Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
After Fan Beibei's sudden outburst that injured Xu Hang, everyone began to suspect she was pretending to be mad. However, upon observing Fan Beibei's disoriented state and her inability to form complete sentences, they started to think that perhaps she was being controlled by someone.
It is difficult for a person with an independent personality to be controlled unless their personality is weakened by some external force, rendering them unaware of their actions and only able to act according to the commands they hear in their mind.
This was knowledge that Xie Huai shared with the group, having read extensively on psychology. He habitually added, "But I'm just an amateur; I've only read articles on this topic, and there are many explanations that don't seem reasonable."
Deng Yinyin immediately countered him. "Just coming up with such an idea is impressive."
Xu Hang and the others nodded in agreement. Xu Nuan noticed a significant change in Deng Yinyin's attitude towards Xie Huai, suggesting something had happened between them during her absence. However, this wasn't the time to dwell on that thought. Xu Nuan moved closer to Gu Ze, took his hand, and looked at the struggling Fan Beibei.
Fan Beibei shot them fierce glares as if she intended to pounce on them and tear them apart, but her gaze lacked focus; it was merely a habitual expression. Out of frustration, Fan Beibei kept kicking the mechanical mice around her in an erratic and unconscious manner.
Even an actor cannot truly lose consciousness to portray madness convincingly. Xu Nuan firmly believed that Fan Beibei had gone mad and was being controlled. Yet she wondered if there was more than one designer like Shen Shen.
"Perhaps there are others like Shen Shen lurking nearby, waiting for the right moment to strike."
As she thought this, Gu Ze spoke up with a calm voice that belied the turmoil beneath. "That's very possible."
Xu Nuan suddenly recalled something she had heard earlier and turned to Gu Ze and He Min. "Do you remember what Zhou Long said when we first encountered him? This game has many segments, and each segment surely has more than one designer. Shen Shen might just be one head; there could be others even more formidable."
Based on what Xu Nuan already knew, the designers forced into the game were key figures who understood it well. As for the numerous peripheral personnel, they were beyond the Mastermind's control. The operators of this game might not even know what they were doing. The Mastermind aimed to claim this game as their own through such means.
She suddenly believed she had uncovered the truth.
“If there are still people like that, it could be dangerous.”
He Min's complexion was somewhat pale, and when his gaze fell on Fan Beibei, there was little emotion—just a normal attitude towards a stranger rather than a rival.
“Then this matter highlights a key point.”
Xu Hang casually wrapped his injured arm; the wound was nothing significant to him. When he looked at Fan Beibei, he showed little emotion. Xu Nuan vaguely sensed that they were planning to abandon Fan Beibei. This was understandable; they had initially intended to help her find her teammates or take her to the Supply Station, but after she attacked them, they had already done more than enough.
Regaining her composure, Xu Nuan continued to listen to Xu Hang's analysis, unaware that Gu Ze had noticed the fleeting depth in He Min's expression from the corner of his eye.
“What do we have that would make the person controlling Fan Beibei target us? I don’t believe a crazed Fan Beibei could cause us any significant harm. If it’s just about using her to slow us down, what’s the purpose? Is there danger here, or has something serious happened ahead?”
Xu Hang's analysis hit the nail on the head. The first thought that crossed Xu Nuan's mind after hearing this was that the person in question was also a designer and must have known about the secret passage to leave this place. Therefore, she realized she was the target. In other words, she had implicated everyone.
With this thought, Xu Nuan's face turned slightly pale, and the calmness at the corners of her lips felt forced. She hadn’t yet told Gu Ze about this; now she had no one to discuss it with.
Gu Ze, who had been observing Xu Nuan intently, keenly noticed a slight tremor in her shoulders. Although it lasted only a moment, it was enough to catch his attention. Was it because of Xu Hang’s words?
Gu Ze quickly turned his mind to consider this matter.
Deng Yinyin suddenly had a flash of insight and excitedly slapped Xie Huai on the back.
“No matter what that person’s intentions are, they couldn’t possibly have a psychic connection with Fan Beibei to know if she succeeded or not, right? Even if this woman has been given a suggestion, she can’t be controlled like a robot from afar!”
Deng Yinyin's discovery instantly led everyone to find the source of their concerns, and Xie Huai exclaimed in surprise.
"That person must be nearby. Perhaps they saw us subdue Fan Beibei and then sneaked away, but they can't have gone far."
Upon receiving this news, Xu Nuan instinctively glanced around, her gaze shifting from the vast, open lawn where one could not hide to the low bushes that could easily conceal someone if they crawled. Those were the very bushes she had used to escape Dong Keyong.
If that person was indeed close by, they could only be hiding there.
Xu Nuan's expression hardened. Those individuals might covet that secret, but their brazen and unscrupulous methods had truly crossed her line. She didn't want to drag these people into danger; that designer was both talented and insane. This time, they had merely controlled Fan Beibei—what if next time it was someone close to her?
Thinking of this, Xu Nuan felt an urge to find and eliminate that person who likely understood hypnosis. Her first step would be to deal with these psychologists. Given the current situation, they posed the greatest threat.
"I'll go take a look. You all keep moving forward, and I'll catch up with you later. This way, we won't have to worry about whether this place is dangerous," she said as she loosened Gu Ze's hand and headed toward the seemingly dense yet sparse bushes.
Xu Hang barely had time to respond before Gu Ze quickly stepped forward and placed an arm around Xu Nuan's shoulders, leaving her with a few words.
"I'm going too. You all take your time moving ahead; we'll be careful."
Gu Ze's skills were well-known, and his abilities were mysterious. Xu Hang trusted him completely and thought that if they could find any trace of that person, capturing them would be even better to prevent them from being under such constant threat.
As he watched the two gradually disappear into the distance, Xie Huai nervously turned to look at Deng Yinyin, worried she might sulk or explode like before. Instead, he found Deng Yinyin deep in thought as she gazed at Fan Beibei.
"So how do we handle this woman? We definitely can't keep her with us on the road."
Xu Nuan did not wish to shake off Gu Ze; it was simply that she lacked the strength to break free from his grip and could only let things unfold as they would. As they entered the bushes, Xu Nuan became acutely aware of her surroundings. She recalled how Chi Ming had keenly spotted her earlier and aimed to emulate him in detecting anyone who might be lurking in the shadows.
However, all she could see were dull-colored branches growing wildly and haphazardly blocking the path ahead.
"I remember your senses are quite sharp; you should go find that person."
Xu Nuan recalled Gu Ze's previous displays, his awareness of human presence sharper than that of a beast. This time should work as well. As she pushed Gu Ze forward, she glanced back and noticed that the few people she had seen were now just indistinct black dots, realizing they had moved quite a distance away.
"There’s no one nearby," Gu Ze obediently surveyed the area. His seemingly calm gaze darted rapidly around, and his half-closed eyes occasionally flashed with sharpness and intensity. "That person is so cautious; they must be hiding further away."
"Then let's go a bit farther."
Xu Nuan tugged at Gu Ze's sleeve and moved forward, reminding him, "With your skills, help me subdue that person later; I'll handle the rest."
Gu Ze, who had been allowing her to lead, suddenly halted at her words. He grasped her wrist firmly, his voice unusually clear but low and hoarse from suppressed emotion.
"If I catch that person, what do you plan to do?"
Gu Ze's gaze was fixed on Xu Nuan's furrowed brow, his tone not quite angry.
"Are you going to kill him?"
Xu Nuan was taken aback and did not respond.
Gu Ze continued on his own. "Zhang Hui was an accident; Dong Keyong wouldn’t last a few minutes even if you didn’t kill him. So how do you intend to deal with the one in the shadows? Nuan, you’re not someone who takes life lightly; there’s more to this, isn’t there?"
Xu Nuan pressed her lips together, unsure of how to respond. When she saw the undeniable coldness in Gu Ze's eyes, she chose to speak honestly.
"I want to kill him. If he doesn't die, then I will be the one who dies in the future."
Once her secret was known to those who were aware, she would have no value left to live. She believed that as long as she didn't explain herself, Gu Ze would never know where her true intentions lay. That would be for the best; this way, Gu Ze wouldn't become one of the targets of desire. If there were any developments regarding those two secrets later on, she couldn't tell Gu Ze either. The less he knew, the safer she would be.
"You are hiding something from me."
Gu Ze's gaze suddenly turned heavy, like the deep sea—seemingly calm on the surface but turbulent within, ready to erupt at any moment.
"I am hiding something from you, but I can't tell you."
Xu Nuan was frank about this point; she needed to make her stance clear, or else they would constantly argue about these matters in the future.
"Don't forget what our purpose is for coming out here. Our time is tight, and there are many things to handle. We shouldn't let personal feelings interfere right now."
When Gu Ze narrowed his eyes, Xu Nuan realized she had misspoken, but she had no intention of retracting her words.
Facing Gu Ze's imposing gaze made Xu Nuan feel somewhat uncomfortable. Considering the time constraints, she pulled her hand away from Gu Ze's grip and moved forward.
However, it wasn't Gu Ze who stopped her steps but a sudden loud roar that erupted around them.
Comment 0 Comment Count