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墨書 Inktalez
When faced with danger, people generally have two types of reactions. The first is a state of confusion, where the mind goes blank, and they wait helplessly for the crisis to unfold. The second is an unexpected calmness, analyzing the situation rationally and making reasonable judgments.
Xu Nuan belonged to the second type. More than once, she had been grateful for the tempering she underwent during this Death Game; her mindset had improved significantly. The growth forced by the extremes of life was fundamentally different from the stable development in a relatively safe society.
As Xu Nuan supported He Min while running back along the original path, she suddenly felt a burning sensation on her body. The marks seemed to want to break free from her skin, transforming into forms that could fly freely.
A bold idea flashed through Xu Nuan's mind, and she made a decision on the spot.
“Amin, you go back and tell them to leave quickly. I’ll go get help.”
While steadying He Min's body, Xu Nuan shoved the cane into He Min's hands. Without waiting for He Min to react, she dashed into a nearby bush where several winding paths extended out.
“Nuan!”
He Min, caught off guard, didn’t even have time to ask what Xu Nuan meant by 'help' before she could only watch Xu Nuan disappear into the bushes as those green creatures crawled ashore.
“Trust her,” He Min murmured to herself. Leaning on the cane and relying on the distance between herself and the Green-haired Creatures, she made her way back to the campsite.
He Min rushed back at her fastest speed, only to find Gu Ze and others already surrounded by those Green-haired Creatures. Meanwhile, more of their kind kept emerging from another direction, joining the encirclement.
That direction led to a mountain stream. As He Min realized this, she found herself being pushed back against a tree by the Green-haired Creatures.
“He Min, come up here!”
Looking up, He Min saw Tang Jingshu hiding in the tree, reaching out toward her in a dangerously precarious position.
But? He Min hesitated, searching around for that sleeping bag.
“Don’t worry, it’s here.”
A warm voice came from a nearby tree. He Min looked up again to see Gu Ze—the one who left the deepest impression on her among the Third Batch of Players—standing next to that sleeping bag.
He Min, no longer hesitating, climbed the tree with the help of Tang Jingshu.
The others followed suit, leaving a group of green-haired creatures shouting below.
"Where's Nuan?"
Before He Min could catch her breath, she heard Gu Ze's voice again.
Would Nuan allow a man to call her that?
He Min, feeling slightly more relaxed, found herself thinking inappropriately. Suppressing her doubts and the strange feelings inside, she answered honestly.
"She went to get reinforcements."
"Reinforcements? Are there other Players?"
It was Tang Jingshu who asked this question.
He Min shook her head honestly.
"I don't know, but Nuan is so certain for a reason. We'll find out when she gets back."
Finally having the chance to observe the green-haired creatures closely, He Min took in their appearance.
Beneath their green hair were black, pure pupils—just a simple shade of black that no light could penetrate—occupying a third of their faces. Their noses were nearly invisible, and their grotesque mouths were split wide open, oozing disgusting liquid that took up another third of their faces. Their hunched bodies were terrifyingly long-limbed, covered in green fur. They were far more horrifying and bizarre than any green-dyed baboon.
"Don't you think these things look a lot like water ghosts?"
Tang Jingshu's terrified voice resonated with the others standing in the tree.
"They really do resemble the creatures from the Beautiful River level," someone remarked.
Deng Yinyin chimed in with a quick remark, looking down at the group of Green-Haired Creatures with utter disdain.
However, the next voice startled her.
"The Green-Haired Monsters are modified from zombies and baboons, yet they possess superior traits that the others lack. They are different from water ghosts."
A prompt from the System appeared!
While Deng Yinyin angrily searched for the cameras and microphones, He Min's mind was in turmoil. The Third Batch of Players—what made them special? Could they be the breakthrough in this game?
Though she thought this, He Min said instead, "No matter how excellent their traits are, they will have weaknesses. As long as we find those weaknesses, we can definitely drive them away."
Gu Ze and Xu Hang were the first to recall, "Water ghosts are afraid of fire; perhaps these Green-Haired Monsters are too."
Both men, being action-oriented types, immediately rummaged through their clothes, splashed some alcohol on them, and lit them with a lighter before tossing them down. Their speed left He Min no time to intervene.
The System highlighted the differences between water ghosts and Green-Haired Monsters, significantly increasing the possibility of altering biological weaknesses.
The two ignited garments fell among the Green-Haired Monsters, and everyone watched with hopeful eyes for their reaction.
The result was disappointing.
The Green-Haired Monsters were stunned for less than a second before becoming agitated. Previously, they had slowly surrounded the group, gazing up at them; now their black pupils flickered with red light, their mouths stretching wider as their limbs began to climb up the trees.
The previous water ghosts could not climb trees; they speculated it was due to their smooth skin. But this time, the Green-Haired Monsters were covered in fur.
"It's over; they've been provoked."
Xie Huai habitually thought in a negative direction but clung to the tree trunk, attempting to climb higher.
The others watched anxiously as the Green-Haired Monster slowly climbed the tree. The tree had a top, and it was only a matter of time before the Green-Haired Monster reached it. They could fight, but what if the monster's saliva was toxic? Getting bitten would be disastrous.
Sit and wait? If the Green-Haired Monster really made it up, it would be all over.
Take the initiative? There was a risk of being bitten, and with so many Green-Haired Monsters around, it was hard to defend against them.
Before they could dwell on their dilemma for long, Deng Yinyin's voice rang out.
"Ah! Get away!"
He Min and the others quickly looked at Deng Yinyin and noticed that the branch she was standing on was quite low. The long-limbed Green-Haired Monster had only climbed for a short while before reaching her legs, tightly gripping her ankle. It was no wonder Deng Yinyin was screaming constantly; even when she spoke normally, her voice sounded like a scream.
Tang Jingshu's face turned pale, as if it were her ankle being grabbed. Memories of being caught and bitten by a water ghost flooded her mind, and she instinctively covered her head with one hand, feeling as if her left hand had transformed into something grotesque like a water ghost. Below the tree, the distinct colors of pale faces, dark eyes, and green hair, along with their eerie smiles, made her stomach churn.
Noticing Tang Jingshu's unease, He Min placed one hand on the tree trunk and the other on Tang Jingshu's shoulder. Sometimes, just being there without saying anything was the greatest comfort, much like how this person had comforted her earlier.
Meanwhile, Xu Hang was loudly reminding Deng Yinyin.
"Deng Yinyin, steady yourself against the tree. Just use your feet to push it away; don’t make any sudden movements. Whatever you do, don’t fall!"
Deng Yinyin was on the verge of losing control and couldn’t hear him. It wasn't just Tang Jingshu who had deep memories of water ghosts; as a woman herself, Deng Yinyin couldn't bear it either. What she found most unbearable was her helplessness when faced with Tang Jingshu's tears back then.
Feeling powerless led to her inaction.
She didn’t want to be the one who was pitied.
However, as Deng Yinyin moved too much, her balance faltered. The Green-Haired Monster yanked hard, causing her to tumble downwards.
"Deng Yinyin!"
Xu Hang's voice was filled with terror but he felt utterly helpless.
As several people frowned and exchanged glances, a figure burst forth from the nearby bushes at an incredible speed, accompanied by a flurry of Widow Butterflies.
Xu Nuan, enduring the heat radiating from the Widow Butterflies, had yet to put them to use when she saw Deng Yinyin tumble down. Her body instinctively reacted faster than her brain, and Xu Nuan lunged forward, stretching out her arms to catch Deng Yinyin. The two of them slid along the ground for a moment due to inertia before finally coming to a stop.
"It's so hot."
Before Deng Yinyin could grasp the situation, she reflexively blurted out her immediate feeling.
Xu Nuan had no words; she simply stood up.
Her body was indeed hot; it was no surprise to be surrounded by so many Widow Butterflies.
The appearance of Xu Nuan brought joy to everyone, but they hadn’t expected that the so-called reinforcements would be a swarm of black butterflies.
Was saving someone turning into being trapped instead?
As Gu Ze harbored such doubts, he noticed that the butterflies leaving marks on Xu Nuan began to fly toward the Green-Haired Monster. The moment the butterflies touched the Green-Haired Monster's skin, it ignited in flames, and its lush hair provided ample fuel for the fire.
"Isn't the Green-Haired Monster afraid of fire?" Tang Jingshu exclaimed in shock, speaking to herself.
He Min looked at Xu Nuan with concern; Xu Nuan's clothes were already burned with numerous holes.
A girl's skin is very important.
One burning Green-Haired Monster was not enough to scare off the others of its kind. Xu Nuan quickly unfastened the pouch at her waist and hurled a handful of fine dirt toward the other Green-Haired Monsters. Most of the butterflies that had surrounded her immediately turned to encircle the Green-Haired Monster instead.
The smell of charred flesh began to permeate the air, mixed with the piercing cries of the Green-Haired Monsters. The wretched sounds sent shivers down everyone's spines.
Seeing her guess confirmed, Xu Nuan slightly curled her lips in a smile before suddenly pulling down a jacket to cover her head.
As Xu Nuan took off her clothes, she looked up in confusion and met Gu Ze's serious face and tightly pressed lips. Startled, she instinctively put on the jacket.
Without the allure of the substance Xu Nuan had deliberately sprinkled on herself, the few butterflies that had surrounded her lost interest and changed direction.
He had encountered the Widow Butterfly before; otherwise, how would he know?
Xu Nuan was puzzled but, given the urgency of the situation, she had to suppress her questions for now and turned to Gu Ze.
"Do you have a glass jar? We need to catch a few butterflies; they'll be useful later."
She didn't want to make another trip back, especially not to attract the Widow Butterfly again. Although her mark could easily draw the Widow Butterfly out from that fertile ground.
"Got it. You all hurry up and pack your bags; we’re leaving right away."
Gu Ze nodded seriously, his grim expression startling He Min, who had intended to approach Xu Nuan.
It was as if he had become a different person altogether.
He Min recalled how Gu Ze had changed his stance when Xu Nuan rushed out, no longer just a bystander but ready to jump down from the tree. The strange feeling in her heart intensified.
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