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墨書 Inktalez
The V-Shaped Valley was the flattest area they had encountered, featuring a waterfall that was not perilous, mountains that were neither high nor steep, and pools that were not deep.
In other words, this was the safest place Gu Ze and Deng Yinyin had come across.
However, when they realized that the Tail Ring had no signal for navigation and after running back and forth only to return to their original position, they finally understood that there was no such thing as a safe zone in this game.
Deng Yinyin sat panting on a large rock, unable to hold back her complaints.
"This place is like a maze; we can't find our way out. How are we supposed to regroup with the others?"
Her tone sounded more like a pout than a complaint.
Initially, after being brought to this place by the thick fog, some unpleasant and awkward incidents had occurred. Being rejected at such a moment had severely bruised Deng Yinyin's pride as a woman. At that time, she not only resented Gu Ze but also Xu Nuan, who had caused all of this.
As a result, during their subsequent interactions, she frequently brought up Xu Nuan and Qin Yaojie to provoke Gu Ze and vent her anger. However, throughout this process, Gu Ze responded with an attitude of indifference, which bored her.
After the boredom faded, Deng Yinyin noticed that Gu Ze still took care of her; he would warn her in more dangerous areas and would be the first to charge forward when they encountered fierce beasts. He would also save her whenever she was in danger. All these actions led her to believe that perhaps Gu Ze didn't actually like Xu Nuan as much as she thought; otherwise, he wouldn't be so attentive to her.
Thus, Deng Yinyin began to speculate whether Gu Ze regretted rejecting her at that time and if he was growing weary of Xu Nuan and looking for another source of tenderness.
Consequently, she started to test Gu Ze repeatedly by making unreasonable demands, which he either selectively fulfilled or ignored.
This left her feeling both puzzled and hopeful.
"There must be some mechanism in this place. Until we find it, we can only keep pushing through," Gu Ze replied in a nonchalant manner.
Despite his lukewarm response, Deng Yinyin liked the word "we" very much. She quickly stood up, eager to show her understanding.
"Then let's hurry up and push through so we can get out of here as soon as possible."
Deng Yinyin glanced at Gu Ze's expression and noticed he merely nodded lightly. Immediately, she furrowed her brows in dissatisfaction. Then she recalled the saying, "Persistence is victory," and quickly forced a smile. She wanted to believe that Gu Ze would eventually recognize her worth. Even if it was forced, a love born from effort could still yield good results.
The fields had just experienced a rain shower, and the Camphor Trees lining the path were adorned with glistening droplets. The flowers shyly kissed the rain, unaware that the sun peeking through the clouds would soon take away the moisture.
Thinking of Gu Ze still being unwell, Deng Yinyin tried to soften her usually exuberant tone.
"Do you want to take some more medicine? You've been walking for so long; can your body handle it?"
This concern came from her heart. Although she and Gu Ze worked in the same company and had been on the same team in the game, she rarely had time alone with him. Often, she hesitated to express her care for him in front of others due to pride.
She was determined to make this moment her turning point in the Survival Game.
"I'm fine."
Gu Ze's indifferent response did not diminish her resolve.
"Get up! This is my first time being apart from Xu Hang and Xie Huai. You can't leave me behind, Gu Ze!"
After circling back through a valley and realizing they had returned to their starting point, Deng Yinyin suddenly expressed her feelings. Her probing was quite evident; she longed for Gu Ze to give her an affirmative answer.
"As a companion and a friend of Hang's, I won't abandon you."
Gu Ze said this without even looking at Deng Yinyin, his gaze wandering over the surrounding scenery, his brow slightly furrowed as he felt troubled by their current situation.
He couldn't figure out the structural principles of this V-Shaped Valley and had no recollection of any relevant information about it. This left him anxious, yet he had to keep his thoughts to himself.
Deng Yinyin was clearly dissatisfied with Gu Ze's response. Just as she was about to raise her voice, Gu Ze suddenly turned and walked beside her, speaking urgently.
"Quickly get away from here, it's dangerous!"
With limited visibility, Deng Yinyin saw nothing as Gu Ze pulled her behind a bush. They were so close that Deng Yinyin could feel the warmth of Gu Ze's face when she turned her head.
Gu Ze must be regretting rejecting me that day, Deng Yinyin thought happily, completely unaware that their current predicament was due to the narrowness of the bush.
Her mood lifted suddenly, and just as she was about to make a casual touch, Gu Ze lowered her head, his low voice warning her in her ear.
"Try to hold your breath!"
Deng Yinyin was puzzled but instinctively complied. As she kept her head down, she stole a glance at the situation outside.
What she saw made her eyes widen in shock.
Not far from them, a leopard was casually prowling through the bushes. The leopard seemed relaxed and had not yet noticed them, but its sense of smell was incredibly sharp; it could track them down if it caught a whiff of human scent.
She did her best to hold her breath, but deep down, she knew this action wouldn't save them. Her heart began to race as adrenaline surged through her body, and sweat trickled down her back.
In this critical moment, she instinctively moved closer to the only man she could rely on and admired. Turning her head, she sought comfort and protection from him, even though she knew that humans were no match for beasts in terms of strength.
However, as she turned around, she noticed a thick fog closing in on them with an ominous presence. Panic surged within her as she jumped to her feet.
"Gu Ze, the fog is coming again!"
Before she could finish her sentence, she realized that the leopard had spotted them and was charging in their direction.
"Ah!"
Deng Yinyin instinctively reached for Gu Ze's hand, even wanting to throw herself into his embrace.
When the leopard pounced in front of them, a thick fog enveloped them just in time. The worst that Deng Yinyin feared did not happen, but Gu Ze calmly pushed her away and withdrew his hand.
As the warmth of his palm slipped away, Deng Yinyin's heart sank. Wherever Xu Nuan was, Gu Ze rarely looked at her; in places without Xu Nuan, he still showed no interest in her. Did this man only have Xu Nuan on his mind?
A malicious thought suddenly sprouted in Deng Yinyin's mind: what if something happened to Xu Nuan at this checkpoint and she couldn't reach the Supply Station? Then there would be no one else competing with her for Gu Ze's attention. She recalled the Terrifying Cave stage, where Xu Nuan had been surrounded by Zombies yet managed to escape and discover a secret room, continuing to linger around Gu Ze and drawing his attention.
What a lucky woman!
Deng Yinyin gritted her teeth, relieved that they were in the fog and Gu Ze wouldn't see her like this. She should leave a good impression on him. However, she completely forgot that when she had argued with Xu Nuan, Gu Ze had stood by Xu Nuan's side. Even during the Lonely Gorge stage, when Xu Nuan had left the team, Gu Ze had darkened for a while, making her too afraid to say a word.
"Gu Ze, are you still there?"
Deng Yinyin desperately tried to assert her presence.
"Yes."
Gu Ze quickly replied, his voice devoid of any fluctuations, lacking the obvious smile he wore when he was with Xu Nuan.
A wave of jealousy surged within her like never before.
When the fog cleared, Deng Yinyin and Gu Ze found themselves at a place with a Cliff.
"Where is this? We can't be getting further away from the Special Tree, can we?"
Faced with the unfamiliar environment, Deng Yinyin instinctively thought of the worst-case scenario, while her admired Gu Ze calmly pointed to a path and gently shook his head.
"No, we are already heading towards the Special Tree. We will reach the Supply Station soon."
Following the direction pointed out by Gu Ze, Deng Yinyin spotted familiar Crimson trees in the forest at the corner of the Cliff. As she looked further ahead, she saw a white building.
It was the Supply Station!
Deng Yinyin's eyes widened in surprise; she hadn't expected happiness to come so suddenly.
However, this happiness faded away as she and Gu Ze quickly arrived at the Supply Station. When Gu Ze insisted on waiting outside for the others to arrive, it vanished completely.
"You just want to wait for Xu Nuan."
Deng Yinyin bluntly stated the truth, her eyes already glistening with unshed tears, as if she had suffered a great injustice.
Gu Ze responded to her with silence, which only fueled her anger. She paced outside the Supply Station, unable to utter a single word. Finally, she could only provoke Gu Ze by suggesting that Xu Nuan had likely already entered the Supply Station and moved on to the next stage.
To her surprise, Gu Ze simply shook his head, quite certain.
"She wouldn't do that; she's still in this stage."
Deng Yinyin expressed her deep disdain for Gu Ze's sorrowful demeanor and continued to taunt him with her words.
"How would you know? Isn't she eager to save her ex-boyfriend?"
Gu Ze remained silent, leaving Deng Yinyin feeling as if she were punching a pillow.
Meanwhile, Xu Nuan, whom she envied and resented, was indeed facing danger just as she had wished.
As Xu Nuan met Ning Han's gaze, an unsettling premonition washed over her.
If in the past Ning Han had been a pretentious hypocrite in front of Rao Tingxue, now he was completely genuine, showing no signs of concealing his intentions.
Xu Nuan noticed that Rao Tingxue trembled slightly upon seeing Ning Han before raising her voice to shout.
"Seriously, why didn't you come to protect me sooner? You just found me now!"
The words lacked conviction, and Xu Nuan felt an overwhelming urge to flee.
However, before she could act on that impulse, Ning Han had already circled around to stand right in front of her, locking his gaze onto her while addressing the visibly anxious Rao Tingxue beside him.
"Ting Xue, I’ve arrived just in time, haven’t I? To express my belated apologies, let me take care of this woman for you first."
The last statement was delivered with absolute certainty.
Xu Nuan's eyes darted to the side of Ning Han and then she suddenly bolted sideways. She couldn't run backward; behind her was Cliff.
In the end, she couldn't overcome Ning Han. This was yet another instance where she was subdued by a man, following Guo Dafu and Zhang Xiao, and she was mercilessly pushed off the cliff.
At the moment she fell into the abyss, she caught a glimpse of Rao Tingxue's terrified and fearful expression.
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