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墨書 Inktalez
At this moment, Chi Xiaoming was engulfed in great distress. Among the eleven people gathered, many had expressed their opinions to him, but none of those suggestions had any substantial effect and could not overturn Xu Nuan's bold hypothesis.
It wasn't that he wasn't moved by Xu Nuan; it was just that they all had only one chance in hand, and being influenced didn't necessarily mean he would act on it. The internal struggle he faced was far more challenging than confronting a flood or being besieged by several robust Players. The former stemmed from psychological pressure, while the latter only required consideration of physical prowess.
The crux of the matter was that, aside from Xu Nuan and Gu Ze—who had made bold statements and were currently under no pressure—everyone else was somewhat affected by these remarks but could not accept them, leading to contradictory opinions that only added to Chi Xiaoming's troubles.
As Chi Xiaoming sat expressionless in a corner of the cave contemplating life—no, contemplating decisions—others were displaying their own reactions.
The seemingly harmonious group had already formed their own cliques, which was particularly evident in the cave. Chi Xiaoming vaguely sensed that after this challenge, his trio would reach its end. Now Yu Yu and Fan Beibei held significant opinions against him, seemingly believing that given their relationship, they shouldn't heed the opinions of other Players who were meddling.
With a light sigh, Chi Xiaoming planned to get up and find Xu Hang. Among so many people, only Xu Hang would genuinely analyze things with him without ulterior motives. However, before he could rise, Yu Yu approached him again.
" Chi Xiaoming, I just thought of something."
"What is it?"
Initially indifferent to Yu Yu's entanglement with Fan Beibei and He Min, Chi Xiaoming now had to admit that he had never truly understood this companion he had spent nearly a year with.
Yu Yu's expression was very serious. Noticing that Xu Nuan and the others were not paying attention to them, he lowered his voice.
"If we really follow Xu Nuan's speculation that you are the Secret Missioner and your task cannot involve entering your own name, then what is the reward for being a Secret Missioner? According to the logic of this game, Secret Missioners wouldn't unconditionally execute tasks, just like the personal missions we've undertaken in the past."
Seeing that Chi Xiaoming was seriously contemplating this issue, Yu Yu became even more certain.
"So that's just a very bold hypothesis and shouldn't dictate your decision. There’s no time limit for this challenge; once the rain stops, we can hunt for food. For this precious opportunity, we should consider it carefully and filter through everyone here one by one."
After much contemplation that day, Chi Xiaoming looked up at the very earnest Yu Yu and noticed a hint of urgency hidden within him. If he wasn’t supposed to rush into making a decision, then why was there urgency? What exactly was this urgency directed towards?
Yu Yu gave him the impression that this person was stalling for time, but he couldn't find a reason for Yu Yu to do so.
Chi Xiaoming had various thoughts swirling in his mind, but he wore a Facial Paralysis face, making it difficult for others to accurately gauge his emotions.
"I understand."
This ambiguous statement made Yu Yu's momentary anxiety vanish, while Chi Xiaoming became even more hesitant and cautious. The people in this cave all had their own agendas, united by a common goal of quickly passing this stage. However, some were anxious while others were not, which made things quite complicated.
Nevertheless, Yu Yu's demeanor made him more willing to discuss the matter with Xu Hang. As he stood up, he inadvertently noticed Zhang Hui curled up in a sleeping bag in the corner. It was surprising that everyone here seemed unfazed by the presence of a corpse, and Xu Nuan had clearly stated her intention to take Zhang Hui's body to the Supply Station.
He suddenly recalled the argument he had with Xu Nuan before encountering the dying Zhou Long, regarding the value of each person's existence in this game—the value of a life.
Even though it was raining and the temperature wasn't too high, having one or two more corpses would surely cause problems. At that point, everyone would undoubtedly argue about whether to bury Zhang Hui's body on the spot. Just thinking about Xu Nuan's stubbornness gave him a headache, and considering the tangled relationships among them only added to his distress. This qualification for entering names truly felt like a hot potato.
What he didn't know was that Xu Nuan was currently expressing her concerns about Zhang Hui's body to Gu Ze.
"It would be terrible if we let one or two more bodies pile up."
"Indeed, we can only hope that Chi Xiaoming makes a decision quickly."
Though it was an incomplete thought, Gu Ze understood it perfectly. Nearby, Deng Yinyin rolled her eyes in dissatisfaction, but when she glanced at Xu Nuan's right hand, she couldn't help but remember how that hand had once plunged a knife into Zhang Hui's chest, causing her to tremble. Moreover, she recalled how after the incident, Xu Nuan had subtly probed her about noticing any other abnormalities. Hmph! Killing is killing; what reason is needed?
No one paid attention to her inner thoughts as the conversation between Xu Nuan and Gu Ze continued.
"What if we use force to make Chi Xiaoming submit?"
"Go ahead and try," Chi Xiaoming coldly remarked as he approached Xu Hang to discuss something.
Gu Ze maintained his smile, undeterred by the awkwardness of being caught off guard. He raised an eyebrow at Xu Nuan, but his words were directed at Chi Xiaoming.
"Then I won't hold back."
Xu Nuan felt confused; the tension in the air was palpable. When had these two developed such a conflict?
After Xu Hang was called away by Chi Xiaoming, Xie Huai and the others began to engage more actively.
"According to Shen Shen, Zhou Long lost his name and was hunted down by Crimson Fox. In that case, we could try inputting Chi Xiaoming's name and see what happens. Even if Crimson Fox comes after us, with so many of us, we can handle it."
Before Xu Nuan could respond, Shen Shen turned his head and kindly interjected, "Crimson Fox is just one of the punitive measures; no one knows what other consequences the System might impose."
The familiar tone made Xu Nuan feel uneasy. She suddenly wanted to communicate with Shen Shen but worried that her ignorance would lead her into a trap, making it a losing situation.
As this thought crossed her mind, Gu Ze squeezed her hand resting on her knee. She looked up in confusion to find him smiling brightly at her.
He only smiled like that in two situations: when he was extremely happy or extremely angry.
Xu Nuan blinked and pushed that thought aside. Ever since she became involved with Gu Ze, he had shown zero tolerance for her interactions with other men, even if it was for gathering clues.
Xu Nuan, who thought Gu Ze was overthinking and felt that things were becoming increasingly difficult, couldn't help but curl her lips into a smile at such moments. This was perhaps a common trait of humanity; the more one felt cared for, the more it proved their importance. However, the saying "too much of a good thing" applied here—if one party overstepped, it would yield the opposite effect.
"You two have such a great relationship."
Shen Shen suddenly smiled and said this after realizing that his kind reminder had been ignored. Xu Nuan and Gu Ze immediately turned to look at him reflexively.
Xie Huai, who had always believed this was just his imagination, finally realized what was happening. He glanced at Deng Yinyin with some concern and noticed that she, who should have been paying attention to this matter, was instead squinting her eyes and gritting her teeth as she stared at Fan Beibei in the distance, her gaze deep and seemingly contemplating something significant.
"Of course."
When Xu Nuan met Shen Shen's gaze, that familiar feeling in her heart intensified. However, her attention was quickly drawn to Gu Ze's candid and cheerful admission. Did he really not know when to hold back? It suddenly struck her that Gu Ze hadn't confessed to her this time either, nor had she confessed to him. So what exactly were they at this moment?
Her mind, usually occupied with serious matters, suddenly got stuck on this issue. Xu Nuan felt somewhat flustered by her own change in emotions but failed to notice He Min's contemplative gaze just a few steps away.
Shen Shen chuckled softly at Gu Ze's nonchalance, his eyes darting quickly over Xu Nuan, who was looking down. After a brief moment of pursing his lips, he waved his hand.
"Then I won't disturb you two any longer."
Noticing Shen Shen's subtle gesture, Gu Ze recalled what Xu Nuan had mentioned before about feeling familiar with Shen Shen. Could he be someone connected to her past? He needed to find a way to verify this before Xu Nuan found out.
However, before Gu Ze could seize the opportunity, Fan Beibei, who had been silent due to her facial injury, suddenly broke free from Yu Yu's grasp and shouted as she rushed out into the rain.
"Ah! I don't care anymore! If I stay here any longer, I'll die!"
The few people in the cave looked at Fan Beibei's retreating figure in confusion but quickly realized what she intended to do and rushed out to stop her.
Fan Beibei rushed to the verification platform, shouting as expected.
"Don't you want to know Chi Xiaoming's identity? I'll just input his name!"
As Fan Beibei pretended to enter the information, Yu Yu suddenly burst forth and rushed to her side, desperately trying to stop her.
Xu Nuan initially thought this was a coordinated act between Fan Beibei and Yu Yu. However, upon seeing the lingering shock and anger in Yu Yu's eyes, she realized this was Fan Beibei's own decision. Yet, it was strange that Fan Beibei had been quiet until now; her sudden outburst felt out of character.
At that moment, she heard Xie Huai ask Deng Yinyin.
"Deng Yinyin, you were staring at Fan Beibei earlier. Did you notice anything off? Why is she suddenly so bold?"
With Xie Huai's prompt, Xu Nuan recalled Deng Yinyin's earlier actions and turned her attention to her. Since Yu Yu had already restrained Fan Beibei, there was no need for her to rush over and join the fray.
"That woman is really strange. I stared at her like that, and she didn't react at all; her gaze was so vacant. Thinking back on it now, it's like she's gone mad."
Indeed, after staring at Fan Beibei for a long time, Deng Yinyin scratched her chin, filled with doubt. When she turned her head and saw Xu Nuan looking at her, she immediately averted her gaze, not daring to meet Xu Nuan's eyes.
Onlookers like Xie Huai thought Deng Yinyin was afraid of Xu Nuan due to the previous Zhang Hui incident and softly offered some words of comfort. Meanwhile, Xu Hang, who had come out with Chi Xiaoming a moment later, squinted at Deng Yinyin, deep in thought.
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