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墨書 Inktalez
As if nothing had ever happened, the Illusory Stone Forest returned to its original appearance. The stone peaks, rivers, Gobi, and Special Tree all quietly remained in their rightful places.
Last night, everyone had fallen asleep, unaware of how the Stone Forest silently restored itself. They heard not a single sound in their dreams, and it all felt like a magic trick.
However, at this moment, everyone believed that the most important task was to follow the Special Tree to find the Supply Station. Other matters could wait for a more leisurely discussion later.
Once again, the group set off on the path to find the Supply Station. The restored Stone Forest was still unbearably hot, and their water supply quickly ran out. They had no choice but to purify river water to meet their needs.
Under the blazing sun, everyone was drenched in sweat. Eventually, they hung towels around their necks to wipe away the annoying sweat that flowed endlessly.
Xu Nuan wanted to thank Gu Ze for his help last night, which allowed her to sleep peacefully. So far, there were no signs of illness; the scar on her forehead was just a faint mark, and there were no signs of inflammation in the wound on her left hand. The larger injuries on her body were behaving well. She finally had enough energy to tackle challenges and search for Qin Yaojie, who was in danger.
Yet she held back her words. She had a feeling that thanking Gu Ze would make him unhappy, and she didn’t want to bring discomfort to someone who had helped her.
Of course, she originally intended to discuss with Gu Ze whether they were truly on an isolated island or if the Game Company had used other technologies to make them traverse different environments.
Unfortunately, everyone was focused on their journey at this moment; they were relatively close together, and others could hear her voice. Subconsciously, she considered these thoughts as secrets between herself and Gu Ze. Since they were secrets, she naturally didn’t want anyone else to hear them.
After careful consideration, Xu Nuan returned to her usual quiet demeanor and followed the group through the challenges.
The days spent walking along the Special Tree were monotonous. After two days without encountering any threats from animals, they faced a crisis with their food supply.
Perhaps because some of their food had been soaked in water before and had started to mold, combined with being exposed to the scorching sun, much of it spoiled. They had no choice but to continually reduce their rations while searching for other edible items.
They found themselves in the Stone Forest—surrounded by rocks and Gobi—with no oasis in sight. The only potential source of food was that narrow yet mysterious river.
However, after several thorough searches in the river, they found no fish or shrimp to satisfy their hunger. They even lifted rocks from the riverbed in hopes of finding shellfish but still came up empty-handed.
This was the first time everyone had failed to find food. Even in the desert or on snow-capped volcanoes, they had managed to scavenge something, but now, in the relatively safe Stone Forest, they found nothing.
The lack of food caused their spirits to plummet. Without sustenance, they lacked both strength and motivation, forcing them to move along the path by the Special Tree with increasing inefficiency.
When Xu Nuan first entered the game, she had experienced food shortages. Perhaps it was a habit formed during that time; her reliance on water outweighed her need for food. However, seeing Gu Ze's slightly pale face and his hand that had yet to heal, Xu Nuan felt that they needed to either quickly locate a Supply Station or find food to replenish everyone's energy. Their reliance on a meager supply of compressed biscuits and candies should come to an end soon.
With this thought in mind, during a break, Xu Nuan's gaze fell upon the red Special Tree.
"Gu Ze, the leaves and bark are edible, right?"
The Special Tree was the only plant that had been with them from the beginning; until now, no one had considered it as a source of food.
Before Gu Ze could respond, Deng Yinyin grabbed a knife and moved to scrape off the bark of the Special Tree. Xu Hang immediately stopped her and explained that they were not at their wits' end and did not need to take such risks.
Meanwhile, Xie Huai had lost the energy to calm Deng Yinyin down and envied her vitality.
Xu Nuan did not see this as a risk. After all, this game had initially been labeled as a Survival Game but later deemed a Death Game. However, they had always had modern tools and food at their disposal, rarely needing to worry about such matters; they had never truly experienced a life of desperation.
What was the true purpose of those who designed this game?
To experience human nature in extreme environments?
"Nuan, I don’t think you’re hungry."
Gu Ze finally found an opportunity to respond to her words, his tone still gentle.
Xu Nuan avoided his gaze and fell silent. She wasn’t actually hungry, but she felt he was. Even if he wasn’t starving, she believed he needed nourishment to heal quickly.
However, the leaves and bark seemed to lack any nutrition. Realizing this, Xu Nuan glanced at the still-struggling Deng Yinyin and suddenly felt a pang of guilt.
She wasn't sure if her emotions were too apparent, but Gu Ze suddenly spoke softly.
"Don't worry, we'll reach the Supply Station soon."
Xu Nuan didn't want to undermine Gu Ze's attempt at comfort. In reality, even though Gu Ze remembered the location of the Special Tree and the general dangers of each Survival Game, he couldn't recall how long each route to the Special Tree was or when they would arrive at the Supply Station.
His reassurance was merely a way to comfort her.
Xu Nuan didn't scoff at Gu Ze's words as she had before; instead, she echoed him.
"I know, we'll get through this level soon."
Just when she thought their conversation was coming to an end, she heard Gu Ze speak softly again.
"I'm sorry, even if I have information, it won't help you get through quickly to save him."
She knew that "him" referred to Qin Yaojie.
She didn't believe she could save Qin Yaojie, nor did she think he would easily perish. After all, he had promised to help her find the person who killed her parents. He wouldn't fall before fulfilling that promise.
This was not only a matter of trust in her former lover but also trust in her brother and close friend.
More than finding Qin Yaojie, she was somewhat concerned about Gu Ze. She felt that he was pushing himself too hard, and there were many reasons for his current state. She wasn't sure if one of those reasons was related to her.
If it was, her guilt would only grow heavier.
"Opportunities are what matter in this challenge," Xu Nuan said as she sat down next to Gu Ze. "And it's precisely because of your information that our progress is getting faster."
She quickly glanced at Gu Ze's right hand.
"If you keep this up, you might become the One-Armed Hero."
Gu Ze had run into the river despite knowing his arm was injured, allowing his wound to come into contact with the water, and he had even moved boulders with his right hand. This was the reason his injury had not healed.
But Xu Nuan knew even better that Gu Ze's injury was a result of his own actions.
"If you end up as a one-armed man, I won't take responsibility. That's on you for being reckless."
She still couldn't comprehend the illogical nature of her words, but hearing Gu Ze's laughter again seemed to lighten her mood.
With a slight smile, Xu Nuan looked up at the bright blue sky, devoid of clouds, and felt inexplicably better.
After a brief rest, everyone set off again. From Xu Nuan's observations, this stage was indeed as Gu Ze had said; aside from the beginning and the end, there wouldn't be much danger in between. Their lack of food was merely an accident caused by a malfunction in the System.
As the sun began to lose its intensity, Xu Nuan squinted and spotted the Supply Station not far away. In front of the white building stood many Players dressed in Tactical Jackets or sportswear, forming a line as if waiting to enter the Supply Station.
Were there really so many Players stuck at this stage?
Xu Nuan felt puzzled and recalled the malfunction at the Game Base yesterday, deepening her confusion. However, she was more afraid that her eagerness to progress was causing her to hallucinate, so she turned to ask the person beside her.
"Gu Ze, is that the Supply Station ahead?"
"Yes, but there are a lot of people."
Gu Ze's voice was filled with questions as he exchanged a glance with the equally puzzled Xu Hang, a sense of caution rising within him.
Deng Yinyin and Xie Huai were simply overjoyed, their spirits lifted like travelers in a desert finally finding rain.
"Everyone, look! It's the Supply Station! We finally have food and can take a break!"
"Yeah, but we might have to wait in line; there are so many Players here!"
Despite Xu Hang's lingering doubts about this unexpected joy, they couldn't miss the opportunity presented by the Supply Station. The group quickened their pace to catch up with the crowd of Players in front of the Supply Station.
However, as they drew closer, something felt off. There were indeed many Players, but none were moving or speaking, as if frozen in time.
The surroundings were eerily silent; they couldn't even hear the slightest whisper of wind. The Players standing before them appeared so vibrant yet were devoid of breath and speech.
They were dead.
Xu Nuan suddenly gasped, pointing at a few among them, her expression a mix of shock and fear.
"These Players were from my batch, so... does this mean they..."
Are dead?
Such words were difficult to utter.
If the Players outside the Supply Station were all dead, then the number of Players in this Game Base would be reduced by nearly half. Could such a terrifying event truly happen?
"Then the remaining ones must be the First Batch of Players."
Gu Ze glanced at the others who were not recognized by Xu Nuan, feeling a chill run down his spine. These figures had human-like appearances and skin that felt human to the touch. Their features were so realistic, yet they did not breathe, their eyes frozen in a moment of terror.
The thoughts of the others mirrored his own; even the most composed person would begin to doubt themselves and this game when faced with such lifelike "humans."
"What... exactly are they?"
Xie Huai dared not meet the gaze of those "people," his voice trembling.
"Even if they are dead, they shouldn't look like living humans, right? They don't show any signs of decay."
Only Xie Huai's voice broke the silence in front of the Supply Station, the wind rustling through the strange "people's" clothing. Xu Nuan felt a chill creeping up her back as she looked closely at a few of the familiar "faces," unsure how to react.
"They're probably just props for this game, meant to scare us. We should hurry into the Supply Station," Deng Yinyin said, tightening her clothes and looking at Xu Hang with wide, fearful eyes.
Xu Hang nodded. "That's what I suspect as well. Let's all head into the Supply Station; standing here and contemplating won't help us."
Xu Nuan nodded and followed them into the Supply Station, but she couldn't shake the feeling that she had forgotten something. As she tried to think it over, nothing came to mind.
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