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墨書 Inktalez
Xu Nuan had come to realize the prowess of Chi Xiaoming and understood this person's gaming perspective. She resolved not to casually expose her own information; who knew if she might end up being outmaneuvered by him? At that moment, she recognized how ridiculous her earlier thought had been, believing that they could get along well at the Supply Station.
Indeed, Chi Xiaoming possessed remarkable leadership skills. His proposal to form a temporary team and treat the only opportunity for inputting names fairly was commendable. However, from now on, she should limit her admiration and remain vigilant, not easily trusting anyone.
Hearing Xu Nuan's question, Chi Xiaoming turned to look at her. His face remained expressionless, but a sharp glint of caution flashed in his eyes.
"I've seen him. To be precise, I encountered him a long time ago while investigating Chi Ming. For a period, they often went in and out together, but I couldn't find out the specifics of their conversations."
"Oh, I see."
Xu Nuan could only manage a dry response. She naturally knew that these Designers were acquainted with one another, but they weren't familiar with each other's responsibilities and had no right to participate in the game's operations. She wouldn't disclose this to Chi Xiaoming; he was someone capable and goal-oriented but unable to cooperate wholeheartedly.
Chi Xiaoming clearly disapproved of Xu Nuan's answer. He lowered his head and rummaged through Zhou Long's backpack, pulling out some small items that were too indistinct to identify before turning back to Xu Nuan.
"Xu Nuan, I know your identity, so your value to me is significant."
Xu Nuan was momentarily stunned, then a surge of anger welled up within her.
"Identity? If you dare bring this up, I wouldn't mind having a fight with you right here."
Being Qin Yaojie's ex-girlfriend did not trouble her; what troubled her was that everyone who knew Qin Yaojie—especially those Designers—believed he had shared game-related secrets with her. They all assumed she should inherently know certain things because she carried secrets while navigating challenges. No one considered her feelings, why her parents had died, why she entered the game, or why she was occasionally hunted down. Not to mention the chaotic memories muddled by drugs. Qin Yaojie brought her pain and hatred.
Meanwhile, everyone thought they should still care about Qin Yaojie and couldn't forget their feelings for him, which led them to do things for him. Ha! Qin Yaojie had loved her and cared for her, but in the end, he chose not her. He Min had often hinted at why she had become so heartless as to stop calling Qin Yaojie "Yaojie," no longer thinking of him. She knew that even after breaking up with her, Qin Yaojie still liked her; he discussed her most frequently with He Min. Yet Qin Yaojie chose his talent and career over her.
This game wasn't something that could be designed in just a year or two; Qin Yaojie must have had partners long before—perhaps even during high school—when he began designing it. If he had abandoned this idea long ago, none of what followed would have happened. Or perhaps when he discovered a conflict between his vision and another collaborator's last year, if he had let go or been honest with her instead of subjecting her to silent treatment, she might have understood him.
There are no "ifs" or "buts" in this world; Qin Yaojie chose the game over her, leading to their current predicament—that is the truth. The dead are gone regardless of how they passed away; those alive must bear their responsibilities and stagger forward without caring about the final outcome.
In fact, she hadn't forgotten Qin Yaojie or dismissed those feelings entirely. She was indeed being hunted and manipulated due to some secrets; at the same time, those secrets had allowed her to escape several dangers. Moreover, as long as she utilized them wisely, these secrets could also aid her companions. She Xu Nuan could clearly delineate these matters: killing Zhang Xiao would be avenging Qin Yaojie; if Zhang Xiao was the mastermind behind it all, it would also be revenge for her parents. If Zhang Xiao wasn't the mastermind, she'd find the true mastermind and take revenge again. Once these issues were resolved, the entanglements regarding secrets among them would finally come to an end.
Xu Nuan rarely displayed such emotions in front of anyone outside Gu Ze and his group; however, Zhou Long's death had triggered something within her. Suddenly reminded of Gu Ze from another group, Chi Xiaoming's simple statement stirred up all her dissatisfaction towards Qin Yaojie, Game Designers, and certain Players. This accumulated frustration turned into anger over time, with Chi Xiaoming merely being one of its targets.
Chi Xiaoming, who usually maintained his facial paralysis image effortlessly, was taken aback by Xu Nuan's sudden outburst and stood there momentarily speechless.
Moreover, it wasn't just the word "identity" that bothered Xu Nuan; it was also the term "value."
"I'm sorry; if you measure me by my value, then there's no need for us to collaborate further. Although I used to assess Players' worth in this game long ago, what I care about now is no longer value."
She cared about Gu Ze, her companion.
She remembered when she first encountered the Third Batch of Players, thinking that their group was too genuine and that they had no value in her rapid progress, making her eager to leave them behind. However, after more than half a year, she realized that those people still retained that part of sincerity, which also meant they held onto kindness.
If Gu Ze had been with her when they heard the cries for help, he would have insisted she stay put to ensure her safety while he went to assess the situation alone. Xu Hang would have done the same. If it were Xie Huai or Deng Yinyin, they would have gone to check things out too, but they would have dragged her along.
In their team, aside from Gu Ze and Xu Hang, there were two others who lacked a strong sense of the bigger picture and did not think far ahead. They tended to overlook many details, but they wouldn’t just stand by and watch someone die right in front of them. She suddenly wondered if this was yet another uniqueness of the Third Batch of Players—genuineness.
“Xu Nuan, you’re too genuine; it really disappoints me.”
Chi Xiaoming's voice turned cold, the admiration in his eyes completely vanished.
Xu Nuan responded with a smile.
“I’d rather be genuine.”
Because being genuine allowed her to stay close to those people.
Chi Xiaoming shook his head, seemingly frustrated at her stubbornness.
“You can’t possibly be unaware of the cruelty of this game. You should know it’s an individual game; teams are only temporary. There will be many individual missions in the future where you and your companions will suspect and betray each other. Not all of you can make it to the end.”
“I know; I accept that.”
For the first time, Xu Nuan felt the weight of the phrase ‘I accept that.’ She understood everything Chi Xiaoming said and had thought about it herself. But when it came time for suspicion and betrayal, she reflected on how her team had always had conflicts yet still made it this far amidst all the noise. Moreover, everyone in her team had strong self-recovery abilities. One moment they could glare at each other, and the next moment they could be smiling again. While interests might lead companions to suspicion and betrayal down a lonely path, they could also unite people; shared interests fostered stronger cohesion. Everything has two sides, including interests; she didn’t believe it was a negative term.
In the past, Xu Nuan would never have dared to think this way, but someone had changed her, saved her. She had foolishly thought of herself as a wandering soul destined to be buried alongside this game. She was a fool; that person was too.
Xu Nuan's uncooperative attitude caused Chi Xiaoming's expression to turn completely cold, and he ceased talking to her.
She didn’t care about that; instead, she looked down at Zhou Long and then at his opened backpack before suddenly coming up with an idea.
Xu Nuan placed Zhou Long into a sleeping bag and covered it with a waterproof layer. After ensuring no water could seep in, she took a rope to tie up the opening of the sleeping bag and secured a large stone to the other end before sinking the sleeping bag containing Zhou Long's body into the lake.
She hadn’t been able to bury Dai Zhengyan or Tang Jingshu and had watched Guo Dafu get covered by snow. When Sun Ming died as a Zombie, she was too consumed by grief to pay attention. But she had personally buried Rao Tingxue and Wang Yiyun; now she was sending Zhou Long off as well. She recalled a fleeting thought from long ago when she saw Guo Dafu’s corpse: when someone dies without being remembered by anyone, does that count as having lived?
Indeed, those who are not remembered are pitiful; if so, why shouldn’t she remember these people?
Dai Zhengyan, who always preached grand philosophies about teaching oneself to climb trees, found himself in a dire situation when his daughter fell ill and money became scarce. Entering the game, he discovered that clearing levels seemed hopeless, and was tempted to turn his pursuit into a hunt for himself. Guo Dafu, who had once reached out to him, was now caught in this chaotic web. Tang Jingshu, who had fallen in love with Qin Yaojie, chased after him into the game, unaware that she had been abandoned by her own father. Rao Tingxue was deeply obsessed with the game and her achievements, often acting erratically. Wang Yiyun, among the group of designers, was known for her good temper as she took care of He Min and Qin Yaojie while also helping Zhou Long resolve his doubts.
Look at her—despite her memory issues, she remembered so many people. At this moment, she longed for someone to accompany her in remembering them.
After completing these thoughts, Xu Nuan clapped her hands together. She had no intention of changing out of her wet clothes but quietly walked over to Chi Xiaoming, who was watching her actions with a cold gaze.
"Regardless of anything else, we at least confirmed that there is still a team in this level. This means we have another chance to input names; finding them is imperative."
Chi Xiaoming began analyzing again. He glanced back toward the direction Zhou Long had run off to. For safety reasons, he decided to return with Xu Nuan and later send a larger group over to check if other players were around.
Xu Nuan had no objections; she felt exhausted both physically and mentally, and she had never been more eager to see that person again. She wanted to go back.
The two walked in silence for a while before Chi Xiaoming spoke again.
"I can confirm that you are no longer a Secret Missioner."
Xu Nuan looked up in surprise at the expressionless Chi Xiaoming beside her. After pondering for a moment, she let out a light laugh.
"Is it because being too genuine makes it impossible to take on that role?"
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