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墨書 Inktalez
In just a few hours, Xu Nuan experienced a reunion with Gu Ze, discussions about the true identity of Another Founder, the long-awaited arrival of Xu Hang and Yu Yu, and the return of Yu Yu's skeleton.
The overwhelming amount of information left her momentarily dazed, and at that moment, the living room was filled with the stench of decaying flesh. From the sight of half a head, Xu Nuan could infer that Yu Yu was dead, and the temperature in this area had been consistently high; the little flesh remaining on that corpse had already taken on an unsightly color.
No one would think Xu Hang was joking. If such matters could be used as a joke, then the character of the person making the joke would not be commendable either.
Just thinking about how that once graceful and polite individual had met such an end sent a shiver down Xu Nuan's spine. Judging by the bite marks on Yu Yu's skeleton, he had been devoured by a wild beast.
Whether it was the former lobby manager outside the game or the bizarre Second Batch Players within it, they ultimately became nothing more than fodder for animals. Did he ever consider such an outcome when he signed the contract to enter the game for the Billion Dollar Prize?
The smell permeating the living room was unbearable, and the voices of several women present were equally unpleasant.
Xu Hang did not explain or urge anyone; after all, the two who needed urging were one in pain and the other staring blankly at the skeleton. This scene felt familiar; it was similar to when Xu Hang first entered Supply Station and looked at Chi Xiaoming in that manner.
“A wolf. He was killed by a wolf.”
A clear voice devoid of much emotion rang out in the living room, instantly stopping those who were crying in their tracks and silencing those who were wailing in complaint. Even those who had been expressionless showed a flicker of emotion.
Xu Nuan, closest to that voice, was startled. In fact, before Xu Hang returned, Gu Ze had remained silent after their brief conversation. Xu Nuan knew he was exhausted and did not want to disturb him. Gu Ze's silence had lasted so long that his sudden words startled everyone.
“A wolf?”
The first to be taken aback was Xu Nuan, and she quickly reacted. She hurriedly looked at the gruesome skeleton; the bite marks were very clear and somewhat familiar. They had cleared sixty levels together; they should not have overlooked such details initially.
“He died two times.”
After drawing everyone's attention, Gu Ze spoke again. He changed from his previous patient explanation style to simply stating his understanding in a calm manner, and no one present doubted him. Those with any sense in this team knew that Gu Ze was its backbone. No matter what happened, Gu Ze could always handle it well. He might not be at the forefront but was undoubtedly the most capable person. This capable individual was also very low-key; aside from occasionally instilling fear, most people found him gentle and willing to engage in conversation.
"Is it because something happened after we separated?"
He Min, who had been crying, finally found her voice and asked this question in a daze. A sense of unease swept over Xu Nuan, but she couldn't pinpoint it accurately. Like everyone else, she turned to Xu Hang, waiting for him to reveal his whereabouts.
This had become a long-standing habit among them. Although they were a team, friction was inevitable, especially since the System often assigned them special tasks that led to mutual suspicion. Ironically, by acting this way, they were falling into the System's trap. Thus, they had developed the practice of briefly reporting their whereabouts and alibis whenever something suspicious occurred.
Perhaps this was why Xu Hang had remained silent earlier, Xu Nuan thought.
"I was with Xie Huai two days ago."
As everyone looked at Xu Hang, Deng Yinyin spoke up first, and Xie Huai nodded helplessly beside her.
Feng Feng joined in as well, casting a somewhat playful glance at Xu Nuan and Gu Ze.
"I was with these two."
He Min didn't need to say anything; she had already mentioned that she had separated from Yu Yu quite early on.
Now only Chi Xiaoming and Xu Hang remained. Both wore blank expressions, though one of them appeared somewhat fatigued.
As everyone awaited their responses, Xu Nuan sensed that things were going awry. She quickly interjected.
"So what is everyone suspecting?"
Xu Hang was Gu Ze's friend, while Chi Xiaoming was Gu Ze's partner. Both were formidable in strength and crucial to the team. If this situation continued to develop unchecked, combined with the silent nature of these two, their team could very well face its end.
Xu Nuan finally realized why Gu Ze chose this moment to speak up, and she smoothly finished the remaining words.
"There are others involved in this challenge besides us."
"Moreover, there are many fierce beasts like wolves in this stage. No one knows if he accidentally wandered into something after parting ways with Amin. Let's leave it at that."
However, while she was considering Gu Ze's thoughts on quickly resolving the matter, she forgot to take into account He Min's feelings. When He Min looked up at her with a resentful gaze, Xu Nuan felt a pang of fear and regret.
"But to be fair, Hang, you should go down."
As Xu Nuan dared not meet He Min's eyes, Gu Ze spoke up. Once he did, the other two had no choice but to comply.
Xu Nuan saw Xu Hang sit up straight again, his expression returning to its usual state as he prepared for something. Before he could say anything, Chi Xiaoming spoke first.
"A while ago, I was with Xu Hang, but we got separated during the Heavy Rain."
Xu Nuan did not miss the flash of surprise in Xu Hang's eyes; she happened to be watching him closely and caught it in time. She knew Gu Ze must have noticed it too. Glancing at the others, she found their expressions unchanged.
Something must have happened between those two, Xu Nuan reaffirmed this thought.
"He’s done for."
Xu Hang said lightly, then turned his gaze away from everyone.
With Deng Yinyin and Xie Huai as witnesses for each other, the testimony from Xu Hang and Chi Xiaoming wouldn't stand out too much.
Xu Nuan still felt strange. After a moment of reflection, she suddenly realized that only He Min had no one to corroborate her words. This thought flashed through her mind, and for the sake of team harmony, Xu Nuan hastily concluded that Yu Yu had met with an accident, casually soothing a few people.
At this moment, no one contradicted Xu Nuan. What should have been a significant event ended up being brushed aside so lightly.
As Xu Nuan intended to follow Gu Ze to rest, she stood up and noticed that He Min was still slumped on the ground, motionless, her head bowed so low that her expression was hidden from view.
A chill suddenly ran through Xu Nuan's body, and a wave of coldness washed over her heart—both for others and for herself.
Just minutes ago, she had reminded herself to consider He Min's feelings while handling this matter. Yet once she began to deal with it, she forgot all about that and rushed toward the goal of making it a big issue.
She didn’t know how much He Min liked Yu Yu or whether He Min still remembered her past with Yu Hao. However, now that Yu Yu had met a fate similar to Yu Hao's, the blow to He Min was immense, and Xu Nuan had disregarded this impact.
Standing in place, Xu Nuan's hands trembled slightly. Everyone else had gone to the Storage Room or the lounge, leaving just her and He Min in the living room.
Upon reflection, aside from He Min, no one else seemed to care about Yu Yu's death. Chi Xiaoming had once led Yu Yu through this stage but had clearly stated that he and Yu Yu were merely using each other; he would abandon her when the time came.
As for He Min, among these people, she had the best relationship with Xu Nuan, yet Xu Nuan was only focused on Gu Ze. Deng Yinyin, who used to get along well with He Min, completely ignored her now simply because she avoided that skeletal figure. Xie Huai had once admired He Min and learned quite a bit from her, but now he too hurried away without sparing a thought for He Min.
Xu Hang was the same; he didn’t even have the desire to talk to anyone, let alone Feng Feng.
Of course, this included Gu Ze as well. To be fair, if it weren't for Xu Nuan, Gu Ze wouldn't have any interaction with He Min at all. And now, He Min had intended to bring Xu Nuan directly toward their goal; everything else was beneath his notice.
He Min was truly in an isolated and helpless situation.
Xu Nuan's throat felt dry; she wanted to say something but found herself at a loss for words. The smell lingering in the living room made her nauseous. She should have left to find Gu Ze but found herself unable to move her feet.
She always thought to herself that everyone had changed, becoming unfamiliar and more difficult to understand. This thought only surfaced during moments of friction among them. Whenever there was something that required a collective effort to resolve, she would immediately push these changes to the back of her mind. It was only now that she truly felt the selfishness of everyone in the Supply Station.
This selfishness was particularly evident in her own behavior.
Although not much time had passed, Xu Nuan felt as if several hours had gone by. Every second in the living room was unbearably difficult, yet she did not leave.
After a long while, she heard He Min's voice, raspy and filled with sadness and despair, reminiscent of when Yu Hao had first died. Back then, she had gone to the riverbank to find He Min for comfort, urging her to pull herself together.
He Min had managed to regain her composure but had once again fallen into the depths of despair, and Xu Nuan was one of the culprits who had pushed her into that abyss.
"I seem to have no reason to continue anymore. Whether it’s the secret passage or the One Hundred Levels, it’s all meaningless if I’m alone."
He Min's voice was low, but clear enough for Xu Nuan to hear. A sudden tightness gripped her heart as she rushed over to He Min, crouching down to support her shoulders. Even though He Min couldn’t look directly at her, Xu Nuan impulsively made a stronger decision.
"Amin, don’t give up. We’re almost at the secret passage. I know where it is now. Just hold on a little longer; I will get you out, I promise."
Originally, she had planned to use the secret passage to set up Zhang Xiao. Whether Xu Hang and the others could escape through it was beyond her control. But now, in a moment of impulse, she decided to help someone leave before dealing with Zhang Xiao.
What she didn’t realize was that this one impulsive act would cause significant losses for another person who had been planning for a long time.
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