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墨書 Inktalez
It was a clear morning, with the cool sunlight just beginning to touch the earth. The snow-laden fir trees stood in a row like sentinels guarding the vast Ice Lake. The crystal-clear Ice Lake reflected the azure sky, its surface marred by patches of floating ice that fragmented the Azure White Clouds into mottled pieces, creating layers of blue in the reflection.
The platinum light spread across the lake's surface, reflecting off the ice and emitting a dazzling glow that was almost blinding yet irresistibly alluring.
On the other side of Ice Lake lay an endless expanse of red trees. The Special Trees, regardless of their surroundings, were lush and vibrant, their colors dripping with life. Yet, their environment evoked feelings of beauty, grandeur, and eeriness all at once.
This time, the group's feelings mirrored those they had experienced in the desert—intensely unsettling. No matter how beautiful or striking the creatures were, their presence could not mask the sense of strangeness.
"What should we do?" Tang Jingshu asked habitually. Her once shoulder-length black hair had grown long and unkempt, now cascading down to her chest. A passing breeze stirred her locks but could not hide her furrowed brow.
"The thickness of the ice isn't enough to support our weight for walking, yet it's thick enough to prevent us from swimming across," came a voice.
"Ah," Deng Yinyin interjected before Tang Jingshu could finish her thought. "How could we possibly swim across in this cold? We’d freeze to death!"
Xu Nuan wholeheartedly agreed with the notion of freezing to death. The width of Ice Lake was just right at the foot of the mountain; it felt as if they were trapped in a segment of a snowy mountain landscape. Everything seemed designed to lead them toward the next crisis—such contrived scenarios were clearly meant to challenge the Players.
If they couldn't walk or swim, then they would have to find a way to cross by boat.
As soon as this idea crossed Xu Nuan's mind, she turned her attention to the nearby fir trees while listening to Xu Hang lead a discussion.
Upon closer inspection, Xu Nuan felt disheartened. She couldn't fathom where the Designers had sourced these fir trees; their trunks were incredibly thick. Only the main trunks could be used for making rafts, and with her axe, it would take considerable effort just to fell one tree. Even if all Six People worked together to chop down six trees, they still lacked ropes for binding them. Wait—didn't all Six People have ropes? If combined, they might be able to construct a raft.
While Xu Nuan pondered the feasibility of making a raft and racked her brain recalling survival shows that demonstrated raft construction, she realized that her idea was lovely but impractical. The outcome discussed among Xu Hang and the others was far from ideal; they had run out of provisions. Even when pooled together, their food supply amounted to barely one meal, and that was under very frugal circumstances.
Before Xu Nuan could share her stubborn ideas with Gu Ze, he informed her that they only had three ropes left; all others had been lost for various reasons. Of course, only she and Gu Ze had brought axes; they lacked any other tools for cutting down trees.
The idea of making a raft for themselves suddenly shattered.
As Gu Ze finished speaking, Xu Nuan simply squatted under a snow pine with her backpack hugged to her chest, staring blankly at Ice Lake, appearing lost in thought.
Gu Ze couldn't help but chuckle at Xu Nuan's demeanor. Ignoring the gazes of others, he waved to Xu Hang, who was still pondering ideas, and joined Xu Nuan by squatting down beside her with his own backpack, remaining silent.
Xu Nuan maintained a blank expression. After a moment of self-reassurance in her mind, she turned to look at Gu Ze.
"What if we catch a black bear for food reserves?"
Gu Ze smiled and replied, "Are you sure you dare to sit on the raft we make and paddle across this lake?"
Xu Nuan was left speechless. She indeed didn't have the courage to sit on a raft she had made herself. However, at that moment, she couldn't think of any other way to cross the lake; there was no land on either side. She wondered how the Designer had come up with such a design, and the thought only deepened her frustration.
"If we're in a hurry, that plan won't work," Gu Ze's words pulled Xu Nuan out of her gloom, leaving her with a complex expression. Her lips pressed together but no words came out.
After a long pause, Xu Nuan finally tossed her backpack behind her and sat down in the snow, leaning against it as she muttered one sentence.
"Your words always hit where it hurts."
It lacked any real intimidation.
Gu Ze chuckled softly before adopting a serious tone.
"I finally understand what you mean about the peculiar design of this game. The closer you get to the end, the more people tend to relax or become anxious, making it harder to succeed. Making a raft yourself is clearly a last resort—time-consuming and dangerous. It really doesn't seem like something you would come up with."
"I know," Xu Nuan muttered, her frustration almost spilling over. However, Gu Ze continued as if he hadn't heard her.
"And this game, as you mentioned before, tests not just survival skills but many other aspects. Therefore, there is a simple and clever way to cross this Ice Lake. We don't need to rush. If we calm down, we can think of the best solution."
Xu Nuan was taken aback; she found herself convinced by Gu Ze. Unknowingly, he seemed to see further than she did, and his attitude towards the game was likely what the Designers wanted to see. The people hiding in the monitoring room must be laughing.
"Ha," Xu Nuan suddenly hesitated. Should she delay the decision she would soon have to make? Would she regret it?
Her resolute thoughts wavered, and it was surprisingly because of this person. She realized she had been away from reality for too long; returning to that cruel yet warm society was the best choice.
"You really are impressive."
In the end, Xu Nuan could only smile at Gu Ze and say this one sentence. At that moment, her heart, which had been wavering in the game, quietly settled.
Gu Ze didn't have the same authority as Xu Hang, but his words were easily convincing. From a distance that wasn't too far away, Xu Nuan heard Gu Ze relay his thoughts to others in a different way, and they believed him, choosing to wait in place and conserve their strength.
The silent moments always felt particularly long. Xu Nuan stared blankly at the lake's surface while Gu Ze and Xu Hang wandered off somewhere. Tang Jingshu and the others were chatting. Xu Nuan didn't pay attention to their topic, but the increasing volume made it impossible for her to ignore.
From complaints about the game to discussions about company positions, from trivial matters at home to personal issues, their conversation eventually circled back to the game.
Inevitably, it led to the conflict between Xu Nuan and Deng Yinyin.
Xu Nuan wanted to cover her ears, but thinking of Gu Ze's earlier efforts, she maintained a blank expression while staring at the lake's surface. The voices discussing her situation reached her ears without diminishing.
"Deng Yinyin, we're about to move on to the next level. What exactly happened between you two? This will affect our future collaboration."
It was Tang Jingshu's voice—three parts seriousness and seven parts gentleness—without any hint of blame. Xu Nuan suddenly missed that gentle and demure Tang Jingshu who smiled so sweetly; the one who would speak a bit uncertainly about botanical knowledge; the one who reminisced about her boyfriend.
Rubbing her eyes, Xu Nuan sighed, realizing that she must be feeling sentimental due to the cold and exhaustion.
Deng Yinyin was still stammering, "Tang Jingshu, don’t ask. I just feel wronged."
Xu Nuan couldn't help but chuckle at how amusing this person was; didn’t her contradictory statements only raise more suspicion?
As Xu Nuan had expected, Xie Huai's indignant voice came through.
"Deng Yinyin, don’t feel wronged. We’re not close to her anyway. We’re neither in the same group of Players nor colleagues anymore, so you don’t need to put yourself in a difficult position."
As soon as Xie Huai finished speaking, Tang Jingshu interrupted him.
"Xie Huai, don’t say that. After all..."
Xu Nuan felt a flicker of anticipation for what Tang Jingshu would say next, but then Tang Jingshu fell silent, leaving Xie Huai and Deng Yinyin to engage in a hollow exchange that gradually faded away.
If Gu Ze were here, they wouldn’t dare to talk like this. The thought crossed Xu Nuan's mind, but she quickly dismissed it.
"Haah."
Xu Nuan let out a heavy sigh, touched her chest, stood up, and ran over to squat by Ice Lake, carefully observing the scene within.
Strange-looking fish swam in Ice Lake, while broken ice chunks floated on the surface. Sunlight reflected off the water, making the entire lake shimmer brilliantly and impossible to ignore; aside from that, there wasn’t anything particularly special.
Xu Nuan had been staring at the lake for quite a while when her body unconsciously leaned forward. As she did so, she suddenly noticed the floating ice moving at an almost imperceptible speed, merging together.
Just then, a hand suddenly wrapped around Xu Nuan's waist, pulling her back from the brink of falling in.
Among these people, only Gu Ze was unreserved.
"Gu Ze, take a closer look. Aren't those ice floes gathering? The ice layer seems to have thickened as well."
Excited, Xu Nuan completely forgot the usual caution between them. One hand tugged at Gu Ze's sleeve while the other pointed at the lake's surface. Others who heard the commotion also rushed to the lakeside.
A faint smile lingered on Gu Ze's lips, half reassuring and half joyful.
"I noticed it too when Hang and I were looking for fruit. I was just about to tell you."
"As long as it's not an illusion," Xu Nuan sighed in relief, but then a question arose.
"Could it be that the ice layer thickens and the broken ice connects, making Ice Lake a path at a certain time?"
Xu Nuan loosened her grip on Gu Ze's clothing and took a few cold berries.
"That's my guess, but we'll only know for sure by evening."
Gu Ze gestured for Xu Nuan to return to her spot to rest. Believing she was right, Xu Nuan obediently sat down under the snowdrift, waiting for evening to arrive.
This time, Xu Nuan didn't speculate. By evening, Ice Lake had indeed transformed into an icy path. Strong Gu Ze and Xu Hang were the first to test it out. After confirming that the ice path could support their weight, everyone stepped onto it. In just over ten minutes, they reached the Special Tree. After another ten minutes, the long-awaited Green Supply Station appeared before them.
After a round of tidying up, they set off again.
Seeing the other five standing in front of the green door, Xu Nuan glanced at the IV drip in her left hand and looked up.
"You all go ahead. I'll catch up after I finish my IV."
As the words fell, the expressions of the five people varied.
In the end, four of them left, leaving only Xu Nuan and Gu Ze behind.
Gu Ze stood at the door, his hand resting on the doorknob, his head lowered, silent.
Xu Nuan also kept her head down, staring at the wooden floor of the Supply Station.
"Gu Ze, thank you. I hope you can clear the level soon."
"I'm sorry, my time is too tight."
Xu Nuan spoke these words without daring to look up.
After a long while, accompanied by the sound of the door closing and the wind blowing, a single sentence reached Xu Nuan's ears.
"I hope you can fulfill your wish and clear the level soon."
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