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The rare reunion had taken on a different flavor because of this incident. By the time Xu Nuan realized what was happening, a considerable amount of time had slipped away. She felt a twinge of guilt, but Gu Ze's demeanor remained as reassuring as ever.
Wisely, she decided to brush aside the topic, planning to revisit it at a more appropriate moment. Although she believed that their hard-won advantage in the shadows had been compromised by this speculation, she still firmly believed that together with Gu Ze, they had a significant chance of success.
Gu Ze was someone who knew how to seize opportunities. As soon as Xu Nuan's thoughts shifted, he took the chance to get closer to her, leaving her little room to think about anything else.
The atmosphere shifted back to warmth once again. At this moment, both of them were seizing the opportunity, and Xu Nuan was completely unaware that their interactions had quietly transformed into Gu Ze taking the initiative.
However, such warm moments were always fleeting. After everyone had finished grooming and even organized the items needed for the next stage, Xu Hang and Yu Yu were still nowhere to be seen.
Xu Nuan immediately sensed that something was off. Xu Hang was slightly inferior to Gu Ze but still possessed greater intellect and capability than Xu Nuan. Although she often mentioned intellect and capability—terms that seemed unrelated to the game—they were precisely what the game sought to test. This game featured One Hundred Levels; each Survival Game appeared to be set in different survival environments but was actually designed through modified creatures, drugs, and illusions created by advanced technology that ordinary people rarely encountered. In other words, survival in various environments was fundamental, but what truly caused Players to fall one by one were these traps. As more Survival Games emerged, the traps became increasingly sophisticated; thus, mere survival skills and basic abilities became insufficient. At this point, individuals like Gu Ze, Chi Xiaoming, and Xu Hang began to stand out. Regardless of whether the game system—essentially the monitoring room—acknowledged it or not, these individuals were among the best Players who had rapidly grown after enduring a series of challenges.
Unfortunately, both Gu Ze and Xu Hang had been forced into this situation. Even Chi Xiaoming, who appeared to be a normal Player, had ulterior motives. Therefore, Xu Nuan foresaw the failure of this game’s performance test. After all, Players attracted by money primarily concentrated in the second batch, while those without information from Gu Ze and others struggled significantly.
When Xu Nuan noticed that Xu Hang had yet to arrive at the Supply Station, these thoughts flooded her mind. Realizing she was thinking too far ahead, she quickly pulled her thoughts back. The reason for her extensive contemplation was mainly due to her belief that Xu Hang was quite capable; even if he ventured alone through the game’s challenges, he should be able to reach the Supply Station safely.
Moreover, this level was Love Path, requiring two people to form a team; only when two were together could they trigger mechanisms leading them to the Special Tree and ultimately reach the Supply Station. She noted that after encountering Chi Xiaoming, no mechanisms had been triggered between them—just as no mechanisms activated after her unexpected separation from Gu Ze. This indicated that she and Gu Ze had already triggered all mechanisms related to their Love Path with both Xu Hang and Chi Xiaoming. Since those mechanisms were exhausted, it meant that solitary Xu Hang could also discover the Special Tree.
This reasoning applied equally to Yu Yu; since solitary He Min could safely reach the Supply Station, there was no reason for the capable Yu Yu to still be wandering in the jungle.
Xu Nuan tried not to harbor ill thoughts about Chi Xiaoming and He Min reaching safety but instead focused on what might have happened to Xu Hang and Yu Yu after they became separated. She also assessed that if they hadn’t reached the Supply Station after another hour—what about two hours?
Different arrival times would indicate varying degrees of danger encountered by these two. Xu Nuan racked her brain trying to deduce their situation. As time passed and fatigue set in, she realized that having more people around would naturally lead to broader thoughts and greater strength.
Xu Nuan looked up at several people sitting or standing in the living room and found their reactions were not as serious as she had anticipated.
In fact, when they first noticed Xu Hang and Yu Yu's prolonged absence, everyone had obediently responded to Gu Ze's call and gathered in the living room without anyone mentioning taking time to rest or anything similar. They were all present now; however, their minds seemed elsewhere.
Xu Nuan glanced around; Gu Ze appeared deep in thought—she couldn’t tell if he was worried about Xu Hang—but He Min, who liked Yu Yu, seemed lost in thought as well. Upon closer inspection, she noticed there was no ripple of emotion in He Min's eyes.
He Min’s reaction was too strange; Xu Nuan almost wanted to call her out directly but reconsidered. He Min had always been composed; even when with Yu Hao in the past, she wasn’t one to easily display panic or fear—this was a professional quality honed through years of nursing.
Xu Nuan temporarily set aside this anomaly while believing He Min’s calmness stemmed from trust in Yu Yu.
Chi Xiaoming remained expressionless as well; it seemed he didn’t show any particular concern for Xu Hang just because they shared a path. Xu Nuan typically didn’t delve into such people's thoughts and naturally skipped over it. Deng Yinyin also appeared distracted now; unlike before when they reunited after parting ways with Xu Nuan—showing concern for Xu Hang—Deng Yinyin seemed less engaged now. If Deng Yinyin felt this way, it was no surprise that Xie Huai did too. Xie Huai had suffered a severe injury for the first time; it seemed this wound had drained him of his previous spirit entirely—he appeared despondent and uninterested in anyone around him.
Seeing this, Xu Nuan sighed. If it were in the earlier days with the Third Batch of Players, whenever Xie Huai felt down, everyone would find various ways to lift his spirits, encouraging him to push forward together. However, along the way, Tang Jingshu had fallen, and the others had their own agendas—some due to matters outside the game, others driven by personal gain. At this point, the Third Batch of Players was not much different from the Second Batch; who would still care about Xie Huai, who was already like Dust?
As for Feng Feng, only Xu Nuan knew him; he had never interacted with Xu Hang or Yu Yu, so why would he concern himself with them?
Sighing aside, Xu Nuan remembered Gu Ze's purpose in gathering everyone. It was strange that Gu Ze remained silent now that everyone was present.
“Amin?”
After some thought, Xu Nuan decided to ask He Min. She had already inquired about Xu Hang's whereabouts from Chi Xiaoming once before; if she asked again now, it might seem like she didn’t trust her. She was mindful of Gu Ze and Chi Xiaoming's collaboration and wouldn’t want to disrupt Gu Ze's plans.
Xu Nuan's voice broke the silence in the room and drew everyone's attention. When she caught a glimpse of Gu Ze’s approving expression, she smoothly completed her question, even though she hadn’t noticed the turmoil brewing in He Min’s eyes.
“How far was the place you separated from Yu Yu from the Supply Station? If it’s too far, we should wait a bit longer.”
In truth, Xu Nuan chose her words carefully, fearing that He Min might think she doubted her. As time passed without any sign of the two, and with He Min and Chi Xiaoming assuring everyone of their safety, she began to question the truthfulness of their words.
However, at this moment, her doubts were mild—just a subtle ripple in her heart.
She noticed that after she finished asking, He Min took a while to meet her gaze, appearing lost in thought.
“Actually, I got separated from Yu at the third point.”
He Min's voice was softer than usual, carrying a hint of ethereality compared to her usual steadiness. This detail revealed her worry; after all, everyone knew He Min to be even more composed than Xu Nuan.
Such a reaction was normal; the others nearby began to focus on He Min.
Xu Nuan felt a pang of guilt. She had been so focused on gathering everyone to move on to the next stage that she assumed He Min would remain unflappable. Yet she hadn’t considered that He Min might be struggling internally with her feelings for someone she had started to like again.
“After that, I went on alone. I didn’t trigger any mechanisms or see the Supply Station. Then somehow this morning I stumbled upon the Special Tree and followed it straight to the Supply Station.”
He Min spoke slowly but added an air of confusion to her words. Hearing this made Xu Nuan feel even guiltier. It was clear that He Min’s distraction stemmed from thoughts of Yu Yu; someone as graceful as He Min wouldn’t want others to see her worries, yet here Xu Nuan was inadvertently exposing that sadness.
Xu Nuan couldn’t bring herself to look into He Min’s eyes and spoke with little confidence.
“I see… then let’s wait a bit longer; after all, everyone needs a break.”
Everyone naturally needed a break, but the delay of these two had nothing to do with resting. This was the viewpoint that Xu Nuan held from the very beginning. However, upon seeing He Min's anxious expression, she momentarily set aside this initial thought.
At this moment, the usually indifferent Deng Yinyin also reacted. She suddenly glared at the silent Chi Xiaoming, her expression carrying a hint of hostility.
"Why hasn't Xu Hang returned yet? Where did you part ways with him?"
Neither Xu Nuan and Gu Ze nor Deng Yinyin and Xie Huai had experienced the difficult choices that Chi Xiaoming and He Min faced. Naturally, they were unaware of the boundaries in this situation and did not harbor the worst suspicions at this time.
Seeing Deng Yinyin ask the question, Xu Nuan felt a sense of relief. Originally, Gu Ze would have had the strongest reaction to Xu Hang's absence, but given the delicate nature of Gu Ze and Xu Hang's relationship lately, it was better for Deng Yinyin to take the lead.
Facing Deng Yinyin's bluntness, Chi Xiaoming merely raised his gaze slightly and coldly replied with a few words.
"He will be here soon."
Deng Yinyin was momentarily taken aback before becoming even more dissatisfied, believing that Chi Xiaoming was brushing her off. Deng Yinyin was someone who enjoyed banter, and at this moment, Chi Xiaoming's lack of cooperation only fueled her determination to provoke him further. However, throughout it all, she never resorted to the most malicious suspicions.
Everyone instinctively avoided harboring the worst doubts.
Xu Nuan glanced at Gu Ze again and noticed that he had relaxed from his earlier contemplation. Just as she wondered what he was thinking, she heard the sound of someone opening a door.
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