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墨書 Inktalez
If someone told you that to survive this Billion Survival Death Game, you would have to bear the death of a lover or a friend, would you still participate?
The answer is unsolvable.
The company that designed the game is shameless yet clever. They lure with money, deceive in the name of Survival Game, and ultimately present it as a Death Game.
Tempted, deceived, and then willingly falling into death.
It feels like a play, yet it is a reality that must be accepted.
The blood-soaked ground and the backdrop of despair have become the deepest imprint of Xu Nuan's life, and she knows she will see more. Among that bloodshed, there may even be familiar faces.
The encroaching darkness is about to make her dizzy; after trembling a few times, Xu Nuan barely steadies herself. She cannot fall; what will happen to He Min if she does? What will happen to Qin Yaojie?
Having come this far, how could she not witness the outcome?
“Sadness harms the body; only you can help her now.”
As clarity returned to her vision, an elegant voice reached Xu Nuan's ears.
Gu Ze had turned slightly, allowing that scene to imprint itself once more in Xu Nuan's mind.
Xu Nuan stared blankly at Gu Ze, her gaze sorrowful. After a quick glance, she walked towards He Min.
No one cared if their clothes were stained red with blood; no one cared if there were any marks on their bodies. Only when she held that cool, trembling body could Xu Nuan see He Min's expression.
Despair and emptiness.
To summarize it simply in one word only made it more heartbreaking.
“Amin.”
She could only repeat He Min's name over and over again. Any comfort during such a loss felt unnecessary, even a simple "take care" felt like a knife, stabbing deeply into her already shattered heart.
The words "I am here" were nothing but a ridiculous lie. Xu Nuan herself didn’t know if she could survive in this game. She was afraid of death; she might die.
How could such a despicable promise even be uttered?
Xu Nuan repeated He Min's name, while He Min repeated Yu Hao's name. In the end, it was the injured He Min who first succumbed to exhaustion and fainted, allowing Xu Nuan to pick her up.
Under the silent gaze of Gu Ze and the others, Xu Nuan settled He Min down to rest and administered a dose of sedative.
She wished for He Min to have sweet dreams, to not face reality—at least not right now. As an outsider caught between He Min and Yu Hao, it was her turn to confront reality, letting her heart, already filled with devastation, become even more hollow. Only when it was empty would she stop caring and find the strength to move forward.
Seeing that He Min had fallen asleep, the others finally dared to discuss their situation in hushed tones, their voices gentle like the sound of a night breeze rustling through leaves.
“Nuan, what should we do now?”
Tang Jingshu hurriedly glanced past the frightened Xie Huai and the nauseated Deng Yinyin, forcing herself not to look at the pool of blood and the mangled body. Instead, she focused on Xu Nuan’s pale face.
“The person is gone; any words are meaningless. But we are still in this game, and danger lurks everywhere. We need to address the problem first,” Tang Jingshu gently reminded Xu Nuan.
“What should we do with his body? There are too many beasts around.”
This was indeed what Xu Nuan needed to worry about right now.
Gu Ze, closest to Xu Nuan, clearly saw the flash of anger in her eyes, and her heavy breathing signaled her emotional state.
In just a few seconds, Xu Nuan walked briskly toward a nearby patch of grass, squinting at several trees nearby. Ignoring the astonished looks from others, she suppressed her emotions as best as she could and began speaking towards one direction, word by word.
"You all seem to be enjoying this scene, don't you? That's great. Are you trying to use us to test the feasibility of this game, or is it just a twisted mindset that makes you spend money to watch a joke? Regardless of which it is, I will definitely storm into the Game Control Room."
One person spoke towards a direction with only a few trees, and the scene looked quite strange. However, they all knew that this Game Base was constantly under surveillance. Even if they found the so-called monitoring equipment, every move they made was known to the people in the control room.
As Tang Jingshu and the others wondered whether the System—no, the people in the Game Control Room—would respond to Xu Nuan's question, a cold, processed voice echoed. The Third Batch of Players were no strangers to this voice.
"Xu Nuan, please watch your wording. Our company operates legally and all Players have signed contracts according to legal procedures. If you continue to spread rumors and disturb other Players, you know what your consequences will be."
The response was devoid of any emotion.
"Is that so?" Xu Nuan chuckled softly, her eyes burning with increasing fury, and the smile on her face became increasingly dangerous.
"I have only one condition: send someone to take away Yu Hao's body and preserve it until we complete the game."
Xu Nuan's tone was as casual as discussing today's weather, while the others, who were aware of Xu Nuan's cautious gaming mentality, were utterly astonished. No one dared to negotiate with the people in the control room. Unlike their game, which was bought with money, this was a game created by power.
"Impossible. That does not comply with regulations; in this game, everyone is equal."
The System's response was merciless but avoided addressing Xu Nuan's latter statement about their potential success in clearing the game.
After that, the System fell silent.
This highlighted the disadvantage of being a Player; every action and word was monitored. They could only proceed through each level according to the System's arrangements, like grotesque performers on a screen. Conversely, they still had no idea who sat in the control room or what kind of company this Game Company was or who its Designer might be.
This was a game that tempted humanity with money to perform on a stage mimicking natural environments according to the ideas of certain talented, powerful, and wealthy individuals.
Xu Nuan remained silent in response to the System's words, her gaze falling on He Min curled up under a tree with closed eyes before shifting to Yu Hao not far away, lifeless. The corners of her eyes began to sting.
She had long known that those people would not agree, would not show weakness, would not feel pity. She had always known; all she wanted was an outlet for her emotions, yet she didn't even have the power to vent.
The hearts of people are ultimately different.
Some can calmly sit in the monitoring room and watch a person die, a group of people die.
Yet she had no power to lay her friend's body to rest, her heart torn apart while receiving no compassion from those in the monitoring room.
The forest fell silent once more.
The Third Batch of Players did not leave or urge anyone to act. Xu Nuan merely glanced back and forth between He Min and Yu Hao, no longer taking any action.
"Gu Ze," after a long pause, Xu Nuan finally spoke, addressing Gu Ze who had been standing beside her.
"What are the chances of you burning his body and taking the ashes out?"
Gu Ze fell silent.
After a moment, he solemnly replied.
"To be honest, very low. Given our current conditions, even if we set his body on fire, we would only end up with a pile of mixed remains."
"Is that so?" Xu Nuan murmured. "I should have known."
Although her sense of time had blurred from being in the game for too long, and her memories had become hazy, she clearly remembered that Dai Zhengyan had been swallowed whole by Python—there was no body. Guo Dafu's body was buried under the snow, destined to remain in this base forever.
And Yu Hao's body must not be left here; that was the only thing she could do. She wanted a reason to comfort He Min and to give her a reason to continue moving forward and escape this game. She understood that Yu Hao and He Min had entered this game for money; she held no disdain for them.
The sun had begun its descent in the west; it wouldn't be long before evening arrived. Their group had spent the entire afternoon in this place.
After a while, Xu Nuan, lost in thought, heard Deng Yinyin's somewhat sullen voice break the silence.
“Isn't there a storage cabinet at the Supply Station? It shouldn't be a problem to keep a body there, and no beasts will attack it.”
Xu Nuan suddenly looked up, meeting Gu Ze's gaze as he came back to his senses.
“We should be the last ones to pass this level, and no other players will reach this Supply Station. Once we clear the level, we’ll have the right to request the company to retrieve Yu Hao's body.”
Her voice rose with undeniable excitement.
“That’s a good plan,” Gu Ze nodded in agreement. He glanced back before turning to Xu Nuan. “Do you want to discuss this with He Min, or should we head to the Supply Station now?”
“Let’s go now,” Xu Nuan decided firmly, quickly pulling out a sleeping bag from her backpack. “The temperature here isn’t low; it’s best if we find the Supply Station as soon as possible.”
As she explained her reasoning while walking toward Yu Hao's body, Gu Ze took the sleeping bag from her hands.
“Huh?” Xu Nuan looked at Gu Ze in confusion.
Gu Ze casually lifted the sleeping bag but gestured toward He Min. “You take care of her; I’ll handle this.”
Xu Nuan frowned, wanting to refuse. Perhaps she would have nightmares about this for a long time, but touching a friend's body wasn't something she found difficult.
Before Xu Nuan could speak, Xu Hang, who was striding over, spoke up with a calm voice that showed no signs of distress.
“I’ll go with Ze. You get ready; we’ll hurry back and set up camp for the night.”
The two broad figures stood strong against the vibrant sunset, exuding a reassuring strength.
Xu Nuan tilted her head slightly. Was this what it felt like to be cared for out of sympathy?
She didn’t need it, but she could accept it.
She was already so tired, having not eaten and feeling heartbroken; she truly wished she could just fall asleep.
But she did not fall asleep.
“Thank you.”
The words came out as a barely audible whisper.
As she returned to He Min's side, Xu Nuan passed by the weary-looking Deng Yinyin and softly expressed her gratitude.
When Yu Hao had died and He Min lay in a deep slumber, she wondered if she could have made it through alone.
She felt fortunate that, at this moment, there was a group of people by her side.
Willingly or unwillingly, either way, she was immensely grateful.
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