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墨書 Inktalez
Water equaled suffocation.
Xu Nuan had curled up on a giant rock for a long time, the sound of waves crashing against the shore filling her ears. The gradually dampening hem of her clothes made her shiver.
After much mental preparation, Xu Nuan slowly lifted her head, only to be met with an endless expanse of water.
Her companions were nowhere to be found, and she was no longer on the grasslands.
"Am I alone again?"
Xu Nuan murmured, suddenly feeling a surge of heat on her shoulder. She instinctively reached up to touch it, but the warmth pierced through her palm, causing her to wince and pull her hand away.
"Butterfly Mark?"
Xu Nuan felt a moment of confusion as memories flooded back. She recalled being surrounded by a swarm of Widow Butterflies during the 'Lonely Gorge' stage, where she had been burned. After reaching the Supply Station, the marks on her body had faded except for the one on her shoulder.
"What does this mean?"
Unable to resist, Xu Nuan touched her shoulder again. "Burn Ointment didn't help; am I supposed to remember that stage or this game?"
The heat from her delicate fingertips sent a shiver down Xu Nuan's spine. Suddenly, she remembered that before she found herself in this predicament, her other companions had lost control and attacked each other uncontrollably. They were either mentally manipulated or hallucinating, mistaking their allies for enemies or beasts.
She recalled an incident long ago in the desert stage when she had been enchanted by a flower in an oasis and had seen Qin Yaojie. The principle was likely the same, but she still didn’t know how to break free from it.
Suddenly standing up, Xu Nuan realized she couldn't just sit and wait for doom. It didn’t matter what illusions the others might see; they were capable individuals and would likely manage just fine. What was crucial was what Zhang Xiao would see—would he pull out that highly destructive weapon and harm her companions?
Xu Nuan could not stay here for even a second longer. Standing on the giant rock, she looked around, trying to find something that could help her leave this body of water.
"Wait, if this is an illusion, then this water must be an illusion too," a bold thought surged into Xu Nuan's mind. "I should still be on the grassland."
With that in mind, Xu Nuan reached her hand into the water. She felt the temperature and texture of the water, but she already knew that this game was full of incredible things. She boldly considered jumping into the water to see if she could walk on it. Just then, a massive whirlpool suddenly appeared in the water several meters away, and a creature that resembled both a dragon and a snake, its body a light blue color, burst forth and attacked Xu Nuan without hesitation.
Xu Nuan hurriedly dodged, but in her panic, she fell into the water.
The water slowly seeped into her clothes, and Xu Nuan felt the chill. However, she was able to stand in the water with her dog-paddling skills, which further confirmed her suspicions. Yet when faced with another attack from the creature, Xu Nuan hesitated.
What exactly was this creature? Was it an illusion, a beast, or perhaps one of her companions?
She couldn't make that judgment, so she could only evade and avoid combat.
The creature was over seven or eight times her size, and facing it unarmed put Xu Nuan at a significant disadvantage. She quickly dodged into the water but accidentally bumped her head against something hard—something like a rock—which made Xu Nuan realize that she was definitely standing on vast grasslands.
Thinking of this, Xu Nuan stopped dodging and ran directly away. The burning sensation on her shoulder kept her alert; even if her eyes were deceiving her, her brain and body would not lie.
However, the downside of running was that she had no idea what obstacles lay beneath the surface of the water that appeared to be grasslands. In an instant, she tripped over something and fell, while the creature chasing after her pounced on her. Its two claws gripped her neck; any movement would result in blood spilling out.
The creature did not immediately snap her neck, which assured Xu Nuan that what was before her was a human—though she perceived it as a beast. The other party must have seen her as human too; otherwise, they would have killed her without hesitation.
But Xu Nuan couldn't determine whether the grip on her neck belonged to a human hand or some kind of weapon like a knife. All she could do was tentatively speak up.
"Can you hear my voice? Who are you?"
If one is seen as a person in the eyes of another, then one should be able to hear their own voice, right?
Xu Nuan held onto this hope as she gazed at the creature with golden eyes, waiting for a response.
"Ah, so it's Xu Nuan. I noticed something was off with the mist just now."
That haughty and cold voice belonged to Zhang Xiao.
Xu Nuan's eyes widened in shock. There was no time to ponder how Zhang Xiao perceived her; she immediately drew her short knife and swung it at the claw that was constricting her neck, desperate to escape Zhang Xiao's grasp.
The scenes from the lounge still haunted her. If she fell into Zhang Xiao's hands again, what kind of torment would she endure? How could she protect the secrets hidden in her mind?
Xu Nuan desperately wished for another companion to appear at that moment, but none came. Her short knife was ruthlessly knocked from her hand, and then a sharp pain pierced her thigh. Suddenly, she felt utterly weak, forced to endure the claw resting on her neck.
Muscle Relaxant!
Xu Nuan had never imagined that something meant to subdue a beast would be used against her.
"Don't worry, I only used a small dose. In less than an hour, you'll be able to move again. However, what happens after that will depend on your performance."
As those words fell, Xu Nuan felt a few drops of water land on her face. Then the thick mist before her quickly dissipated. She found herself lying on the grassland, one hand gripping her neck while the other returned a syringe to a backpack—Zhang Xiao.
The sunlight that fell was supposed to be warm, but blocked by Zhang Xiao's massive shadow, Xu Nuan felt a chill seep through her body. The wind blowing from the other side of the grassland was cold as well, causing Xu Nuan to shiver involuntarily.
But she couldn't move; that physiological reaction turned her shiver into a spasm. Xu Nuan's expression twisted in pain as it took her a while to regain her composure.
From her perspective, Zhang Xiao seemed unhurried, observing her with a keen interest from above. In those cold, glimmering Phoenix Eyes, there was a flicker of calculation.
"I have many questions to ask you, but staying here any longer has become dangerous. So, I will just pick a few important ones."
Zhang Xiao always spoke slowly, as if each word had been carefully considered for a long time. However, for Xu Nuan, this tone only served to double her torment.
Despite her heart pounding like a drum, Xu Nuan suppressed her fear and took the initiative.
"Who did you see in the mist?"
Before Xu Nuan's words had fully left her lips, Zhang Xiao revealed an expression that was dangerously intense. Sensing she had struck a nerve, Xu Nuan pressed on.
"It seems you don't want to harm the person you saw. When it comes to achieving a goal that is more difficult than simply passing through obstacles, who would you not want to hurt?"
It took great effort for Xu Nuan to utter these words. As a woman lying helplessly on the ground with someone gripping her neck, she felt incredibly insecure, burdened by worries from all sides.
She was taking a gamble; if she won, she might find Zhang Xiao's weakness and no longer fear his threats. If she lost, her gaming career would come to an end.
The hand around her neck was tightening slowly, making it harder to breathe. Xu Nuan wanted to smile; she knew she had already won half of the gamble.
"Smart women are not wanted by anyone."
Zhang Xiao's lips curled into a cold arc. Backlit by the light, he resembled a demon who could casually take lives, exuding an air of unparalleled arrogance.
"No wonder Yaojie was with you back then; you were foolish at that time. But once you became smart, he had no choice but to leave and enter the game. How pathetic he is; how pathetic you are."
Xu Nuan knew that Zhang Xiao was retaliating, but every time she heard Qin Yaojie's name come from Zhang Xiao's lips, her heart would tremble.
That person had hidden many things from her, and more importantly, that person had long since changed beyond recognition.
When it came to Qin Yaojie, Zhang Xiao slightly eased his grip. Xu Nuan, who was breathing heavily, began to cough violently, her eyes glistening with tears as she looked at Zhang Xiao, waiting for his next reaction.
"I don't have much time left. If you don't want to die, you'd better answer my questions obediently."
Zhang Xiao suddenly became impatient, as if he was holding back something. Xu Nuan observed silently and then thought of a line.
"Equal exchange: you answer my questions, and I'll answer yours."
"Hmph," Zhang Xiao scoffed. "What makes you think you can negotiate with me? Don't forget, I can take the lives of your companions at will. Or are you willing to sacrifice everyone for Yaojie?"
"You can't find them now," Xu Nuan stated confidently. "You've fallen into the trap too, haven't you? This game is sometimes quite fair; you're not a special case."
As soon as Xu Nuan finished that sentence, she noticed Zhang Xiao's breathing became rapid and his grip tightened. She vaguely guessed something and deliberately revealed a triumphant smile, which only made Zhang Xiao more displeased, causing him to tighten his grip even further.
What Xu Nuan didn't expect was that even when her brain was starved of oxygen, her thoughts remained active.
It reminded her of an experience long ago when she had foolishly believed she could handle everything alone and found herself nearly choked to death by Guo Dafu.
She remembered it clearly; it was Gu Ze and Xu Hang who had arrived just in time.
Now that she thought about it, she had indeed recognized Gu Ze and Xu Hang back then.
If one could extend a helping hand to those they were not familiar with at the brink of life and death, then ideological disputes were hardly significant.
In this game, what was most lacking was human kindness. The Third Batch of Players was indeed special, as they were forced into this situation. Their attitude towards the game was completely opposite to that of the First Batch of Players, which naturally gave their companions a different experience.
Xu Nuan suddenly wondered, if she really found Qin Yaojie, would she be able to accept the Qin Yaojie who had endured the trials of the game?
"Even when facing death, you can still be lost in thought. Are you ignorant or just bold?"
Zhang Xiao's cold voice pulled Xu Nuan's thoughts back. She realized that the grip around her neck had once again loosened.
"My first question is, when I lost control, who was I fighting with?"
As Zhang Xiao's words fell, Xu Nuan sighed inwardly.
She had actually guessed that matter correctly.
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