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墨書 Inktalez
Gu Ze's response made Xu Nuan even more curious about the mission he and Xu Hang were on. Teaching a lesson could mean many things, so Xu Nuan turned around and walked to the other side of the Special Tree to see what was happening.
Indeed, there was a fierce-looking Camel with horns standing in front of Deng Yinyin and Xie Huai. Xu Nuan observed it and didn't think the Camel posed any real threat; in fact, she considered it could serve as their food reserve.
However, the paranoid Deng Yinyin and Xie Huai found the Camel terrifying, especially Deng Yinyin, who kept screaming, hoping someone would rush to her side like a knight protecting a princess.
This was a game without princesses or princes.
Believing that the two were not in any real danger, Xu Nuan turned to leave; she needed to take some time to rest.
But just after taking two steps, she heard Deng Yinyin let out a sharp, high-pitched scream that pierced her ears. Reflexively, she turned back and saw the Camel charging at Deng Yinyin for some unknown reason. Deng Yinyin was frantically running away while scolding Xie Huai for not doing anything.
"Get rid of it quickly!"
The Camel was larger than Xie Huai, and anyone would instinctively be afraid. Suddenly, Xu Nuan thought of the Sand Python from last night. She hadn't seen Gu Ze deal with the Sand Python, but its head had left a lasting impression on her.
At that moment, the System's voice echoed.
"Fierce Faced Camel: Carnivorous, protective of its young. Usually docile, but when provoked, its attack power rivals that of tigers and leopards."
Xu Nuan immediately grasped several key points: protective of its young and its attack power when angered. She looked around and noticed a crushed egg on the ground.
An egg?
Xu Nuan widened her eyes; weren't Camels mammals? How could there be an egg?
As if responding to her thoughts, the System continued to explain.
"This is one of the major achievements. Good luck to you all."
Xu Nuan, who came from a liberal arts background, had no understanding of what Biological Modification was about. She assumed this game was conducting some extraordinary experiment. Hearing the key point, she reminded the still-fidgeting Deng Yinyin and Xie Huai.
"We should leave here; the Fierce Faced Camel is terrifying."
What Xu Nuan didn't realize was that her words could easily backfire. After hearing her, Deng Yinyin refused to flee and looked at Xu Nuan with disdain.
"Pfft, no matter what, it's just a Camel. How dangerous can it be? I'm not like someone who needs protection and keeps changing their mind."
Xu Nuan decided she would no longer communicate with Deng Yinyin and turned to leave. After taking a couple of steps, she heard a muffled grunt. She had no choice but to turn back and saw that Xie Huai had been attacked by the Camel for some reason, leaving a deep gash on his arm, blood flowing out in streams. Xie Huai was usually timid; this was both a flaw and a virtue, as he was the least injured member of their team.
Xie Huai clutched his bleeding arm and retreated to the side. Now, there was truly no one left to protect Deng Yinyin; it was her first time fighting solo since entering the game.
At this moment, Xu Nuan felt particularly sensitive to blood. Seeing the blood on Xie Huai's arm and the splatters of crimson on the sand, she couldn't help but want to approach him. However, her hand was suddenly pulled back, making her stumble a few steps.
Looking up, Xu Nuan saw Gu Ze's face—smiling yet somewhat serious.
"This time, ignore them. If they don't learn their lesson, they'll think our team is their babysitting service."
Perhaps annoyed by Xu Hang's injury, Gu Ze rarely spoke so harshly.
Xu Nuan narrowed her eyes slightly and glanced at Xu Hang, who remained standing without approaching. Her mind raced as she considered the two men; this situation couldn't simply be about teaching Deng Yinyin and Xie Huai a lesson.
After thinking for a moment, Xu Nuan suddenly had an idea. She tilted her head slightly and asked slowly.
"Is it related to your mission?"
Gu Ze raised the corner of his lips.
"Smart."
Xu Nuan glanced back at Deng Yinyin, who was still dodging Camel's attacks, noticing that there was still egg liquid on her feet, and that Camel was only targeting Deng Yinyin.
"Is your mission," Xu Nuan ventured a guess, "to not intervene when they are in danger?"
The smile in Gu Ze's eyes grew wider, though she felt that smiling in front of Deng Yinyin and Xie Huai was somewhat impolite.
"It seems I guessed correctly."
With a forced expression, Xu Nuan moved away from Gu Ze to her backpack, using the pretense of organizing her belongings to mask her emotions.
Only her mission remained unfinished, while they had already found the Special Tree. The day of decision would eventually come; what should she do?
Meanwhile, the drama of Deng Yinyin and Xie Huai battling a Fierce Faced Camel came to an end. Both had sustained some injuries, mostly scratches on their hands and legs—superficial wounds that were not serious.
Xie Huai silently moved aside to tend to his injuries, whether resigned or brewing emotions within himself was unclear. Deng Yinyin kept casting pitiful looks at the group, particularly directed at Xu Hang and Gu Ze, while her gaze towards Xu Nuan was filled with blame and resentment.
Xu Nuan could not recall having done anything to hurt Deng Yinyin, so she chose to ignore it. She sighed inwardly; Gu Ze and Xu Hang's actions would only deepen the rift within the team.
To be fair, compared to what Deng Yinyin and Xie Huai had done, Gu Ze and Xu Hang's response through the mission was quite gentle. But this was the scheme of the System, gradually undermining the trust they had painstakingly built. This time, their mission was still manageable, and they were able to understand each other to some extent. But what about in the future? What if they faced even more difficult tasks?
Xu Nuan's anxious nature flared up again.
The seemingly peaceful five continued along the path of the Special Tree. After encountering and dealing with a few Fierce Faced Camels, they spotted the white Supply Station hidden within the Crimson from a distance.
Except for Xu Nuan, the others rarely showed joy on their faces. Aside from that troublesome System mission, they had managed to get through this stage smoothly. It seemed that in everyone's eyes, a broken trust was less significant than successfully clearing the level.
Falling behind, Xu Nuan lowered her head, her expression troubled. She hadn't expected to reach the Supply Station so soon without completing her task. Once the mission target entered the Supply Station, she would be unable to finish her assignment and would be stuck at this level.
There was a sense of unwillingness mixed with helplessness as Xu Nuan clenched her fists, a hint of pain welling up in her eyes. Suddenly, Xu Hang, who had been walking ahead, stopped in his tracks and turned back to look at Xu Nuan.
"Have you completed your mission?"
It was only then that the other two noticed that Xu Nuan had not taken any action; they hadn't seen her get close to anyone or attack any creatures.
Xu Nuan looked up quickly at Gu Ze and forced a smile.
"Not yet, but I’ll be able to finish it soon."
Xu Hang frowned slightly and thought for a moment before replying.
"That's good."
But it wasn't good at all.
Xu Nuan wanted to shout this sentence out loud, but having gotten used to suppressing her emotions, she swallowed her words and remained silent, not daring to glance at someone again.
Instead, Deng Yinyin crept over with a mischievous grin.
"You're really overdoing the innocent act, aren't you? Tsk tsk. If you can't complete the mission, don't cry. When we leave, don't blame us."
Xu Nuan, already highly tense, felt even worse at that moment. She shot a cold glance at Deng Yinyin and spat out four words.
"None of your business."
After all, their team was about to fall apart, and she didn't mind adding fuel to the fire at this point. If she didn’t show her claws, she would truly be treated like a sick cat. She had experience in tearing into others and clashing with them. Although those memories were painful to recall, she didn’t mind sharing a moment of reflection with Deng Yinyin.
Perhaps Xu Nuan's expression was a bit fierce; after having learned her lesson not long ago, Deng Yinyin wisely retreated from her position and obediently followed the others.
Xu Nuan fell behind, hoping to arrive at the Supply Station a little later and make her choice then.
As dusk fell, the wind in the Gobi was strong, and Xu Nuan felt a chill run through her body. She desperately told herself it was just psychological; even the thick scent of blood wafting through the air was merely a figment of her imagination.
Blood scent?
Xu Nuan suddenly lifted her head and noticed that the few people ahead had also stopped in their tracks. They were only a few dozen meters away from the Supply Station.
A corpse lay not far in front of the white Supply Station.
Dressed in a red tracksuit, long disheveled black hair sprawled on the ground, wide-open eyes stared blankly with a blood-stained face. Below that was a gaping wound in the abdomen, with a short knife left embedded above it. The red blood mingled with the red tracksuit, creating an oddly tragic beauty.
Beside the corpse lay an open backpack, with some items scattered on the ground.
The surroundings were quiet and desolate, with only the white Supply Station and the red-clad body as the two sights in this barren place.
"Isn't this Rao Tingxue?"
Deng Yinyin exclaimed in shock, "She was murdered?"
She stated a very obvious fact: Rao Tingxue had been killed, stabbed in the abdomen.
Rao Tingxue was the eldest daughter of the Rao Group, the publicly acknowledged sole heir. Unfortunately, today she lay dead in the wilderness, and perhaps soon there would be nothing left but bones.
Xu Nuan's heart tightened suddenly as she recalled that just a few days ago, Rao Tingxue had excitedly boasted to her about finding Qin Yaojie. She was a woman with a bright, defiant smile who refused to back down.
Rao Tingxue had been killed, stabbed by someone. Xu Nuan couldn't help but associate this with the System's mission. The only Player who had been with Rao Tingxue before was Ning Han.
Was Ning Han's mission to kill Rao Tingxue? Or did it only require stabbing her? If it were the latter, then the mission would be similar to Deng Yinyin's; if it were the former, she didn't want to imagine it.
Could the System really issue such a cruel mission? Yet, Xu Nuan found no reason to explain what lay before her.
Under the gaze of others, Xu Nuan walked over to Rao Tingxue's side, crouched down, and gently closed her eyes.
She felt a twinge of regret.
If she had walked just a little faster, could this tragedy have been avoided?
If Qin Yaojie knew that Rao Tingxue had died because of a so-called mission, what would she feel? And what about Chairman Rao? Even if she was considered a pawn, Rao Tingxue was still his daughter. As his daughter, did her fate truly have to end in death?
Xu Nuan felt a throbbing pain in her head, and just then, she heard Xu Hang's voice.
"At this point, there's nothing we can do. Let's just leave this place. Those who have completed the mission should go."
Deng Yinyin immediately cheered, no longer looking at Rao Tingxue's lifeless body or pretending to be nauseated. She was the first to leave.
Ten minutes later, Xie Huai was the second to go.
During this time, Xu Nuan rummaged through Rao Tingxue's backpack. She found a nearly damaged bracelet that looked very similar to the one she had torn from Rao Tingxue's wrist earlier. She thought that the bracelet might have been a tool for communication between Rao Tingxue and the First Batch of Players. In the end, she only found Rao Tingxue's name inscribed on the inside of that bracelet. However, when she looked at the bracelet inside Rao Tingxue's backpack, she discovered that it bore Qin Yaojie's name.
Could it be that Qin Yaojie had accidentally left it behind when she ventured into this area and it was picked up by Rao Tingxue?
Xu Nuan could only make such a guess. After some thought, she ultimately slipped both bracelets onto Rao Tingxue's wrist.
Another ten minutes passed.
Xu Hang patted Gu Ze on the shoulder and walked into the Supply Station. Before leaving, he deliberately said to Xu Nuan, "I hope you won't make a regrettable choice."
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