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墨書 Inktalez
Surrounded by a multitude of Crimson Centipedes, Xu Nuan and her companions found themselves in a precarious situation. The creatures were numerous but small, unable to climb the stones, allowing them to run safely atop the rocky surface.
Ah, no, Xu Nuan herself was not running.
Having escaped her initial awkwardness, Xu Nuan realized that she could tolerate being close to Gu Ze. She attributed this newfound comfort to the repulsive nature of the Crimson Centipedes. Among the group, she was the only one with the leisure to observe their surroundings.
They had moved far away from Rao Tingxue and Ning Han, and their current situation was neither good nor bad. Crimson Centipedes continuously emerged from the seemingly blood-soaked ground, attempting to raise their front halves in an effort to climb the stones, only to fail due to some game mechanic.
Suddenly, Xu Nuan recalled that Gu Ze was afraid of water, which was why they were heading toward the stream. She caught a glimpse of a bottle of water on the outside of Gu Ze's backpack and unceremoniously took it out before calmly pouring it onto the ground.
An astonishing thing happened: the parts of the centipedes that came into contact with the water began to corrode, emitting a burnt smell as if what had been poured on them was not water but something corrosive like sulfuric acid.
Xu Nuan was awestruck but also felt a pang of regret; there were simply too many centipedes, and clean water was a precious resource they could not afford to waste.
Gu Ze seemed completely unaware of what Xu Nuan was doing. His indifferent expression revealed nothing of his emotions or thoughts. Meanwhile, Xu Hang, her brother who loved gossiping, lamented silently; his buddy's greatest skill was putting on a show and intimidating others with a facade. At this moment, Gu Ze's calm demeanor made him even more inscrutable than usual.
After a frantic morning of running, they finally left the Red Land and reached the stream. The Crimson Centipedes seemed unable to leave their territory, flailing at the edges of the land.
Deng Yinyin, who had been particularly distressed by the centipedes, rushed to the stream with the intention of filling her water bottle to retaliate against them. However, as she bent down and caught sight of something in the water, she immediately screamed.
"Ah!"
Xu Nuan, just having stepped away from Gu Ze's embrace, hurried over to cover her embarrassment and discomfort.
"What did you find?"
When Xu Nuan looked over, she too was taken aback.
In the flowing stream, there were many fish, each adorned with human faces that resembled those they had encountered before. As Xu Nuan gazed at these fish, the eyes on the faces would open wide. It was enough to frighten her; if she shone a flashlight on those faces at night and they smiled back, it could be terrifying.
The two ladies' panic naturally drew the attention of several others, who came over to take a look.
Taking advantage of the distraction, Xu Nuan stepped aside a few paces, just avoiding standing next to Gu Ze.
Gu Ze and Xu Hang remained calm, even going so far as to analyze the potential uses of these human-faced fish. They looked frightening but seemed to lack any aggression. Xie Huai, on the other hand, had turned pale, his teeth chattering, yet he did not scream. After all they had been through, it seemed his courage was growing.
Xu Nuan glanced at everyone’s reactions before turning her attention to the scenery across the stream—a sparse green forest with unknown tree species. The trees were spaced far apart and unevenly, making it easy for her to spot a red figure in the distance.
“Special Tree.”
Xu Nuan spoke lightly, though her heart raced with tension.
In the distance stood the Special Tree, nearby were the human-faced fish, and behind them lurked the Crimson Centipede.
This game loved to create a sense of tension akin to ‘wolves in front and tigers behind,’ with the only humane aspect being that astonishing temptations were placed not far from the wolves.
With a slight sigh, Xu Nuan looked at Xu Hang, waiting for him to make a decision. This was not merely an astonishing temptation; it was a deadly one. She had reasons to rush through this challenge but did not want to pressure her companions.
Xu Hang took the lead in testing things out and discovered that those human-faced fish only spat out bubbles when someone waded through the stream; otherwise, they showed no other peculiarities.
With permission granted, Xu Nuan was the first to dash into the stream, running forward swiftly without caring about the splashes soaking her or forgetting that she still had a high fever and her head wasn’t clear.
Not far away, Gu Ze couldn’t stop her in time and ultimately just lowered his hands in silence and followed. This was what they called a moment of misstep leading to eternal regret. If he hadn’t chosen to confess when Xu Nuan was on the verge of breaking down or hadn’t let his anger harm her, at least they could still talk freely now—even if their conversations revolved around that man.
There is no medicine for regret in this world; no matter how heart-wrenching it is, one cannot return to the beginning.
A few people quickly splashed through the water and hurried into the forest, running tirelessly towards the Red Special Tree.
Deng Yinyin was panting heavily, but her desire for the Supply Station kept her going. She glanced at Xu Nuan, who was running beside her, and noticed that her face was flushed, sweat beading on her temples, her breathing labored, and her lips dry and cracked. She looked like someone who needed rest.
"Hey, do you want to take a break? You look really alarming."
Deng Yinyin had always been at a loss with Xu Nuan's stubbornness. After all, they were both women, yet she could never figure out what Xu Nuan was thinking.
Xu Nuan took a moment to wipe away the sweat but continued to move quickly.
In fact, they didn't need to push themselves so hard. If they followed their usual pace and found the Special Tree, they could walk slowly along it and eventually reach the Supply Station. Even if they lacked food and water, there were plenty of ways to solve those problems without worrying about staying too long in a Survival Game.
Yet this time, everyone seemed unusually anxious.
Xu Nuan maintained her composure, but her actions revealed her inner feelings. Gu Ze had become taciturn again but started brainstorming and providing many clues. Xu Hang, as the team leader, seemed suddenly enthusiastic about pushing forward rather than proceeding cautiously.
Counting carefully, only Deng Yinyin and Xie Huai had not changed their attitudes toward the game.
At this pace, they soon reached the base of the Special Tree, and Xu Hang finally suggested taking a break.
The group collapsed under the tree—some drank water, some wiped sweat, and others closed their eyes to rest.
While wiping her sweat, Xu Nuan glanced in one direction and noticed two fast-moving figures. Her eyes narrowed slightly as her expression darkened.
Deng Yinyin, sitting closer to her, followed her gaze and discovered it was Rao Tingxue and Ning Han.
"I didn't expect those two to get ahead of us. Tsk, well, that's not too bad."
Xu Nuan let out a vague sound, continuing to watch the two people rushing along the Special Tree. They seemed even more eager than their group.
In fact, Xu Nuan was also particularly anxious to get through to the next stage. Perhaps her thoughts were too evident, as Deng Yinyin took a few sips of water and casually asked, “You seem quite eager. Is there something you need to take care of?”
Xu Nuan paused, wiping her sweat, and finally spoke up. “Yes, someone is in danger, and I need to hurry over.”
“Oh, then I know who it is,” Deng Yinyin said with a look of realization.
“It’s that person you like, right?” Deng Yinyin grinned mischievously and stole a glance at Gu Ze, who appeared to be unresponsive nearby. “But how did you know? Did someone leave you a sign?”
Xu Nuan neither confirmed nor denied it but replied, “I had a bad dream recently, so I’m just a bit worried.”
To Deng Yinyin's ears, this was tantamount to an admission of her earlier statement. She felt secretly pleased but maintained her facade. “Even so, you should still take care of your health. You’re already injured like this; pushing yourself too hard isn’t good.”
Xu Nuan shot a glance at Deng Yinyin and let out another vague sound.
The conversation between the two women was open and unguarded, naturally catching the attention of others around them.
Xu Hang let out a faint sigh as he glanced at Gu Ze, who was sitting in the shade with an unreadable expression. He tilted his head back, staring at the vast blue sky.
This team might be in trouble.
After a brief rest, everyone hurriedly set off.
Following that conversation with Deng Yinyin, Xu Nuan no longer needed to hide her impatience. She ran swiftly, disregarding her surroundings. Xu Hang also refrained from mentioning the need for a break, and the group's speed significantly increased.
As they walked along the Special Tree, Rao Tingxue and Ning Han were running ahead of the group by several hundred meters, showing no intention of stopping and maintaining a close distance.
Deng Yinyin ran alongside Xu Nuan and asked again.
"That Rao Tingxue looks really anxious. She's running faster than the men and isn't taking a break. It's the first time I've seen her so unconcerned about her image."
"In special circumstances, of course, she wouldn't care about her image."
Xu Nuan seemed to understand Rao Tingxue exceptionally well.
"What special circumstances?" Deng Yinyin pressed for more details. "For someone like her, who cares about her appearance, the only thing that could make her lose her composure is if something happened to the man she loves, right?"
Xu Nuan noticed that Deng Yinyin always steered the conversation towards Qin Yaojie, but she didn't mind too much.
"Well, Qin Yaojie might be in danger. She needs to hurry back to the First Batch of Players' team."
Deng Yinyin was puzzled by Xu Nuan's calmness regarding that man's danger. Seeing her expressionless face made her question whether Xu Nuan truly still had feelings for Qin Yaojie.
Could someone really remain composed knowing that the person they liked was in danger?
Xu Nuan was indeed a strange person, Deng Yinyin concluded to herself, choosing not to speak further.
As Xu Nuan ran, she occasionally glanced at the surroundings, her expression remaining calm.
There is a saying that goes, the calmer the face, the more turbulent the heart.
At dusk, Xu Nuan and her group arrived at the Supply Station, but Rao Tingxue and Ning Han seemed to be deliberately waiting for them in front of the Supply Station, showing no intention of entering.
"What are you doing?"
Deng Yinyin asked in confusion. Just as she moved closer to the Supply Station, a series of wolf howls echoed around them.
Before any of them could react, a pack of wolves surrounded them.
"It’s your fault they were drawn here."
Xu Nuan stated matter-of-factly, scanning the encircling wolves.
Ning Han continued to play the role of a loyal guardian, while Rao Tingxue laughed loudly and unrestrainedly, her smile bright and flamboyant.
"Xu Nuan, I still can’t let you see him. It would be best if you and your companions die here!"
Such cruel words came from such a beautiful facade.
Xu Nuan moved her lips as if wanting to say something but was interrupted by the smug Rao Tingxue.
"I know you want to warn me about Yaojie being in danger. Don’t worry; I will save him. It’s not bad for him to owe a favor to his future wife. As for you, I won’t tell him about your death because you have become irrelevant to him."
Deng Yinyin felt a surge of anger at those words; did this woman really think they were fools?
However, before she could launch a verbal attack on Rao Tingxue, Xu Nuan spoke up.
"No, it's you who is in danger."
"Huh?"
Seeing Xu Nuan so calm in the face of imminent danger made Rao Tingxue wish she could step forward and take matters into her own hands, but Ning Han held her back.
"Ting Xue, we’re short on time. Your authority as the head of Rao Group is crucial right now."
"Hmph."
Rao Tingxue swung her sleeve and opened the door to the Supply Station, not forgetting to add with a fierce glare before leaving, "You can just wait here for ten minutes and let the wolf pack tear you to shreds!"
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