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墨書 Inktalez
Men have a natural advantage over women in terms of size and strength.
This was the conclusion Xu Nuan reached after deliberately engaging in close combat with Guo Dafu.
Even with her hands restrained at that moment, the sarcastic smile on Xu Nuan's lips did not fade. She swept her leg, bound by knee pads, straight toward the most vulnerable part of Guo Dafu's leg, recalling the coach's words she had always remembered.
To evade this powerful sweep, Guo Dafu had no choice but to release his grip, rolling over to the other side and quickly getting back on his feet. Seeing Xu Nuan's movements becoming sluggish, he genuinely complimented her.
"In my impression, you were just a pampered and delicate girl. How is it that after such a short time apart, your agility has improved so much?"
Xu Nuan couldn't tell whether Guo Dafu's impression of her was from before she entered the game or from their initial acquaintance within it. Regardless, she would not easily reveal any information about herself, especially when Guo Dafu seemed so mysterious and strange.
"Do you need me to recommend a seven-day crash course?"
Xu Nuan spoke ambiguously, her gaze falling on the increasingly peculiar smile at the corners of Guo Dafu's lips as she added with a smile, "What mission are you on? Is it still related to the previous Survival Game? What’s the reward for completing this task perfectly? You could be generous like your belly and tell me everything; then you can leave safely."
"Haha," Guo Dafu laughed, but his eyes were filled with malice, and his words dripped with disdain.
"Who do you think you are? Just a target. You don’t really believe those two can grasp your silent intentions and are deliberately lying in wait around here, do you?"
Guo Dafu moved closer to Xu Nuan again. The warm glow of the fire should have illuminated his face, but instead, it cast a cold and indifferent shadow.
"Xu Nuan, I know you well. You are someone who fears taking on responsibility. You haven't integrated into this team at all; you're afraid they will get into trouble and affect your resolve. You also disdain them for potentially dragging you down. Tsk tsk, why force yourself to endure? Just come along with me."
Xu Nuan's expression instantly turned cold. However, upon seeing the unmasked delight in Guo Dafu's eyes, she regained her calm demeanor like iron, her tone as tranquil as a lake's surface, concealing the turbulent undercurrents beneath.
"I never do things I'm not sure about. I can't defeat you, but, Guo Dafu, don't you want to sleep right now? What I added to the fire is quite substantial."
Guo Dafu's delight retracted like a spring, and he turned to glare at the fire. Just as he turned, Xu Nuan pulled a knife from her knee pads and lunged straight at Guo Dafu.
Guo Dafu's reaction was swift. As Xu Nuan's knife approached, he quickly turned his head and struck down hard on Xu Nuan's shoulder with his palm, gritting his teeth as he spoke in a low voice that echoed in her ears.
"A seven-day crash course? Hmph, you haven't really fought against a real person much, have you?"
At that moment, Xu Nuan felt a sharp pain in her neck that jolted her brain, making her grip on the knife weaken.
As her body softened and began to slump, Xu Nuan felt a twinge of regret; she had indeed overestimated herself. Relying on drugs to subdue a man was somewhat naive. If Gu Ze and Xu Hang could return in time, she might have had a chance. But Xu Nuan bit down on her lip, the slight sting bringing her back to clarity.
She had to solve this herself!
The drugs she had thrown into the fire finally took effect. Guo Dafu slumped backward before Xu Nuan could react, appearing motionless.
After stumbling a few steps while clutching her neck, Xu Nuan steadied herself and carefully observed Guo Dafu's condition before staggering over. She needed to clarify some matters unrelated to the Third Batch of Players before Gu Ze and the others returned.
With her right hand still gripping the short knife, she cautiously approached Guo Dafu. She truly lacked experience in fighting real people; while she could attack any creature in this game without hesitation, attacking a human was another matter. The drugs and her fists were already pushing her limits; if she had to stab this person, fear gripped her.
As she neared Guo Dafu, Xu Nuan scanned his body repeatedly, checking for any hidden weapons or signs that he might wake up suddenly.
However, Xu Nuan underestimated him; her cunning was no match for this shrewd businessman.
When his grip tightened around her neck and her vertebrae began to protest, when the sounds she made turned into broken gasps and consciousness started to fade away, Xu Nuan felt an overwhelming sense of unwillingness.
And Guo Dafu's triumphant voice became increasingly ethereal in her ears.
“Xu Nuan, you really are a woman of substance. Did you think I wouldn't anticipate your moves? I won't naively believe you would let me go, especially since I nearly killed you once. Of course, I could still kill you now.”
Frustration welled up within her; everything she had done felt utterly ridiculous. She was frustrated that she had promised Qin Yaojie she would find her. She was frustrated that she still wanted to live long enough to see her friends and family.
Frustration.
Xu Nuan finally mustered the courage to strike at Guo Dafu, but the pain in her neck weakened her strength significantly. The knife only left a shallow mark on Guo Dafu's face before it was released from her grip.
“I can tell you now.”
Xu Nuan saw the wild yearning gleaming in Guo Dafu's eyes.
“Every challenge has a Hidden Level, and as for the rewards, well, that depends on the System's mood. Unfortunately for you, as one of my targets, you will never have the chance to unlock the Hidden Level.”
“Why do you want to kill me? The System wouldn’t issue such a cruel mission!”
Xu Nuan moved her lips, but the grotesque face before her became blurry, and the air around her felt painfully thin.
“Ha ha! I don't care about the mission; I just want money! I have to get the money!”
Despite the frustration swelling in her chest, Xu Nuan had no choice but to despairingly close her eyes, her struggles weakening considerably.
“Sorry I'm late.”
At that moment, a familiar voice rang out, and Xu Nuan felt the grip around her neck loosen. Guo Dafu began to scream in agony.
When Xu Nuan forced her eyes open, she saw Gu Ze's worried face, and in his eyes flickered a hint of regret.
What was this person regretting?
Clearly, it was he who had saved himself.
Over there, Xu Hang and Guo Dafu were facing off, while Gu Ze noticed the dark purple marks on Xu Nuan's neck, his expression turning terrifyingly grim.
Xu Nuan's chest rose and fell violently; she realized that even breathing brought waves of intense pain. She could only hope that her cervical vertebrae were not fractured. She still didn't know when she would reach the Supply Station to find medicine; she could not die yet.
Just as Xu Nuan felt the pain becoming unbearable, a warm sensation spread across her neck—Gu Ze's palm gently caressing her, like a feather, tickling without causing any pain.
Instinctively, Xu Nuan tried to swat Gu Ze's hand away, but another large hand grasped hers.
"Don't move. I'll check it for you. It won't hurt."
Overwhelmed by fatigue and discomfort, Xu Nuan found herself lying in Gu Ze's embrace. For some reason, her restless heart, filled with anxiety and uncertainty, quieted at that moment.
The surroundings seemed to fall silent. With her eyes closed, Xu Nuan heard Xu Hang speaking softly to Gu Ze.
"We let that guy escape. Next time I see him, I’ll definitely give him a good beating."
"At least I managed to grab the Camel; we won’t have to worry about food for now."
"They're all just asleep; it's fine now."
Soon after, Xu Hang's voice faded away, and the sound of burning branches grew distant.
As Xu Nuan began to lose track of whether she was dreaming or awake, Gu Ze's uniquely warm voice broke the silence once more.
"Great, you didn't hurt your bones. Let me help you with the bandaging."
Xu Nuan wanted to say something, but her lips only moved slightly before she pressed a finger against them. Gu Ze's voice seemed to echo right beside her.
"Don't talk. Just sleep. When you wake up, everything will be fine."
At that moment, Xu Nuan was too preoccupied to think about how inappropriate his actions were. Listening to Gu Ze's voice, she unknowingly drifted off to sleep.
Once asleep, she missed the conversation between Xu Hang and Gu Ze.
"Ze, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have stopped you from coming back. I thought that even if Guo Dafu had issues, nothing would happen with the four of them together. I underestimated Guo Dafu's cunning."
"This isn't your fault; it's my own intentions that weren't pure. I clearly sensed something was off with Guo Dafu but still wanted to learn about her past through him. As a result, we ended up in this situation. Moreover, she never expected us to return; from the very beginning, she intended to face everything alone."
When Xu Nuan woke up again, it was the next morning. After scanning the surroundings, she found Gu Ze and Xu Hang dealing with the prey they had brought back last night, while Tang Jingshu and the others were still asleep due to the double dosage of medicine.
Her bandaged fingers brushed against her neck and unexpectedly touched the thick bandages. Remembering last night's events, various emotions surged in her light brown eyes.
She had been too naive; she had been too weak. Just a little more, and she wouldn't have been able to continue at all.
It was her first time being so close to death, and it was an unpleasant feeling.
Xu Nuan struggled to calm her swirling emotions and cast a heavy gaze around at the others.
When Tang Jingshu and the others woke up, how would she explain everything?
Guo Dafu was indeed problematic; those plant juices contained sleeping pills, and there were drugs in the fire that could sap one's strength. She wanted to confront Guo Dafu alone.
How could all of this be explained?
She was selfish, deliberately hiding these feelings, yet still choosing to stay here.
Xu Nuan found that her emotions could not calm down at all, and suddenly in front of her appeared a bowl of thick liquid, along with minced meat and crushed beans, perfect for someone like her with an injured neck.
Looking up from the bowl of porridge, she saw Gu Ze's gentle smile as always.
"It might still hurt when you eat, but if you don't eat, you won't have the strength to keep going. Once we reach the Supply Station, you can take the time to heal properly."
For a brief moment, Xu Nuan doubted whether tears would fall from her eyes, but in the end, they did not. She simply spoke in a hoarse voice.
"Thank you. About last night, I really appreciate it."
When Xu Nuan uttered those words, she noticed a fleeting emotion in Gu Ze's eyes that she couldn't quite understand, but it was gone too quickly for her to decipher.
"We're all companions; there's no need to be so formal. Don't worry, Xu Hang and I will be fine. They’ll just think we had a good night's sleep."
His voice always had a comforting magic to it. Xu Nuan slowly lowered her head, not daring to look at him again.
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