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墨書 Inktalez
Intelligence and foolishness often exist in a fleeting moment.
Xu Nuan knew that Deng Yinyin had a loud voice, was full of energy, and spoke her mind without always considering others' feelings. Of course, she was also aware that Deng Yinyin could be a bit temperamental at times. Taking a deep breath, Xu Nuan turned to look at the rapidly approaching Deng Yinyin, feeling both dissatisfied and helpless. This was too much!
It wasn't just Xu Nuan who wore an unhappy expression; Xu Hang, who hurriedly covered Deng Yinyin's mouth, also looked displeased. The others around them had various complicated emotions. Finding the statue so quickly was good news, but they certainly didn't want to become targets for other teams to covet and scheme against them.
Thinking of this, Xu Nuan quickly glanced back at Chi Xiaoming's group, who had not gone far. She noticed they had indeed stopped and were looking in their direction. Xu Nuan felt a wave of dread wash over her when suddenly a hand landed on her shoulder, and she heard Gu Ze's voice from above.
"Don't worry, things haven't reached the worst point yet. We have Six People with us; we should be happy to find the first statue so quickly."
Xu Nuan shrugged off Gu Ze's hand, rubbed her face, and sighed.
"I know, it's just exhausting right now."
So much had happened recently that she had been thinking too much without proper rest. Both her body and mind were in a precarious state. Deep down, she feared losing control again and disrupting the harmony of the team.
"If you're feeling exhausted, stop overthinking it. Your task now is to find the statue; don't think about anything else."
At that moment, Chi Xiaoming's group moved further away. Xu Nuan turned back to look at Gu Ze and muttered.
"Being domineering doesn't suit you."
Gu Ze found it amusing yet exasperating, while He Min was utterly surprised. She had only guessed Gu Ze's thoughts but now saw that Xu Nuan didn't seem to dislike him after all.
Just then, Deng Yinyin and Xu Hang arrived at their side. Xu Hang finally released his grip on Deng Yinyin's mouth and pulled out the statue from his backpack.
Xu Nuan and the others quickly gathered around to take a look. The statue depicted a mermaid, with a base five centimeters wide and standing fifteen centimeters tall—not too big.
"It looks quite ordinary," Gu Ze remarked as he took the statue to examine it closely before Xu Hang snatched it back.
"This isn't the time to show off your speed," he reminded.
Gu Ze awkwardly chuckled a couple of times, trying not to look at Xu Nuan's expression as he wanted to show off in front of her.
Xu Nuan directly asked the core question.
"Where did you find this? Was it well hidden?"
Xu Hang's expression improved slightly. He glanced at Gu Ze, who was sometimes serious and sometimes nonsensical, before nodding at Xu Nuan, preparing to explain. However, he was interrupted by the excited Deng Yinyin.
"It was halfway up the mountain, in a patch of red and purple flowers! I found it when I accidentally tripped and fell. Right after that, the System announced the mission. I guess I'm just lucky!"
Deng Yinyin beamed with excitement, seeking praise and shooting a triumphant glare at Xu Nuan.
Xu Nuan chose to ignore her, turning her head to admire Xu Hang's stern face instead.
He Min, who preferred a more easygoing approach, gave Deng Yinyin some credit.
"You're really lucky! That means we only have three statues left to find. I suggest we form groups of two or three; that way, we won't have to worry about other teams coming to snatch the statues."
Xu Hang nodded in agreement while pushing the still-excited Deng Yinyin toward Xie Huai.
"Anyway, there will definitely be an ambush when we place the statues at the highest point on the island. We can gather everyone then. For now, let's split into groups and search in different directions as we move upward."
As the team leader, Xu Hang's logic was always clear.
"Everyone must be thorough while searching at each height; we can't afford to miss anything. We're only going higher from here. We definitely won't come back to the beach afterward. The sooner we find all the statues, the sooner we can leave this challenge."
Xu Nuan nodded in agreement; she fully supported Xu Hang's decision. She didn't believe they had enough time to thoroughly search the island. What they needed was a carpet search to leave as quickly as possible, especially since they had two competitors still in play.
"But now there are two problems," Xie Huai said after acknowledging Deng Yinyin's luck.
"How should we divide into groups? And how will we know when we've found all four statues?"
This was indeed the crux of the problem; the grouping needed to be just right to ensure they had enough strength to prevent other teams from ambushing them. Without phones, they couldn't communicate freely on this island. However, if they searched collectively, efficiency would suffer, and time was running short. With more members than other teams, their larger group became a source of concern.
A few of them fell silent.
Xu Nuan unconsciously twirled the Tail Ring on her right hand. Gu Ze happened to notice and an idea sparked in his mind. Before he could voice it, He Min, who understood the purpose of the Tail Ring, suggested something.
"You all must have seen those white houses with windmills, right? I noticed that wherever there are windmills, there are stone paths that follow a regular pattern. Since we won't be able to search for statues at night and will need to rest, why don't we use the onset of darkness each day as our marker? No matter where we are when night falls, we should find a stone path."
He Min's explanation was complex but easy to understand.
"When the time comes, as long as we're all on the same path, we can definitely locate each other using this positionable Tail Ring. This way, not only can we share how many statues we've found, but we can also redefine each group's search area. What do you think?"
After He Min finished speaking, she realized everyone was looking at her eagerly. Even someone as composed as her felt a bit shy under their gaze. Gu Ze wore a dangerous expression but offered an ambiguous compliment.
"Your observation skills are impressive; no wonder you can be Xu Nuan's teacher."
Aside from Xu Nuan, who turned to glance at Gu Ze, the others nodded in agreement.
"Now that we've established how to communicate, the next issue is how to divide into groups. How many groups should we have?"
Xie Huai asked while observing Deng Yinyin, who seemed uninterested in the conversation as she played with a statue. He had recently felt that Deng Yinyin was acting strangely, but upon closer inspection, he couldn't pinpoint what had changed. She still followed Gu Ze just as before, ignored him consistently, and relied on Xu Hang in the same way. So what was this sense of discomfort he was feeling?
"How many people were in the previous teams?"
He started with that question.
"Three and four," Xu Nuan replied from nearby before quietly glancing back at the taller lemon trees and Olive Tree on the island, narrowing her eyes slightly.
Gu Ze, familiar with her habits, glanced back at that place. With better eyesight than Xu Nuan, he saw even more, and his lips immediately flattened.
Xu Hang pondered for a moment before making a decision.
"Two teams."
Deng Yinyin, who had been absent-minded, immediately looked up at him upon hearing this, eagerly awaiting further explanation. Meanwhile, Xie Huai's expression dimmed instantly.
He Min, praised for her keen observation skills—which was indeed true—thought for a moment. She glanced at Gu Ze, who was always keeping an eye on Xu Nuan, and at Xu Hang, who was exchanging glances with Gu Ze as if seeking his opinion. She quickly analyzed the structure of this newly formed team and how each member would behave in the face of danger or tricky tasks.
As Xu Nuan's friend and her instructor in self-defense and nursing, He Min had a good understanding of Xu Nuan's character despite their short time together. She particularly understood Xu Nuan's style of action once she had set her sights on a goal. Based on her insights, He Min knew that Xu Nuan would not be keen on staying in this team for long. However, contrary to her expectations, what could possibly keep Xu Nuan in this group?
That reason was undoubtedly Xu Nuan's lingering attachment after enduring so much, which also served as her weakness.
While He Min's thoughts were racing, Xu Hang made a definitive decision.
"Considering everyone's current abilities and level of mutual understanding, Ze, you will take charge of these two capable women."
Deng Yinyin twitched her lips; she could bet that she definitely did not fall into the category of "capable women."
"You will be with Xu Nuan and He Min. He Min, you don't have a positioning device; make sure to stay close to them."
Unknowingly starting to judge people based on their abilities, Xu Hang's attitude towards He Min was much better than it had been when he first met Xu Nuan. Of course, this change in him came after experiencing a series of events.
Initially wanting to express her dissatisfaction directly, Deng Yinyin became cleverer and figured out how to voice her opinion indirectly. She pointed at Xu Nuan.
"Isn't she without a positioning device as well? It seems inconvenient to have only one person with positioning in a team."
With such reasoning, she could justifiably follow Gu Ze. Recently, she had not had the chance to communicate with him at all; it was all due to her future brother-in-law getting in the way.
Xu Hang seemed to see through her intentions as his gaze fell upon the necklace that was faintly visible around Xu Nuan's neck.
“Tang Jingshu’s Tail Ring is with her, don’t argue with me, Deng Yinyin.”
Even the usually serious Xu Hang exuded an intimidating aura that made even Deng Yinyin, who liked to push her luck, feel uneasy. Unaware of the situation, she glared at Xu Nuan and the Tail Ring on her right hand. He Min, following her gaze, noticed the Tail Ring on Xu Nuan’s thumb and understood; aside from Qin Yaojie’s Tail Ring, that must be Tang Jingshu’s.
The uniqueness of the Third Batch of Players.
Since the group division was already determined, they didn’t plan to waste much time here. However, Xu Hang, being cautious as always, believed that sharpening the axe wouldn’t delay the work of cutting wood. Before the two groups set off, he called upon the observant He Min to confirm the pattern of the windmills and the repeatedly converging stone paths. At Xu Hang’s suggestion, Xie Huai patiently tried to reason with Deng Yinyin, although he felt it was unnecessary; in this team, no one would disregard the captain’s words. If a captain lacked authority, then there was no reason for the team to exist.
Meanwhile, the free-spirited Gu Ze and Xu Nuan were eagerly watching the distant mountains and forests, fixated on the spinning windmills. Gu Ze glanced at the Tail Ring on Xu Nuan’s thumb and casually asked.
“Did you have that Tail Ring when you first entered the game? I remember you didn’t have it when I first met you.”
Xu Nuan raised her hand to look at it, puzzled.
“Yeah, I think I only got it around level ten or twenty; it was easy to lose if I kept it in my backpack.”
“I see.”
Gu Ze replied ambiguously.
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