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墨書 Inktalez
Gu Ze found himself lying on the ground, but more than the sight of Azure White Clouds above him, he was concerned about Xu Nuan sprawled across his stomach.
Having a beauty nestled against him was quite enjoyable, especially if she weren't pressing down on his injury.
"I'm sorry."
Xu Nuan hurriedly got up, her face flushed and her tone calm.
"I turned around just now and saw you falling backward. I tried to catch you, but you were too heavy for me to hold on."
Seeing Xu Nuan stand up without any intention of helping him up, Gu Ze, who had not fully enjoyed the warmth of her presence, had no choice but to get up by himself. Ignoring his wound, he squinted at the group waiting for him and Xu Nuan ahead.
He waved his hand to signal that he was fine. Once he saw Xu Hang and the others turn back to continue on their way, he turned back to Xu Nuan with a serious expression.
"Nuan, I need your help to confirm something."
Xu Nuan was adjusting her backpack when she heard Gu Ze's question. She paused and looked at him.
"What is it?"
"Am I dreaming?"
Gu Ze's face was very serious, which made Xu Nuan adopt a serious demeanor as well.
"Why do you ask that?"
Since Gu Ze woke up, he has been acting strangely. Xu Nuan became increasingly convinced that something had happened to Gu Ze beneath the surface of the lake. While she was puzzled, a sense of unease crept in. If it was as it had been before Gu Ze fell, she wanted to know what he was hiding, which would inevitably lead to her own secrets being revealed. Was this exchange worth it?
As Xu Nuan pondered, Gu Ze suddenly spoke.
"I'll tell you the reason later; for now, just help me confirm something."
Gu Ze's expression remained unchanged.
Xu Nuan could only nod, and then she heard Gu Ze say something unexpected.
"Can you kiss me?"
Xu Nuan thought she must have misheard him and felt a wave of embarrassment, especially when she saw the serious and solemn look on Gu Ze's face, which only intensified her shame.
But then she heard Gu Ze add,
"Can you kiss me? I need to confirm whether this is a dream or reality."
"A dream."
Finally snapping back to reality, Xu Nuan raised her hand, ready to slap him. After twenty-five years—no, wait, she was already twenty-six—after twenty-six years, the first person to act like a rogue towards her was her own Alliance?
"If I slap you, you'll definitely forget where you are!"
"How much strength would that take?"
Gu Ze, with a mournful expression, reached out to stop Xu Nuan. As she pulled her hand away in annoyance and quickly walked ahead, he hurriedly followed to explain.
"Haha, I was just joking. I already know I'm in reality."
"So, your dream was about something really trivial?" Xu Nuan replied, not pleased.
"Haha."
Gu Ze scratched his head and chuckled awkwardly, a hint of helplessness on his handsome face, but inside he had figured things out.
He had indeed fallen into the water last night but was quickly rescued. The scene he thought was an attack was actually a dream induced by the water. In other words, there might have been some hallucinogenic substance in the lake that affected his mind.
The things that appeared in his dream were designed to create psychological pressure, causing people to unknowingly perish in their dreams. The voices he heard were also a form of psychological suggestion that intensified this pressure. For example, a simple phrase like "Don't look back," when said in different tones, could have various effects. Those who fell for it would start to imagine what would happen if they did look back, thereby increasing their stress unconsciously.
He had indeed fallen behind the group with Xu Nuan, and due to overthinking, he had burdened his mind and body too much, unwittingly falling into the trap. However, at the moment he was affected, he was already walking in a daze and hadn’t collapsed. Under the influence of the substance or suggestion, he had begun to harm himself in a dark environment without realizing it. Yet he hadn’t fallen; instead, Xu Nuan had grabbed him and pressed down on his wound.
The pain coursing through his body pulled countless nerves back to reality, allowing him to escape the illusion.
"I should probably tell you what happened to me. It wouldn't be good if you fell for it too."
Gu Ze revealed that gentle smile once again, deciding he would confess his feelings to the person before him before pursuing them further. If something were to happen to this person, it would be meaningless for him to wake up later.
"Go ahead, I'm listening," Xu Nuan said, pleased that she could learn about Gu Ze without having to exchange secrets. She enjoyed a good deal.
Gu Ze smiled again and, in a light-hearted tone, recounted his experiences, omitting many unnecessary details such as his decisions and thoughts, as well as those overly embarrassing moments. He emphasized that there might be substances in the water that one should avoid touching.
"But I’ve already touched the lake water," Xu Nuan remarked, puzzled. She was the first to come into contact with it and had discovered that the face in the water was different from her own. Moreover, everyone had been wary of the lake's surface until Gu Ze was pulled into the water by the Green Tentacle.
Gu Ze seemed to recall that incident and began to doubt his judgment.
"So, is the lake water safe? Is it a hint?"
"However, hints usually require some external factor," Xu Nuan said, though she found it strange; she was eager to analyze this matter that could help everyone.
"You’re not someone who would easily fall for hints."
Gu Ze appeared gentle on the outside but was actually quite resolute inside; otherwise, he wouldn’t deserve the title of campus heartthrob from the Business School. Not to mention, he was an heir cultivated by a family that accepted the System.
"Should I be happy about your praise? But," Gu Ze hesitated slightly, "this time I fell into something unclear and it’s quite frightening. I was lucky you managed to suppress my wound, but what if you had been affected instead?"
Xu Nuan realized once again that worrying unnecessarily was not a good habit; she needed to change.
"Maybe you guessed correctly; the lake water contains a special substance. However, perhaps I'm just immune to it. My health hasn't been great lately, and I often see doctors and take medication. Both drugs and the human body are fascinating things, and there are always one or two exceptions."
Xu Nuan didn't think much of it, but Gu Ze, who had just decided to pursue her, couldn't help but think of Qin Yaojie.
Whether Xu Nuan admitted it or not, there was a strong connection between Qin Yaojie and this game. Could it be that Qin Yaojie had done something to Xu Nuan in the past that resulted in her unique constitution?
The more Gu Ze thought about it, the more plausible it seemed. He felt a surge of dissatisfaction; every time he wanted to impress Xu Nuan, either she was too clever and calm, or some matter related to Qin Yaojie would pop up to steal the spotlight, leaving him frustrated and powerless.
Seeing Gu Ze's conflicted and frustrated expression, Xu Nuan assumed it was just his male pride acting up. She felt a bit sorry for him this time, especially since he was suffering due to the special rules of this level. So, she kindly spoke up.
"If I really get affected, just kiss me as soon as you notice something's off. I will definitely wake up."
Gu Ze, who had been feeling all sorts of displeasure in his heart, immediately broke into a smile upon hearing this and cheerfully asked, "Wow, does my kiss have such great power?"
"Of course," Xu Nuan replied with a cool smile. "If you kiss me, I will instinctively punch you back, and that should wake me up."
Gu Ze silently turned his head away, self-deprecating for a moment before looking back at Xu Nuan with a warm expression.
"Then I'll choose a gentler method."
"Hmm?" Xu Nuan raised an eyebrow but didn't ask further. The two continued walking forward, hoping to catch up with Xu Hang and the others. It seemed that Xu Hang and the others were already used to them occasionally straying from the group; if being thirty meters apart counted as straying.
After walking for a while, Xu Nuan glanced at Gu Ze's handsome profile and slowly spoke up.
"Thinking it over, I should be fair too. I'll share something as well."
"Hmm?"
Gu Ze turned to look at Xu Nuan, noticing her hesitant expression, and smiled.
"This isn't a transaction; you don't have to force yourself. I trust my Alliance completely."
As Gu Ze finished speaking, he chuckled. Why did his words sound so solemn? What was he worried about?
Xu Nuan seemed momentarily taken aback by his words before revealing a graceful smile. She looked ahead and paused to wait for Xu Hang and the others who were trailing behind.
"No, it's just that some secrets left buried in the heart will only rot away. Rather than being tormented alone, it's better to share them. Otherwise, I would lose the meaning of our alliance."
Gu Ze let out a bitter smile from a viewpoint where Xu Nuan couldn't see him, casually kicking a few pebbles toward the nearby cameras and microphones. Sigh. Those two words could be quite hurtful, especially when one desired more.
"I believe," Xu Nuan began with those three words, and Gu Ze instantly knew this was the result of her deep contemplation. He set aside other thoughts and listened intently.
"He may not have been involved in the game's design, but he knows about that secret passage."
Gu Ze understood who 'he' referred to and what 'secret passage' meant. He couldn't help but turn his head to observe Xu Nuan's expression.
Xu Nuan simply smiled, though Gu Ze believed that this smile contained too much meaning.
"How should I explain this?"
Her words sounded troubled, yet there was not a trace of distress on Xu Nuan's face.
"In the game, I found myself with time to reflect on past events. It wasn't until recently that I noticed some strange things. He used to exhibit many odd behaviors and made peculiar statements. Looking back now, it seems he might have been intentionally or unintentionally revealing some information to me that I didn't understand."
Discussing her ex with the woman he liked left Gu Ze feeling quite complicated, but he maintained his composure and continued to listen.
"Zhang Xiao believes I know some important information, even though I'm unaware of what I know or what I should know. So I've been thinking, perhaps I can use Zhang Xiao's words and actions to deduce what information I might possess."
Xu Nuan's explanation was convoluted, but Gu Ze understood it clearly and secretly admired her intelligence. While openly confronting someone like Zhang Xiao would leave one at a loss, she could turn the tables and use him to probe her own memory, piecing together clues to reach conclusions. With such meticulous thought processes, why was she content to be a mere clerk? Gu Ze pondered who had bound Xu Nuan or if her ambitions lay elsewhere.
"A series of events has led me to believe with about eighty percent certainty that the secret passage information is what I should know—or perhaps even more than that."
Xu Nuan turned to look directly at Gu Ze.
"I need your help to piece together my memories so we can uncover the secret passage without having to confront someone as dangerous as Zhang Xiao. I don't want my companions to be put in danger because they are clearly unrelated to this matter. Of course, I also want to use this situation to outmaneuver Zhang Xiao, preventing him from doing anything more reckless."
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