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墨書 Inktalez
A group of people was walking among the jagged rocks, with Gu Ze leading the way along the route known as the Special Tree, while several others followed behind.
The cliffs were steep, and the peaks stood tall and bizarre. Even the gravel rolling in from the Riverbank had a different sharpness to it.
Wait, gravel?
Xu Nuan, who had been feeling calm, suddenly turned to look at the riverbed after noticing this detail.
The river, which had previously flowed smoothly and gently, was now surging in a way that seemed unnatural. The dark gray water was sweeping over the shallows, gradually encroaching toward them. The commotion wasn’t loud, and for a moment, no one noticed.
"Should we find a way to avoid this?"
Xu Nuan asked Xu Hang, the team leader, as she observed the increasingly troubling river.
The sudden change in the narrow river was beyond Xu Hang's understanding. As he watched the water rise more and more, he gritted his teeth and made a decision: they should all head toward the Stone Forest to climb to higher ground and reassess the situation from there.
No one objected; they quickly changed direction and ran toward higher terrain before starting to climb.
While climbing, Xu Nuan deliberately glanced at Gu Ze. His right hand seemed to be injured quite badly; climbing must be challenging for him. Just as she hesitated about whether to ask Xu Hang or Xie Huai for help with Gu Ze, she noticed that Gu Ze was scaling the peak with remarkable speed, even taking time to observe her progress along the way.
Was his injury not serious? Or was he simply not afraid of pain?
With a mind full of questions, Xu Nuan reached the top of a towering stone pillar and pulled up the panting Deng Yinyin. Just as she was about to inquire about Gu Ze, a sudden loud explosion echoed in her ears.
Instinctively looking toward the riverbed, she saw the water level rising abruptly. The surging river was rushing toward them from the direction of Stone Forest. The tall stone pillar they were on instantly became an island, with waves occasionally crashing against its base.
"How did this place suddenly turn into a vast ocean?"
The incident happened suddenly, and Deng Yinyin was completely caught off guard.
Xie Huai, however, was very concerned about the explosion they had just heard.
"Why did an explosion occur here? What caused it?"
Xie Huai directed his question at Xu Nuan.
Before Xu Nuan could respond, Xie Huai continued, "I remember when we first met, you had a pack of explosives. Could this be intentional? How did they get their hands on explosives?"
Xu Nuan shook her head. "The Supply Station doesn't provide explosives. The ones I obtained before were extracted from some chemicals under someone else's guidance; it was very difficult and in small quantities. No one should be able to extract enough explosives to blow up a river."
As she spoke, she noticed that both Xie Huai and Xu Hang looked disappointed at the same time. Her lips twitched involuntarily. Could it be that Xu Hang shared the same thought? Personally, she still leaned towards the idea that there was a problem with the Game Base. Seeking validation, she glanced at Gu Ze.
To her surprise, Gu Ze was looking at her with an indescribable expression. She couldn't read minds; without Gu Ze directly expressing himself, she wouldn't know what he was thinking.
While everyone was lost in their own thoughts, the long-awaited voice of the System echoed through the air. Perhaps it was Xu Nuan's preconceived notion, but she detected a hint of urgency in the voice coming from the monitoring room.
"This river explosion is purely due to a System malfunction. The System is currently undergoing repairs. Please remain calm and stay in place; do not proceed recklessly."
As soon as the message ended, the few remaining functional speakers emitted a series of beeping sounds before falling silent.
The group exchanged glances, and Deng Yinyin looked on in disbelief.
"I've never heard such human-like language come from System before."
After all, it was a person speaking, Xu Nuan silently complained, her expression gradually becoming serious. They existed in the real world; how could there be a malfunction like in an online game? In other words, there was a problem with the people or machines maintaining the environment they were in.
Why was that? The probability of a game constructed with immense financial and material resources malfunctioning was as unlikely as the selective amnesia she experienced.
Moreover, she had always believed that Player was playing on an island purchased from Biotechnology Research Company, but the environments in each level were distinctly different. It was impossible to complete them all on one island. What kind of technology did this company possess? Or perhaps, Xu Nuan glanced at the contemplative Gu Ze, what kind of technology did the Heng Technology she had been with for three years have?
Gu Ze had hidden some things from her, and Xu Nuan suddenly felt certain about her suspicions. What followed was a sense of loss; they could never truly be honest with each other. However, thinking about it, she had no right to demand Gu Ze be open with her. Everyone had their own secrets, and it was unreasonable to force them to share.
Comforting herself like this, Xu Nuan lost interest in studying the surrounding environment and casually found a spot on a stone pillar to sit down, listening to Xu Hang habitually summarize their situation.
"Since System is like this, we just need to wait here calmly. The floodwaters will recede soon, and we can continue moving forward."
Although everyone had experienced being toyed with by System, the long-awaited appearance of it made them unconsciously choose to believe.
This time, Xu Nuan had no choice but to believe. The surroundings resembled a flood zone; the trajectory of the Special Tree that Gu Ze remembered was no longer useful. They had no tools to leave the stone pillar, and clean water sources were scarce. In other words, if Game Base didn't repair itself quickly, they would either starve or die of thirst.
Thinking about how the Supply Station must also be submerged made Xu Nuan feel even worse. Fortunately, the stone pillar was large enough that they didn't have to huddle together to rest; otherwise, she wouldn't even have a corner to hide her emotions.
No corner?
Xu Nuan sat cross-legged at one end of the stone pillar and turned to glare at the uninvited Gu Ze.
There were no words exchanged, but she thought she made her feelings of 'unwelcome' quite clear.
Unfortunately, even the most obvious unwelcomeness crumbled before Gu Ze's thick-skinned approach. Of course, there’s also the saying that one shouldn’t strike a smiling face.
Gu Ze smiled so brightly that Xu Nuan found it hard to ask him to leave. If he were to retort with something as infuriating as, "This isn’t her territory," she would surely be tempted to push him into the water.
Gu Ze could swim, so there was no need to worry about him drowning.
Switching to her tsundere mode, Xu Nuan turned her face away and stared intently at the murky, swirling river water. As she looked, she couldn’t help but scoff at how a narrow river could possibly have so much water— it was downright terrifying, worse than a flood.
Nearby their stone pillar, there were many 'islands' of varying heights. The pillar they were on was relatively tall, so Xu Nuan felt they were temporarily safe.
"Why do you look unhappy again?"
Just as Xu Nuan was trying hard to convey her desire for solitude with an air of "leave me alone," Gu Ze spoke up, voicing what Xu Nuan didn’t want to admit.
She turned her head and shot him a glance, dismissing any notions of politeness as she continued to silently observe the water around them.
Once again, she confirmed that she really disliked water.
"You seem to have a fear of water?"
Gu Ze persisted in striking up a conversation, puzzled by how quickly Xu Nuan had changed. Just moments ago, they had been laughing together, and now she wore a sullen expression and remained silent.
Women’s thoughts were truly difficult to grasp.
That was Gu Ze's feeling.
It was quite a coincidence that Xu Nuan always found Gu Ze's thoughts to be elusive.
Xu Nuan, who was afraid of water but unwilling to admit it, managed to squeeze out a few words between her teeth.
"I just think this water is very dirty."
Gu Ze chuckled lightly a few times and then brought up another matter that Xu Nuan was reluctant to acknowledge.
"You were quite straightforward in admitting it when you had night blindness before."
Gu Ze displayed a misguided approach to pursuing someone; no matter the goal, one should never mention the other person's sore spots.
"Are you really pursuing me with such sharp words?"
Xu Nuan muttered under her breath, her lips twitching. Suddenly, she felt her face burning hot and quickly coughed a few times, turning her head away as if nothing had happened.
Seizing the opportunity, Gu Ze shifted closer to Xu Nuan, making their proximity more pronounced.
"My pursuit of you doesn't conflict with stating the facts; recognizing the truth is essential for moving forward."
"Gu Ze, I seriously doubt your emotional intelligence," Xu Nuan couldn't help but turn to look at him. She suddenly realized how close they were and reflexively leaned back. Only Gu Ze's quick reflexes saved her from falling to the ground.
Seeing Gu Ze instinctively retract his hand, Xu Nuan finally steadied herself and finished her sentence.
"At times like this, no one wants to hear grand theories."
"That's someone else," Gu Ze responded quickly, always looking at Xu Nuan with a gaze she couldn't meet.
"You are different. No matter the situation, you can listen to others' opinions because you care..."
Gu Ze's words trailed off, but Xu Nuan already understood what he was trying to express.
Rubbing her nose, Xu Nuan looked helplessly at the water's surface. Did this man have mind-reading abilities? It was quite troublesome how accurately he guessed her thoughts every time.
This was what she thought, yet the smile that suddenly appeared on her lips truly reflected her feelings.
"By the way," Gu Ze suddenly leaned in very close, almost whispering in Xu Nuan's ear.
"I suspect Dad has already started taking action. Maybe we won't need to clear the levels to get out."
Although the warmth of his breath made Xu Nuan uncomfortable, she was very concerned about Gu Ze's words. Ignoring their close position, she pressed for more information.
"What action? What are you and your dad planning to do?"
Gu Ze glanced at the others, then relaxed and leaned closer to Xu Nuan again. She realized her hair could almost touch him now.
"Of course, we're going to destroy this Game Base. This is a secret, so we can't go out just yet."
While it was a secret, the smile on Gu Ze's face radiated trust and affection.
Xu Nuan didn't know what to say for a moment. Just over ten minutes ago, she had been upset about Gu Ze's concealment, and now that he had revealed the truth, she felt equally troubled.
"Why are you telling me such a confidential matter? I might team up with others to stop you."
After all, Qin Yaojie was also involved in the game's design. She firmly believed that her design philosophy was different from others, so many decisions needed to be made after consulting her.
"I won't," Gu Ze said with a confident smile, his warm breath brushing against Xu Nuan's face. She turned away, but she could still hear his voice.
"You will definitely support me; I believe in you."
His gentle voice rang out like a bell.
Xu Nuan didn't know how to respond.
Just when she felt at a loss, Gu Ze suddenly pulled back a little and laughed heartily.
"I've told you this much; I deserve some reward, right?"
This guy was impossible to take seriously for more than three seconds!
As Xu Nuan sat there with a blank expression, she suddenly heard the sound of heavy rain.
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