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Zhang Xiao killed Qin Yaojie.
Xu Nuan had to accept this fact.
According to He Min, they had accidentally wandered into the Maze early in the morning and had been plagued by Zombies. The frail Qin Yaojie was often unconscious or barely awake during this critical time, lacking any fighting ability. The already fragmented First Batch of Players, along with her as a member of the Second Batch Players, saw their combat effectiveness sharply decline after losing their backbone. They could only continue to battle against these strange Zombies, trapped in the Maze with no way out.
During this time, some Players had discovered a way to leave the Maze but never returned. Until this morning, the usually low-key Zhang Xiao suddenly had a confrontation with the rarely conscious Qin Yaojie. As always, there was an argument between them. By the time He Min sensed something was wrong, Zhang Xiao had already stabbed Qin Yaojie and quickly left.
Afterward, Xu Nuan found herself guarding Qin Yaojie's body while the others continued to fight against the Zombies. It wasn't long before Xu Nuan and Gu Ze arrived.
Xu Nuan could only draw one conclusion: Zhang Xiao was not the person who had attracted them with gunfire; the timing didn't match. However, she had now established a grudge against Zhang Xiao.
Xu Nuan scanned the area expressionlessly and realized that among the Players present, she only recognized He Min. She thought Ning Han, who had returned to their team, was not there. Moreover, she noticed that aside from He Min and Gu Ze, the other Players looked at her strangely. Their gazes indicated that they either knew or had seen Xu Nuan before, mixed with some peculiar emotions that Xu Nuan couldn't decipher at that moment.
Caught in confusion over Qin Yaojie's murder and Zhang Xiao's whereabouts, she felt dazed and didn't understand why she was there or what to do next.
Knowing she should persist in uncovering information about the Mastermind, she still felt as if she had lost her motivation for the game. Her outward indifference masked a deep emptiness inside her. Her parents were dead, and her brother-like figure—who had been her lover for many years—was also gone. What reason did she have to continue existing? Especially when the road ahead seemed so arduous and the truth so elusive; she felt utterly exhausted and devoid of strength.
"Does anyone know where Zhang Xiao went?"
Gu Ze, who had been standing next to Xu Nuan listening to He Min recount recent events, spoke up. His gaze swept over a group of Players whose expressions were strange yet inexplicably proud. There were fewer than ten of the first batch of players present, and some First Batch Players had yet to show themselves.
Most of those Players didn’t even glance at Gu Ze, displaying an air of disdain. Gu Ze noticed that these individuals carried an air of pride and superiority reminiscent of his first encounter with Sun Ming; their expressions seemed to declare that they were exceptional—reaching heights that others could only aspire to throughout their lives.
He understood; perhaps these people were what one would call Game Designers.
However, it was a contradictory situation—why would Game Designers enter this game to experience it firsthand?
Having witnessed these disheveled and irrational individuals, Gu Ze couldn't believe that anyone could be driven to such desperation by their own creation. There must be something extraordinary happening that led these Designers to find themselves in such dire straits.
No one paid attention to Gu Ze, and beside him, He Min, with a face full of guilt and exhaustion, answered on behalf of the others.
"Everyone present here has no connection to Zhang Xiao."
Gu Ze frowned and turned back to He Min, but his gaze fell on Xu Nuan, who looked utterly dazed. He asked directly, "Do you know their true identities?"
"Huh?"
He Min was momentarily taken aback and hesitated before tentatively responding, "Are you referring to the fact that some of them might be Game Designers?"
Gu Ze nodded, beginning to seriously assess Xu Nuan's friend. After her boyfriend's death and her own leg injury, she had managed to navigate the challenges alone and even found the First Batch of Players before they did. This woman was quite formidable.
"I guessed it," He Min explained, glancing at the First Batch of Players who were openly listening to their conversation without rushing to the Supply Station. "They never revealed their identities, but they seem to have a good understanding of certain aspects of this game. And Qin Yaojie... he acts like he’s the leader among them, so..."
He Min's words trailed off, but after a pause, she added while pointing at the man who had previously protected her and Qin Yaojie's body. "In our group, I only communicated with Qin Yaojie and this Mr. Zhou Long. I haven't spoken with the others."
Gu Ze nodded in understanding. A person capable of designing such a game could be considered talented, and talented individuals often carried an air of arrogance; that was understandable. However, even talent could not fully control one's life in a brutal game.
He noticed that during his conversation with He Min, Xu Nuan had maintained a worrying demeanor that left him feeling helpless. The arrogant Designers disregarded both him and He Min but were quietly observing Xu Nuan. He feared that Qin Yaojie's death was part of a conspiracy targeting Xu Nuan. If Xu Nuan had been designed into this situation, it must mean she knew something significant related to the deceased Qin Yaojie. This formed a cycle where Xu Nuan was at the center.
The troubling part was that Xu Nuan herself did not understand why she had become the focal point. The information he gathered through indirect means was insufficient for her to deduce anything. He sadly realized that despite considering himself an exceptional man, all he could do was protect Xu Nuan as much as possible to prevent any regrets from haunting them for life.
Xu Nuan, numb to the passage of time, began to awaken slightly amidst the veiled gazes of the crowd. She lifted her eyes, looking at them with an indescribable expression.
"Could you tell me who brought you into the game?"
Beside her, Gu Ze was taken aback. He had thought that Xu Nuan's mind was too muddled at this moment to seize the rare opportunity to meet with the Game Designer. Yet, here she was, asking such a wise question even in her extreme sorrow. This woman, at this moment, was overly Rational, leading one to suspect that her heart had long since rotted away, unwilling to continue beating.
He silently moved closer to Xu Nuan, saying nothing but standing quietly beside her, coldly observing the disheveled group across from them.
The Designers' gazes flickered simultaneously before their faces contorted in pain, as if recalling something unpleasant or struggling to remember something that eluded them.
Among them, Zhou Long, who seemed more gentle and was one of the two in the group who could communicate with He Min, stepped forward. He held his head in one hand and looked at Xu Nuan with a pained expression.
"We want to know who that person is too, but we just can’t remember."
Xu Nuan narrowed her eyes, recalling what Xie Huai had once said. He believed that Wang Yiyun, who had been driven mad and silenced, had been given a suggestion that caused her to mechanically answer questions. So were these people similarly suggested to forget that memory? Or like her, had they suffered brain injuries and taken nerve-suppressing medication that caused them to lose their memories?
Having experienced several brain injuries herself made her think of past events; it seemed now that psychological suggestion was even more reliable.
"Then let me ask another question," she said, forcing down the rising tide of sorrow within her. Xu Nuan clenched her fist tightly, digging her nails into her flesh to jolt herself awake.
"Was it the chairman of Rao Group who led you in designing this game?"
Zhou Long shook his head.
"No, but we can’t remember who that person is either."
This implied that the one who brought this group of Designers into the game was likely the initiator of the game design itself, while the chairman of Rao Group was merely a puppet. Suddenly, she recalled Wang Yiyun's madness and thought of a terrifying man—could he be the initiator of the game design?
Xu Nuan tapped her head lightly. When she attempted to do so again, Gu Ze grasped her hand to stop her. She turned to look at him before lowering her hand and then gazing at Zhou Long, whose expression was quite strange.
"Well, how much do you know about the 'Zero' Biotechnology Research Company, the one that designed this game? How many factions are involved with this Game Company?"
Zhou Long shook his head again.
"Only a few of the main Designers would know that. Each of us is only responsible for the tasks assigned to us, focusing on our own designs. Aside from that man we can't seem to remember, no one knows the complete design of this game."
Hearing this, Xu Nuan felt increasingly that the mysterious person was acting too cautiously, as if secretly plotting something.
"What do you mean by main Designer? Are there different types of Designers?"
Xu Nuan speculated that perhaps those main Designers were not under any kind of suggestion and could know the identity of the mysterious person.
Zhou Long hesitated for a moment before responding.
"I can't provide specific details, but I can tell you that the overall design of this game is divided into many sections. Each section has a main Designer, and beneath each main Designer are several other Designers. Below them are the peripheral personnel who are completely unaware and only follow orders."
Zhou Long paused before explaining further.
"For example, the recently deceased Sun Ming was the main Designer of a large section, while I am a Designer with lesser authority under his section."
Xu Nuan suddenly understood something and quickly asked, "Do you know Wang Yiyun?"
Zhou Long was taken aback for a moment, looking somewhat puzzled, but he answered Xu Nuan's question in a relatively gentle manner, unlike the other Designers who were watching Xu Nuan but too proud to speak. He also understood that some things needed to be investigated on her own.
"He is one of the main Designers, but I don't know which section he is responsible for. He escaped from the Maze yesterday morning; have you encountered him?"
Xu Nuan did not hide her confirmation of her suspicions regarding this matter.
"He was killed, shot dead."
As Xu Nuan uttered the word "shot," she paid close attention to the expressions of everyone in front of her.
Confusion, doubt, and horror.
Xu Nuan's heart sank.
At that moment, Zhou Long raised a question.
"Did a Player bring a gun in? What is going on? This doesn't comply with the rules!"
The people behind him began to whisper among themselves.
Xu Nuan didn't care whether it complied with the rules; she had seen it all.
"So, how much do you know about Zhang Xiao?"
That was the most important question.
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