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墨書 Inktalez
Xu Nuan was unaware of what Deng Yinyin had experienced; she merely felt that the events at that time were too coincidental to ignore, remaining oblivious to the details. Later, she noticed that Deng Yinyin had been avoiding her, even refraining from pursuing Gu Ze any longer. At first, she thought Deng Yinyin had come to terms with things, realizing that Xie Huaicai was the one who had silently protected her all along. Now, she understood that Deng Yinyin was actually afraid of being harmed by her.
For Deng Yinyin, staying alive was more important than Gu Ze; obtaining the prize money outweighed any feelings for him. This importance gradually twisted Deng Yinyin's thoughts and allowed her to grow. However, her growth was so subtle that Xu Nuan overlooked it entirely.
The vast street was empty except for Xu Nuan, with only the sound of her footsteps and heavy breathing echoing in the stillness. Compared to Deng Yinyin's obsession and murderous intent, what Xu Nuan feared more was the change in Deng Yinyin. Even though Deng Yinyin's thoughts were catalyzed by traps set by the System, it did not mask her intentions. The fact that someone close to her wanted to kill her was a reality she found hard to accept.
The footsteps sounded particularly desolate on the empty street, illuminated solely by the moonlight, which cast an eerie atmosphere. As she ran, the buildings on either side appeared crooked and distorted, as if demons were lurking within them. The cold wind stirred the broken decorations outside the houses, making it seem as though they were clawing at her. The dim light made it impossible to encompass everything around her; those lurking in the shadows seemed eager to break free and reveal their true forms.
In her frantic rush forward without discerning direction, Xu Nuan strayed further away from He Min and the others, even losing track of the entire town without realizing it.
She anticipated that no one would pursue her; while she felt a sense of calm in this newfound space, she also believed she had been abandoned. As her psychological defenses crumbled, she failed to notice how contradictory her thoughts had become or that she was starting to feel less like herself.
Yet this was precisely what Gu Ze feared most.
When the strong Xu Nuan became fragile due to continuous blows, when the firm beliefs she had painstakingly established were shattered one by one, she would become the most powerless person, vulnerable to anyone's whims.
Xu Nuan ran too hastily and lost her way in the dim environment; suddenly caught off guard, she fell to the ground. In that moment, her backpack became a burden that pressed down on her chest, leaving her gasping for breath and unable to rise.
Her increasingly gaunt face reflected utter confusion, while her wide almond-shaped eyes brimmed with fear—fear of everyone and fear of the future.
She would have normally wallowed in despair for a while; however, as she lay on the ground, she heard footsteps approaching from a distance. When she hurriedly looked up, she saw a 'figure' standing at a nearby street corner watching her.
From Xu Nuan's angle, she could only look up at this so-called 'person.' As thin beams of moonlight fell upon them, she couldn't help but gasp.
The figure appeared even more bizarre under the moonlight—its skin an unsettling hue, large lifeless eyes, lips curling into a sinister smile, and an imposing physique.
Everything about this 'person' revealed their true identity.
From this angle, the scene was truly horrifying. Cold sweat suddenly broke out on Xu Nuan's back, and the chilling breeze made her instinctively curl up. It was only in that moment of curling up that she realized she should stand up and run away.
But she stopped herself because the Zombie not far away was looking at her without any real focus, yet it did not approach her.
The ground trembled; a large group of Zombies must be closing in. She felt frustrated in her heart, having been so absorbed in her emotions that she hadn’t noticed a Zombie had already reached her side. If this Zombie were to attack her unexpectedly, she would either be dead or seriously injured.
"Why isn't it attacking me?"
Xu Nuan climbed up in confusion. This felt oddly familiar; when she first entered this level, the Zombies under the night sky had also not attacked her, and she had killed one based on hints provided by the story.
She watched the Zombie warily, but it merely stared at her silently, showing no signs of aggression. The sound of footsteps grew louder, and given its imposing presence, she knew she couldn’t resist.
In a panic, Xu Nuan turned to run to the other end of the street, only to realize she had no idea where she was. In her confusion, she inexplicably turned back to look at the Zombie, which seemed to sense her thoughts and stiffly raised a finger to point in a direction.
If it weren't for the other approaching Zombies, Xu Nuan would have liked to stay and communicate with this Zombie. Zombies were reanimated humans, controlled by chips, devoid of self-awareness. This meant that all their actions were dictated by commands. The commands were generally issued by the System, which for Players meant misdirection.
Thanks to this unexpectedly appearing Zombie, Xu Nuan momentarily set aside thoughts of Deng Yinyin and could think calmly about the situation. Therefore, she should head in the opposite direction of where the Zombie pointed.
However, the sightless Zombie appeared too calm; she even sensed a gentle aura emanating from it. She couldn't help but feel tempted to walk towards the direction indicated by the Zombie.
This was an adventure, and Xu Nuan reasoned with herself that since she didn’t know where she was anyway, she might as well give it a try. After running quite a distance, when she looked back again, the Zombie was no longer in its original spot. Even from so far away, she could hear its thunderous footsteps.
"How strange."
Xu Nuan murmured to herself before running toward the direction pointed out by the Zombie under the moonlight.
As she distanced herself from her original location, all Xu Nuan could think about was the oddity of that Zombie; she completely forgot about He Min and the others. By the time she finally stopped to catch her breath, she found herself on an entirely unfamiliar street.
The street was so unfamiliar that she thought it couldn't possibly be the same town she once knew.
However, throughout her journey, she felt no subtle sensations, nor did she observe her surroundings through any barriers.
This street was even more desolate than before, and the surroundings were eerily quiet. Xu Nuan covered her mouth to prevent her breathing from affecting her judgment.
With the moonlight as her guide, her gaze wandered around. The completely unfamiliar scenery filled her with fear. At that moment, she found herself back in the state she had been in when she first encountered the Zombie, unconsciously revealing a vulnerable expression.
As her gaze continued to drift, she suddenly spotted a shadow at the entrance of an alley not far away.
Someone!
Xu Nuan began to retreat, trying to make as little noise as possible. The moonlight was too faint, and the person in the shadows was well concealed; she had no idea how long they had been standing there. She couldn't gauge their intentions and had no knowledge of their identity.
Shadows could be deceiving. Different lighting and angles could make a frail woman cast a large shadow, while a physically imposing man could appear harmless in silhouette.
Her heart raced quickly as she halted from her frantic running. Now startled again, Xu Nuan's nerves were already stretched to their limits. She didn't even have the mental capacity to analyze whether this person had been lying in wait for her from the beginning.
As Xu Nuan stepped back, she suddenly realized she was retreating along the original path. She quickly recalled the Zombie that had pointed the way earlier. Trusting her instincts as a woman, she never truly believed that Zombie harbored any ill intentions.
With this thought, Xu Nuan stopped in her tracks and began to move in the opposite direction of where the shadowy figure stood in the alley. Keeping close to the buildings, Xu Nuan advanced slowly, gradually increasing her view of that alley, and the person's profile began to emerge into her line of sight.
Unbeknownst to Xu Nuan, she was already getting closer to the entrance of this side of the alley; if she moved forward another few meters, she would expose her back.
Upon seeing the hazy outline of that person, a strong sense of familiarity surged within Xu Nuan.
Once upon a time, during moments of unease, she often saw such silhouettes. And whenever she looked up, she could see that person's face, calming her restless heart.
"Ze?"
Xu Nuan first whispered softly, then her eyes widened as she rushed in that direction.
"Gu Ze!"
Fear and ecstasy collided, striking at Xu Nuan's already crumbling mental defenses. She didn't even take the time to observe her surroundings, running straight toward Gu Ze.
"Nuan?"
Gu Ze was equally ecstatic, momentarily revealing a side profile. However, as he glanced past Xu Nuan to look behind her, his expression immediately turned serious.
"Get down!"
Gu Ze shouted, swiftly lunging toward Xu Nuan.
In her state of euphoria, Xu Nuan instinctively shifted her body aside. Suddenly, a sharp pain shot through her right arm. In the next moment, she was knocked to the ground by Gu Ze, who was already pulling her into another alley before she could fully comprehend what was happening.
Gu Ze moved quickly, and Xu Nuan exerted all her strength just to keep up. After turning a corner, Gu Ze abruptly stopped, pushing Xu Nuan against one side of the wall while he focused intently on the commotion outside.
Xu Nuan completely forgot about the unknown injury on her right arm, greedily gazing at Gu Ze's profile.
Just three days felt like three years.
It was a longing she had never experienced before, so deep that it caused her pain. Did the person she missed long for her in the same way?
Xu Nuan did not divert her gaze; she continued to look at Gu Ze with intense heat, as if trying to see him into her heart and never let him go.
Gu Ze had been vigilantly observing the other corner of the street. Only when he confirmed that their pursuers had not caught up did he let out a sigh of relief and turn back to look at Xu Nuan.
Noticing Xu Nuan's gaze, Gu Ze felt as if he had come back to life. For both of them, three days apart could very well have been a matter of life and death.
One hand gently caressed the back of Xu Nuan's head while the other wrapped around her waist. Gu Ze pulled Xu Nuan close, resting his head on hers, savoring this hard-won reunion.
"Ze."
Xu Nuan simply called out Gu Ze's name, nothing more. Just being able to feel his presence was a tremendous blessing.
The warm atmosphere between them was abruptly shattered by the strong scent of blood emanating from Xu Nuan's right arm.
"You’re injured?"
Gu Ze immediately wiped the smile off his face, his expression turning serious as he grasped Xu Nuan's arm and took out some alcohol.
"This is a gunshot wound; we need to disinfect it properly."
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