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墨書 Inktalez
"Who did you hear it from?"
Xu Nuan murmured unconsciously. She initially thought there was no problem in telling Gu Ze the reason for her confusion, but suddenly being asked about something she didn't want to discuss made her feel quite uncomfortable.
"That's not important, is it? After all, these corpses can't harm us."
After hesitating for a while, Xu Nuan carefully chose her words, subconsciously wanting to avoid Gu Ze's gaze.
The two continued walking forward. They had just passed through the cave filled with corpses and entered another cave that was less damp, with occasional streams flowing through it.
The three people at the front maintained a quick pace, as if something were chasing them from behind.
Between Xu Nuan and Gu Ze, there was a lengthy silence.
Xu Nuan's heart skipped a beat. She thought that according to Gu Ze's usual behavior, he would naturally change the subject. However, it seemed that Gu Ze was quite sensitive about this topic. Was his silence an indication of anger?
Unable to resist, she stole a glance at Gu Ze. The sparse light in the cave seemed to fall solely on his face, allowing Xu Nuan to clearly see that he was looking at her. His expression could only be described as complex. She quickly averted her gaze again, rolling her eyes around as she thought of ways to break the silence.
At this moment, Xu Nuan was completely unaware that she actually cared about Gu Ze's thoughts. Being honest by nature, she wanted to be sincere with him and didn't want to deceive him.
She hated deception and felt that she wouldn't deceive someone as important as Pan Friend.
"I can guess who you went through this with," surprisingly, it was Gu Ze who spoke first. His low voice carried a hint of seriousness in the cavern filled with boulders.
"The only person who could make you keep quiet is one individual. To be honest, I've suspected more than once that your choice to conceal Zhang Xiao's threats while he was armed was not only to protect us but also to protect that person."
This was still somewhat acceptable; in fact, according to his thoughts, Xu Nuan was willing to endure that grievance and had clearly been hurt by Zhang Xiao for the sake of that person.
A subtle unwillingness flickered in her eyes.
That person had merely gotten to know this woman a step earlier and had indeed brought her happiness. Yet, in the end, that person had done some despicable things. Clearly a scoundrel, yet this woman still held him in her heart.
The feeling of unwillingness gradually intensified, especially when he saw the woman's expression of guilt and reluctance. The thoughts he had entertained began to replay in his mind. Gu Ze thought that his current expression must be quite twisted as he reached out to cover his face with his hand.
This dark place made it all too easy for him to lose control. If he could just bind this woman to his side, he was certain he could safely take her away from this game. But he knew all too well that if he did that, he would lose her forever.
Tsk, how pathetic he was.
Xu Nuan only vaguely sensed that Gu Ze was angry, which made her feel guilty. He was an important friend, a life-and-death companion, someone she trusted completely without betrayal.
Deception was a form of betrayal.
Noticing Gu Ze covering his face with his hand only deepened Xu Nuan's sense of remorse. Just then, she heard Gu Ze's voice once again.
"Have you ever considered what role he plays in the game?"
Xu Nuan's eyes widened slightly.
"Is he really just one of the First Batch of Players?"
The voice that should have been warm began to unravel Xu Nuan's doubts—doubts she dared not explore deeply—laying out the events of the past one by one.
"I’m not sure if Zhang Xiao is that person's friend, but he has mentioned that person too deliberately—so deliberate that it seems he wants to extract something from you. So can I guess that you know something, even if you haven't realized it yourself?"
As her heart trembled continuously, Xu Nuan couldn't help but admire Gu Ze's meticulous thinking and exceptional analytical skills. He had almost guessed her thoughts perfectly. However, Gu Ze's sudden sharpness only made her feel more guilty.
It was like a friend guessing all of another person's thoughts while that person continued to perform a solo act; it looked very ugly.
Gu Ze continued speaking in a low voice, while the few people walking ahead remained oblivious to the strange atmosphere between him and Xu Nuan.
"I'm not curious about these matters, but you should know that if you don't clarify everything, you are in danger. You could easily be manipulated without even realizing it. The role that person plays in the game is crucial because those things are what that person has intentionally or unintentionally revealed to you."
Xu Nuan was at a loss for how to respond. As she pondered this in her mind, she heard a sigh. When she looked back at Gu Ze, he was smiling at her again, his gentle and casual smile making it impossible for her to meet his gaze.
"Nuan, I need to tell you something. I can tell you right now."
"Uh-huh?"
Xu Nuan unconsciously made a sound.
She noticed that Gu Ze was still smiling, but there was an added layer of ambiguity in his voice.
"My last name is Gu. The chairman of Heng Technology also shares my last name. Our group is Gu Group. Do you understand?"
Xu Nuan blinked in confusion. "Are you saying you're the young master of Gu Group? I knew about this back in college, but I didn't expect you to be working at just one of the subsidiary companies instead of the headquarters."
She directly shared what she knew, only to realize that Gu Ze seemed taken aback by her response. The corners of his lips twitched slightly, and his deep eyes suddenly became clear again, as if he had returned to the gentle Gu Ze she had first met.
After blinking again, Xu Nuan wondered if she had inadvertently ruined something.
Gu Ze cleared his throat a few times and then regained his composure.
"Since you know that, you must also know I'm a core member of Heng Technology, right?"
"I know," Xu Nuan nodded. "You were there during the volcano level, but I felt like I got tricked that time. Are you planning to make amends now?"
All dark thoughts and sinister intentions vanished; it turned out this woman remembered the things he had experienced. It was truly wonderful.
Gu Ze maintained a good image on the surface and continued speaking.
"What I said back then wasn't entirely a lie; I just changed the partner we were collaborating with." Gu Ze clarified before continuing leisurely.
"Heng Technology is a company under the Gu Family, but my dad is just a nominal chairman. The one truly in charge of Heng Technology is Uncle, and he has a close friend who is the chairman of Rao Group. They have a very good relationship."
"Mm."
Listening to Gu Ze, Xu Nuan realized he intended to go on at length, so she stopped looking at him and instead focused ahead, walking slowly while feeling relieved inside.
Gu Ze continued.
"Uncle and the chairman of Rao Family share many interests, and they decided to collaborate on a project. However, as far as I know, the chairman of Rao Family didn't fully disclose the true nature of the project to Uncle; he only hoped Uncle would lead a group of core members from Heng Technology for technical support."
Xu Nuan kept nodding along, not interrupting, her expression neither particularly confused nor excited. Gu Ze found it strange but pressed on.
"Logically, I should have been part of that project's technical team, but Uncle stopped me quite sternly. Later, I occasionally saw him sighing in the office. When I asked my dad about it, it seemed Uncle discovered something was wrong with that project, yet he insisted on continuing. Out of curiosity, I went to treat some members of the technical team to drinks and managed to gather some information; they were part of the technical team but could only touch on peripheral matters."
"Isn't that leaking information? Drinking isn't a good thing."
Xu Nuan surprisingly managed to make a sarcastic remark, which puzzled Gu Ze even more, prompting him to ask.
"Aren't you curious about what that project was?"
Xu Nuan glanced at him innocently and asked again.
"Isn't this just about the game?"
In that moment, Gu Ze's expression was quite remarkable. The mysterious aura he had carefully cultivated for so long vanished completely, leaving not a trace behind.
Xu Nuan kindly offered an explanation.
"Actually, during the volcano stage, I didn't think much of it at first. I just felt like you were trying to mislead me into thinking about the game. However, later on, when I connected your strange actions and overly relaxed demeanor, I started to guess a few things. Sure enough, you must have overheard some secrets from the so-called tech team that are probably useful for clearing the levels. In that case, I have no objections."
Gu Ze felt a deep malice from this world.
Initially, he had only thought a little darkly; he didn't want Xu Nuan to be completely focused on Qin Yaojie. Yet somehow, had he inadvertently revealed something? Or was it that Xu Nuan was just too clever?
Clever women!
Gu Ze's expression could also be described as colorful, prompting Xu Nuan to ask.
"You haven't finished speaking, have you? It's not a good habit to leave half the story untold. Don't do it like last time."
Gu Ze instantly regained his sense of presence, cleared his throat a few times, and wore a smile that seemed casual and carefree.
"I only realized after progressing through several levels in the game that Uncle had taken on this project. So, Rao Group must be responsible for recruiting personnel for this game's design. The so-called Biotechnology Research Company is also under that chairman's command. Therefore, he must have selected trustworthy individuals from his core companies for the design research. Do you know which company is Rao Group's core company?"
As Gu Ze spoke, his lips curled up in a smirk, his expression revealing a hint of pride.
Xu Nuan nodded seriously.
"I know; it's Fengtong Technology."
Gu Ze froze, unable to utter a word for a long while.
Xu Nuan continued to explain kindly, "Zhang Xiao and I have a history, and also, didn't you notice the loophole in your initial collaboration with Heng Technology and Fengtong Technology during the volcano incident?"
"Cough, cough."
Gu Ze coughed a few times, and when he met Xu Nuan's puzzled gaze, he explained, "There's a lot of dust in the cave; my throat feels uncomfortable."
Xu Nuan shook her head. "What I want to ask is, what do these have to do with Qin Yaojie? What does it have to do with the role he played?"
She was now able to say those three words quite calmly.
"You’re very smart; can’t you figure it out?"
Gu Ze's expression suddenly became serious as he looked intently at Xu Nuan. "Although Qin Yaojie is not a member of the Rao Family, being a core member of Fengtong Technology, combined with Zhang Xiao's various tests, isn't the conclusion quite obvious?"
Gu Ze paused for a moment before slowly stating, "He was also involved in the design of this game."
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