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Xu Nuan's firmness had a certain effect; at least Fang Zheng expressed his trust and quickly turned to leave. This was very much in line with his style of doing things, and for a moment, no one had any particularly special thoughts.
Xie Huai also showed signs of wanting to leave. He wasn't very concerned about following Xu Nuan; he came out mainly because of Deng Yinyin, and he was also curious and puzzled about He Min's interest in tracking Xu Nuan.
He wanted to exit the game, but he wanted to deal with Zhang Xiao first. He was afraid of death, but even more terrified of a nightmare that would follow him for a lifetime, preventing him from finding peace. He envisioned such a life as painful, and he intended to destroy that life with his own hands.
Deng Yinyin was the most reluctant, but she couldn't win against Xu Nuan. The key point was that the initiative lay in Xu Nuan's hands. This was a posture of being coerced, and she felt dissatisfied; leaving like this made her feel unwilling. Deng Yinyin began to use her wits, her eyes darting around until they landed on the seemingly calm He Min.
"She's going with you to find Gu Ze, right? Then I'll go too; having one more person will make things easier."
By now, Deng Yinyin had learned her lesson; although she hadn't mastered the art of using others to do her bidding, she could still manage to shift the focus of conflict.
A glimmer flashed in He Min's eyes; the night was too dark for anyone to notice.
Xu Nuan's expression had already darkened. The feeling of being doubted and disturbed, lacking privacy, brought her to the brink of explosion. The only reason she hadn't erupted yet was that she didn't want to ruin things for someone else's sake.
What stopped Xu Nuan from exploding was He Min. This reaction was unexpected for Deng Yinyin; she had intentions but ended up causing an unintended result.
"Gu Ze seems to be nearby; we shouldn't disturb them," He Min said ambiguously, which made Xu Nuan uncomfortable. Xu Nuan couldn't figure out whether He Min had heard the sounds from afar; thus, it was inappropriate for He Min to say such a thing.
Although inappropriate, this statement worked on Deng Yinyin. She chuckled lightly and genuinely prepared to leave. After all, Deng Yinyin was someone who preferred soft approaches over hard ones; she liked to position herself in an active role. Being forced back by Xu Nuan would make her feel humiliated, while if she left voluntarily under the pretense of understanding Xu Nuan, it would provide her with immense psychological satisfaction.
Deng Yinyin's reaction only proved that He Min had become quite adept at manipulating people's hearts. She understood the habits and conflicts of those around her clearly enough to set up one or two nearly fatal schemes at the right moment.
The remaining three were also preparing to leave. Surprisingly, He Min was the most decisive one among them; she didn't use any words to dispel Xu Nuan's doubts. Only after stepping into the bushes did her expression change dramatically, anger filling her eyes. Her fierce demeanor startled Xu Hang, who was hidden in the shadows observing the situation.
Deng Yinyin and Xie Huai turned to leave, and after walking a few meters, Deng Yinyin glanced back at Xu Nuan, who remained standing in place.
At that moment, the cold moonlight fell upon Xu Nuan, intertwining with the chill of her emotions, causing a shiver to run through anyone who observed her. Xu Nuan was never one for idle chatter; she spoke very little. Yet, this was the kind of person who could swiftly put a cruel act into motion after casually mentioning it.
Deng Yinyin had never doubted this aspect of Xu Nuan. To her, Xu Nuan represented various identities, but ultimately, the last one was simply the hope of returning home. Driven by instinct and inner desire, she would never confront Xu Nuan directly.
From her perspective, Xu Nuan's body leaned slightly; her left leg was injured, and instinctively she would avoid putting too much weight on it.
Yet while she perceived this person's body as leaning, her soul stood upright, just as the emotions Xu Nuan displayed at that moment.
This was a gap that could never be bridged in a lifetime, but Deng Yinyin did not care.
She withdrew her gaze and stepped into the dense forest, where Xie Huai had already been waiting for her at a distance.
The surroundings fell silent once more—no unexpected visitors, no murderous intent, and no voices.
Upon realizing this last point, Xu Nuan's expression changed slightly as she hurried toward the direction from which she had heard the sounds earlier.
The sound of her cane striking against the trees was unsettling. Xu Nuan did not dwell on the possibility of He Min and the others appearing; all her thoughts returned to Gu Ze.
The path grew increasingly quiet. Xu Nuan's heart raced; the pain in her left leg became more pronounced. Within minutes, her palms began to sweat, and the thin sheen of perspiration on her forehead clung to her skin as the night breeze failed to carry it away.
This indescribable emotion had not surfaced in a long time, and when it had before, Xu Nuan wished to forget what had transpired.
It was too quiet. Xu Nuan pressed her lips tightly together; exaggeratedly speaking, she could hear her own heartbeat. The sounds around her seemed to be absorbed by an unseen receiver; everything became tranquil, leaving no trace behind.
Xu Nuan gasped for breath, and after walking for a while, she roughly determined that this was the place where she had heard the sound earlier. She had considered calling out Gu Ze's name at that moment, but the thought was quickly suppressed. She couldn't afford to alert any potential danger.
She unconsciously swallowed, her gaze moving around her. The flashlight had long been turned off, and now the moonlight was obscured by tall trees, casting a thin veil of light that hindered her vision significantly.
She kept reminding herself not to be careless and to relax while observing her surroundings, ensuring her mind wasn't clouded by treachery. However, as the situation grew more tense, her body betrayed her; her eyes strained and her left leg throbbed painfully. The limited visibility and the pain in her leg made it difficult for her to focus.
Her palms were already sticky with sweat. Just as Xu Nuan pressed her lips together and prepared to turn around, she sensed something was off and froze in place.
Someone was approaching, very cautiously, from an unknown direction, carrying a hint of malice.
Unfortunately, the already sparse moonlight was blocked by the towering trees, leaving her without any usable light.
Who could it be?
All possible names flashed through her mind until she thought of Zhang Xiao.
Such a subtle yet palpable sense of menace could create an overwhelming pressure that not everyone could achieve.
At that moment, Xu Nuan had no confidence in defeating Zhang Xiao; instinctively, she tightened her grip on the short knife in her hand, ready to strike back fiercely when the person behind her attacked.
Her judgment was ultimately limited; the person behind was too cautious, and she had just stopped moving—anyone would know something was wrong.
Yet the poor lighting hindered both her and the approaching figure.
Creak.
The sound of footsteps crunching on dry leaves was sharp and sudden, yet it allowed He Min to pinpoint the opponent's location. Without hesitation, she whipped around, her left hand steadying her cane while her right hand sliced through the air with a short knife.
Her opponent was prepared; although they did not grasp Xu Nuan's wrist, they managed to evade the attack skillfully.
However, Xu Nuan still had her cane, which was significantly longer than the knife and had a much wider range of attack. She swung the cane at her opponent, who was caught off guard by this unexpected move and took the hit, letting out a brief grunt of pain.
Xu Nuan found the sound somewhat familiar, but it was too fleeting for her to make a solid identification.
After swinging the cane, Xu Nuan lost her balance and stumbled to the side. Despite her instinctive effort to steady herself, she exposed a vulnerability in that moment. Her opponent seized the opportunity, lunging forward with one hand aimed at Xu Nuan's arm and the other reaching for her face, seemingly intending to use a claw-like strike.
It was this close encounter that allowed the opponent to recognize Xu Nuan's features clearly, causing them to halt mid-attack.
"Xu Nuan, is that you?"
At that moment, Xu Nuan identified who the Outsider was based on their voice.
"Feng Feng!"
Her surprise lasted only a second before she recalled Feng Feng stabbing Chi Xiaoming and plotting against her. Without pausing, she swung her hand again, which Feng Feng hurriedly blocked.
The two were of similar build and strength, but Feng Feng seemed to have undergone some changes; he no longer carried the scent of drugs that had previously surrounded him. In the dim light, if one did not look closely, they might mistake him for a woman.
"Don't hit me! We're on the same side!"
Feng Feng appeared anxious as he tried to fend off Xu Nuan's attacks while also being careful not to hurt her. This demeanor contrasted sharply with his previous behavior.
Xu Nuan was even less inclined to trust him. In the darkness, with murderous intent, she faced someone as fickle as Wang Huacheng. With a cold snort, she said nothing more and launched an attack on Feng Feng.
Unfortunately, her body was not cooperating. The piercing pain in her left leg weakened her assault, reducing both her strength and lethality.
"I'm not lying to you," Feng Feng insisted urgently, adding an explanation. "If you don't believe me, you can ask Gu Ze. He's here too and will be over soon!"
The familiar name made Xu Nuan pause for a moment, but just a few seconds later, she prepared to strike again, leaving Feng Feng feeling both amused and exasperated.
"I don't believe you!"
"What will it take for you to believe me?"
Their voices rang out simultaneously, and they both froze in surprise. At that moment, Gu Ze's weak voice reached them.
"Nuan, what are you doing here?"
Xu Nuan stopped in astonishment and turned on the flashlight she had clipped to her waist. The beam illuminated Gu Ze's slightly surprised face.
"Ze, you... what are you all doing here?"
Xu Nuan realized her mind was racing. Feng Feng was a designer controlled by the founder, had previously collaborated with Gu Ze to create an antidote for her, but had also harmed Chi Xiaoming to prevent him from leaving Wu Wu. Now he was meeting with Gu Ze again—what was going on?
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