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墨書 Inktalez
As the thick fog dissipated, two extreme landscapes unfolded before Xu Hang and Xie Huai.
On one side, lush green grass flourished, with shimmering lakes occasionally rippling in the breeze; on the other side lay desolate hills scattered with animal pelts and skeletons, while in the distance, snow-capped mountains loomed, revealing patches of blackened earth.
This was a Hidden Valley. Despite the visible cattle and sheep grazing in the verdant areas, an overwhelming sense of silence and desolation pervaded the atmosphere, with a lingering aura of death hanging in the air.
“Where are Deng Yinyin and the others?”
Xie Huai shrank back at the surrounding environment, suddenly recalling the most important matter. He looked anxiously at Xu Hang, whose face was darkened with concern.
“It’s obvious that the fog separated us.”
Xu Hang spoke slowly, his voice squeezed through clenched teeth, angered by their current predicament.
“What… what should we do?”
Xie Huai was the type to panic at the slightest trouble, staring wide-eyed at Xu Hang, who towered over him.
“What can we do?”
Xu Hang was frustrated by the unpredictable nature of the game but knew he had to push forward.
“We need to find the Special Tree quickly and then head to the Supply Station to regroup with them.”
He trusted his companions and believed in their unspoken understanding.
“But… will they really go…”
As Xie Huai spoke, he immediately changed his tone when he met Xu Hang's deep gaze.
"Are they together? What if they get separated? Wouldn't Deng Yinyin be in danger?"
Sometimes, when love runs deep, it becomes instinctual to care for another person's well-being, even when one is aware of their own peril.
Such evident concern eased Xu Hang's expression slightly as he exhaled gently.
"As long as she is with Xu Nuan or Ze, she will definitely be safe."
Thinking of Gu Ze and Xu Nuan's capabilities, Xie Huai felt a bit more relaxed, yet a lingering worry remained in his heart. What if Deng Yinyin was not with them? What then?
"The priority now is how we get out of here."
Xu Hang pushed aside all his chaotic thoughts and began to scan the surroundings. When he noticed movement in the lush green grass not far away, he instinctively drew his short knife. Xie Huai, noticing his action, mirrored him and cautiously watched in that direction.
Emerging from the bushes was a white goat, looking normal and seemingly unaltered, with no significant aggression.
Xu Hang let out a sigh of relief. "This game has really messed with our heads."
Xie Huai also relaxed, trembling slightly as he put the short knife back. He then looked up at Xu Hang and asked,
"Do you still remember where the Special Tree is?"
He was nearsighted, and at the peak of Ice Duel Peak, he had been the only one who hadn't noted the location of the Special Tree. If he weren't fortunate enough to be in the same place as Xu Hang now, he feared he would surely get lost in this challenge, with no future ahead.
"Remember."
Xu Hang's voice gave Xie Huai a sense of security, but his next words plunged him into despair.
"But when I was on the peak, I didn't see this strange place."
There were clearly animals around, yet it was eerily silent, making one feel very uncomfortable.
"Ah... if that's the case, then we..."
Xie Huai's face instantly turned pale, and he began to panic again.
Xu Hang sighed and patted his shoulder.
"Let's head out first. We'll look for the Special Tree once we find a familiar place. There's no need to panic for now."
As long as they hadn't reached a dead end, there was no need to give up.
Xie Huai, with a pale face, nodded.
The two prioritized the side with fertile land, green grass, and animals, quickly making their way through it.
With a single-minded desire to escape this sinister place, they didn't even take a break, walking from noon until evening without finding their way out.
"Could this Hidden Valley be so vast?"
Xie Huai felt a twinge of doubt that they might have encountered some technical obstruction.
"The area for this level is already quite large. How much space do the Designers need to enclose to keep this level operational?"
In adversity, wisdom often flourishes. Although Xu Hang had allied with Xu Nuan and Gu Ze outside their usual companionship to uncover the true nature of this Game Base and unveil the Mastermind, many of their discussions were not deliberately concealed from Xie Huai and Deng Yinyin.
Deng Yinyin had always focused solely on those or things she cared about, like Gu Ze, or on quickly clearing levels to earn rewards and exit the game.
Xie Huai, on the other hand, was often overlooked and ignored, his inherent timidity leading to a low presence. A low presence and persistent silence did not mean he lacked thoughts; hearing those strange snippets of conversation was enough to spark his imagination. It was just that he rarely had the opportunity to express his thoughts.
During this moment of solitude, Xu Hang found himself compelled to reassess his view of Xie Huai.
"You make a good point. If the actual range of this level is quite narrow, we might be facing some mechanism that keeps us moving within a limited area."
As soon as Xu Hang finished speaking, he exchanged a glance with Xie Huai and simultaneously sensed something amiss. When he turned around abruptly, he spotted a Leopard less than twenty meters away, staring at them.
Without much thought, they both took off running. They were accustomed to sprinting in games, where speed equated to survival, and their speed had significantly improved. However, they never expected to find themselves racing against the king of speed on the grasslands.
Human limits are often pushed when life is threatened. Before this moment, neither had considered they could outrun a Leopard. As they dashed into the Gobi Desert littered with animal Skeletons, the Leopard seemed to disregard them entirely, turning back and leaving.
"Why am I more worried after outrunning a Leopard?"
Xie Huai gasped for breath, his gaze drifting across the desolate expanse of the Gobi, which was eerily silent; they couldn't even hear the wind.
"Stay alert and keep an eye on your surroundings."
Xu Hang felt the same way as Xie Huai; for some reason, he had the impression that the Leopard had deliberately driven them to this desolate land.
As dusk fell, they continued to run, circling endlessly across the vast Gobi Desert. By nightfall, they had no choice but to sleep alongside the Skeletons.
It was sleep, but both dared only to doze lightly, remaining vigilant in this sinister place. Once they succumbed to slumber, death could be waiting for them.
Perhaps it was from sweating profusely during the day and being buffeted by the wind for so long, but Xu Hang felt his head heavy and his sleep restless. In a daze, he heard a crackling sound, as if something was exploding. He forced his eyes open and saw flames spreading wildly, painting the surroundings a vivid red—both beautiful and terrifying.
“Xie Huai, wake up quickly!”
Xu Hang instinctively pushed Xie Huai awake while watching the source of the fire. To his shock, it was the grassland where they had spent the day; now it had transformed into an inferno. Xu Hang found this scene eerily familiar; a similar fire had erupted during a survival game on that grassland.
“Huh? What’s going on?”
Xie Huai rubbed his still-drowsy eyes and sat up. Upon seeing the familiar scene, his mouth fell open in disbelief.
Just as they were stunned, a strong gust of wind swept through. Xu Hang and Xie Huai realized that the flames were spreading toward them.
When the flames reached the Gobi Desert, they finally reacted, jumping up abruptly. They quickly grabbed their backpacks and took off running.
“Why is the fire coming over here? There’s nothing to burn! This doesn’t make sense!”
Xie Huai shouted as he and Xu Hang raced against time.
“What doesn’t make sense is a feature of this game!”
Xu Hang's face was as dark as the night itself. However, no matter how angry he was, he knew that anger was the one thing that wouldn't solve their current predicament.
The two of them were racing against Inferno, and also against death. In this dire situation, their physical limits were pushed to the extreme, and it seemed there was no end in sight.
As they ran through the night, their faces pale and drenched in sweat, they finally stopped when their strength was completely drained. Looking back, they realized that Inferno had vanished, and the vast desolation of the Gobi was nowhere to be seen. They were no longer in the same place; the horizon was now tinged with light.
"Did we... escape?"
Xie Huai looked incredulous. After scanning the surrounding low rocks and trees repeatedly, he finally burst out with excitement.
"We've finally made it out!"
A hint of a relieved smile appeared on Xu Hang's serious face as he surveyed his surroundings and fixed his gaze in one direction. His voice trembled with excitement.
"This is the first time I feel that fate has been so kind to us. Look over there!"
Following Xu Hang's gaze, Xie Huai saw a row of Red Special Trees shimmering brilliantly in the sunlight. He suddenly felt an overwhelming urge to cry tears of joy.
Having run for most of the night, they didn't care about resting; they began to walk tirelessly toward the row of Special Trees. Even while eating their compressed biscuits on the go, they hardly tasted anything but felt utterly satisfied.
After experiencing such a life-and-death rush, they longed to reach a true safe haven and see their friends!
After noon, they finally spotted the white rooftops peeking out from behind the Special Trees. As they excitedly ran toward it, they recognized two familiar figures.
Gu Ze and Deng Yinyin.
"Ze!"
"Deng Yinyin!"
In that moment, there was nothing more surprising than reuniting with a companion after enduring hardships.
After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Xu Hang curiously asked, "Xu Nuan hasn't arrived yet?"
In his mind, even if Xu Nuan were to face challenges alone, her strength was extraordinary. However, knowing that the thick fog had taken Xu Nuan away and left her to navigate the trials alone, he understood just how worried Gu Ze must be, even if it didn't show on his face.
Gu Ze simply nodded, remaining silent as he found a tree to lean against, staring blankly at the ground as if everything in the world no longer concerned him.
Xu Hang didn't press further. After asking Deng Yinyin about their experiences since being taken by the fog, he and Xie Huai decided to rest where they were. It had been nearly a night without sleep, and now that they were on the verge of success in their trials, they only needed to wait for one more companion to return before they could finally rest easy.
They slept until dusk, and when they slowly awakened, they found the surroundings shrouded in gloom. Dark clouds were rapidly approaching their direction, and within minutes, heavy rain began to pour down.
Should they take shelter in the Supply Station from this sudden downpour? Or should they continue waiting outside the Supply Station for Xu Nuan's return?
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