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墨書 Inktalez
He Min stopped a few steps away from Gu Ze, silently watching the once vibrant man now sitting up in an extremely exhausted and despondent manner.
She shouldn't have come to find Gu Ze, but she was certain that Xu Nuan's departure was not for the reasons she had imagined.
He Min stood there, observing the man who seemed to blend into the night beneath the starry sky. An indescribable atmosphere flowed between them, and her hands, curled at her sides, clenched and relaxed repeatedly before she finally spoke.
"Did something happen between you and Nuan?"
Everyone had noticed Xu Nuan's dazed state over the past few days, each with their own speculations. Although they were all part of the same team and had a good relationship, some matters were not easily brought up by companions or friends. Moreover, with Xu Hang and Gu Ze allowing Xu Nuan to drift in such a state, the others felt even less qualified to ask anything.
Most of the time, Xu Nuan was lost in thought; when she wasn't, she was asleep, often calling out a name she didn't recognize in her dreams. This strange phenomenon raised suspicions among everyone. He Min speculated that the man before her might be at the root of their conflict.
Gu Ze supported himself on the ground, slightly gazing up at the stars. A hint of indifference passed over his lips, startling He Min.
"Is this what you wanted to tell me?"
A warm and polite person suddenly became cold and distant; this stark contrast convinced He Min that something unpleasant had occurred between Gu Ze and Xu Nuan. She suddenly recalled what Xu Nuan had once told her. She had thought that after Qin Yaojie’s death, Xu Nuan had become like herself—outwardly pretending while inwardly barren and desolate, ready to sink into despair within this game. However, at that time, Xu Nuan had shared her fears about the future with a glimmer of hope—a hope that made He Min envious and jealous. That hope stemmed from the man before her.
"I don’t know what happened between you two, but you’ve been too indifferent towards Nuan lately—almost to the point of neglect."
Considering the news she had received today, He Min decided it was time to resolve the conflict between Gu Ze and Xu Nuan so that Xu Nuan could return to the team. She believed Xu Nuan was their hope as players, despite her ongoing suffering.
"I thought you would persist in searching for Nuan instead of just leaving with the main group."
Gu Ze chuckled lightly a few times; in this lonely night, it sounded somewhat desolate and added to his solitude. This was not the emotion one would expect from someone deeply in love, which only deepened He Min's confusion.
"She wants to leave; am I supposed to tie her up to bring her back?"
He Min frowned, feeling displeased by Gu Ze's cold and sharp words.
"Just because she and her backpack disappeared doesn't mean she left on her own. The locator not being turned on doesn't mean she didn't want to turn it on. At a time like this, shouldn't your first concern be whether something bad has happened to her? Are you really the kind of person who would make a wrong decision out of spite during such a moment?"
He Min's words became equally sharp, contrasting sharply with her usual gentle and graceful demeanor.
Gu Ze turned his head, looking at her with a mocking and indifferent gaze.
"The only reason you have the confidence to say that is because you are sure she would stay because of you, her friend."
He Min suddenly realized that the conflict between the two was far more serious than she had imagined. There’s a saying that love extends to all associated; Gu Ze had previously shown more care for her due to Xu Nuan, but now his attitude had changed drastically, reflecting a waning affection for Xu Nuan.
How could their feelings change so quickly in just over ten days?
Based on He Min's understanding of Xu Nuan, that was impossible.
"You're insulting Nuan's feelings for you," He Min said while observing Gu Ze's expression. "I believe she would stay because the person she loves most is in this team; she wouldn't leave without saying anything."
She noticed a fleeting expression of pain and anger cross Gu Ze's face as her words fell.
It seemed that Gu Ze still had feelings for Xu Nuan; if this anger stemmed from Xu Nuan, then it meant Gu Ze had misunderstood something about her. She suddenly recalled the strange expressions on Gu Ze and Xu Hang's faces when they came out of the Supply Station earlier.
She seemed to have grasped the crux of the conflict between Gu Ze and Xu Nuan, but she hesitated. Should she really help them resolve this conflict at this moment?
Would the benefits outweigh the drawbacks, or vice versa?
As she hesitated, Gu Ze suddenly stood up, intending to walk into the tent, seemingly unwilling to continue the conversation with He Min. This resolute attitude prompted He Min to make a decision in that fleeting moment.
"Are you sure you want to leave? I haven't told you about that matter yet. It's related to the 'Dreary Wetland' level, something that warmed me. She will never tell you, not even if she dies."
Xu Nuan was roughly shaken awake.
Having not eaten all night, coupled with her hands and feet being bound and repeatedly hypnotized into unconsciousness, Xu Nuan's body and mind were exhausted to an extreme point. Perhaps crossing this threshold would lead her to madness or death; if she did not cross it, there was a chance she could rally again.
It wasn't that she didn't want to eat; rather, having learned from many past experiences, she did not trust the food brought by Dong Keyong. She thought that since there were psychologists among the Game Designers, there might also be doctors like Pharmacist. She couldn't touch anything offered by someone she didn't trust; perhaps touching it would lead to irreversible consequences. Despite her current situation being as dire as it could get, she still felt this way.
Due to her exhaustion, last night was the first time Xu Nuan did not have those painful nightmares that tore open her wounds. She fell into a deep sleep. She even suspected that if Shen Shen hadn't woken her out of impatience, she might have continued sleeping indefinitely; dying in her dreams seemed like a beautiful ending.
It took Xu Nuan a while for her slightly unfocused eyes to finally focus on Shen Shen's somewhat gloomy face. It seemed that she wasn't the only one being tormented; the person employing such inhumane methods was also suffering. A part of her felt a strange pleasure at the thought that if this person couldn't extract answers, they might just collapse before her.
She had once heard Xie Huai lament that those who help others with psychological issues often have issues of their own because they encounter too much darkness in human emotions. However, the person before her was talented and wasn't solving his own psychological problems but rather using his knowledge to pry into hers. If he couldn't see through her, he would doubt himself. The doubts of a talented individual could be more terrifying than those of an ordinary person; their psychological defenses might crumble even more dramatically.
Xu Nuan let this delightful speculation show on her face, revealing a strange smile.
Shen Shen, who had been shaking her, seemed uncertain now and hesitated as he glanced at the food on the ground.
"Could it be that you've really lost your mind? You have food and still won't eat?"
Shen Shen's irritation grew, and his tone became harsher.
"Who exactly has done something to this woman? I just can't seem to ask the most critical question—what is going on?"
Xu Nuan forced herself to muster a bit of spirit, shifting her gaze from Shen Shen to the short knife not far away, and then to the sullen-faced Dong Keyong. She licked her lips, which were cracked from dehydration, her voice hoarse.
"Have you never thought," at this moment for Xu Nuan, every word cost her the little strength she had left. Although her internal organs were unharmed, any movement made her feel as if her insides were beginning to ache, holding her back, "I don't even know where that place is?"
Seeing Shen Shen's face suddenly change and Dong Keyong's disapproving look directed at her, Xu Nuan surprisingly felt a lift in her spirits and even managed to curl her lips into a smile.
"Don't you doubt this at all? Perhaps Qin Yaojie didn't tell me the exact location. You know how strained my relationship with him was back then."
As she observed Shen Shen's increasingly dark expression, his trembling lips, and the disbelief in his eyes, Xu Nuan's smile grew wider, occasionally flashing a hint of madness.
"The truth is just like this; I only know this much. No matter how you ask, you won't find out more. You have no idea who I really am, but you are quite talented."
Clearly, Xu Nuan's words provoked Shen Shen further, causing his face to grow even worse as he revealed a crazed look. He yanked Xu Nuan by the collar of her shirt and dragged her mercilessly closer to him.
The two were now very close, and Xu Nuan could see even more clearly that something was off with Shen Shen. She hadn't expected him to be more fragile than she had imagined; just one night had led him to doubt his own hypnosis and bring himself to the edge of a cliff.
"You definitely know about this matter. I am well aware of Qin Yaojie's feelings for you. If you didn’t know about it, you would have been killed as soon as you entered the game. That’s why we spared your life. Qin Yaojie is a pathetic man; he chose the game over you but handed you the key to it just to save your life."
To Xu Nuan, it seemed that Shen Shen was merely comforting himself with these words.
Xu Nuan had long realized that Qin Yaojie kept those matters in his mind to protect himself; however, he didn’t have to do it this way. If Qin Yaojie had chosen not to enter the game from the start, his family wouldn’t have been controlled, her parents wouldn’t have died, and she wouldn’t be left all alone. Or perhaps if Qin Yaojie had chosen the game without involving her or having any ties with her, she wouldn’t have been dragged into this mess. She even doubted whether he considered her at all when making his choice. In hindsight, the man she once loved was a failure—wanting both love and success but ending up losing both.
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