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墨書 Inktalez
The Crimson Fox fell into the swamp and fell silent for a moment. Seeing this, Xu Nuan quickly got up and rushed to Zhou Long's side, pressing her hand against the wound on Zhou Long's abdomen in an attempt to stop the blood that was flowing out. In just a second, her hand was stained red, the heavy scent of blood filling the air, only to be washed away by Heavy Rain soon after.
“Zhou Long, hold on. I’ll bandage you up right away.”
No matter what, Zhou Long had been one of those Designers who took care of He Min and guarded Qin Yaojie’s body. She remembered that warmth vividly. Moreover, it was Zhou Long who had told her about designing games. If she could easily abandon those who had helped her, she would truly become an emotionless shell.
However, as soon as Xu Nuan loosened her grip, blood gushed out again. She couldn't even take off her backpack to get the medicine and bandages, but Zhou Long, still clinging to life, weakly raised a hand to stop her.
“Xu… Xu Nuan.”
Xu Nuan looked at Zhou Long’s face; it bore the pallor of someone on the brink of death. Even Heavy Rain couldn’t wash away such despair.
The eyes that once sparkled were now dull, the face devoid of color. Speaking was a struggle for her; each word seemed to drain more of her life away.
Some liquid mixed with the rainwater blurred Xu Nuan’s vision, making it hard for her to see Zhou Long’s face clearly.
“Just hold on a little longer. I will save you. I promise I will save you.”
Xu Nuan wanted to turn around and call for Chi Xiaoming to come help, but Zhou Long weakly raised her hand to stop her, trembling.
“Mission… hint…”
“Hmm? What did you say?”
Xu Nuan strained to hear through the haze and leaned closer.
“Ask him how many people are left in their team for this level?”
Suddenly, Chi Xiaoming shouted loudly from behind, but Xu Nuan still couldn't hear clearly what Zhou Long had said. Zhou Long's hand, which he had struggled to lift, fell weakly.
Xu Nuan's eyes widened in disbelief as she looked at Zhou Long. His eyes truly lacked any spark; trembling, she reached out to touch his nose, but there was no breath.
Zhou Long was dead.
If only she had followed the cries for help sooner, perhaps Zhou Long would still be alive.
Xu Nuan suddenly felt a deep hatred for herself. The wound she had covered was still bleeding; the blood was warm, and her body was warm too, but she knew that warmth would soon turn cold.
How many people had died before her?
Xu Nuan realized she could hardly remember anymore, as the number was too great and each loss was too shocking for her to retain.
“Ha, ha.”
She chuckled lightly, her breath quickening, her chest rising and falling violently. She paid no mind to the footsteps approaching from behind.
In the end, she hadn’t saved anyone. She still wanted to send Gu Ze and the others away; she wanted to live on. Where did her confidence come from? Once again, she lost faith in herself and felt lost. How far could she go? Should she continue to pursue this?
She longed for Gu Ze to be by her side right now, just like before—whether with cold sarcasm or gentle comfort—reminding her that she wasn’t alone and that he would help her stay by her side. But Gu Ze wasn’t here; instead, it was Chi Xiaoming, whom she admired and believed could achieve great things.
What had she done?
Xu Nuan was completely unaware that her raincoat had come undone, leaving most of her exposed—her head and hands were out in the open. She knelt on the ground, her knees directly touching the layer of water that had accumulated. She felt cold from within and without.
In her dazed state, she suddenly heard Chi Xiaoming’s voice very close by.
"Heart!"
As the voice fell, Xu Nuan turned her head just in time to see the Crimson Fox crawling out of the freshwater marsh once again pouncing towards her. This time, she couldn't roll away quickly enough, and its claws caught her left shoulder. Fortunately, the outer layer of her raincoat, which was about to fall apart, helped to slow down the Crimson Fox's movement.
Xu Nuan decided to make a bold move; she quickly shed the raincoat and half-reclined, using the torn raincoat to entangle the Crimson Fox's two front paws. At that moment, Chi Xiaoming finally arrived but showed no intention of helping.
Xu Nuan didn't expect Chi Xiaoming to assist her. If he wanted to help, he would have jumped in when he called out earlier, and her shoulder wouldn't have been injured. Chi Xiaoming was not Gu Ze, and Xu Nuan realized this deeply for the first time. She understood how tightly Gu Ze had protected her and how afraid he was of her getting hurt.
So, Xu Nuan thought, someone is waiting for you to return. How could you lose to a Crimson Fox here?
The raincoat temporarily halted the Crimson Fox's attack but only made it more furious as it desperately opened its mouth to bite at her. This time, Xu Nuan was prepared. While the raincoat still restrained the Crimson Fox's front legs, she drew out a short knife from her waist and plunged it fiercely into the Crimson Fox's left eye. Blood splattered across Xu Nuan's face but was quickly washed away by the rain.
With its left eye injured, the Crimson Fox went completely berserk. It broke free from the raincoat and lunged at Xu Nuan. She rolled sideways in the opposite direction of Chi Xiaoming, fully aware that if he joined the fight, it would end swiftly. However, she finally understood that in this game, only Gu Ze was willing to risk his life to protect her. The others were either bystanders or only lent a hand for their own interests.
It was precisely because she realized this at that moment that she felt determined to kill the Crimson Fox on her own. She was unforgivable, and so was this Crimson Fox.
As she rolled aside, Xu Nuan caught a glimpse of Chi Xiaoming's expressionless face through the curtain of rain and slightly curled her lips. Since this person wanted to assess her abilities to determine if she was worthy of collaboration with him, she would show him what she could do while also testing his capabilities.
It was only fair to measure each other.
Just as the Crimson Fox lunged again in an attempt to overpower her completely, Xu Nuan tore off the red rope she had previously used to tie herself to the verification platform for marking purposes. As she pulled the rope taut with both hands, the Crimson Fox reached her and lunged towards her neck with lightning speed.
Xu Nuan slightly shifted her body; as the Crimson Fox missed its target and adjusted its direction rapidly, she seized one of its front legs and flipped over to pin it down. Without hesitation, she wrapped the red rope around its neck and quickly secured it.
Regardless of whether it was human or animal, the neck was a very vulnerable and lethal area.
The Crimson Fox's breathing became noticeably restricted as it struggled with all four legs thrashing about, still trying to reach Xu Nuan. She barely dodged one claw but felt another tear through her sleeve without injuring any tendons or bones.
With the Crimson Fox restrained by the red rope, Xu Nuan found a moment to shift her body and change direction, slowly approaching Chi Xiaoming. Just as she was nearly in front of the coldly observing Chi Xiaoming, Xu Nuan suddenly released her grip and rolled away.
The Crimson Fox, panting with satisfaction after slashing the red rope with its claws, was met with the sight of Chi Xiaoming staring coldly at it from two meters away. For animals, their instinct is to attack the nearest human. Xu Nuan had already moved far out of its attack range, back near Zhou Long's body.
Now it was time for Xu Nuan to test Chi Xiaoming's abilities.
However, it was clear that Chi Xiaoming was more skilled than she was. His movements were as decisive as his personality—swift and efficient. Each action, from dodging to flipping, flowed seamlessly like water, captivating to behold. The highlight was that while being impressive to watch, Chi Xiaoming quickly dealt with the injured Crimson Fox.
A perfect throat slash.
The blood soon mixed with the puddles on the ground, creating a murky mess, much like this game itself.
Xu Nuan watched as Chi Xiaoming expressionlessly sheathed his bloodied knife. In the rain, his face appeared particularly grim and fierce. His gaze toward her was also cold—so different from when they had first teamed up and could still chat calmly.
But that no longer concerned her. With the Crimson Fox taken care of, Xu Nuan turned her attention back to Zhou Long. His body was growing cold rapidly in the rain, looking quite pitiful. The main issue was that Xu Nuan had no idea how to handle Zhou Long's corpse; there wasn't a spot nearby where she could dig a grave. Leaving the body exposed in the wilderness would surely attract lurking animals.
Dai Zhengyan and Tang Jingshu had already become food for the Python; she didn’t want Zhou Long’s body to meet the same fate.
What should she do?
As Xu Nuan stood in the rain contemplating Zhou Long's lifeless form with a serious expression, Chi Xiaoming approached and squatted down, rummaging through Zhou Long's backpack casually.
"What did he say to you?" he asked nonchalantly.
"Just a few words; I didn't catch them clearly."
At that moment, Xu Nuan really didn't want to engage with Chi Xiaoming. She didn't want to seem childish either; after all, he wasn't truly her companion. Their temporary team of ten felt like an empty shell.
"Of course, I can ask that question you want to ask."
Xu Nuan didn't want Chi Xiaoming to say something hurtful again, so she decided to cut him off right there.
Chi Xiaoming didn't respond in any other way. He rummaged through Zhou Long's backpack and finally pulled out a large raincoat, handing it to Xu Nuan without looking at her. His gaze was fixed on Zhou Long, as if he were carefully examining him.
Xu Nuan thought it unnecessary to be hard on herself, especially since she had a scratch on her left shoulder. With all the bacteria in the rainwater, she certainly didn't want to get sick right now. After taking the raincoat, she casually put it on. When she looked at her hands again, the bloodstains had been washed away quite cleanly.
Meanwhile, Chi Xiaoming was still observing Zhou Long's body, seemingly confirming something. As Xu Nuan remained silent, contemplating how to deal with the corpse, Chi Xiaoming suddenly spoke up.
"He is one of the First Batch of Players."
"No, he is a Game Designer."
The first statement was nothing unusual; Chi Xiaoming only needed to deduce the player's batch to guess correctly. But how did he come to the conclusion about the second statement?
Xu Nuan lifted her gaze and glanced at Chi Xiaoming, remaining very calm.
"Why do you think that? Just because you looked at his face?"
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