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墨書 Inktalez
A few unexpectedly appearing black bears heightened everyone's vigilance, making the afternoon trip to the snowy mountains feel more serious. With danger lurking at any moment, everyone's nerves were tightly strung, and their stamina was quickly depleting.
Xu Nuan was constantly replenishing her energy with candy, so when Gu Ze asked her which direction she preferred for the campsite in the evening, her words were laced with sweetness.
"We should find a spot that is sheltered from the wind while also having a wide view, and we must avoid areas with too much snow or those too close to the edge."
Xu Nuan earnestly expressed her opinion, but Gu Ze, who had asked the question, suddenly chuckled. His smile was like a spring breeze, and his voice carried a pleasant tone.
"You look just like a child right now; it's really cute."
"…"
Xu Nuan fell silent for a few seconds before realizing that the sweetness in her mouth had wafted through the air to Gu Ze. It was quite embarrassing; however, in Xu Nuan's heart, being teased felt more annoying than embarrassing, prompting her to respond more seriously.
"I’m already twenty-five; no, I’ll be twenty-six soon."
What she didn’t know was that when she said this, the seriousness and focus in her light brown eyes only made Gu Ze feel even more delighted.
"I know you’re turning twenty-six; your birthday is in early winter, which is why you were named Nuan."
Gu Ze immediately raised a hand and replied with equal seriousness, though the amusement in his eyes remained undiminished.
Upon hearing Gu Ze explain the origin of her name, Xu Nuan, as the person it belonged to, felt a strange sensation. This feeling had surfaced during their encounter in Changing Swamp as well, though not as intensely as this time.
Could it be that her guess was correct?
Thinking of this made Xu Nuan's face pale instantly, leaving Gu Ze puzzled by her sudden change. Before he could ask what was wrong, Xu Hang, who had been pushed out by Deng Yinyin, quickly interjected.
"Ze, what do you think about choosing that cave over there as our campsite? It looks pretty safe."
The first to respond to Xu Hang was Xu Nuan. She directly ignored Deng Yinyin's displeased expression and looked towards the spot Xu Hang pointed out; it perfectly matched the requirements she had just mentioned.
"I think it sounds good. Should we go take a look?"
Without hesitation, Xu Nuan, the action-oriented one, stepped towards the place that caught her eye.
Gu Ze could only shrug helplessly at Xu Hang, not showing any displeasure at Xu Hang's interruption.
Xu Hang let out a sigh of relief while shooting a fierce glare at Deng Yinyin, then headed in that direction as well.
At this moment, dusk quickly enveloped the vast expanse of snow-capped mountains. The spot chosen by Xu Nuan and the others offered a great view, capturing the snowy landscape below that reached their ankles.
Xu Nuan had no time to appreciate it for two reasons. First, she noticed that while the snow was only ankle-deep at the base of the mountain, it rose to her calves and knees as they ascended. Even though her legs were well-protected against the cold, she worried about potential aftereffects in such increasingly frigid conditions as they climbed higher. The second reason was that they had been startled by a black bear and had forgotten to gather firewood during their ascent.
Now, everyone was hurriedly lighting Alcohol Wipes to prepare hot Jerky, and a faint warmth began to fill the narrow and shallow cave.
Knowing that she had a tendency to worry unnecessarily, Xu Nuan started thinking about what she should do.
Her name was Xu Nuan, and she craved warmth. Simply put, she was afraid of the cold.
In her memory, when they first climbed to this area, there were a few trees on the other side of the mountain; perhaps there would be some dry branches nearby.
With this thought in mind, Xu Nuan set down her backpack and stepped outside. Tang Jingshu and the others were too busy roasting Jerky to pay her any mind.
As soon as she stepped outside, the howling cold wind momentarily blinded Xu Nuan. Slowly making her way towards the place she remembered, she found someone already there.
"Gu Ze?"
Xu Nuan tightened her scarf around her neck; she hadn’t even noticed Gu Ze had come out. At the same time, she noticed he was holding several sturdy branches in his hands.
However, when Gu Ze turned to face her at the sound of her voice, his serious expression made Xu Nuan feel uneasy.
That unease was quickly confirmed.
Not far from a few crooked Fir Trees lay several Animal Bones, still stained with fur and blood. Surrounding the skeletons were wolf tracks.
It wasn’t snowing at the moment, and judging by the depth and clarity of the tracks, it hadn’t been long since the wolves had left. This meant that there was a high chance they would return.
"Although it's a pity, we have to change locations."
Gu Ze let out a heavy sigh and reached up to rub his temples, but Xu Nuan, who was approaching, blocked his movement.
"Huh?"
Gu Ze was puzzled, but when he lowered his gaze, he noticed that Xu Nuan was gripping the branch in his hand, the very hand he had intended to use to rub his forehead.
A gentle smile immediately blossomed on Gu Ze's face, while Xu Nuan quickly turned away and hastily picked up some branches. The two returned to the Temporary Campsite in silence, their complex emotions unspoken. After explaining the situation to everyone, they all wore grim expressions as they set off to find a new Campsite.
The height and diameter of the snow-capped mountain were astonishing. After some consideration, they decided to camp on the other side of the mountain instead of exhausting themselves by climbing again; they were all eager for rest after depleting their energy.
What Xu Nuan didn't know was that not far from where she and Gu Ze were gathering branches, someone was climbing up from a low Cliff.
"Hah."
Finally finding a new Campsite, the group divided their tasks efficiently, with boiling water being their top priority. When the water began to boil, they disregarded the issue of lower boiling points at high altitudes and eagerly drank the water to warm themselves.
Due to a certain matter, Xu Nuan opted for compressed biscuits instead of candy, lightly explaining to Tang Jingshu that "this will be hard to digest" when offered some Jerky.
As night deepened, several people began to rest. The extremely exhausted members of the group started snoring one by one.
Xu Nuan, curled up in her sleeping bag at the outer edge of the row of girls, stared blankly at the ceiling of the cave. The cold moonlight outside cast its icy glow onto the equally cold snow, exposing every detail of the surroundings. Xu Nuan felt a chill enveloping her entire body.
Being someone whose hands and feet were always cold regardless of the season, Xu Nuan disliked winter and this situation. However, she had no right to be willful; she could only accept it silently without complaint since there was nowhere to voice her grievances.
No, perhaps she would be willing to complain to Gu Ze and Tang Jingshu.
Thinking of those two brought a fleeting softness to Xu Nuan's eyes, but it quickly turned into indifference. They were both lying nearby yet couldn't engage with her like her friends or Qin Yaojie could. Wasn't it rather pitiful that such one-sided acknowledgment existed?
The cave was bright due to the white snow; she could only see the limestone walls around her. The varying sounds of snoring filled her ears, but what she heard more distinctly was her own rapid breathing.
As her breathing quickened, Xu Nuan's brows furrowed and her lips visibly drooped; even tears threatened to spill from her eyes. Everyone else was asleep and couldn't see her current expression—this was how she comforted herself. Yet the pain radiating from her back refused to let Xu Nuan drift off into sleep easily.
Every minute turned into an agony.
She could hardly measure time anymore.
Her weary body protested, and she felt powerless.
The sound of the wind outside the cave gradually became clearer, and the night deepened.
She remained awake.
When the sharp pain in her back struck again, Xu Nuan finally couldn't help but let out a sound and had to turn onto her side.
As she shifted, her gaze met that of another person.
She didn't remember Gu Ze being at the outer edge of the row of men, positioned directly opposite her.
From a distance of two or three meters, Xu Nuan looked into the depths of Gu Ze's eyes. The unmasked worry and flowing emotions there made Xu Nuan feel even more awake.
The moisture in her eyes intensified. She saw Gu Ze trying to speak, but in the end, he only moved his lips without saying anything, his gaze fixed steadily on her—more accurately, he insisted on maintaining eye contact with her.
Strangely enough, Xu Nuan did not look away.
Their silent gaze lingered for a long time.
During that time, Xu Nuan thought about many things, until finally, her mind went blank.
Xu Nuan couldn't remember if she had smiled at Gu Ze when she turned away. What she did remember was waking up in the morning with tears still wet on her face and a bitter smile lingering on her lips.
Using the motion of putting on clothes to cover her face, Xu Nuan felt anything but calm inside.
It seemed she had to make a decision.
She couldn't bring herself to harm others with sincerity.
She made this decision with a heart full of gratitude, yet it was truly a sorrowful choice.
The team activities over the past few months had led several members to choose tolerance in the face of awkwardness when sharing the same space, the discomfort of resting at night, and the embarrassment of mornings.
Perhaps they would still privately gossip and complain a bit, but whether it was the out-of-place Xu Nuan, the gentle Gu Ze, the reserved Xu Hang, the bold Xie Huai, the carefree Deng Yinyin, or the quiet Tang Jingshu, none would openly discuss these matters.
The team, composed of individuals with differing personalities, seemed to operate smoothly. However, if one looked closely, they would surely find cracks beneath the surface.
Xu Nuan was a sensitive woman; she had long sensed Deng Yinyin's wariness towards her, Xie Huai's indifference, and Xu Hang's detachment. Among the Third Batch of Players, only Gu Ze and Tang Jingshu were friendly towards her. The former was someone she would soon choose to distance herself from, while the latter leaned more towards Deng Yinyin and others.
She had to admit that despite being immersed in the team, she often felt like a lone wolf. The fact that she was an outsider to the Third Batch of Players had never changed, and she could already sense the widening cracks and impending crisis.
What she didn’t know was how the Second Batch Players, with whom she had a decent relationship, were faring now—what they had experienced and whether their original intentions remained intact.
The time would eventually come when she would be alone, embarking on a solitary journey to find that person.
So then, should she pray for that moment of solitude to arrive sooner or later?
In the end, she found herself wavering.
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