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墨書 Inktalez
Rao Tingxue was a proud woman from a wealthy family, and in their few brief encounters, her eyes had always been filled with arrogance and an air of superiority. But this time, fear flickered in her gaze.
Gu Ze immediately sensed that something was wrong and rushed toward the Supply Station.
"What are you hiding?"
He was just a moment too late; the only response he received was the sharp sound of a door slamming shut.
Throwing himself against the door of the Supply Station, Gu Ze desperately tugged at the handle, but the green door remained unyielding. Finally, in frustration, he kicked it.
Deng Yinyin and Xie Huai were still trying to process what had just happened.
Xu Hang suppressed his inner regret and rushed to Gu Ze's side to stop him, speaking in a low voice.
"Don't forget, it takes ten minutes to open this door!"
"Ten minutes is enough for them to escape!"
Gu Ze loathed his own foolishness at that moment, thinking that these people would refrain from acting after having learned their lesson. While they might not take action, they likely knew something about Xu Nuan. He had just thought that avoiding any connection with these two would allow them to reach the Supply Station without incident.
In frustration, Gu Ze pulled out an axe and swung it at the door, but it still did not budge. No one commented on the material of the door.
"Ze, you're too agitated. They may not have even seen Xu Nuan; you might be overthinking this."
Rao Tingxue's expression was strange; she rarely refrained from mocking them, but this did not indicate any connection between them and Xu Nuan. Xu Nuan must have been incredibly unfortunate to encounter these two when she was alone. Xu Hang believed that possibility was slim and thought Gu Ze was being overly sensitive due to his worries.
Gu Ze suddenly threw down the axe and began pacing outside the Supply Station in agitation. He realized he was letting his anxiety get the better of him, but he couldn't help worrying about Xu Nuan's situation. He vividly remembered that there were people who wanted to kill her both in-game and out. If no one protected her, could she really make it to the Supply Station on her own?
The promise he made was one he had given himself; if he failed to keep it, it would be himself he could not forgive, not Xu Nuan.
Gu Ze's face darkened ominously as his shoes scraped impatiently against the ground.
Seeing this scene, Deng Yinyin suddenly thought of a plan and spoke up eagerly.
“If you think Rao Tingxue and the others know Xu Nuan's whereabouts, then let’s just go in and ask them in ten minutes. There’s no need to be so anxious about such a simple matter.”
Gu Ze remained silent, while Xie Huai stepped forward to remind Deng Yinyin of what Gu Ze had just said.
“They might leave in ten minutes.”
Deng Yinyin rolled her eyes at Xie Huai, her voice unwavering.
“If we go into the Supply Station and find they’ve left, it just means they’re guilty. We can chase after them and ask.”
Xie Huai continued to offer his well-meaning advice. “But once we enter the Supply Station, we can only leave through it to proceed to the next stage, and we can’t go back. Even if we learn from Rao Tingxue and the others what happened to Xu Nuan, we won’t be able to return to this stage to find Xu Nuan.”
Deng Yinyin pursed her lips and shot Xie Huai a fierce glare. This guy was being counterproductive; couldn’t he see she wanted to trick Gu Ze into entering the Supply Station while he was still disoriented? How could it be so coincidental that Rao Tingxue just happened to run into Xu Nuan?
Concerned yet confused, Gu Ze became more alert due to the conversation between Deng Yinyin and Xie Huai. He walked around the Supply Station a few times, deep in thought.
After a moment, he pressed his ear against the white wall of the Supply Station, trying to listen for any conversations inside.
Of course, the door of the Supply Station couldn’t be chopped open with an axe, so its walls were also sturdy and soundproof.
Hearing nothing, Gu Ze suddenly had an idea. He took out a device from his backpack and pressed it against the wall, continuing to listen. As he did so, he found something strange. He couldn’t hear Rao Tingxue or Ning Han’s voices, but he did hear a rumbling sound coming from inside the Supply Station.
The ground was shaking!
Realizing this, Gu Ze immediately disregarded his image and lay down on the ground, pressing his ear against it. He heard what sounded like heavy footsteps on metal, rhythmic and deliberate.
“What’s going on?”
Gu Ze muttered to himself, feeling a strong desire to enter the Supply Station and explore. However, he knew he couldn't go in; if he missed Xu Nuan here, he couldn't guarantee that he would find Xu Nuan at the exit of the next Supply Station.
Xu Nuan was an uncontrollable factor, and the person driving everything around Xu Nuan had ulterior motives. If the stakes were Xu Nuan's life, he couldn't afford to gamble.
Thinking of this, Gu Ze reached under his clothing to touch a necklace around his neck. This necklace was not merely decorative; it was a locator.
"Ze, have you discovered something?"
Xu Hang's hesitant voice pulled Gu Ze back from his thoughts. He realized that his actions had been too strange and quickly stood up, brushing off the dust from his clothes with a calm expression.
"Nothing much. When the Supply Station can be entered again, you all go in. I'll wait outside alone," Gu Ze said while glancing at Xu Hang.
"Inside and outside working together."
His words were firm, leaving Xu Hang no room to refuse.
"Alright, we'll wait for you inside the Supply Station. If you don't come out, we won't leave either."
Xu Hang's response was equally resolute. After exchanging a knowing glance with Gu Ze, he walked over to Deng Yinyin, preventing her from saying anything provocative that might stir discord among the team.
He had initially thought that Gu Ze would completely lose his rationality due to Xu Nuan and cause the team to fall apart. Instead, Gu Ze managed to regain his rationality because of Xu Nuan and began to think things through clearly. It was truly fortunate.
Xu Hang sighed quietly; he couldn't imagine how far their team could go if Gu Ze insisted on leaving them behind. After all, the team wasn't united in spirit or purpose, and each member had different levels of capability.
In this game, ten minutes could pass in the blink of an eye. When the door of the Supply Station opened, the few people standing at the entrance unsurprisingly found that Rao Tingxue and Ning Han had already vanished. They could interpret this behavior in two ways: either these two were feeling guilty and knew Xu Nuan's whereabouts or had previously acted against him, making it even more crucial for Gu Ze to stay outside; or they were in a hurry and couldn't glean any information from them.
Xu Hang let Xie Huai enter the Supply Station first, then pushed a reluctant Deng Yinyin inside as she frequently glanced back. He followed her in and turned back to see Gu Ze silently watching them from outside. He smiled and nodded.
The door of the Supply Station slowly closed.
Gu Ze sat outside the Supply Station, the ground still damp from the rain. Nearby, the grass was soaked, and the Special Tree swayed in the wind, droplets cascading down its branches.
After a moment's thought, Gu Ze leaned against the door of the Supply Station and pulled out a compressed biscuit, nibbling on it absentmindedly. His thoughts had long since drifted away with the chilly breeze.
It was difficult to perceive the passage of time when alone. Gu Ze realized that since entering the game, he had never spent this long by himself. For a grown man to dwell on feelings of loneliness and coldness seemed overly sentimental.
Yet, he couldn't help but think of Xu Nuan. Before entering the game, she had been alone after being neglected by Qin Yaojie. Following her parents' tragic car accident, she was left to face life by herself. Even after joining this team in the game, she had once again found herself isolated due to the game's traps.
Did prolonged solitude numb one's emotions, closing off their heart to others?
At that moment, Gu Ze craved a drink to ease his complicated feelings. However, rummaging through his backpack yielded only medical alcohol meant for disinfection—too strong for comfort and likely to do more harm than good.
Resigned, Gu Ze leaned against the door and tilted his head back to gaze at the sky. He had no idea how far his father had progressed or what had become of the outside world. Most importantly, he wanted to know where Xu Nuan was and if she was safe.
When he raised his right hand to check the Tail Ring, he found that the tracking device still showed no signal. He had considered venturing back into the forest to search for Xu Nuan but feared missing her again.
This was a world without phones or internet; communication between people relied solely on that unreliable Tail Ring and their unspoken understanding.
His connection with Xu Nuan.
“Ha.”
After sitting in a slumped position until his legs felt numb, Gu Ze finally moved, rubbing his neck. Since meeting Xu Nuan, his once-proud intellect seemed useless. The longer he stayed in this game, the harder it became for him to present himself in front of her. The secrets she carried were paramount; he was merely a pawn thrown into this situation by his father.
“Dad, your mission is just setting your son up for failure. If I can't catch a wife, don't blame me for ending our family line.”
After muttering a few complaints, Gu Ze noticed that the sun had climbed high into the sky—it must be noon. He quickly stood up and fumbled for his binoculars, scanning all directions but still failing to spot any familiar figures.
He yearned to dash into the forest immediately but knew he had to remain where he was.
Missed.
This word was too cruel; he couldn't afford it.
Leaning against the door, Gu Ze had his eyes half-closed. His handsome face appeared somewhat gaunt due to his disheveled state, and the once-smooth chin was now dotted with stubble, adding a touch of masculinity to his appearance.
As he felt drowsy, Gu Ze heard a vibrating sound. Instinctively, he sprang up and glanced around, only to find himself alone again. He returned his gaze to the ground.
Crouching uncertainly on the floor, Gu Ze pressed his ear tightly against it, filled with confusion.
"Why is there such a sound coming from underground?"
Gu Ze sought answers.
While maintaining this position, he heard a very tired yet familiar voice.
"Gu Ze?"
It was Xu Nuan.
Crouched on the ground, Gu Ze felt an overwhelming urge to shed tears, even though he hadn't turned around to see Xu Nuan's face yet.
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