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墨書 Inktalez
Xu Nuan was awakened by the heat.
The blazing sun made it nearly impossible for her to open her eyes. As she climbed up, Xu Nuan sighed, realizing that the desert sun was no joke; it could roast a person in just a few minutes.
With a calm expression, Xu Nuan surveyed her surroundings at the Wind-eroded Mushroom, a flicker of annoyance flashing in her eyes. Last night, fatigue had defeated her, and she had slept so soundly without investigating the dangers of this desert. Her actions had been rather careless.
On the second day in the desert, breakfast consisted of compressed biscuits and a bottle of mineral water that had been left under the scorching sun for nearly ten minutes. Xu Nuan usually ate very simply when she still had enough energy; those precious pieces of Jerky and candy were reserved for emergencies.
In her daily life, these valuable foods were merely snacks to pass the time.
"What am I thinking about?"
Xu Nuan shook her head to dispel these negative thoughts and wrapped her face in cloth, leaving only her bright almond-shaped eyes exposed.
The yellow sand under the blazing sun was particularly blinding, and the rising heat distorted the landscape, making everything around her appear hazy and indistinct, blurring her sense of direction.
Xu Nuan considered herself lucky; amidst this almost barren desert, she had encountered a Saltpeter Thicket. Unfortunately, it allowed a seemingly plump wild rabbit to escape. Perhaps walking alone was too boring; Xu Nuan found herself mentally complaining. If she were an archaeologist, she might be interested in the Silk Road Ruins or Ancient Village buried beneath the sands. If she were a geologist, she would certainly be concerned about any underground oil or metal deposits.
Unfortunately, she was just a Game Participant eager to clear the level. Until she found the Special Tree, she could only randomly choose a direction and keep moving forward, even if the journey ahead was long, unknown, and perilous.
As Xu Nuan struggled to control her scattered thoughts, a glint caught her eye, forcing her to shield her forehead with her hand and squint towards the source of the light.
It was sunlight reflecting off an object. Xu Nuan narrowed her light brown eyes—was someone in distress?
In the desert, where signal reception was poor, merely shouting for help would lead to rapid dehydration. The best method was to use reflective objects around oneself to attract attention from distant passersby or aircraft.
Her first instinct was that something had happened to the five people who had separated from her yesterday at noon. She quickly suppressed that thought; there were still reliable individuals in that group who wouldn’t get into trouble so soon. Moreover, strength lay in numbers; their team would surely fare better than she could alone.
Looking towards where the reflection originated—right along the path she had chosen—Xu Nuan decided to continue forward. Whether someone truly needed help could be determined later.
But there’s a saying about fate bringing people together by some unseen hand.
As she spotted two men and one woman approaching from across the way, especially noticing that the only woman had slightly swollen eyes, Xu Nuan couldn’t help but sigh inwardly—was this some kind of karmic connection?
The reactions of the three who unexpectedly encountered Xu Nuan were varied. Xu Hang's deep gaze remained fixed on the reflective spot, Gu Ze's dark brown eyes brightened slightly, while Tang Jingshu appeared completely at ease.
Xu Nuan hurried a few steps closer, her tone filled with urgency and excitement.
"Nuan, it's so great to see you again. You know, Deng Yinyin and Xie Huai are missing."
To her, those two men were just good colleagues and, at best, friends, but not the kind of people she could confide in like a boyfriend. However, it was different with female friends, especially since this particular friend had proven to be very reliable in the past.
Xu Nuan swallowed the biting words that were about to escape her lips. She rarely took the initiative, but now she patted Tang Jingshu on the shoulder and nodded toward the two men who were slowly approaching, her voice as calm as ever.
"Shall we go check that direction together?"
This unexpected invitation made Gu Ze's faint smile deepen slightly as he quickly agreed before Xu Hang could say anything.
"Let's go together."
Thus, Xu Nuan's solitary team turned into a group of four. Once they found those two, it would become Six People. Xu Nuan raised her hand to rub her forehead, lowering her mask slightly as she let out a soft sigh.
Along the way, Tang Jingshu's worries did not diminish; instead, she continued to express her concerns to Xu Nuan.
"Nuan, with your vast experience, Deng Yinyin and the others will be fine, right? I'm really worried about them."
The two men in front also paid attention to the conversation between the two women behind them, inexplicably eager to hear what Xu Nuan would say next.
In Xu Hang's view, Xu Nuan was the girl his friend Gu Ze had once liked. Although that affection had faded over time and Gu Ze had not expressed anything further, didn't men always harbor some unusual feelings for girls they couldn't be with?
As for Gu Ze, his feelings toward Xu Nuan were somewhat similar to what Xu Hang guessed. He couldn't tell if his youthful infatuation from years ago still lingered. His relationships after graduation had all ended without much resolution, leaving him uncertain about his current feelings. However, since she was a girl he cared about back in college and a fellow alumnus, it was only natural for him to help her in this game. Besides, Xu Nuan already had a boyfriend; just like back then, it had nothing to do with him.
Gu Ze approached the seemingly serious Xu Nuan with these thoughts in mind, completely unaware of how he would act along this path.
Xu Nuan certainly didn't know that the two men who appeared so serious also had delicate and sensitive thoughts. She was simply trying earnestly to correct Tang Jingshu's misunderstanding.
"I'm sorry; my experience isn't extensive. I just brushed up on some knowledge and learned a few self-defense moves before entering the game. If you have enough time to prepare, you can handle things well too."
Tang Jingshu was momentarily speechless and took this as Xu Nuan's modesty.
"Continue," Xu Nuan said.
"As for those two, as long as we are safe, they should be fine too, provided they aren't foolish. We all experienced the same sandstorm and suffered similar injuries, so you can rest assured about that."
At that moment, Tang Jingshu's heart was filled with worry, which was quickly replaced by a sense of helplessness. Although Xu Nuan's words were similar to Gu Ze's, Gu Ze's were comforting and soothing, while Xu Nuan's left her feeling resigned and unable to be angry. She had never heard of Xu Nuan being so methodical in her approach.
However, regardless of her feelings, Tang Jingshu found herself less worried than before. Instead, she began asking about ways to protect oneself in the desert, solidifying her earlier claims of not having time to prepare.
After walking for over an hour while keeping an eye out for reflective surfaces, the four of them finally spotted Deng Yinyin and Xie Huai. The so-called reflective object was a cracked mirror lying not far from them; it wasn't that the two had cleverly used it as a distress signal, but rather that the old mirror had simply been there all along.
Tang Jingshu suddenly recalled Xu Nuan's earlier remark: "As long as they aren't foolish, they won't be in trouble," and discreetly wiped the sweat from her brow.
But as they approached and saw Deng Yinyin wailing while Xie Huai lay nearby with a pale face, their expressions changed dramatically.
"What happened?"
Gu Ze was the first to rush to Xie Huai's side. He examined him closely and noticed that aside from his pale complexion and weak breathing, there were no visible wounds.
"It's his ankle. A large lizard bit him, and then he fainted and hasn't woken up since."
Deng Yinyin stopped wailing when she saw Gu Ze arrive first. She pointed at Xie Huai's foot but left out some details. For instance, the lizard had originally aimed to bite her; it was Xie Huai who saved her and got bitten instead, leading to his unconscious state.
Not knowing what else to do, she could only stay by Xie Huai's side and shout loudly until all that remained was her wailing.
Gu Ze and Xu Hang rolled up Xie Huai's pant leg and could see two round puncture wounds through his quick-dry clothing, with some dark blood oozing out.
"Is it poisonous?"
Gu Ze's voice took on a more serious tone. They were city dwellers who had only heard about such things; Xie Huai was poisoned, but they had no idea what kind of poison it was or how to find an antidote. This feeling of helplessness was incredibly frustrating.
"Everyone take out your Antidotes—both oral and injectable forms will work. As long as he still has breath, there's hope."
Xu Nuan immediately set down her backpack and began retrieving the Antidotes. Seeing this, Tang Jingshu followed suit.
Gu Ze frowned, still worried about finding the right solution. Deng Yinyin and Xie Huai's backpacks had long been swept away by the fierce wind.
Xu Hang voiced his concerns directly.
"We still don't know how toxic that lizard is or its composition. We must find the corresponding antidote to save Xie Huai. Giving him random Antidote could lead to even worse outcomes."
Xu Nuan was rolling his eyes at this moment, wanting to retract his previous assessment of Xu Hang.
"Even if we understand the composition of this poison, what makes you think he can wait for you to get through this challenge to reach the Supply Station? Moreover, there are only a few types of Antidote at the Supply Station. Do you plan to create an antidote yourself?"
Although Xu Nuan's expression remained calm, his tone became much sharper and more cutting. However, upon noticing the unmasked worry on Tang Jingshu and Gu Ze's faces, he still chose to explain.
"The design of this Game Base is somewhat similar to a virtual game. If a creature in the game is poisonous, the Antidote at the Supply Station can generally counter it; otherwise, no one would be able to clear the game, which defeats the purpose of this company creating it."
Seeing that the Antidote in his hand was for oral use, Xu Nuan took the syringe from Tang Jingshu and walked over to Gu Ze. Ignoring Gu Ze's hesitation and Xu Hang's disapproval, he directly injected Xie Huai.
Noticing Xu Hang's face turn pale for a moment, Xu Nuan continued.
"I've tested it before. The first time we met, I was poisoned by a Skeleton Monkey as well and survived after taking some random Antidote. This person can survive too."
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