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墨書 Inktalez
Xu Nuan had never encountered a Survival Game that left her gasping for breath.
First came the traps of the Hidden Level, followed by a volcanic eruption, and then the crisis of being trapped in a volcanic mudslide. Just when they finally managed to take a detour and find the Special Tree, they were pursued by a strange species—the Giant Hornet.
The Giant Hornet was just an ordinary insect in the real world, but in the game, even the simplest creatures became extraordinary.
The pursuing Giant Hornets were each as large as an adult's arm, and their stingers were about the size of chopsticks. It was uncertain whether these Giant Hornets were venomous; if one were to be stung, no one could predict what kind of consequences would follow.
Not wanting to be stung meant they had to run. The six of them fled through the sparse wilderness in a state of utter disarray, having barely rested for a few hours.
Xu Nuan pushed aside the low-hanging branches blocking her path with her left hand while her right hand pressed against her heaving chest.
Days of physical exertion and frayed nerves made her desperately want to stop, but the sound produced by the Giant Hornets—magnified hundreds of times—was deafening. The collective buzzing sounded like a vehicle starting up, causing discomfort and anxiety.
Each sound felt like a needle pricking at Xu Nuan's already fraying nerves. Glancing around, she noticed that everyone else was in a similar state; if they didn't find a way to deal with these Giant Hornets soon, they would have neither the energy to escape nor to search for the Supply Station.
Resolute, Xu Nuan slowed her pace slightly, intending to observe the Giant Hornets closely and consider whether she could discover their weaknesses. At this moment, taking the initiative seemed far more effective than passively enduring their pursuit.
With this thought in mind, Xu Nuan's steps lagged behind those of her fleeing companions.
However, before she could implement her plan, someone beside her yanked her arm, forcing her to speed up alongside him.
"What are you dawdling for at a time like this?"
There was no mistaking it; only Gu Ze could speak so assertively.
With one arm being pulled by Gu Ze, Xu Nuan instinctively quickened her pace to match his. Her mouth opened and closed as she struggled to find words for quite some time.
How was she supposed to explain this?
Xu Nuan felt a sense of helplessness.
The creatures with wings were always faster than those running on two legs. As the Giant Hornets flew overhead, preparing to dive down for an attack, the usually inconspicuous Xie Huai suddenly screamed, matching the volume of the boisterous Deng Yinyin.
"Look over there! There's water! Let's hide in it!"
Following the direction of Xie Huai's finger, they saw a shallow area where steam was rising continuously.
Recalling that this area was near a volcano, everyone assumed it must be a Hot Spring.
Insects should be afraid of water, so hiding in it seemed like a good idea. Xu Nuan habitually conducted a thorough analysis before acting, only to forget that she was being pulled by someone and was yanked directly into the water by Gu Ze.
The water was hot, around forty degrees Celsius, a temperature comfortable for humans. Everyone could hold their breath for a while, hiding underwater for ten seconds or so without issue. If worse came to worst, they could just lie back and keep their mouths and noses above the surface.
However, Xu Nuan, who wasn't very good at swimming, was one of those who struggled. When she submerged, she inadvertently kept her mouth and nose above water to breathe. The Giant Hornets followed them to the surface but merely buzzed around for a moment before flying away.
The group didn't dare surface too quickly; they waited until they were sure the buzzing had faded before popping their heads up one by one.
When Xu Nuan emerged, she unbuckled her backpack. Although they habitually covered their bags with waterproof covers, no one knew how effective those covers were. She had jumped into the water so hastily that she forgot to secure her backpack on the shore first.
After carefully checking her belongings, she found that nothing inside had gotten too wet. Xu Nuan sighed in relief and tossed her backpack toward the shore, planning to confront Gu Ze about his bizarre personality that sometimes made her extremely frustrated.
But when Xu Nuan turned around, she found everyone else enjoying themselves in the Hot Spring. Tang Jingshu was even discussing with Deng Yinyin whether they should take a bath and change clothes.
A bath? Change clothes?
Xu Nuan twitched her lips as she glanced at the men and realized they shared the same idea.
Did these people really treat this as a shared hot spring for both men and women?
Xu Nuan felt the veins on her forehead, neck, and hands throbbing.
"Don't be so serious. It's only natural to relax a bit after running away for so long."
As Xu Nuan pressed down on her throbbing veins, Gu Ze happily swam over to her side. His hair glistened with droplets of water under the sunlight, his face was charmingly damp, and his well-defined physique was accentuated by the wetness of his clothes.
"Ahem."
Seeing Gu Ze's appearance made Xu Nuan suddenly aware of her own. Her long hair was twisted up, and her clothes clung to her body, revealing a figure that was quite different when wet.
Her face immediately flushed as if it were on fire, and she shot daggers at Gu Ze, who was swimming around carefree.
"I don't enjoy showing off. It would be best if we could reach the Supply Station as soon as possible."
Xu Nuan refused to admit that it was because she was such a poor swimmer that she could only stand in shallow water right now.
Upon reaching the Supply Station, Xu Nuan thought of something else. A sly smile crept onto her lips as she glanced at the swimming Gu Ze and whispered in a low voice.
"Don't forget what you went through."
Xu Nuan had great faith in Gu Ze's memory.
But Gu Ze looked completely innocent and confused.
"What? I've been through too much."
Xu Nuan gritted her teeth, unsure if Gu Ze was teasing her. She glanced around; Tang Jingshu and Deng Yinyin were playing further away, likely intending to take a bath, while Xu Hang and Xie Huai looked like older folks thoroughly enjoying their soak.
Noticing this, Xu Nuan approached Gu Ze, putting on a fierce expression and emphasizing each word heavily.
"After we get through this round, you need to tell me something."
You need to tell me the secret of this game.
Xu Nuan was kind enough not to be so direct.
As soon as she reminded him, Gu Ze seemed to recall something, feigning realization.
"Oh, is that what you meant? I can tell you right now."
With an innocent smile on his face, Gu Ze made Xu Nuan uncertain. She remembered that he would never reveal such things ahead of time.
Could it be that she guessed wrong? Was it not related to the game?
Xu Nuan furrowed her brows, reaching up to touch her chin as she pondered, looking conflicted.
In her focused state, Xu Nuan failed to notice the depth in the eyes of the person across from her and the inexplicable smile on his lips.
With no one interrupting her thoughts, Xu Nuan went over what Gu Ze had said before. After much contemplation, it could only be related to the game. Since she couldn't figure it out herself, she might as well let Gu Ze tell her now; after all, he knew. It would save her from overthinking without getting any answers.
"Ahem."
Xu Nuan cleared her throat and mentally rehearsed what she wanted to say, preparing to speak when she noticed Gu Ze looking at her with a conflicted expression.
"Do you feel anything?"
Did things change again?
Xu Nuan furrowed her brows and asked.
"Feel what?"
Gu Ze pointed at the surface of the water.
"The water temperature seems to have risen."
"Hmm?"
Xu Nuan blinked, lowering her head to look at the water's surface, momentarily unable to react. They had been in the water for a while, and if the temperature was indeed gradually increasing, it would be hard for them to notice.
"We can measure it to find out."
Realizing that she had been overthinking lately, Xu Nuan decisively placed her right hand in the water. After a moment, she pulled it out, took off her Tail Ring, shook it a bit, and held it up to examine closely.
"Hmm? It's fifty degrees Celsius now. I'll put it back in and we'll see after a while."
With that, Xu Nuan submerged her hand with the Tail Ring back into the water.
Gu Ze was astonished.
"So your Tail Ring isn't just for decoration; it can actually measure temperature?"
Xu Nuan nodded irritably, feeling that something was off.
"Why would I bring decorative items into the game?"
Gu Ze pretended to be profound as he raised a finger and waved it around.
"That’s not necessarily the case. For example, players might bring in items of sentimental value."
After saying this, Gu Ze fixed his gaze on Xu Nuan's expression, as if trying to uncover something from her face.
"Sentimental value?"
At this point, Xu Nuan no longer held back.
"This is... well, it's a product designed by my friend's company."
Without needing to guess, Gu Ze understood that the pause was referring to something specific.
He skillfully concealed the sadness in his eyes and maintained his smile.
"Oh, then this product is quite suitable for this game."
One was oblivious while the other was aware.
Suddenly realizing something, Xu Nuan's expression darkened, and an unknown emotion churned in her eyes.
Not knowing what had happened, Gu Ze quickly changed the subject.
"Quickly check to see if the temperature has really risen."
Xu Nuan reined in her emotions and took out the Tail Ring. After a glance, she nodded.
"It's already fifty-three degrees Celsius. It seems this Hot Spring isn't a good place after all. We should get everyone to leave quickly."
"Alright, you prepare to come ashore. I'll go call them."
Gu Ze quickly made his decision and swam over to the others. After a while, he stopped and looked back at Xu Nuan, who was lost in thought. The sunlight fell on his face, casting various reflections in his eyes.
After the incident at the Hot Spring, everyone was determined not to let their guard down again. Whatever they did next, they would think it through carefully and treat it with seriousness and rigor.
Thanks to this attitude, they soon uncovered the plot of a few fleeing wild rabbits, avoiding being led to an impending volcanic eruption or encountering a volcanic mudflow while trying to escape other animals' attacks.
Obediently centered around the Special Tree, the group dealt with various troubles surrounding it, showing resilience. Finally, during a time when the evening glow painted the sky, they spotted the Supply Station.
Deng Yinyin and Tang Jingshu joyfully ran toward the Supply Station, with Xie Huai following closely behind. Before entering the Supply Station, Xu Hang glanced back at Gu Ze and Xu Nuan, who had tacitly slowed their pace. Shaking his head, he stepped inside first and closed the door.
"The door of the Supply Station needs to wait ten minutes before it can be opened again after being closed."
Xu Nuan calmly looked at Gu Ze, waiting for his ten-minute explanation.
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