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墨書 Inktalez
Love knows not where it begins, yet it runs deep.
This was how Xu Nuan described her feelings for Gu Ze. At this moment, that depth of feeling reached its peak. With the peak of her emotions came the overwhelming tide of self-reproach and guilt.
She thought she had opened her heart to Gu Ze, but in reality, she was still bound by her past. Rather than trusting Gu Ze, she believed he loved her enough to be worthy of trust. The difference between these two perspectives was significant—so much so that it made her heart tremble, leaving her feeling ashamed at Feng Feng's words in that moment.
Feng Feng continued speaking, but she found it hard to focus and analyze what he was saying.
"As for Li Xiangke, he is a person in charge beneath the construction sector, similar in status to Zhou Long, working under Sun Ming. However, this isn't important; he is actually the last piece on Zhang Xiao's chessboard among the First Batch of Players."
So, was Gu Ze taking the opportunity to deal with Li Xiangke? Was Li Xiangke also lying in wait in the shadows?
"Once Gu Ze takes care of He Jun and Li Xiangke, there will be very few left targeting you among the First Batch of Players."
Gu Ze had been injured in the abdomen; if that were the case, he might be at a disadvantage against Li Xiangke. Damn it, why wasn't she by Gu Ze's side at this critical moment? But even if she were there, she would only be a burden—she was someone who had nearly been controlled and relied on medication to maintain her self-awareness.
"This way, only I, Zhang Xiao, An Liran, and Wu Wu will remain from the First Batch of Players. I don't know much about An Liran's background, but Wu Wu used to work under Wang Yiyun and is quite familiar with Biological Modification. He might know something related to Zombies. Thinking about it this way, perhaps that's why Gu Ze kept him around. As of now, I still don't know Wu Wu's whereabouts or have seen him interact with Zhang Xiao."
Feng Feng continued to relay a series of matters that should have been assessed by Gu Ze before deciding whether to inform Xu Nuan. Throughout this time, Xu Nuan remained unresponsive.
In fact, after Feng Feng had questioned Xu Nuan earlier, she had kept her head down to prevent others from seeing her expression. However, the other two could gauge her emotions from her rising chest and clenched fists.
No one pressed Xu Nuan for a response, but Feng Feng exchanged a knowing glance with Chi Xiaoming; they were both certain of how Xu Nuan would ultimately decide.
First, Chi Xiaoming spoke up to halt the conversation; then Feng Feng appeared. After being introduced by Chi Xiaoming, he subtly raised Xu Nuan's suspicions and naturally brought up Gu Ze's current situation without revealing him. This disrupted Xu Nuan's state of mind. By informing Xu Nuan about her physical condition and allowing her to think for herself before mentioning Gu Ze's merits—given their deep bond—there was no way Xu Nuan wouldn't fall into the trap.
Feng Feng lightly curled his lips; although he appeared frail and harmless on the surface, the turmoil in his eyes indicated he was not someone to be trifled with. However, he did not see this as setting a trap for Xu Nuan but rather as helping Gu Ze make a decision he was reluctant to face. Their collaborator was Gu Ze; thus, Xu Nuan should not become his Achilles' heel. If she couldn't endure it herself, then losing her wouldn't be regrettable.
Feng Feng believed Chi Xiaoming shared his perspective; otherwise, Chi Xiaoming wouldn't accompany him in this act.
However, when Feng Feng looked at Chi Xiaoming again, he noticed a fleeting expression of reluctance on the usually stoic man's face. When he dared to glance back for confirmation, he saw a subtle wavering in Chi Xiaoming's eyes.
Could it be that this man, who was so focused on values, was shaken by this woman?
Feng Feng found it hard to believe. Both Gu Ze and Chi Xiaoming were men who could stand against Zhang Xiao and that man whose name he couldn't recall. If both of them were to falter because of an ordinary woman like Xu Nuan, it would be a poor trade-off.
Although he had previously followed Gu Ze's orders to observe Xu Nuan's condition from the shadows in order to develop an antidote and protect her at the right moment, he had not noticed anything particularly special about Xu Nuan during his long observation. In fact, due to the ineffectiveness of the drug that suppressed Xu Nuan's memories, other repressed medications began to take effect. To Feng Feng, Xu Nuan had been nothing more than a madwoman for a long time—a useless person who could turn into a Zombie at any moment.
However, at that time, Xu Nuan was accompanied by Gu Ze, so she seemed relatively harmless. It was only when Gu Ze had to deal with other matters alone that Feng Feng planned to take action without Gu Ze being able to intervene. If something unexpected happened then, he could easily cover it up with other excuses. To him, a woman could not possibly hold a more significant position in whatever Gu Ze aimed to achieve.
He thought this way because he was already prepared for the possibility that Xu Nuan might encounter an accident due to that choice. He also believed that losing would soon become a habit for Gu Ze, allowing him to adapt quickly to the fact that Xu Nuan was no longer around. He considered himself someone who understood Gu Ze well enough during their not-so-long collaboration; he believed Gu Ze had a far-sighted perspective.
Not much time passed before Feng Feng, who appeared weak and harmless, had weighed all the pros and cons. Chi Xiaoming's rare moment of wavering quickly returned to his usual expressionless demeanor, leading Feng Feng to think that what he had seen earlier was merely an illusion.
Meanwhile, during this time, Xu Nuan reflected on Gu Ze's secrets. As she felt increasingly guilty and missed him more, she also began to feel dissatisfied with herself and her current abilities.
In the end, she spoke the words that both Feng Feng and Chi Xiaoming wanted to hear.
"Feng Feng, right?"
A determined look filled Xu Nuan's delicate face, and her eyes sparkled with resolve—a demeanor rarely seen among female characters in games.
"You mentioned before that you have already developed the antidote. Gu Ze must know about it too; why hasn’t he given it to me yet? Is there some side effect associated with this antidote?"
Feng Feng had not anticipated that Xu Nuan could recover from her setback so quickly or that her questioning would be so illogical. According to his expectations, Xu Nuan should have been eager for the antidote and begging him for it while he leisurely explained its potential dangers. At that point, even if Gu Ze noticed something amiss, he would have a perfect way to cover it up.
But how could Xu Nuan be so clever in her inquiry now? Feng Feng thought perhaps Xu Nuan did not love Gu Ze as much as he imagined. He couldn't help but cast a pleading glance at Chi Xiaoming, only to see a glimmer of appreciation in Chi Xiaoming's eyes.
What is there to praise about this?
Feng Feng felt an urge to flip the table, but the circumstances didn't allow it. He held back and responded to Xu Nuan's words with a facade of calmness, not wanting to show any weakness.
"I have indeed developed it. If it's an oral medication, there are naturally some differences compared to the injectable form. In fact, there are many differences in composition and effects."
Feng Feng explained with feigned composure. When he met Xu Nuan's serious gaze, he realized that his previous assumptions might have been wrong, but he didn't want to ruin everything now.
"There will be some side effects. If you take it, you will experience a bone-deep pain for one hour. After all, this is a case of using poison to combat poison. The toxin that could turn you into a Zombie is inherently potent, and since it has been lurking in your body for so long, you can't resolve it without taking some drastic measures."
In reality, Feng Feng had already framed the situation in a relatively positive light. Perhaps he was startled by Xu Nuan's unexpected words, combined with Chi Xiaoming's strange reaction, which left him unsure of how to proceed.
"Is that all?"
Xu Nuan asked again. She didn't believe Gu Ze would stop at just these side effects; after all, she had endured worse pain before.
"...It's not just that."
Feng Feng wanted to shout that this was already painful enough, but he didn't want to appear foolish and continued on.
"During that hour, you will crave the injectable medication that alleviated your symptoms before, as if you were addicted. At that point, you might be in an unconscious or even uncontrollable state, so I can't predict what might happen. However, if you take the antidote and then come into contact with that medication again, everything will be in vain and could even worsen your condition, pushing you into a state of being manipulated."
Feng Feng closely observed Xu Nuan's expression. He knew he had to be more tactful, considering Xu Nuan was a woman and wanting her to willingly accept the situation; he still held back some information.
However, he did not see Xu Nuan frown or display any signs of fear or hesitation.
"Ze won't stop me from taking the medication because of this."
Xu Nuan did not really understand Feng Feng; what she understood was Gu Ze. After all that had happened, she could better appreciate the love that Gu Ze concealed in the subtleties of his actions. She felt guilty and was willing to take on her share of responsibility.
"Are there any side effects you haven't mentioned?"
Xu Nuan was quite certain about this, even adding a remark.
"No matter what happens, I will take the medication. You don't need to worry."
In that moment, Feng Feng thought his plan had been seen through. After all, he had always heard about Xu Nuan's cleverness and knew that she often gathered useful information through others' words. But could a woman on the brink of a cliff really maintain such cleverness?
He saw the doubt in Chi Xiaoming's eyes and the calmness in Xu Nuan's demeanor. Now, he couldn't even figure out whether Xu Nuan was aware of his plan. Could there really be people in this world who could muster a bit of wit while on the verge of emotional collapse? Could there really be people who would jump into a pit knowing it was there?
Feng Feng didn't know; he just didn't want to miss this opportunity and revealed the flaw in the medication.
"This antidote hasn't been fully developed yet. Even if taken, the success rate is only seventy percent."
He quickly explained further.
"This is unavoidable; the poison was developed by Cheng Ling, and I couldn't obtain all the data. Moreover, we are about to reach the seventieth level, and I no longer have time to continue developing it. Gu Ze knows this as well."
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