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"That person must be Deng Yinyin, right?"
With Xie Huai's unconscious inspiration, Xu Nuan finally found the possible location of the others. She woke He Min and encouraged Xie Huai to lead the way, and the three of them hurriedly made their way to a lakeside.
The familiar subtle feeling that once made Xu Nuan uncomfortable was now replaced by a joy at the thought of seeing someone she had been longing for. After having Xie Huai take off his glasses and approaching the lake together, the scenery before them changed dramatically.
Xu Nuan recognized the house that appeared in front of her; it resembled the structure of the first building she had entered in the mechanism. This familiarity brought her some comfort, and she silently cheered herself on, preparing to enter this town to find Gu Ze.
Just as she had firmed up her resolve, a figure suddenly rushed out from around the corner. The silhouette looked somewhat familiar, but it was too far away and too blurry to make out clearly. While Xu Nuan was still in a daze, she heard He Min ask a question.
As soon as He Min's words fell, Xie Huai's voice rang out.
"That's Deng Yinyin."
Xie Huai dashed forward with great speed and enthusiasm.
Xu Nuan suppressed her inner disappointment and followed suit. Although they were seeing Deng Yinyin this time, it didn’t guarantee that Gu Ze wasn’t in this round. Xu Nuan tried to convince herself of this, but deep down she knew it was a feeble excuse.
In her mind, Gu Ze would never be so disheveled.
As she followed along, memories of Gu Ze’s more unfortunate moments came flooding back. It must have been during the Tranquil Deep Sea round when the difficulty of the Survival Game was still focused on biological attacks. At that time, she hadn’t fully accepted Gu Ze and his group, nor had Xu Hang and his friends completely accepted her. The shark attacks were so powerful, and Gu Ze had bravely led the charge, only to end up bitten in the abdomen.
She still vividly recalled how her heart felt like it was about to explode at that moment; she had never considered why she felt such emotions for a man she hadn’t yet acknowledged. Now that her feelings were clear, she realized that long ago she had planted a seed named Gu Ze in her heart. The experiences that followed were like sunshine and rain nurturing that seed. Even when she was troubled by external events and exhausted in body and mind, she hadn’t paid attention to that seed. By the time she remembered it, the seed had already grown into a towering tree. This is what it means to have deep roots in affection.
That was the most disheveled version of Gu Ze she had ever seen, yet even after being bitten by a shark, he returned to his calm demeanor by morning as if nothing could truly defeat him.
Afterward, as Gu Ze’s brilliance became more apparent, she found herself with even fewer opportunities to witness his moments of vulnerability.
From the past to the present, thinking about the strange and magical events of this place, Xu Nuan couldn't help but mutter.
"Maybe it's better not to meet."
"Nuan, what are you mumbling about?"
He Min, who was also following Xie Huai, glanced at Xu Nuan's gloomy expression and then frowned as she looked ahead at Xie Huai, who was almost throwing himself in front of Deng Yinyin. A flash of determination crossed her eyes.
If it weren't for Xie Huai's appearance, some things wouldn't have been interrupted.
Deng Yinyin's condition was very concerning. It was similar to when Xu Nuan found He Min in the mechanism—her eyes were vacant, staring ahead as if she had witnessed something unpleasant.
"Help her up; we should leave while we haven't delved deeper into this place."
Xu Nuan suggested this. They hadn't actively triggered anything when they entered the mechanism, so theoretically, they wouldn't trigger any deeper traps and could leave directly.
Her plan seemed solid, but Deng Yinyin and the mechanism were not cooperating with her.
Just like how He Min ignored Xu Nuan's frantic self-harm, Deng Yinyin kept attacking anyone who approached her, mumbling incoherent words that were too fragmented to understand.
Seeing Xie Huai's hand caught in Deng Yinyin's bite while her eyes turned red like a mad bull, Xu Nuan contemplated whether she should slap Deng Yinyin or punch her. Pain could often serve as a remedy, helping one see reality without being deceived.
However, seeing Xie Huai reluctant to harm Deng Yinyin made Xu Nuan reconsider her approach. Meanwhile, He Min stood silently to the side, occasionally revealing strange emotions in her eyes.
The familiar sound of footsteps made Xu Nuan's face change dramatically. She hurriedly grabbed Xie Huai's shirt, her tone urgent.
"Quickly take her away, or it will be too late."
As Xu Nuan's words fell, the owner of the footsteps appeared.
A group of Zombies.
"Why are there Zombies here?"
He Min's expression cracked as well; the shock and fear on her face indicated that this was her first encounter with Zombies in this Survival Game.
"There's no time to worry about that, let's go!"
Xu Nuan stepped forward and knocked Deng Yinyin unconscious, pushing her onto Xie Huai's back. After a moment of surprise, Xie Huai obediently accepted the arrangement and ran in the direction they had come from, carrying Deng Yinyin.
Xu Nuan immediately turned around and grabbed He Min, pulling her along as they ran.
The four of them quickly shook off the Zombies that had just turned the corner and ducked into another street to catch their breath.
He Min leaned against the wall, seemingly unable to cope with such a frantic pace. Her face was pale, while Xie Huai, who was already frail, was exhausted but still insisted on carrying Deng Yinyin.
When Xie Huai finally caught his breath and looked at Xu Nuan again, he noticed that her complexion was somewhat grim.
"What’s wrong?"
Xie Huai felt very happy about being able to protect Deng Yinyin from those Zombies, but in his excitement, he overlooked some details.
Xu Nuan, tempered by a strong will, was rarely swayed by anything other than her hatred for Gu Ze. At this moment, she felt no joy, only an increased sense of caution.
Her careful observation revealed a problem, and her brows furrowed deeply, her eyes reflecting a serious demeanor.
The time she took to gather her thoughts was a bit too long, causing her voice to be carried away by the passing wind, blending with the rustling sounds from the nearby rooftops.
"This isn't the way we came in."
People are inherently selfish; Deng Yinyin was not Xu Nuan's primary concern, even ranking below Chi Xiaoming. As she rushed toward the suddenly appearing Deng Yinyin, she paid serious attention to all the alleys lining the street.
As they retraced their steps, they indeed saw the vast desert with its rolling yellow sands. In an effort to avoid being spotted by Zombies while also needing a moment to rest, they turned into one of the alleys. The moment Xu Nuan entered the alley, she sensed something was off. A careful comparison of their surroundings made it clear that this was not the path they had taken before.
"What... does this mean?"
Xie Huai had yet to process what was happening. Trembling, he peeked out while carrying Deng Yinyin and immediately spotted a horde of Zombies rushing toward them, quickly retracting his head in panic.
"We need to change routes; those Zombies are coming!"
Xie Huai made to run toward the other end of the alley, completely ignoring Xu Nuan's earlier warning.
However, He Min caught on quickly. He dashed to the mouth of the alley and stood on the other side, avoiding the increasingly close Zombies while scanning for the town's entrance.
"Let's go this way."
He Min's face turned pale, but his rationality remained intact. He turned and moved away from Xie Huai and Xu Nuan, heading in another direction with a decisive demeanor that compelled others to follow without question.
This was a side of He Min that was rarely displayed, or perhaps it was a part of her that she had always kept well hidden. In this moment of urgency, however, she could no longer conceal it.
Xu Nuan followed closely, her mind swirling with complexities. When she noticed Xie Huai struggling a bit, she lent him a hand. The group trailed behind He Min, winding through the alleyways until they finally emerged onto another spacious street.
They could no longer hear the footsteps of the Zombies. At the end of the wide street lay a stretch of yellow sand, and Xie Huai's face brightened as he prepared to head in that direction while carrying the still-dizzy Deng Yinyin.
"This should be the exit, right?"
Even as he pretended to move forward, he took a moment to glance at Xu Nuan and He Min's expressions. After assessing their faces, he steadied himself, his demeanor growing somewhat somber.
"What’s going on? Is this place also a maze?"
Xu Nuan shook her head, recalling the earlier mechanism. It was just like battling ancient foes; without finding the core of the formation, there was no way out.
"Maybe we should find a room to analyze things."
She remembered that in the previous mechanism, entering a room had triggered something that provided them with hints for leaving.
"No need for that."
Seemingly seeing through Xu Nuan's thoughts, He Min directly dismissed her suggestion.
"The key to this mechanism lies with those Zombies. We need to immobilize them somehow, and then we can find the correct exit."
He Min's expression turned slightly cold, her eyes narrowing with intensity. The gentle smile that usually graced her features was gone, replaced by an unfamiliar sharpness that made Xu Nuan feel uneasy. She had never seen this side of He Min before. Prior to entering this mechanism, He Min had only seemed somewhat aloof and possessed a leadership aura. Now, however, that aura erupted fully, instantly intimidating the others around her.
"What should we do?"
Xie Huai completely failed to keep up with He Min's train of thought and could only ask blankly, while He Min quickly made a decision.
"You and Deng Yinyin go over there to rest. I will go up to the roof with Nuan to observe those Zombies. The key to dealing with the Zombies must be related to them."
Xie Huai obediently took Deng Yinyin to a nearby room to hide, even pulling out something with a strong scent to mask their presence.
After that, He Min didn't give Xu Nuan a chance to refuse and directly led her in another direction, preparing to climb onto the roof.
Although her heart was filled with mixed emotions, Xu Nuan did not reject He Min's arrangement; in fact, she agreed with it. She was just too surprised to adjust her facial expression.
As she lay on the roof with He Min, observing the movements of the Zombies, Xu Nuan froze. In that moment, an overwhelming craving engulfed her. She bit her lip, trying hard not to make a sound. When her gaze fell on He Min's profile, she noticed that He Min was completely focused on observing the Zombies and had not detected her unusual state.
Fortunately, this addictive feeling passed quickly, and Xu Nuan soon regained her composure, choosing to ignore the sweat trickling down her back. She concentrated on observing the Zombies as well, hoping to find a flaw.
Silence lingered between them until suddenly, He Min spoke up.
"Nuan, was what you said before true? Can you help me and Yu escape the game through a secret passage?"
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