as docile to approach humans and then emits screams to attract Vampire Bats."
"Vampire Bat: Active at night, enjoys feeding on animal blood. Its saliva is toxic, with unknown effects."
"Since it's a Vampire Bat, let's hide in the tent."
Gu Ze looked at Xu Nuan, who was biting her lip in pain and struggling to hold back tears. A whirlwind of emotions surged within him, making it hard to control himself.
Xu Hang readily agreed and tacitly allowed Xie Huai to take Deng Yinyin away while he pretended to help Tang Jingshu.
However, the Slimwaist Cat's malicious nature wasn't just evident in attracting Vampire Bats; it also manifested in its penchant for causing trouble.
Taking advantage of everyone's diverted attention, the Slimwaist Cat jumped down from the branch and ran to the campfire. With a flick of its front paw, several burning logs fell onto the sides of two tents, quickly igniting them.
The crowd rushed to save them, but as a gust of wind blew, the flames grew larger, and in an instant, the tents were consumed by fire.
Xu Nuan could no longer care about her headache. Standing before the tents that had turned to ashes almost instantly, she felt a sense of disbelief.
All of this happened within just a few minutes, and while everyone was still in shock, the Vampire Bat approached.
Its appearance was repulsive, its cries reminiscent of a baby’s wail, and it had sharp fangs. It craved blood and carried poison.
Everyone shared a mutual disdain for this group of bats.
These bats would not stop their attacks simply because they were disliked.
As Xu Nuan pondered how to evade them, a coat suddenly descended and covered her head.
The world went dark, causing Xu Nuan to panic. Then she heard a voice that calmed her fears.
“Don’t worry, I’m here. I won’t let you get hurt again.”
The familiar voice and tone reminded Xu Nuan of when Gu Ze had said something similar in the swamp. Back then, she thought she must have misheard.
But it turned out she hadn’t!
Xu Nuan felt a surge of emotions; was this truly the friendship between companions?
Even with her head covered, she could hear the sound of bats flapping around and their chilling cries in the night. Gu Ze held her hand tightly, guiding her movements as he dodged the attacks.
Xu Nuan could also hear the screams and complaints of others around her.
"Why are you only biting my neck?"
"Ah, I've been bitten again! It hurts so much!"
"What kind of poison is this?"
Listening to these words, Xu Nuan concluded that the Vampire Bats might prioritize attacking exposed areas, but that didn't mean they wouldn't attack covered parts as well.
When she felt a sharp pain in her back, Xu Nuan realized she had been attacked. The Bat had only bitten through two layers of clothing, so there was no blood yet, but if it happened again, that might not be the case.
She wasn't weak enough to need protection from a Bat.
Xu Nuan took off her clothes and saw Gu Ze turn around anxiously, urgency evident in his voice.
"What should we do if you get bitten after taking it off?"
Xu Nuan smiled and waved her free hand, where a Bat had latched on and refused to let go.
"They seem to be starving; the clothes can no longer stop them."
Gu Ze then realized he had panicked and made a common mistake. The others hadn’t covered their heads with clothing to avoid the Bats, knowing that would only leave other parts exposed. So was Xu Nuan's delayed reaction due to a headache?
Gu Ze chuckled at his own folly.
Xu Nuan was puzzled by Gu Ze's sudden change in expression, but his clothes inspired her. She wrapped the sleeves around her hand and quickly swung the rest of the garment, creating a barrier that kept some of the Bats at bay.
Releasing his grip, Gu Ze glanced at the nearby fire pit. While dodging the Bats, he moved toward the flames and waved several burning sticks in front of them. Instead of retreating, the Bats became even more agitated.
More Bats flocked toward the light, attacking Gu Ze.
"Cut it out, not afraid of fire, huh?"
Gu Ze felt a bit frustrated as he tossed aside the firewood, pondering if there was another way to fend off these Bats.
The cries of the Slimwaist Cat were still piercing and relentless, drawing more Bats towards the sound.
The campsite suddenly became bustling with activity, as the Bats that found the source of food grew increasingly excited.
But it was tough for Xu Nuan and the other Players.
Xu Nuan was both annoyed and troubled by the cat's cries, and she couldn't avoid several waves of Bat attacks. The night was already deep, and she was exhausted, making it even harder to deal with the Bats. When she saw Gu Ze dodging the Bats and coming close to her, she spoke up.
"Could you help me deal with that cat? It's just too noisy, and all these Bats are attracted because of it."
Xu Nuan took the initiative to ask, and Gu Ze had no reason to refuse.
While dodging the Bats, he also helped Xu Hang take care of a few Bats that were bothering Tang Jingshu. Gu Ze made his way to the tree where the Slimwaist Cat was perched.
This Slimwaist Cat was quite clever; it hid high in the branches and, upon seeing Gu Ze looking up at it, let out an even louder cry.
Gu Ze saw no reason to get angry with a cat; he simply stared at it expressionlessly without making any move.
Humans can be proud, and so can cats.
Seeing that Gu Ze couldn't do anything about it, the Slimwaist Cat jumped down to a lower branch and continued its cries, occasionally glancing down at Gu Ze.
Suddenly, Gu Ze let out a cold laugh. With a flick of his wrist, a syringe flew swiftly towards the unsuspecting Slimwaist Cat. The cat didn't even have time to let out a muffled sound before it fell down.
Bending down to pull out the syringe, Gu Ze spoke in an extremely calm tone.
"Such a large dose of Muscle Relaxant is enough to leave you unable to move."
Gu Ze patted his own head. "Am I being foolish? Why am I talking to a cat?"
Without the allure of the Slimwaist Cat, and with no more Bats joining the bloodsucking fray, the Bats remaining at the Campsite were already countless. Each person had at least one bite mark on them, having lost some blood.
As Tang Jingshu showed signs of fainting again after finally recovering from her fever, Xu Nuan and the others grew angry and tried every method they could think of.
Some were throwing stones and branches at the Bats, while others fashioned nets out of clothing to catch them. Although Bats were not afraid of fire, that didn’t mean they couldn’t be burned.
In an odd turn of events, Gu Ze was using his clothes to swat down the Bats and then tossing them into the fire, a strange meaty aroma wafting through the Campsite.
Deng Yinyin, feeling hungry again amidst the chaos, swallowed hard. Xu Nuan suspected that if it weren't for the Bats sucking blood from people, Deng Yinyin might actually consider eating the Bat meat.
As the six of them were locked in a standoff with the Vampire Bats, a man's voice suddenly rang out.
"These Bats are afraid of water. Douse them with water, and they will self-ignite; the other Bats will flee in fear."
The voice was somewhat cool but calm, devoid of any particular emotion.
Before they could discern where the voice was coming from, they instinctively grabbed their water bottles and began to sprinkle water into the air.
Many of the Bats that got splashed with water began to self-ignite, screaming as they fell to the ground motionless.
Seeing this, the remaining Bats scattered in panic; it seemed they wouldn’t be returning tonight.
Finally free from the Vampire Bats, the group took a moment to search for the source of that voice—the person who had helped them this time.
In the darkness, a man's figure came into view.
The newcomer appeared to be over six feet tall, neither too fat nor too thin, dressed entirely in a black Tactical Jacket that almost blended into the night. He wore a hat, had thin eyebrows and eyes, a high nose bridge, and thin lips. His looks were decent, placing him among the handsome crowd, though he seemed somewhat aloof, giving off a serious demeanor that made him appear unapproachable.
As he gradually approached, he scanned the crowd with little emotion in his gaze. A faint smile lingered at the corners of his lips, which did not soften his demeanor but rather added to his coolness, making others hesitant to engage.
When the man drew closer, Xu Nuan caught sight of his face in the light of the fire and couldn't help but exclaim.
"You are one of the First Batch of Players?"
At her words, everyone except Gu Ze was taken aback and intrigued.
Excluding Zhao Xi, who had been left behind due to injury during the Beautiful River challenge, the First Batch of Players was a mysterious presence. They were the first to join this game and had cleared the most challenges, sparking curiosity among the group. For Xu Hang and the others, encountering the First Batch of Players seemed to signify that they had caught up with the initial pace of Player progress, suggesting they might also succeed in clearing challenges first.
However, there were those who hoped never to encounter the First Batch of Players, like Gu Ze, who had replaced his earlier warmth with an air of indifference.
Then there was Xu Nuan, who eagerly sought out the First Batch of Players because one of them had drawn her into this game.
"Haha," the newcomer chuckled lightly at Xu Nuan's question before responding slowly.
"Hello, I am Zhang Xiao from the First Batch of Players."
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