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墨書 Inktalez
The following day passed without any special events. They triggered various mechanisms, and with their experience, they handled everything easily. The System did not interfere, and Zhang Xiao's people did not appear; things seemed to be progressing in a positive direction.
Deng Yinyin was the happiest among them. Xu Nuan had given them a two-day deadline, and she kept repeating it. As dusk approached, she happily approached Xie Huai and Xu Hang, reiterating the same phrase she had been saying all day.
"Just one more, and we can leave this game."
However, just like before, neither of them showed any signs of joy. Xu Hang had guessed the truth; having made a certain decision, he no longer cared about the secret passage.
His calm demeanor did not dampen Deng Yinyin's spirits. In her eyes, Xu Hang had never appeared friendly, and she always wondered why her cousin Lan Ling was with someone so dull. What she really looked forward to was Xie Huai's reaction, the one who always supported her.
But to her surprise, when she looked over, she found Xie Huai merely smiling awkwardly, his gaze unintentionally drifting to He Min, who had been underperforming in recent days.
"Hmm?"
Deng Yinyin felt a bit uncomfortable. This feeling of frustration had surfaced long ago, and at that moment, she could not pinpoint its source. She came to her own conclusion.
"You’re not happy at all. You don’t think Xu Nuan is deceiving us, do you?"
Deng Yinyin had learned some language skills but unfortunately misapplied them, making things worse.
Xie Huai could only continue smiling awkwardly; he didn’t offer any defense. His reaction only made Deng Yinyin feel worse, as the joy of potentially leaving the game vanished without a trace.
"Hmph!"
Suddenly, she lost her temper, standing up angrily and pretending to walk deeper into the forest. It was break time, and everyone’s actions didn’t need to align with the captain’s wishes. However, their team leader and vice-captain were essentially figureheads; they only hoped for assistance while any respect had nearly worn off.
As Deng Yinyin stood up and walked out, she deliberately slowed her pace, pretending to focus intently ahead while keeping an eye on the two who had always been there for her.
Xu Hang remained unperturbed as ever; Deng Yinyin had never truly seen through him, and this moment was no exception. Meanwhile, the timid and self-preserving Xie Huai seemed somewhat distracted, not paying as much attention to her as he usually did.
Deng Yinyin still did not understand that she was not the center of the world. Continuously seeking others' attention without reciprocating would eventually lead to losing that focus altogether.
She didn't understand, despite her efforts to grow in this game.
"Hmph!"
Deng Yinyin let out a cold snort and angrily walked into the dense forest, her disappointment clearly visible in her brows and eyes.
The others present noticed this, some intentionally and others unintentionally. A fleeting coldness passed through their gazes, quickly replaced by an inscrutable depth that made it hard to grasp their emotions.
Xu Nuan was not in good shape that day; her left leg was severely injured. However, to avoid burdening the seriously injured Gu Ze, she insisted on using a makeshift crutch to walk. Although her speed was slow, it only aggravated her injury. A glance around revealed no one else could help her, and at this moment, she felt she shouldn't rely on anyone other than Gu Ze.
This was just one reason affecting her condition; the main factor was Gu Ze.
Gu Ze's condition was worse than hers. His face was pale, and although he seemed fine while walking, anyone who got close could smell the strong scent of blood. It was from the wounds Xu Nuan had repeatedly bandaged that were now seeping again. The healing potions they had on hand were not very effective. She thought of ways to help Gu Ze recover quickly, but her efforts yielded little result.
She felt sorrowful for being powerless to assist Gu Ze.
Given Gu Ze's current state, he could no longer confront Zhang Xiao, so she had to make good use of that secret passage. She recalled every detail about the secret passage and every possible advantage, but she had no confidence left. She didn't want to lose Gu Ze and constantly pushed herself, repeating this cycle until her state became utterly terrible.
Yet she would put on a facade, not wanting Gu Ze to worry about her. She would rush to the front to handle everything.
"Sigh."
Xu Nuan sighed lightly, her gaze falling on Gu Ze's sleeping face. His familiar features revealed his pain at this moment, and every subtle expression of his tugged at her heart.
Compelled by an impulse, she reached out to touch Gu Ze's face and began to worry about his low temperature. She rummaged through her backpack, pulling out everything that might be useful.
Her fingertips lingered on a notebook for a moment; she didn't know why, but she took out the two items left by Qin Yaojie. The familiar symbols and amusing content stirred waves in Xu Nuan's eyes, threatening to drown out the figure who only stirred trouble in the shadows.
What she didn't know was that someone else was watching her actions at that moment, their gaze lingering on the notebook.
Well-Meaning Person knew this was the notebook Qin Yaojie had left for Xu Nuan, but no one knew what it contained. It was a means of communication unique to Xu Nuan and Qin Yaojie, serving as a relatively safe way to protect their exchanges.
Xu Nuan was unaware of this; she had only suspected that this was something left behind by Su Zihang. However, when Su Zihang could potentially be faking his death, she had already given up on uncovering the truth in this regard. The fact that the Founder had not killed her and chose to keep her alive meant that she still held some value and should continue to live. Yet, the value she knew about herself had not been fully realized; it was only when the Founder sought to take her life that she truly discovered her worth.
As for Zhang Xiao, she could still utilize the secret passage design, but with the Founder, using Stasis was the best and only option.
A flurry of Thoughts rushed into Xu Nuan's mind and quickly slipped away, leaving her focused on helping Gu Ze recover through various means.
However, Xu Nuan herself was also injured, and no one was there to assist her. Meanwhile, Chi Xiaoming and Fang Zheng's relationship had improved; at least they began to help each other. The usually taciturn Fang Zheng suddenly took an interest in the team, actively doing things that drew some attention.
As night fell over the dense forest, Xie Huai emerged from his own Thoughts and finally realized something. After exchanging a few simple words with He Min, he went to find Deng Yinyin. Xu Hang let things flow naturally but kept an eye on He Min's actions, remaining discreet and unnoticed for now.
As the night deepened slightly, Xu Nuan grew weary. Her left leg throbbed painfully and itched; the various sensations from her healing bones overwhelmed her. Eventually, she fell asleep with her head resting against Gu Ze's.
This sleep was far from peaceful. In her dreams, chilling scenes flooded her mind; too much had happened in recent days, causing significant harm to both her and Gu Ze, making it difficult for her to find rest.
The result of poor sleep quality was a throbbing headache and a heavy body. In a daze, she found herself reluctant to wake up, feeling utterly drained.
It wasn't until deep into the night when everything was silent that a scene startled Xu Nuan awake. She opened her eyes wide with fear, gasping for breath as she struggled to detach herself from the emotions of her dream.
Once her breathing calmed slightly, the pain in her left leg made her frown and gasp softly; she remembered that someone was sleeping beside her and dared not call out.
Someone was sleeping?
Xu Nuan suddenly turned her head to look beside her—only to find it empty, leaving behind two backpacks and the cold grass.
Gu Ze was gone.
Gu Ze's backpack remained.
Xu Nuan's eyes darkened instantly; this meant Gu Ze had gone off alone again.
She felt furious. This anger compelled her to push herself up despite everything. The moment she stood up, a sharp pain shot through her left leg, nearly bringing tears to her eyes.
This scene felt so familiar. Previously, Gu Ze had acted this way too; she had worried and complained about staying overnight, but she never felt such fear.
Gu Ze was seriously injured, and she was angry that he would put himself in danger, not caring for his own body.
Angry, Xu Nuan didn’t realize that many times in the past, she had charged forward with the same reckless disregard for her own safety, causing Gu Ze to feel both anger and concern for her.
Now she finally understood Gu Ze's feelings back then, but it wasn’t a good thing.
Grabbing a flashlight and a short knife haphazardly, Xu Nuan picked up her walking stick and looked around. After confirming a direction, she prepared to leave the Temporary Campsite. Just as she walked a few meters away, she suddenly turned back to glance at the others who were resting peacefully. After a moment of thought, she returned and took out her notebook from her backpack, tucking it into her arms.
Not knowing the true purpose of the notebook, she felt it was better to have it with her. Xu Nuan didn’t realize what her actions meant at that moment; she was simply driven by anger and worry for Gu Ze as she ventured alone into the deep forest.
After she left, several people in the Campsite opened their eyes and began to leave the Temporary Campsite at different times.
The night was Xu Nuan's enemy; usually at such times, she could barely move. Fortunately, the moonlight and flashlight provided enough visibility to help her navigate through the darkness.
However, the direction she chose based on instinct might not necessarily be correct. Yet in her view, any instinct was a natural reaction developed from accumulated experience, so it had a certain degree of accuracy.
She hoped to rely on this accuracy to find Gu Ze but had no idea what awaited her.
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