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墨書 Inktalez
The mountains rose and fell, their distant scenery shrouded in mist, creating an atmosphere of haziness all around.
As they moved closer, the nearby landscape became clearer, yet it was still heavily affected by the increased moisture in the air. Breathing felt heavy, initially refreshing but soon turning uncomfortable.
Xu Nuan pulled a mask from her backpack and handed it to Gu Ze, putting one on herself as well. The one least affected was Liu Minghong, who had always worn a mask.
He Min's absence did not significantly impact the team. Deng Yinyin, the only one unaware of the situation, noticed the others' silence and surprisingly deduced that they were treating He Min as if he had never existed.
The dead evoke no sorrow and are no longer connected to the living. What mattered to them was how to solve the mechanisms before them and how to deal with the last person.
For them, the greatest danger was no longer the traps but rather the individual who could complicate these traps further.
Xu Nuan held onto a significant secret, waiting for the right moment that wouldn’t implicate Gu Ze. The others worked in unison, their teamwork having developed over these days. Whether their outward expressions matched their inner thoughts had become irrelevant.
Peering through the mist at the hills, the overall view was beautiful. However, when they stood at a high vantage point and cleared away all the fog to observe the terrain, what they saw left them stunned.
"What is that thing?"
Deng Yinyin exclaimed in surprise, while Xu Nuan tugged at Gu Ze's sleeve. The expressions of the others also shifted.
"From its shape, it looks like a cat."
Chi Xiaoming replied softly, his widened eyes betraying his emotions.
Gu Ze squinted, scanning from the silent Liu Minghong before his gaze landed in the distance. Just beyond the hills was a cat—though calling it merely 'large' would be an understatement. This cat could encompass the entire area of the hills; its eyes might be as big as buildings. Due to their considerable distance, they couldn't even gauge how tall this menacing cat truly was.
A soft and adorable cat is cute, but a cat that could swallow an entire Hills is akin to a monster in a movie capable of destroying the Earth—an ordinary force that ordinary humans cannot withstand.
"It doesn't seem to have any intention of attacking us for now."
Gu Ze carefully observed the cat through the telescope, noticing that its appearance was indeed like that of an ordinary cat, with fur that looked soft. This was a creature that should not exist in the world; it was a demon created by someone.
Xu Hang chimed in.
"It's obvious that it's very far from us and located at the edge of this area. It must have triggered some mechanism to be able to move. We should be cautious."
Xu Nuan nodded in agreement. Habitually turning to look at Gu Ze, she noticed he was still observing something through the telescope.
"What's wrong?"
She asked directly, but as she tilted her head to look at Gu Ze, her gaze crossed with Liu Minghong's on the other side. She inadvertently caught a glimpse of Liu Minghong looking at the telescope.
Taking note of this, Xu Nuan continued to watch Gu Ze.
"Nothing much, just that this cat is unusually large and completely defies the growth patterns of animals."
"What else in this world defies the rules besides animals?"
Liu Minghong interjected, his words seemingly carrying deeper meaning. Xu Nuan frowned, intending to ask for clarification, but when she saw Gu Ze subtly shake his head at her, she fell silent.
"But things that do not conform to the rules should not exist in this world; they disrupt the inherent order of things."
Deng Yinyin eagerly joined in on this seemingly profound conversation. It seemed that Xu Hang's earlier explanation had instantly eased the tension among the group.
Since it was necessary to trigger a mechanism to be attacked, the cat was no longer a concern for them. Moreover, Xu Nuan was quite skeptical that the cat was anything more than an illusion or projection; she still did not believe that anyone could create something so contrary to nature.
The discussion continued, and Liu Minghong cast a cold glance at Deng Yinyin before suddenly posing a question.
"What if someone is willing to go to any lengths to let those things exist, and he possesses great power? What then?"
Even a fool could tell that Liu Minghong was alluding to someone specific. Xu Nuan understood at that moment that Liu Minghong had discovered something. In this battle, Liu Minghong was indeed the most powerful yet least confident person among them.
It wasn't that Liu Minghong was inherently insecure; rather, it was his realization after suffering a crushing defeat against that person. Many had fought alongside him, but he was the only one left standing in the end. The weight of what he carried was too heavy, darkening his heart and preventing him from ever finding happiness.
Deng Yinyin was momentarily stunned by the question, falling silent and feeling somewhat wronged as she secretly glanced at Xu Hang. Xu Hang wisely chose not to get involved; he had gradually come to understand what he wanted to know. The rest did not concern him; otherwise, he would have no chance to leave the game and resolve that matter.
Xu Nuan, however, was filled with emotion. She reached out and tugged at Gu Ze's sleeve before looking at Liu Minghong, her tone calm.
"Then gathering strength to destroy those things at any cost is theoretically correct, right?"
As her words fell, she clearly felt Gu Ze's body tremble slightly. He then took her hand in his, warmth passing between their palms.
The topic came to a close as they needed to continue moving forward. The mist enveloping the Hills gradually dissipated, and the cat's figure became increasingly clear.
At first, a few of them ignored the cat and confidently proceeded in the chosen direction, during which they also triggered several traps.
Now, simple moving trees and traps could no longer hinder them. Moreover, some personal tasks could not stop their progress either. Whether it was a test of skill or mental fortitude, these mechanisms became opportunities for training rather than chances to put themselves in danger.
It wasn't until night fell that they began to feel quite uneasy.
The nights in Hills were cold, and they gathered plenty of firewood to light a fire and huddled together for warmth. Deng Yinyin looked around and finally couldn't hold back any longer; she moved closer to Xu Nuan and whispered.
"Don't you think it's scary? Those two eyes look like they're glowing, as if it might pounce at any moment."
Xu Nuan was feeling cold as well. Upon hearing Deng Yinyin's vivid description, she couldn't help but glance in the direction of the cat. The moment she did, her discomfort only grew.
Due to the direction they had chosen, they were actually walking toward where the cat was located. This was the conclusion Gu Ze had drawn, and no one disagreed. However, because of this directional issue, they often caught glimpses of the cat that was always watching them. Now that it was nighttime, their distance from the cat had shortened a bit. In the moonlight, they could see the fur on its body and what flickered in its vertical pupils.
The more Xu Nuan looked, the more uncomfortable she felt, so she quickly turned her head away.
"Then let's not look at it; let's pretend it doesn't exist."
In reality, such a massive creature could not be easily overlooked.
"If I could ignore it, I wouldn't feel this way."
Deng Yinyin pulled at her lips uncomfortably but couldn't resist glancing up again as she muttered something under her breath.
"Isn't there always a feeling that it will open its mouth wide in the next second, waiting for us to walk right into it?"
The camp fell silent all at once, and they could only hear the crackling of the flames and the sound of the cold wind rushing in.
Deng Yinyin felt dissatisfied; she had merely said something, yet everyone's reaction was so exaggerated. Wasn't that a bit disrespectful?
Although she had toned down her older sister's temper a little, her nature was hard to change. She was still the same Deng Yinyin who wanted to be the center of attention for everyone.
She looked up in displeasure, first glaring at Xu Nuan, who was closest to her, only to find Xu Nuan staring in one direction. Gu Ze beside her was also looking in the same direction.
Reluctantly, Deng Yinyin turned to look as well, and then she froze.
Just as she had mentioned earlier, that enormous cat had indeed opened its mouth wide. The sight was akin to a massive cave appearing right before them. Even from this distance, they could vaguely smell the stench emanating from the cat's mouth.
"Ah!"
Deng Yinyin clutched her head in pain, and this unexpected action made everyone suppress their astonishment. Xu Nuan, who was also nearby, couldn't stand Deng Yinyin's loud outburst and felt compelled to comfort her.
"What's wrong?"
The chill behind them had not yet dissipated, and she no longer felt as relaxed as when she first entered this situation.
With tears welling up in her eyes, Deng Yinyin ignored that Xu Nuan was someone she didn't get along with and pouted as she began to ramble on.
"Could it be that this level has a mechanism where whatever we think of will appear, just like the words of a spirit?"
Xu Nuan couldn't help but twitch her lips, her voice trembling slightly.
"This game... it can't possibly go to such an extent, right?"
Although this game could be set up to manifest whatever they heard, it would require an enormous amount of manpower and resources. Besides, with so many people in their team, whose words would determine what would appear?
This was a thankless setup, and Xu Nuan was reluctant to believe it.
Yet, Liu Minghong, who had previously faced defeat, quietly remarked, "There's nothing you can't imagine; there's nothing this game can't achieve."
His tone seemed to carry a hint of pride. After all, he had participated in the design of this game. Even though he had ultimately been discarded, it didn't negate his contributions.
Xu Nuan felt a chill run down her spine. She turned to Gu Ze for help.
Gu Ze sighed and patted her on the head. He paid little attention to Liu Minghong and instead looked back at the terrifying scene before them.
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