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The departure of Gu Ze and Xu Hang left those who remained in a state of panic, especially for Xu Nuan and her group, who were far from indifferent like the recently joined Feng Feng regarding the actions of these two.
Perhaps due to Gu Ze's influence, Chi Xiaoming was somewhat accommodating towards Xu Nuan. Whenever she took the initiative to ask a question, he would respond, albeit briefly, but at least it wasn't meaningless chatter.
"Someone has been following us; they just revealed themselves."
The immediate reaction from Deng Yinyin and Xie Huai was one of disbelief—who would be bold enough to follow all eight of them? Their next thought was about the purpose behind this person's actions.
Xu Nuan's response was entirely different.
"When did they start following us?"
Her gaze was fixed intently on Chi Xiaoming, whose expression remained emotionless.
"How many are there?"
This highlighted the fundamental difference in mindset between Xu Nuan and Deng Yinyin or Xie Huai. Although their experiences were relatively similar, their positions and the situations they faced varied greatly, leading each person to react differently to unexpected events.
Xu Nuan always sought solutions immediately when incidents occurred; this way, she wouldn't be caught off guard by the other party.
As soon as Xu Nuan finished speaking, a glimmer of appreciation flashed in Chi Xiaoming's eyes. This subtle admiration was noticed by Feng Feng, who appeared indifferent, and coincidentally, He Min, who turned around at that moment, also saw it.
"Two people have had their eyes on us since we stepped into this swamp."
Though he felt appreciation inside, Chi Xiaoming did not express it in his words.
"They targeted us as soon as we entered the swamp?"
Deng Yinyin reacted before Xu Nuan could respond, casting a complex look at Chi Xiaoming.
"You three are really impressive, managing to notice that at such a time."
Deng Yinyin was directly assuming that the others who remained silent had not realized this.
Xie Huai thought a bit deeper than Deng Yinyin.
"You noticed them so early but didn't come out. Were you trying to lure them out?"
Chi Xiaoming maintained his expressionless demeanor, seemingly pondering the question. It was clear he had no intention of drawing those two out; he simply did not know Gu Ze and Xu Hang's thoughts.
As soon as Chi Xiaoming fell silent, Feng Feng spoke up. His voice was very calm, yet there was an undertone of something potent in his words that made it hard for the others to ignore him and what he said.
"Those two are just pawns; the main reason they couldn't sit still is because a third person has taken action."
Feng Feng's words struck Deng Yinyin like a slap in the face, clearly indicating that he had also noticed the presence of those two from the very beginning, even recognizing the existence of a third person.
"Two against three?"
Xu Nuan, who had been descending towards them, could no longer remain composed upon hearing this. Although she knew Gu Ze and Xu Hang were both skilled fighters, sometimes worries for a loved one couldn't be analyzed with a calm mindset.
She could no longer sit still, and neither could Deng Yinyin. The two stood up almost simultaneously, but before they could take a step forward, they heard rustling sounds coming from the Cattail Marsh nearby.
This noise came from the opposite direction of where Gu Ze and Xu Hang had left.
Xu Nuan's expression suddenly darkened, revealing a hint of sternness. If this was a three-way ambush, then something unfavorable must have happened to them. It was important to note that only twenty-three Players were still alive in the base, a stark contrast to the total of fifty from the three batches of Players.
It seemed that nearly everyone had made it past sixty levels, but Xu Nuan believed that during the seventieth level, the Forest of Hatred, it was likely there would be five casualties. What about the eightieth level? The ninetieth level?
How many would still stand on the ground of the one-hundredth level at the Game Base?
Undoubtedly, the game became increasingly difficult as they progressed; they could not afford to make a single mistake.
These thoughts took Xu Nuan only a few seconds. She was not like Deng Yinyin, who would instinctively retreat in the face of danger. Instead, she dashed into Cattail Marsh with just a few strides. As she brushed past Feng Feng, she caught a faint murmur.
"This should be two against two."
Even though the dwindling number of First Batch Players had begun to expose the identity of the founder, Xu Nuan found it hard to trust Feng Feng. Yet at this moment, she leaned towards believing Feng Feng's judgment.
With that, it was merely a simple two-way ambush, and the situation wasn't as dire as she had imagined. A less severe situation didn’t mean she would abandon the clues presented to her. While their group of eight charged forward with vigor, what else was happening in other corners of the Game Base? She needed to know everything clearly today.
Only by being fully informed could she grasp the bigger picture. This was something she had learned from Gu Ze, which also explained why Gu Ze would go to several Second Batch Players to continuously gather information from them.
As soon as Xu Nuan slipped into Cattail Marsh, she vanished from sight. Moments later, those standing in the clearing heard sounds coming from within and could vaguely make out a man's voice.
For a while, no one rushed in to help Xu Nuan.
The Cattail Marsh was tall and dense; even someone as tall as Gu Ze or Chi Xiaoming would be obscured within it. In other words, Cattail Marsh was an ideal place for an ambush; charging in alone made one an easy target.
The few who remained behind were not foolish, nor was Xu Nuan. Thus, while Deng Yinyin and others contemplated rushing in to assist, Xu Nuan had already prepared herself to face danger alone.
Such a scene would have been unimaginable before. At least back then, although Deng Yinyin found Xu Nuan intolerable, she would still treat her as part of the team, urging her to annoy others. Xie Huai would also contribute his strength during such moments. Not to mention He Min, who remained in the team under the banner of "because Qin Yaojie died, she has the responsibility to take care of Xu Nuan."
However, at this moment, all three chose to stay put, listening to the sounds of fighting coming from the nearby Cattail Marsh. On the other side, Gu Ze and Xu Hang had rushed into Broadleaf Forest, where not a sound could be heard.
Time passed slowly, but each person with their own thoughts displayed different reactions.
Aside from the three who exchanged anxious glances but remained motionless, the first to show signs of wavering was Chi Xiaoming, a person who elicited both admiration and helplessness from everyone.
Among these five, Feng Feng remained the most composed.
Chi Xiaoming understood well why Feng Feng was so calm. There were two reasons for Feng Feng's involvement in this team: one was Gu Ze's promise to him after leaving the game, and the other was that only this team possessed information about the secret passage. Since Feng Feng was quite certain that Xu Nuan had informed Gu Ze about the secret passage and that Gu Ze was also his collaborator, he maintained a cold attitude towards Xu Nuan. Their interactions had only been limited to the previous antidote phase.
Feng Feng was a very pragmatic person; this realism allowed him to move forward safely even as many Designers fell around him, despite being among the weakest in terms of strength.
Chi Xiaoming had a keen eye for people; he even guessed another ruthless thought that Feng Feng harbored—one that he himself had once entertained.
Xu Nuan was Gu Ze's weakness; she was the one who could ultimately cause Gu Ze to lose this gamble.
If that were the case, then eliminating Xu Nuan early on would be a wise choice. However, they could not act directly and could only hope for unforeseen circumstances.
This was also why Feng Feng had just reminded Xu Nuan, and at that time, Chi Xiaoming did not stop him. Even Gu Ze, who was already engaged in battle elsewhere, would not believe that leaving Feng Feng and Chi Xiaoming behind would lead to unfavorable consequences for Xu Nuan. Gu Ze lacked foresight; if he had known that Xu Nuan had taken the antidote, he would have certainly guessed Feng Feng's and Chi Xiaoming's intentions.
However, there was no need for Gu Ze to figure out their thoughts; Chi Xiaoming himself wavered first.
He didn't even greet Feng Feng as he walked into Cattail Marsh. Although his back appeared calm, this action seemed like a betrayal to Feng Feng to some extent.
Feng Feng felt a momentary surge of anger, but it quickly transformed into other schemes. In truth, he had never reached a genuine agreement with Chi Xiaoming. In past actions, Chi Xiaoming had merely chosen to turn a blind eye.
As Chi Xiaoming entered Cattail Marsh, Xu Nuan's battle with the unexpected guest was nearing its end.
The man who had ambushed her was not well-hidden; he stood about five feet seven inches tall, shorter than the towering figures of Chi Xiaoming and Gu Ze, but still relatively tall compared to the five-foot-three Xu Nuan.
Moreover, men generally possess greater physical strength than women, making their punches more forceful. However, their agility often pales in comparison to that of women.
Overall, while this unexpected guest had a physical advantage, his lack of training rendered him inferior to Xu Nuan, who had specifically learned grappling techniques. Additionally, Xu Nuan had another advantage: her skill with a knife.
In this game, a short knife was an essential weapon for everyone, but not everyone wielded it effectively. As a woman often placed at a disadvantage, Xu Nuan's competitive spirit drove her to choose the short knife to compensate for her shortcomings.
Indeed, the seemingly imposing intruder was soon brought down by Xu Nuan's agile movements and deft knife skills. By the time Chi Xiaoming arrived, the man's short knife had already been kicked away by Xu Nuan in a swift flying kick, landing who knows where. Seizing the moment of confusion when the man appeared, Xu Nuan lunged forward with her knife aimed directly at his neck.
The man regained his composure after a brief moment of panic and attempted to dodge backward. However, he did not anticipate that this was a trap set by Xu Nuan. As he retreated, she executed a swift kick to his leg, knocking him off balance and sending him crashing to the ground.
As he fell helplessly, Xu Nuan pounced on him and pressed her knife against his throat.
It was a skillful fight. Chi Xiaoming felt a twinge of regret for not having a broader view of the situation. Just then, the man on the ground cried out in desperation.
"Chi Xiaoming! Help me! We're in this together!"
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