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墨書 Inktalez
"I know who the true heir of the Rao Group is."
This was Xu Nuan's first sentence after regaining consciousness, but she quickly added another.
"I don't know the specific details."
It was a contradictory statement, yet it was something Xu Nuan suddenly thought of amidst the fragmented clues.
Gu Ze silently looked at Xu Nuan, unusually refraining from asking about her feelings right away. He had a premonition that this was an unavoidable truth.
In contrast, Chi Xiaoming, who usually wore a blank expression, showed some fluctuation in his demeanor.
"Who is it?"
Gathering information before confirming its accuracy was Chi Xiaoming's usual approach.
Xu Nuan herself was even more excited, as if she had been longing for something to eat and, after months of searching and nearly giving up, that very thing had suddenly appeared and jumped into her mouth.
She had been troubled by the identity of the Mastermind, constantly debating whether Zhang Xiao was that person. However, when all the clues were pieced together, it became clear that the true heir of the Rao Group was the most likely candidate to be the Mastermind. Only the true heir could control the Chairman of Rao Group, using his name to mobilize vast financial and human resources while gathering a large number of talents from various fields. Of course, only that person could collaborate with various factions and simultaneously control designers and game operators. And that person was the one hidden the deepest.
"Chairman Rao's current wife has a son."
Xu Nuan recalled this detail thanks to Zhang Xiao's earlier attempt to extract information by mentioning some secrets about Rao Group.
At that time, Zhang Xiao had mentioned that Chairman Rao's current wife and son lived in City A before that woman remarried.
City A—what a place filled with memories.
Xu Nuan's expression was slightly ferocious as she realized that Qin Yaojie had actually been in contact with Another Founder since middle school. She understood that these two had conspired together during their youth to orchestrate something that would shock the world.
"He really knows how to hide it well."
Xu Nuan was referring to Qin Yaojie. After all, they had been inseparable since childhood, sharing no secrets and knowing each other's families inside out. Yet, Qin Yaojie had managed to keep this from her and his parents.
Perhaps the Qin Yaojie she once knew was not the real Qin Yaojie. The true Qin Yaojie was someone who was ambitious in this field alongside Another Founder, not the person she had constantly tried to catch up with.
However, her words fell on the ears of the other two as if she were pointing at the elusive founder.
"Would he really let his wife pass on the family business to someone else's son?"
Chi Xiaoming thought this possibility was unlikely.
"I've met Chairman Rao and heard him speak of his beloved wife, but love based on business alone wouldn't drive him to such actions. Rao Tingxue and Xie Huaicai are his true bloodline."
Chi Xiaoming was a meticulous and exceptionally capable man, but his lack of romantic experience left him unable to understand the feelings between his cousin and Tang Jingshu, nor could he grasp why Chi Xu Sheng would rebel against his mother. Regardless, such rebellion would inevitably lead to tragedy.
As he contemplated this, Chi Xiaoming's gaze sharpened as he looked at Gu Ze. In his view, even if Xu Nuan and Gu Ze managed to leave the game alive, they would face a situation similar to what Chi Xu Sheng and Tang Jingshu had experienced. At that point, would the love forged in life-and-death situations within the game still endure?
For the first time, he seriously pondered matters of the heart, making him feel uneasy.
However, Xu Nuan was not concerned about Chi Xiaoming's discomfort; she spoke directly.
"There is indeed a possibility. Perhaps Chairman Rao does not want that person to inherit, but that doesn't mean that person won't use means to control Chairman Rao. What I mean by knowing his identity is that when we encounter the First Batch of Players later, we can inquire about that person's identity from this angle."
Aside from the lead designer, all other designers had been given subtle hints. Xu Nuan understood these hints as instructions not to ask about that person's relationship with the game, but it didn’t mean they couldn't inquire about Rao Group matters. She had been one of those who received hints but always believed such tactics wouldn't last long because humans are complex beings influenced by various factors from birth through growth. This complexity leads to multifaceted personalities, making humans difficult to control.
"We need to pick up the pace," Xu Nuan continued, "there are only a few left from the First Batch of Players. If we don't hurry, someone else will get ahead of us."
As she emphasized her point, Xu Nuan glanced at Cheng Ling, who was lying in the snow. It dawned on her that it was already night, and they were all in a rocky area covered with snow.
As her gaze shifted, Xu Nuan noticed Gu Ze, who had been silent since she woke up. She felt a strange sense of unease and after a few seconds, she recalled what had happened before she lost consciousness.
"Ze, how's your hand?"
Frustrated that she had been so caught up in the excitement of the hard-won news upon waking, Xu Nuan hurriedly tried to reach for Gu Ze's hand to check on him, only to be surprised to find that she couldn't lift her arm.
Her sleeve slipped up due to her movement, revealing several fresh needle marks. Xu Nuan blinked and took a moment to realize what was happening.
Control?
She remembered Cheng Ling's words before fainting and recalled the events that had come flooding back to her.
"Ze?"
Xu Nuan looked up at Gu Ze with a hint of panic in her voice.
"I think I already know what Cheng Ling is responsible for. There are indeed people being controlled in this game!"
The last sentence came out a bit strained due to her agitation, echoing harshly in the empty snowy landscape.
Gu Ze frowned at her words and reached out to stop Xu Nuan.
"Let's discuss this later. You need to rest now. We'll go find the Central Mechanism tomorrow and leave this level soon."
Xu Nuan sensed the impatience in Gu Ze's voice, but she couldn't understand why.
It always seemed to be this way; she would unexpectedly lose consciousness and somehow seize the opportunity to uncover new information. Yet, at these moments, Gu Ze's attitude would become strange.
Qin Yaojie had also become peculiar, perhaps due to those chaotic dreams. Xu Nuan, who had always been resolute, found herself wavering in that instant.
"Ze, what did I do wrong?"
Xu Nuan spoke these words unconsciously. Her character had long been shaped by life’s trials and further refined by this game; reading between the lines was an essential skill. Of course, she was not a narcissistic person; she had genuinely felt Gu Ze's care and seen his efforts in the past, which made her aware of her position in his heart. That was why she believed Gu Ze's impatience stemmed from her, especially since he had never shown impatience before.
That statement was not significant; a furrowed brow meant little. However, during this sensitive period, influenced by those dreams and knowing that Qin Yaojie had been orchestrating everything long ago, Xu Nuan found herself shaken.
The night enveloped not just the snowy ground but also her heart. Each time she discovered something new, she thought Qin Yaojie's influence had come to an end and that her life was back in her own hands. Yet reality always slapped her in the face; behind every event lay another, and every person who appeared pulled her into yet another matter. She realized she had never escaped from Qin Yaojie, and everything she experienced in the game now was just as preordained as when she first entered it.
This realization began to instill fear within her—the true Mastermind, the one hunting her down, her own worth—what she had once clearly understood and firmly believed began to feel unstable.
Her vision was shrouded in darkness; she could barely make out Gu Ze's face.
Control?
What did this recurring word signify?
She couldn’t think!
She instinctively tried to stop herself from thinking this way, but it was already too late. The sharp pain made her let out a muffled groan; she stifled it again, just as she had when she hadn’t encountered Gu Ze—enduring all the pain alone. Even if tears came, they wouldn’t make a sound. In times of suffering, she wouldn’t cry out.
While enduring, she vaguely heard Gu Ze's voice—close yet distant, familiar yet strange.
No matter what, she could no longer respond to Gu Ze.
“Nuan!”
This time, Xu Nuan did not faint from the medication; instead, her expression was grim and pained before she lost consciousness. She opened her eyes, but her gaze was unfocused. Although she was looking in Gu Ze's direction, he knew very well that Xu Nuan was not truly seeing him.
Gu Ze had never anticipated that a moment of impatience would lead to such consequences. He had indeed stopped Xu Nuan from going down, knowing that the information she had received must have come from that person. The more time he spent with Xu Nuan, the more he realized that she did not belong to him. Her past experiences had been manipulated by others with ulterior motives, and the changes in her body and emotions were not due to him.
At that moment, he felt Xu Nuan's emotional turmoil acutely, and it stemmed from him, yet he could not find joy in it.
“Truly, there has been no growth at all.”
Gu Ze let out a bitter laugh as he wrapped his coat around Xu Nuan, pulling her closer to the fire. Afterward, he took out Qin Yaojie's notebook from Xu Nuan's backpack and flipped through a few pages.
“I can't understand this.”
Chi Xiaoming, sitting beside Gu Ze, understood that Gu Ze was not speaking to him. He did not comprehend Xu Nuan's earlier emotional fluctuations nor did he grasp Gu Ze's current sense of loneliness and anger. In this game of choices, he had ultimately selected Gu Ze as his partner. He believed in Gu Ze's abilities and was confident that Gu Ze could maintain a balance between emotions and significant matters. Perhaps he thought Gu Ze would not end up like his cousin, who gained success but lost love in the end. He also knew some things about Qin Yaojie and Xu Nuan; in his eyes, Qin Yaojie was a complete failure while he held high hopes for Gu Ze.
However, Chi Xiaoming now doubted whether his choice was correct. After all, at this crucial moment, Gu Ze had ultimately become entangled in emotions and made a wrong decision.
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