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墨書 Inktalez
Xu Nuan was awakened by the cold.
As she opened her eyes, her vision was still a bit blurry, and her mind felt foggy. A gust of chilly wind swept past, instantly waking her up. She stretched out her hand from the sleeping bag to prop herself up and sit up. Only after sitting up did she realize that the outer layer of the sleeping bag was damp with moisture.
"No wonder I've been feeling so cold," she muttered, glancing around. It looked just like last night: a waterfall pool surrounded by dense forest and sheer cliffs. It must be morning; the sun was shyly half-hidden behind the clouds, and the air was thick with humidity, with a light mist lingering on the ground.
She noticed that her bones were protesting; the aching discomfort put her in a bad mood right from the start. What bothered her most was being surrounded by cliffs, unable to see where she was.
Unsteadily getting to her feet, she splashed some cold water from the pool onto her face. Xu Nuan let out a heavy sigh, packed her belongings, and continued on her journey.
At first, things were much like yesterday: dizzying pools of water lined both sides, with sheer cliffs standing like loyal guards. She felt trapped like a prisoner in a dark cell, unable to escape.
But she was Xu Nuan, who had transformed from someone dependent into a resolute individual after learning about her ex-boyfriend's disappearance. She had comforted his parents and entered the game with determination. She was also the one who had cried in fear at the sight of strange beasts but eventually came to see them as a source of sustenance.
Even without relying on anyone, she could keep moving forward and find answers.
As Xu Nuan encouraged herself, she inevitably thought of the man who had entered her dreams last night and recalled Gu Ze's promises.
"I'll be there for you; you don't have to worry."
"I will ensure you leave the game safely."
"Don't force yourself to remember anything; just go with the flow. I'm here for you."
Promises—how they sounded so heartwarming and beautiful when spoken. Yet in the face of reality, promises were like morning dew that vanished without a trace when the sun rose.
She was curious about what kind of feelings Gu Ze had when he said those words, and she wanted to know if he had considered the possibility that they might be separated. This was a game that did not follow the rules; a sudden, inexplicable fog could separate them, leaving them unaware of each other's positions. In the future, they would be forced apart by countless events, each navigating their own challenges. Perhaps they would meet again as companions, or maybe they would never see each other again.
To be honest, she believed that reuniting was a distant prospect. Even though she trusted that everyone tacitly regarded the area outside the Supply Station as the meeting point, she did not think everyone would successfully reach it.
When Rationality returned, Xu Nuan cast aside all the romantic emotions stirred by Gu Ze. The long-lost heart flutter she had felt in her dreams faded away; perhaps only in dreams could one truly experience another's feelings.
At this moment, she was awake and did not need dreams, nor did she want to experience feelings that came with both gain and loss.
As she continued forward, the sunlight gradually grew more intense, dispelling the chill that had surrounded her. However, this warmth quickly turned into unbearable heat. Such whimsical and capricious changes in the atmosphere were part of the Game Base's unpredictability.
Xu Nuan suddenly thought about how this Game Company had tricked them by establishing the Game Base on an isolated island. What was their purpose? If this company truly had the ability to freely manipulate the weather, then creating multiple bases on an isolated island that could only be accessed through the Supply Station in a Survival Game would be quite easy.
She recalled the storm encountered during the deep-sea challenge and several isolated islands. Even earlier, she had traversed swamps and jungles before finally reaching desert mountains. These landscapes could not possibly coexist on a single island.
Whether it was her, Gu Ze, Xu Hang, or even her initial companions from the Second Batch Players, they had long suspected that they were not on an isolated island. Yet, aside from completing challenges, they had no other way to leave this so-called Game Base. Did the Designers truly want them to succeed in their challenges?
Xu Nuan suddenly remembered the five Tail Rings obtained by the Third Batch of Players and what Gu Ze had told her about their true purpose.
"Why does it feel like the Designers are using two different concepts to design this game?"
Xu Nuan felt as if she had grasped some Thoughts but found herself lost in a haze when reflecting on the past. Those suddenly resurfacing memories remained a significant obstacle to her understanding of her history. Until she fully adapted, she dared not force her mind too much.
She simply did not want to forget those things; her mind and body must have been tampered with by someone.
"Huh."
After thinking through a jumble of fragmented thoughts, Xu Nuan felt increasingly agitated. Distracted and restless, she did not pay much attention to where she stepped and ended up slipping on a moss-covered patch of ground.
"Hiss, it hurts."
As Xu Nuan lay on the ground and saw her palm scraped open again, she expressionlessly slammed her hand against the earth. Crimson blood slowly flowed, staining the patch of green moss beneath her.
After a while, Xu Nuan slowly got up. After disinfecting her hand and wrapping it in a bandage, she continued on her way.
With the pain bringing her back to reality, Xu Nuan found that her steps were much smoother this time. Surprisingly, she felt no impatience; the path ahead didn’t seem endless or suffocating like a mountain pressing down on her.
She had no idea how long she had been walking when Xu Nuan noticed that her field of vision had opened up. Before her lay a vast cliff, interspersed with lawns and low trees, but mostly filled with enormous stones. Beyond the cliff was a large expanse of rhododendrons, and further on was a maple forest, beyond which stretched a sea of green trees.
Seeing the familiar scenery, Xu Nuan quickly activated her memory and swiftly located the direction of the special tree she had once seen. After confirming that direction, she managed to force a smile, tugged at the straps of her backpack, and prepared to make a determined effort to find the special tree.
Just then, a familiar thick fog rushed toward her, enveloping her in an instant.
"Just as I found the special tree, where are you planning to send me now?"
Xu Nuan's mood plummeted below freezing. Her right hand instinctively rested on the short knife at her waist as she cautiously scanned her surroundings.
All she could see was fog, but she dared not let her guard down. After all, she had no idea where this mist might take her. If it happened to drop her into a pack of wild beasts, she would have no time to curse those designers and would have to charge in with just her short knife.
Although it had been difficult for her to perceive the passage of time when she was alone before, now in the fog where nothing was visible, she found herself counting silently in her mind. If she could discover any patterns in the mist, that would be an achievement in itself.
As she counted to six hundred in her mind, a strong wind blew through, gradually dispersing the fog.
Xu Nuan was surprised to find that she was still in the same spot; both the cliff and the distant rhododendron forest looked familiar.
Just as she was pondering this, a cool voice with complex undertones came from behind her.
"Is this some kind of twisted fate between us? How is it that we keep running into each other?"
Xu Nuan suddenly turned around and saw Rao Tingxue dressed in a striking red outfit. Rao Tingxue still looked as stunning as Xu Nuan remembered, the color complementing her beauty perfectly. Even in the wilderness, she exuded charm.
Xu Nuan lowered her hand, standing still as she gazed at Rao Tingxue, slowly curling her lips into a smile.
"Facing someone who once wanted to kill you, you remain so calm. I admire that."
As soon as her words fell, Rao Tingxue's expression darkened, her beautiful features slightly contorting. The anger in her eyes was not very pronounced, but she found it somewhat strange nonetheless.
"Without those people helping you, you wouldn't have been able to kill me."
After a moment of silence, Rao Tingxue suddenly smiled confidently and walked slowly toward Xu Nuan.
"On the contrary, I could easily kill you if you let your guard down. Have you been in that warm team for too long? Your skills have suddenly become so poor."
By the time Rao Tingxue finished speaking, she had already moved right in front of Xu Nuan, pressing a short knife against Xu Nuan's abdomen without taking any further action.
Seeing the face so close to her, Xu Nuan recalled her earlier thoughts of wanting to kill Rao Tingxue and couldn't help but chuckle.
"You've got a knife at my throat, and you're still able to laugh?"
It was hard to tell whether Rao Tingxue's tone was more angry or annoyed.
"Well," perhaps because she was facing someone she recognized, Xu Nuan felt less heavy than before, a rare smile gracing her lips. "Are you sure it's you who has me at your mercy?"
Following Xu Nuan's gaze, Rao Tingxue finally noticed that Xu Nuan had one hand holding a short knife against her abdomen while the other hand held a cleverly folded knife just a few centimeters above the wrist of the hand that held the short knife.
"Cut."
Rao Tingxue reluctantly withdrew her hand, shot Xu Nuan a glare, and then walked past her, choosing a direction and moving at a leisurely pace.
Xu Nuan also sheathed her knife and followed behind Rao Tingxue, matching her slow pace.
"Why are you following me?"
Rao Tingxue suddenly turned around and glared at Xu Nuan, her tone quite rude.
"Don't expect to get any information from me!"
Xu Nuan maintained a blank expression and shook her head. "I'm not following you; I chose this path myself. Besides, I don't think you have any valuable information to offer."
"You!"
Rao Tingxue's face flushed red, and after a moment of silence, she could only walk ahead of Xu Nuan in frustration.
"Even if you knew that the Special Tree is in this direction, it wouldn't matter. It's going to be tough for you to reach the Supply Station alone. And even if you manage to get past this hurdle, you won't survive the upcoming Survival Game."
"You've said that many times already, and it hasn't been true once."
Xu Nuan remained unfazed by the threat, her words calm and indifferent.
The two walked for a while before resting beside a large rock. After exchanging a few remarks, they set off together again.
With Gu Ze's guidance in mind, Xu Nuan didn't think much of Rao Tingxue anymore. She believed that Rao Tingxue was already a discarded piece in this game, and discarded pieces rarely ended well; all she had to do was wait for the outcome.
"Don't dirty your hands," she remembered this saying very well.
"Is that Ning Han not with you?"
Xu Nuan thought that there might be more information to extract from Ning Han, but he was as dangerous as Zhang Xiao, and she couldn't take that risk.
"Are you stupid? This thick fog can send anyone anywhere. It's not strange that I separated from him, right?"
"Guess I talked too much."
Xu Nuan didn't react much to Rao Tingxue's disdainful words. After walking together for a while, Rao Tingxue suddenly stopped, pointing at a large stone with a significant portion of its markings erased, and asked Xu Nuan.
"Can you understand what this is? Such strange symbols."
Xu Nuan stepped past Rao Tingxue, crouched down to take a closer look at the symbols, and was taken aback, staring at Rao Tingxue in surprise.
"You don't recognize these markings?"
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