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墨書 Inktalez
The other animals were not as foolish as the rabbit brought back by Xu Nuan, but they could not withstand the encirclement of Gu Ze and the others, and one by one, they fell into their traps.
Seeing that Gu Ze and the others had brought back several deer and rabbits, Xu Nuan raised an eyebrow. If it was just to bleed and attract crocodiles, then their dinner would surely be quite lavish.
No matter how much Deng Yinyin complained or hesitated, they still set to work processing the animals in preparation for their next plan.
After thinking it over, Xu Hang felt that it would be best for him and Gu Ze to enter the water while the other three attracted the crocodiles from a distance.
In fact, Xu Nuan noticed that as they handled the animals, the crocodiles began to stir. Even though they were still at the entrance of the dense forest, far from the shore, Xu Nuan could already predict the outcome. They needed to gamble on how the crocodiles would choose between guarding the Royal Lotus and being tempted by blood.
Once everything was ready, Xu Nuan and the others carried waterproof covers wrapped with animal blood and carcasses toward a place thick with reeds, which was diagonally across from the Royal Lotus.
As Xu Nuan and her companions prepared to open the waterproof covers while holding fans in their hands, Gu Ze and Xu Hang were also ready to enter the water.
The three parties acted almost simultaneously.
As Xu Nuan and her companions suppressed their nausea from the overwhelming stench of blood, the crocodiles rushed over at high speed. The red eyes flickering above the river surface resembled demons descending upon them, while Gu Ze and Xu Hang seized the moment and cautiously entered the water.
According to the design of this game, as long as Gu Ze and Xu Hang did not reach within one meter of the Royal Lotus, those crocodiles would not attack them. Moreover, at that moment, the crocodiles were drawn in by a large amount of fresh blood.
"Success!"
Deng Yinyin shouted excitedly but immediately inhaled a breath filled with the smell of blood and quickly turned away to gag.
"The method works; I just don't know if it will work all the way through."
Xu Nuan's expression remained calm but revealed a hint of worry as her gaze swept over the approaching crocodiles before landing on Gu Ze and Xu Hang, who were still cautiously swimming. So far, the crocodiles had no intention of turning back.
As Xu Nuan and the others moved the animal carcasses and blood further back in response to the approaching crocodiles, they noticed that the riverbank was dry, unlike the muddy banks where crocodiles typically lived. Xu Nuan couldn't help but worry whether these crocodiles might leave the water and rush onto the shore; if that happened, it would be dangerous for the three of them.
Thinking about the game's depiction of animals, which always had distinct advantages but hidden flaws—flaws that were often fatal and crucial for everyone trying to clear the level—she murmured to herself, "It should be fine."
Unconsciously, she prayed in her heart for Gu Ze and the others to progress smoothly. At that moment, every second felt prolonged as sweat trickled down her cheeks and gathered at her chin, dripping down.
She had no mood to care.
Xu Nuan kept squinting at the situation on the river surface, paying little attention to the approaching crocodiles. In contrast, Xie Huai's hand holding the waterproof cover trembled. Looking at those animals made him imagine what he would look like if they failed, causing his hands to shake even more. Deng Yinyin had her mouth covered with her hands, turning her back to the others, unwilling to look at those animals any longer.
"Hmm?"
Xu Nuan let out a dissatisfied sound.
Xie Huai immediately asked nervously, "What happened?"
Xie Huai's eyesight was much worse than Xu Nuan's; otherwise, he wouldn't always wear glasses. At that moment, the sunlight reflecting off the river surface dazzled his eyes.
"Look, don't Gu Ze and the others seem a bit strange in their movements?"
Xu Nuan's uncertainty prompted Deng Yinyin to turn around and look at the river surface as soon as she heard Gu Ze's name; she had the best eyesight among the three.
"They seem quite anxious and keep looking down at the water. Is there something else in the river?"
Deng Yinyin's speculative words made Xu Nuan's face turn pale. She instinctively ran to the riverbank to look into the water. However, she couldn't see anything clearly at first. So she rolled up her sleeves and plunged her entire arm into the water. After a moment, she noticed some gray-green fish swimming toward her.
As the fish approached Xu Nuan, she realized that these round-bodied creatures had gray-green backs and red bellies, with sharp teeth and even spines on their lower jaws.
"What is going on with these fish?"
Seeing them trying to get close to her arms, Xu Nuan quickly pulled her hands back, shaking off the water as she shouted towards the direction of the camera.
In the next moment, the altered voice of the System echoed around her.
"Piranha: slender in shape, with sharp teeth and slight paralyzing venom. They are fierce and carnivorous; in groups, they can take down a Caiman."
Xu Nuan gasped in shock and suddenly noticed that several of the crocodiles that had been swimming near them were now turning back.
Looking closely at Gu Ze and Xu Hang, she realized they hadn’t even come within a meter of the Royal Lotus. At that moment, Xu Hang was supporting Gu Ze.
Gu Ze was injured!
Xu Nuan immediately recognized this fact; those damned Piranhas must have attacked Gu Ze and Xu Hang from below, catching them off guard.
She couldn’t let the crocodiles return. Xu Nuan quickly thought of a plan. Without hesitation, she turned around and yanked two fawns from where they lay, dragging them forward to chase after the crocodiles.
Now that she was closer to the crocodiles, they caught a whiff of blood and turned back towards her.
Xu Nuan let out a small sigh of relief. Looking down, she saw that her clothes were covered in blood, and as she dragged the two bloody fawns along, a trail of blood marked the shore behind her.
Meanwhile, Xie Huai and Deng Yinyin were still some distance away, shouting at her.
"Are you crazy? Run! The crocodiles are coming!"
Hearing this, Xu Nuan looked back at the River Surface. Indeed, the smell of blood was overwhelming, and the crocodiles had quickened their pace, soon reaching the shore.
However, Xu Nuan was more concerned about Gu Ze and the others. She noticed that although they were injured, they were still rapidly approaching the Royal Lotus, almost within a meter of it.
After thinking for a moment, Xu Nuan grabbed one of the deer and tossed it into the river. The crocodiles that had intended to swim to the shore immediately opened their jaws and lunged at the deer.
In their feeding frenzy, the ferocity of the beasts was unmistakable. They tore into the flesh without mercy, chewing voraciously, their gaping maws exposing innards down to the bone.
The deer was one they had killed, yet watching the crocodiles devour it sent chills down their spines. Xu Nuan believed that even if a live deer were placed before them, they would display the same savage behavior, perhaps even becoming more aggressive due to its struggles.
A shiver ran down Xu Nuan's spine as she realized this was an urgent moment. Seeing several crocodiles finish off the deer with insatiable hunger and their blood-red eyes that seemed ready to drip with blood, she dragged the remaining deer back a few steps and glanced at Gu Ze and Xu Hang's movements.
They had reached the Royal Lotus and were reaching out to pluck the Golden Lotus. It seemed that time was running short; both of them recklessly grabbed at the Royal Lotus. Suddenly, something happened, causing the Royal Lotus to fall into the water.
Xu Nuan remembered that there were thorns surrounding the Royal Lotus. Had they been pricked? She wondered while hoping those thorns were not poisonous.
As she pondered this, Xu Nuan heard Xie Huai and Deng Yinyin shout in unison.
"Ah! This is bad! The crocodiles are swimming back!"
Xu Nuan turned her head and saw that indeed, the crocodiles had suddenly become agitated and were swimming back with force.
She rushed forward a few steps and threw another deer into the water. A few crocodiles stopped to feed while those farther away continued their retreat. Meanwhile, Gu Ze and Xu Hang were also moving toward the shore.
Suddenly turning back, Xu Nuan's voice grew urgent.
"Come over first! Throw out the remaining rabbits and deer! Toss them in front of the crocodiles to block them!"
Compared to the urgent tone, Xu Nuan's words sounded more like a command. Deng Yinyin immediately frowned in displeasure, but before she could say anything, Xie Huai suddenly pulled her sharply.
"Hurry up, or we won't make it in time!"
Only then did Deng Yinyin retract her glare at Xu Nuan, disdainfully picking up the bloody animal carcass and tossing it in front of the crocodiles.
The temptation of food still had its effect. By the time Gu Ze and Xu Hang reached the shore, the crocodiles, occasionally distracted by the food, were still about ten meters away from them. This distance was enough for them to move away from the riverbank.
In contrast, Xu Nuan and her companions found themselves in a crisis. They had been staying close to the riverbank to throw food in front of the crocodiles, and a few rabbits were not enough to satisfy these predators. Once the crocodiles finished eating those rabbits and deer, their next target would be Xu Nuan and her group.
"Run!"
Without hesitation, Xu Nuan dropped the waterproof cover, ignoring the blood splattered on the ground, and took off running. Meanwhile, Gu Ze and Xu Hang also dashed into the dense forest with Royal Lotus in hand.
A few crocodiles actually crawled onto the shore and chased for a short distance before returning to the river due to the dry ground.
Once hidden in the forest, they finally dared to take deep breaths.
After the panic came the joy of completing their mission.
Deng Yinyin was the first to shout out.
"We've completed the hidden mission; it's time to open the passage so we can directly pass through five gates, right?"
The System did not respond.
Deng Yinyin grew anxious and shouted a few more times before the System finally spoke in a calm tone.
"Well, you all know that Hidden Level can be both real and fake. Unfortunately for you, this time the Hidden Level is fake."
"Hey, what you're doing is too much," Deng Yinyin said, ready to explode in anger.
"Isn't the authenticity of Hidden Level something you decide at will? Seeing us struggle like this, you must be thinking of playing a prank. How is this even a proper game?"
As Deng Yinyin spoke about a proper game, Xu Nuan vaguely heard laughter coming from the loudspeaker, but upon closer inspection, it seemed to be just her imagination.
"This is Game Rules. Of course, to reward your hard work, let's say you pass this level directly. When you wake up, you'll have cleared this stage."
Before Xu Nuan could ask what that meant, she suddenly caught a strong whiff of floral fragrance and then lost consciousness.
When the five of them woke up, they found themselves in the Supply Station.
Deng Yinyin was still fuming, but Xu Nuan calmly packed her belongings and prepared to rest.
Compared to continuing their struggle in the ‘Gentle Prairie’ level, arriving directly at the Supply Station was already a good outcome.
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