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墨書 Inktalez
The biting cold wind stung her face, seeping through the gaps in her clothing and stealing away the little warmth she had left. The sound of the wind was amplified by her rapid movements, echoing like the memory of a long-ago escape, howling and making her eardrums ache. Her heartbeat mixed with the wind, composing a melody of regret.
Gu Ze, you must not be in danger!
Xu Nuan finally understood what Gu Ze's past surprises meant. She didn’t want promises that were forever out of reach, nor did she want surprises stained with blood.
After leaving the temporary resting place, Xu Nuan could only rely on her memory to search for Gu Ze's traces. The direction was vague; she initially thought she might miss Gu Ze entirely, but instead, she found the marks he had left behind. There weren’t many, and their colors were faint, as if hastily made.
Indeed, Gu Ze had anticipated that she would come looking for him, or perhaps the time he set earlier was a signal for her to come out. It took her a moment longer to realize this. At that moment, she understood that more than her anticipation of knowing the truth, she was worried about Gu Ze's safety. Had anything happened during the time it took her to come out?
Her worries were not unfounded. As she followed the meager marks, she passed through large patches of bushes and encountered several cleverly concealed traps that had already been used. Finally, she stopped in front of a patch of grass.
Most of the weeds showed signs of being trampled down, some were stained with blood, and others had been cut down. Most importantly, Xu Nuan discovered Gu Ze's short knife lying deep within the grass.
Gu Ze had fought someone here, and his knife was left behind; on the surface, it appeared that he was at a disadvantage.
Her heart began to race as a wave of regret washed over her. Xu Nuan wanted to find the marks left by Gu Ze and follow them.
The absence of any further traces was not a good sign.
Stay calm! Stay calm! Gu Ze is incredibly skilled; he must be fine. Perhaps he chased someone away.
Taking a deep breath, Xu Nuan picked up the bloodied short knife from among the grass. As she bent down to examine it, she heard a gasp coming from the bushes in front of her.
Is someone injured?
Could it be Gu Ze?
Xu Nuan suppressed her impulse to rush forward and forced herself to remain calm. Holding the still-bloodied knife in hand, she approached the bushes quietly. Bending low to ensure that whoever was there couldn’t see her, she carefully parted the foliage with one foot positioned backward, ready to flee at the first sign of danger.
The sound of heavy breathing grew more pronounced, and the surroundings became increasingly clear.
Before her lay a long, twisted trail of blood, evidence of someone having crawled. As her gaze shifted further, she spotted a familiar figure moving sideways—a person she recognized.
Dressed in a Beige Tactical Jacket, with very short hair, ordinary features, an aging beard, and eyes that glistened coldly like a snake's.
Ning Han!
In an instant, she understood; this was the surprise Gu Ze had prepared for her. The person she had been desperately trying to find and confront had appeared before her in a severely injured state.
Ning Han was gravely wounded, his right arm clearly dislocated, hanging limply as if devoid of bones. His left hand was also injured, forcing him to move forward by crawling on his body.
A long gash ran down his back, blood oozing out, while his legs curled unnaturally—not from a knife wound. Xu Nuan recalled the traps that were evidently set by Gu Ze.
Ning Han was clearly unable to resist her now. Xu Nuan no longer hid; instead, she stepped forward with her short knife in hand.
Hearing footsteps, Ning Han turned in terror. Upon realizing it was Xu Nuan approaching, a flicker of something unusual flashed in his eyes, and the fear on his face diminished significantly.
"Heh heh."
Before Xu Nuan could speak, Ning Han spoke first. His laughter resembled that of a witch from a movie, sending chills down her spine.
"I see. That man didn't tell you his plan."
Xu Nuan narrowed her eyes at Ning Han. She had nothing to say; she realized that Gu Ze was quite skilled. If Ning Han was injured to this extent, then she need not worry about Gu Ze anymore. But where had Gu Ze gone?
"If he didn't tell me the plan, how could I possibly be here?"
She knew Ning Han was cunning and treacherous; his opening words were merely an attempt to manipulate her into leaving to search for Gu Ze.
She would not fall for their tricks. Now, Ning Han was the fish on the chopping block, and she was the knife. Extracting Zhang Xiao's whereabouts was only a matter of time.
This surprise pleased her greatly. She would save her words of gratitude for later; right now, she needed to press Ning Han for answers and deal with him.
Xu Nuan approached Ning Han with a knife, crouching beside him. When she noticed his attempt to escape, she stabbed him again.
This man had once ruthlessly pushed her off a cliff. He had betrayed her and killed Rao Tingxue. He was Zhang Xiao's lackey. Did he have a gun?
Suddenly realizing something, Xu Nuan grabbed Ning Han by the collar, intending to search for that powerful weapon. But when her gaze met the amused look in his eyes, she hesitated.
"You really don't know what Gu Ze has done."
Ning Han, in a state of disarray, smiled smugly. Despite being unable to fight back, he showed no fear; his earlier terror upon first seeing Xu Nuan seemed like a mere illusion.
This man must be plotting something; she couldn't fall into his trap.
Xu Nuan warned herself internally, but her knife could no longer descend, giving Ning Han another chance to speak.
"He's quite a formidable character. He orchestrated everything up to this point just to capture me and injure me this badly. It's a pity; he was too impatient."
As Ning Han spoke, he coughed up blood, clearly suffering internal injuries. Yet he smiled, his thin lips curling into a delightfully irritating arc that sparked Xu Nuan's desire to destroy him.
Gu Ze was impatient?
Xu Nuan couldn't help but react to Ning Han's words. She had no idea what Gu Ze had been doing these past few days or why he bore several wounds. She didn't know what traps he had set to lure out Ning Han. However, from what she knew of Gu Ze, he was meticulous and thorough—a person with the demeanor of a general. His impatience stemmed from her distrust.
The pleasure on the battered face of Ning Han deepened.
"He will pay for his impatience; he won't know that I have another ally helping me from the shadows."
Xu Nuan couldn't believe that Ning Han would voluntarily tell her about his associates, yet the shadow of the person who had fled that day involuntarily surfaced in her mind. But that person hadn't harmed her after she lost consciousness, had they?
Why did Gu Ze leave after injuring Ning Han? Why was the dagger left behind? Did he chase after Ning Han's accomplices?
"Do you know why Gu Ze isn't here?"
Seeing the wavering expression on Xu Nuan's face, Ning Han lowered his voice, speaking each word deliberately.
"Because he was injured by my companion and is being hunted down, of course he won't be here."
The sudden constriction of Xu Nuan's pupils made Ning Han chuckle again. He silently mocked her; this Xu Nuan hadn't changed at all. She had skills but was weak, had goals yet was constantly interrupted. Escaping from someone like her was an easy task.
"Perhaps when you find him, what you'll see is a cold corpse. Of course, that corpse might also be mutilated."
Xu Nuan seemed to envision such a scene, one that had repeatedly appeared in her dreams. She felt a bit dazed, questioning whether she was in a dream or in reality. Was Ning Han really standing right in front of her?
"If you don't go look for him, he will die."
As Xu Nuan was lost in thought, the word "die" floated into her ears, and suddenly her body became uncontrollable. She staggered to her feet and took a few steps away from Ning Han.
Ning Han revealed a triumphant smile, inwardly sighing. Those who had been subtly influenced were easy to deal with; their minds so dazed revealed numerous flaws, providing opportunities at any moment.
Gu Ze would die; Gu Ze was anxious because of her—she was the one who would cause Gu Ze's death.
For some reason, such thoughts emerged in Xu Nuan's mind. This notion dominated her brain and controlled her actions as she wobbled in one direction, intending to search for Gu Ze.
"Nuan, do you not even trust me?"
As her consciousness began to fade away, Gu Ze's voice echoed in her mind.
"No... Ze... I trust you."
The words spilled out before she realized it, and Xu Nuan was jolted awake by her own unintentional confession. She turned sharply to glance at Ning Han, who was running ahead several dozen meters away, and it dawned on her that she had fallen into a trap.
Ning Han had taken advantage of her momentary daze to uncover her inner desires, compelling her to seek out Gu Ze. In other words, Ning Han's companion was likely a designer skilled in hypnosis and suggestion, possibly the very person who had been subtly influencing Fan Beibei while keeping an eye on them from the shadows.
She had been caught off guard that night with the Eagle Flock, having interacted with that person when she was at her emotional breaking point, her mental fortitude wavering. It was no wonder she had succumbed. Gu Ze had likely seen through it all; coupled with her own distrust, he had acted preemptively to capture Ning Han and draw out that designer.
That designer was even more formidable than Shen Shen; he had plotted against Gu Ze, which was why Gu Ze had left without resolving the situation with Ning Han.
No, it was all about survival. Ning Han needed to stay alive temporarily; she needed information about Zhang Xiao's identity and details to verify whether Zhang Xiao was indeed the Mastermind, narrowing down the possibilities of who the Mastermind could be.
Gu Ze understood this, which was why he had spared Ning Han's life. And Ning Han was aware of this too; she wanted to find Gu Ze because it meant a chance for her own escape.
Should she seize the opportunity to interrogate Ning Han for the information she desired? Or should she rush to find Gu Ze, who might be in danger, allowing Ning Han to slip away? Alternatively, could she question Ning Han first and then eliminate him before seeking out Gu Ze? But if Gu Ze truly was in peril, time would not wait for anyone.
What should she do?
All these thoughts raced through Xu Nuan's mind in a matter of seconds, yet it felt as though a century had passed.
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