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墨書 Inktalez
A crystal-clear river, resembling a gemstone, emerged from the lush green forest, flowing along its course to an unseen destination.
The blue sky, dotted with white clouds, reflected in the river, while the banks were lined with verdant trees. Fresh Papyrus sprouted from the black soil, densely clustered like loyal guardians. It was a serene painting that slowly unfolded before everyone.
Xu Nuan watched as the others immersed themselves in the beautiful scenery, a gentle smile gradually forming on her lips.
That day, when Tang Jingshu and the others woke up, they only heard that Guo Dafu had found a shortcut and wanted to leave everyone behind. They were unaware of what had transpired between Xu Nuan and Guo Dafu.
Fortunately, they managed to find the Supply Station that very day and released the Camel. After overcoming several challenges without incident, they arrived at the Beautiful River stage.
However, just thinking about how she had narrowly escaped death due to her own foolishness, and recalling Gu Ze and Xu Hang's silence afterward, made Xu Nuan realize that her heart ached for reasons beyond just Qin Yaojie.
Xu Nuan knew very well that in front of the other five, she had felt utterly helpless these past few days. Yet her calm expression provided a temporary facade. But when facing Gu Ze, she began to experience a strange feeling. A university alumnus, a colleague from the same group, an adept hunter, and someone who had saved her.
These identities intertwined within Xu Nuan stirred up a peculiar sensation in her heart—one she wanted to avoid yet was drawn to confront. She tried not to pay attention but found herself unable to ignore it.
Taking a deep breath, Xu Nuan exhaled heavily, attempting to expel these tangled thoughts from her mind. However, Guo Dafu's words lingered in her mind—each challenge had a Hidden Level. Did this mean that the game's System would present additional tasks? Just like in real life when playing online games, aside from normal challenges, could they also undertake other missions for extra rewards?
Rubbing her temples, Xu Nuan realized what she needed to know was how to trigger the Hidden Level and whether those extra rewards would be beneficial for their progress. Moreover, she didn't believe this game would be cruel enough to use people's lives as tasks; so what was Guo Dafu's true reason for wanting to kill her?
At that moment, Xu Nuan found herself unable to control her expression and noticed how out of place she felt compared to the lively and enthusiastic group around her. Even wearing a striking orange Tactical Jacket made her feel dull here. She felt like a blade of grass swaying in the wind—unanchored. But this was the path she had chosen; she shouldn't blame anyone at this moment.
Just as a flicker of intensity crossed Xu Nuan's eyes, she noticed Gu Ze surveying their surroundings. When he caught sight of Xu Nuan, he broke into a warm smile; his deep brown eyes were filled with afternoon sunlight—a brilliant and gentle glow after breaking the ice.
He was an oddly endearing person whom one couldn't help but like.
Xu Nuan wanted to smile, but her movements froze for a moment.
She thought her expression must look strange, but the man not far away didn’t seem to mind at all. Suddenly, Xu Nuan felt the urge to share this with Gu Ze. This man appeared gentle, yet he possessed enough wisdom and determination; perhaps he could offer different and useful insights regarding the Hidden Level.
Xu Nuan was a person of action. Once she made up her mind, she immediately stepped toward Gu Ze. However, after just a couple of steps, she felt something underfoot, followed by a piercing sound of a baby crying, shattering the tranquility of the picturesque surroundings.
Looking down, Xu Nuan discovered she had stepped on some oddly shaped grass. With each press of her foot, the baby's cries echoed continuously. She suppressed the urge to twitch her lips; this was truly a plant suited for mischief.
“What kind of plant is this? I’ve never seen it before.”
One of the onlookers, Tang Jingshu, tugged at her hair that had fallen onto her shoulder.
Xu Nuan stomped down hard on the grass again. Good, a plant that even Tang Jingshu, who was knowledgeable about flora, didn’t recognize was surely not a good one.
The sharp and chilling sound rang out once more.
Xu Nuan’s series of actions instantly conveyed her unpleasant mood to everyone around.
“Besides this noisy grass, everything else seems quite strange too,” Xie Huai hesitantly spoke while glancing around at Deng Yinyin, who appeared unaffected.
“The forest is too quiet; it feels devoid of any life.”
Upon hearing this, Xu Nuan immediately released her foot. Everyone fell silent for a moment before suddenly realizing that around Beautiful River, there was an eerie Silence.
There are many reasons for the silence, and based on Xu Nuan's limited understanding of this Game Base Designer, this reason is deadly.
Xu Nuan suddenly felt the urge to poke at those plants again. The sound of a baby's cry, though eerie, was better than complete silence.
Just as Xu Nuan was about to act on this impulse, she noticed Gu Ze, who had been quietly staring at the River Surface, had lost his smile and replaced it with a serious expression.
A serious expression was rare on Gu Ze's face, so Xu Nuan immediately walked over and mimicked him, staring intently at the River Surface.
The others also snapped back to reality, standing in a row by the riverbank, their gazes intense.
Upon closer inspection, they discovered something was wrong.
The blue river water was flowing, clear enough to see the bottom like a stream. However, the black fish and other creatures within were motionless, as if they had been subjected to a martial arts technique that froze them in place or had been infused with mercury, becoming eternal works of art.
A chill crept up everyone's backs, spreading outwards and creating a terrifying atmosphere.
It was still the impatient Deng Yinyin who broke the silence by kicking a stone at her feet. The stone traced an arc in the air before landing on the River Surface and slowly sinking. It did not reach the riverbed but instead froze in the middle of the water like the other creatures, becoming a shocking piece of art.
Xu Nuan heard distinct sounds of swallowing around her, and in fact, her own palms began to sweat. A strange atmosphere enveloped everyone.
In this stillness, Xie Huai suddenly spoke up in panic.
"Who? What has grabbed my leg?"
Xie Huai trembled, even afraid to look at his own feet.
Xu Nuan, however, calmly glanced over at the Papyrus that stood like a guard on the riverbank, silently wrapping around Xie Huai's ankle. This plant, with its seemingly fragile stem, was surprisingly resilient as it ensnared Xie Huai, not to be underestimated.
Xu Nuan took a few steps back, continuing to observe Xie Huai's feet. Undoubtedly, Xie Huai was the most timid among the Six People, someone who cherished life to the point of being neurotic.
There was nothing wrong with this; it wouldn’t lead to any bad consequences, Xu Nuan thought. However, Deng Yinyin disliked Xie Huai's personality the most. Swiftly drawing her knife, she bent down and made a decisive slash, causing the Papyrus to retract on its own, reminiscent of a carnivorous Cactus in the desert.
If plants could attack Players like animals did, the danger level of this game would rise significantly, and Xu Nuan gained a new understanding of the design capabilities of those Players.
“Things that can be solved with a knife, learn from it.”
After cutting down the Papyrus, Deng Yinyin turned away to look elsewhere, leaving an awkward Xie Huai behind.
“If we don’t get close to the riverbank anymore, we should be fine,” Xu Hang finally spoke after a long silence.
“Right,” Gu Ze chimed in. “We can find the Special Tree here and continue our quest. Let’s spread out and familiarize ourselves with the surroundings before moving on.”
Xu Nuan had to admit that Gu Ze and Xu Hang were the backbone of this temporary team; every word they spoke was irrefutable.
Turning her head, Xu Nuan chose a direction and walked into the dense forest, her lips curving upward without her realizing it.
The growth near the riverbank was thriving; however, the trees here were somewhat monotonous—either Poplars or Dawn Redwoods—standing silently along the riverbank in an orderly manner. Each one seemed poised to reach the sky, growing very lush and robust.
Xu Nuan analyzed the age of the trees, feeling that they had been around for a long time. She couldn't help but wonder when this company named "Zero" had started researching this game. She certainly didn't believe they had bought a real island to serve as a Game Base. In every Survival Game, the differences in survival environments were significant—climate, rainfall, and so on—making it impossible for them to all be on the same island. She began to think that perhaps she was overthinking things.
Having spent too long in this forest, Xu Nuan felt a bit dizzy and lost track of the direction she had come from. Aside from the trees, the most common plants were barnyard grass and sedges. The dense vegetation made her feel nauseous.
In addition to the plants, there were many animals.
Xu Nuan had already lost count of how many crawling insects she had encountered; the bizarre shapes of the bugs had completely ruined her appetite for lunch.
Excluding the animals that were still in the river, the most numerous creatures in this area were the ducks, herons, and pelicans found in the forest pond. The pond was flowing, allowing these animals to move freely, which brought a hint of vitality to the forest.
As Xu Nuan's mind wandered with these thoughts, she noticed something was off. There were clearly animals in the forest by the riverbank, so why had they heard nothing at all? It was eerily silent.
Suddenly, many contradictions flooded Xu Nuan's mind. As she ventured deeper into the dense woods, she came upon a large area of light—not another patch of forest, but rather the Blue River.
Xu Nuan suddenly realized that they were actually surrounded by the Blue River, trapped on this side of the bank. She hadn't found the Special Tree, and she had a premonition that neither had anyone else.
The Blue River separated them from this part of the forest, which would not contain a Special Tree. This was a conclusion that suddenly formed in Xu Nuan's mind.
They needed to cross the river.
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