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墨書 Inktalez
After learning some information about the game from Zhou Long, Xu Nuan began to suspect that Zhang Xiao was the one who forced the Designers into the game, making Chairman Rao a puppet for him to control other forces and dominate the game. This revelation made many things fall into place.
Firstly, there was the matter of Zhang Xiao being the illegitimate child of Rao Group. She couldn't understand why Rao Tingxue, as Chairman Rao's publicly announced heir, had no privileges in this game and ultimately ended up dead in the wilderness, discarded like a pawn. Since Zhang Xiao was an illegitimate child, he could have used certain means to obtain inheritance rights, or perhaps Chairman Rao intended to leave the group to this son, making it entirely plausible that he was manipulated by his own child.
Secondly, there was the issue of Zhang Xiao being able to bring firearms into the game—a privilege that even the Designers did not possess. This unique aspect of Zhang Xiao raised suspicions.
Finally, there was the reason behind Zhang Xiao killing Qin Yaojie. Xu Nuan was certain that Qin Yaojie knew a lot about the game, which meant she could potentially leak information to others. Xu Nuan boldly speculated that Qin Yaojie might not have been given any hints but knew the identity of a certain person, thus becoming a thorn in Zhang Xiao's side. As for the secret passage, based on existing clues, it might have been secretly designed by Qin Yaojie. As someone who prided himself on his intelligence, Zhang Xiao would not allow such unexpected situations to arise in the game. Ironically, during the period from January to March last year when Qin Yaojie was in an abnormal state, she had revealed some details about this matter to Xu Nuan without her realizing it.
Thus, the so-called secret passage was a reason for Zhang Xiao's ongoing targeting of her. In a moment of clarity, Xu Nuan believed she had uncovered the truth. Perhaps outside of the game, Zhang Xiao's people intended to intimidate Qin Yaojie by killing her parents and herself to force Qin Yaojie into revealing information about the secret passage.
If all her bold assumptions were correct, her life had indeed undergone a drastic change because of Qin Yaojie—Qin Yaojie had caused her to lose her parents, her dreams, and ultimately him.
While conversing with Zhou Long, Xu Nuan made an effort to engage her mind fully and clarify these matters while eagerly watching Zhou Long, hoping his responses would confirm her suspicions.
Perhaps her eagerness was too obvious; Zhou Long's expression turned somewhat strange. Meanwhile, Gu Ze standing beside her suddenly patted her shoulder and kept his hand resting there. He Min, who had remained silent until now, also moved closer to her side.
Xu Nuan paused slightly and tried to rein in her emotions. She did not know much about the group of people facing her; in front of those she could not trust, she could not easily reveal her feelings and give them any advantage.
In the past, she did not need to consider these things; now she had no choice but to do so.
At this moment, Zhou Long spoke up.
"I don't know much about Zhang Xiao," he paused slightly as if considering how to phrase his thoughts.
"Although he is one of the First Batch of Players, he isn't familiar with everyone. He seems particularly interested in Qin Yaojie and appears to know a lot about her while constantly pursuing her."
Xu Nuan's heart sank; could it be that Zhang Xiao was not the Mastermind?
She quickly dismissed that thought. If psychological suggestion could truly cause someone to forget another person's existence, then it would be reasonable for Zhou Long and others to believe they did not know Zhang Xiao before this moment.
Regardless of how things stood, it was a fact that Zhang Xiao killed Qin Yaojie and that there were many doubts surrounding him. Therefore, in their upcoming challenges, finding Zhang Xiao and positioning themselves advantageously would be crucial for getting him to reveal the truth.
Although she largely believed that it was that secret passage that caused her to lose everything and felt that Qin Yaojie needed to take responsibility for what happened to her, this secret passage had now become her only weapon against Zhang Xiao.
She had to make good use of this weapon.
As she pondered these thoughts, Zhou Long spoke again.
"However, I believe Zhang Xiao has a certain background. He must have done something to make the other Players harbor inappropriate thoughts, which led to the collapse of our team. And he also killed Qin Yaojie. What is his true purpose?"
"I would like to know his true purpose as well."
Xu Nuan had originally intended to extend an invitation for collaboration, but after considering the personalities of these Designers and their current situation, she retracted her words and changed her approach.
"What do you mean by inappropriate thoughts?"
Although Zhou Long's expression was gentle, there seemed to be a hint of seriousness and displeasure in his tone.
"I'm sorry, but that's classified information."
Xu Nuan frowned, somewhat confused about what needed to be concealed.
At that moment, several Players suddenly impatiently reminded Zhou Long.
"Are you done chatting? We should hurry to the Supply Station."
Zhou Long turned to look at them and nodded lightly. It seemed that after Qin Yaojie's death, Zhou Long had automatically become the new leader. However, perhaps for these proud individuals, they had never truly recognized a leader in their hearts.
"Wait."
Seeing Zhou Long about to turn and leave with those people, Xu Nuan quickly called out to him. In response to his puzzled gaze, she hesitated before speaking.
"I have one last question. Can you answer it for me?"
Zhou Long nodded.
Xu Nuan bit her lip, appearing very hesitant but unwilling to miss this opportunity.
“Qin Yaojie, what role does he play among your Designers?”
Qin Yaojie was once the love of her life, the source of her nightmare, and he was already dead, taking so many truths with him. Until his last moment, he had failed to give her an explanation.
Unwillingness, dissatisfaction, helplessness, and sorrow.
As for Qin Yaojie’s identity, Zhou Long did not hold back and spoke plainly.
“Although we have lost the memories of that initiator, we all know that Qin Yaojie held the same status as him. In other words, the overall structure of this game was designed by both of them together. However, I do not know why Qin Yaojie entered the game; I only know that he would spend some time alone at each level. What he did during that time remains a mystery to us. That’s all I can tell you; we’re in a bit of a hurry, so we’ll be leaving now.”
With that, Zhou Long turned and walked away, leaving Xu Nuan to digest this shocking revelation.
Before Xu Nuan could fully process it, Zhou Long suddenly turned back to look at her. After hesitating for a moment, he spoke again.
“Xu Nuan, we all hope you remember what you need to remember, and that is what Qin Yaojie has forgotten.”
Xu Nuan looked up sharply as a flash of inspiration raced through her mind.
Why did Zhang Xiao deliberately slow down the pace and move forward with her team?
It was because she knew where the secret passage was, while Qin Yaojie had forgotten its location.
He had been given a suggestion or had taken drugs willingly; he didn’t want Zhang Xiao to know where that secret passage was because it was something Qin Yaojie wanted to protect.
Suddenly, Xu Nuan laughed out loud. Her laughter held a hint of bitterness. The First Batch of Players walking away did not hear it, but the two standing beside her did.
Gu Ze felt a pang in his heart. He withdrew his hand from Xu Nuan’s shoulder and instead reached out into empty space. Halfway through, he let it drop.
He didn’t have the right.
And for that right, he was willing to wait.
Waiting wasn’t terrifying; what was terrifying was hopelessness.
After watching the First Batch of Players walk away, Xu Nuan approached Qin Yaojie's body, crouched down, and removed the Tail Ring from his hand. She compared its size and slipped it onto her right index finger.
Seeing this, Gu Ze felt a sudden tightness in his chest, his breath caught in his throat, yet he remained silent.
When it came to Qin Yaojie, He Min had more right to speak than he did.
This was the only matter he couldn't control, and Xu Nuan was the only person beyond his grasp.
Suddenly, he reached for the necklace around his neck, fumbled with it for a moment, and pressed something.
After taking off the Tail Ring, Xu Nuan cast one last deep look at Qin Yaojie before walking over to a nearby tree. She picked up a solitary backpack, opened it, and began to sift through its contents carefully.
This was considered Qin Yaojie's belongings.
Meanwhile, He Min observed Gu Ze, who stood expressionless but with turbulent emotions in his eyes as he fixed his gaze on Xu Nuan. Concern flickered across his face, but he still spoke up.
"I remember your name is Gu Ze, right?"
Only then did Gu Ze retract his intense gaze from Xu Nuan and turn to He Min, nodding gently.
A faint smile appeared on He Min's slightly pale face—a smile filled with concern for someone dear to her, bringing a sense of comfort in this moment.
"Warm has been fortunate to have you looking after her during this time."
Gu Ze shook his head, a barely perceptible hint of disappointment in his voice.
"She doesn't want anyone to take care of her."
He Min was momentarily taken aback. She glanced at Xu Nuan and then back at Gu Ze, unable to hide her surprise as she hesitantly spoke.
"Do you care for Warm?"
He Min's voice dropped low, while Xu Nuan remained focused on rummaging through the backpack, oblivious to the conversation happening nearby.
Gu Ze couldn't help but admire Xu Nuan's friend, who managed to move forward alone during such extreme sadness and injury. It wasn't just her perseverance and ability that impressed him; it was also her keen observational skills. In this regard, He Min and Xu Nuan were quite similar, yet their personalities were entirely different, and their goals in the game varied as well. This likely meant that their ultimate outcomes would differ. At least in He Min's eyes, he saw a tremendous desire for survival and a yearning for benefits—qualities that Xu Nuan lacked but which he wished she possessed.
Gu Ze nodded again, saying nothing. After all, he knew that Xu Nuan was aware of his feelings for her, and so did his buddy, so he didn't mind if Xu Nuan's friends found out.
"I see."
He Min's smile suddenly turned a bit bitter, though it was fleeting.
"Even though your path will be difficult, I believe this is beneficial for Nuan."
After saying this, He Min realized something and added quickly, "I'm sorry; I shouldn't have described it as 'beneficial.' However, just because Nuan doesn't want anyone to take care of her doesn't mean you can't look after her. I hope she can leave this game safely; she shouldn't have to endure all of this while I feel powerless."
Only then did Gu Ze speak up.
"I would do that even without you."
When it came to Xu Nuan, he had many aspirations. After experiencing so many dangers and conspiracies, his greatest wish was simply for Xu Nuan to exit the game safely and start a new life. As for his own greatest aspiration, it was merely to have a shadow in Xu Nuan's new life.
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