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墨書 Inktalez
It was a tree about twenty meters tall, with gray bark and sparse, oval-shaped leaves. From a distance, it appeared remarkably sturdy, standing silently with its main trunk and branches clearly defined, making it an ideal choice for observing the surrounding environment.
However, upon closer inspection, one would notice a layer of light gray fuzz on the tree's bark that was nearly imperceptible. Just as Gu Ze's hand brushed against this fuzz, it stood upright, transforming into sharp spikes that cut into his palm.
Gu Ze was caught off guard, and several blood streaks marred his otherwise smooth palm.
Seeing the crimson blood made Xu Nuan's heart skip a beat; it felt as if someone had squeezed it tightly, making breathing difficult.
Deng Yinyin exclaimed loudly, "Quick! Get some iodine to disinfect and bandage it!"
Unexpectedly calm, Xie Huai suggested, "Let's find another tree to observe."
This remark drew curious glances from Xu Nuan and Xu Hang.
Yet Xu Nuan was more concerned about Gu Ze's expression—it was strange, filled with confusion and restraint, as if the wounds were causing him significant pain.
Suddenly turning to look at the part of the tree that had injured Gu Ze's palm, she noticed that the bloodstains left behind had already faded considerably, while the fuzz seemed to be sucking up the blood like an animal.
A chill ran down her spine as her legs moved uncontrollably toward Gu Ze. She grabbed his wrist and leaned in closely to examine his wounds. To her shock, she realized that the injuries appeared to be expanding outward, and mixed with the blood was a faint purple hue. Fearing she might be mistaken, she rubbed her eyes with one hand and leaned in again for a better look. Once confirmed, she scolded Gu Ze.
"Is it poisonous? Why are you just standing there in a daze? Go get an Antidote!"
Her shout drew the attention of the others, who gathered around to see what was happening. Xu Hang quickly retrieved the Antidote to help Gu Ze detoxify and warned everyone else to remember what this type of tree looked like. They needed to avoid such trees in this seemingly endless forest.
Everyone nodded in agreement. For safety's sake, Xu Hang decided against climbing trees to search for Special Trees; after all, they were not botanists and had no idea which trees might be dangerous. Moreover, given that this Game Base could alter living organisms, they felt utterly helpless.
At that moment, Deng Yinyin suddenly spoke up.
"It would be great if Tang Jing Shu were here; she's like a walking encyclopedia of plants and would definitely know which trees are toxic."
The few people who were already quiet became even quieter, no, it was Silence.
They were far from the 'Angry Jungle' stage, and they thought they had forgotten about a companion who had fallen there, but each of them had etched that scene deep in their hearts.
At times like this, no one could deceive themselves.
Deng Yinyin still liked to express her thoughts at any moment, completely oblivious to the slightly stiff expressions of Xu Nuan and the others.
They were all individuals who thrived in their own roles, yet the death of Tang Jingshu proved their incompetence. Whether they were the proud elite or ordinary workers, everyone was treated equally here; each person's abilities seemed rather pale.
"I really miss Tang Jingshu."
They had to admit their helplessness while trying to struggle in this game, but they disliked being exposed; this was a shared flaw among them.
"How am I supposed to explain this to Tang Jingshu's parents when we get out?"
"Let's not talk about this anymore. We can't guarantee that we'll be able to leave this game."
Xu Hang interrupted Deng Yinyin, warning her with a glance. Such weak and powerless words were the easiest to shake people's hearts. Grief and mourning were best kept quiet and solitary, not suited for a team setting.
Once Xu Nuan understood this, she noticed a look of grievance appear on Deng Yinyin's face as she turned to Xie Huai, who avoided her gaze, one hand tugging at his clothes, clearly reminded of something painful.
She was usually quiet in the team, only speaking up when she had a good idea; generally, she complied with anything said by Xu Hang.
After a brief adjustment, they prepared to set off again, heading into the unknown direction of Special Tree, which made it easier for fatigue to creep in.
Xu Nuan quickly got up but noticed that Gu Ze was moving awkwardly while putting on his backpack. His injured hand seemed so weak that it couldn't straighten out, making it difficult for him to carry the bag. A bad premonition arose in her heart as she hurried over to Gu Ze, impulsively grabbing that hand. She distinctly felt something different about it; it was soft and limp, as if it had been numbed.
"The poison has been cured, hasn't it?"
Seeing the rare flash of embarrassment on Gu Ze's face, Xu Nuan lowered her voice, careful not to draw the attention of the few people walking ahead. However, she felt a surge of dissatisfaction within her.
"It seems like only part of it has been resolved; there’s no longer any light purple component in the blood, but that arm is probably going to be useless for a while."
Xu Nuan released her grip and looked at Gu Ze's limp hand with irritation, unsure of what exactly was bothering her. She shot him an annoyed glance.
"Why didn’t you just say so earlier? Didn’t you promise not to lie?"
A hint of helplessness played at the corners of Gu Ze's mouth.
"I thought it would get better soon; maybe it would be fine in ten minutes."
Xu Nuan remained skeptical and continued to feel irritated as she quickly pulled an Antidote from her backpack and handed it over.
"This is for oral use; it should help a bit."
Gu Ze didn’t take it, calmly continuing to walk ahead while Xu Nuan hurried to keep pace with him.
"Keep it. This forest is strange, and there are too many unknowns. We don’t know how long we’ll be here, so having an extra Antidote is wise; we don’t want to repeat past mistakes."
Xu Nuan was particularly sensitive to the phrase "repeat past mistakes." Among the thirty-some challenges they had faced, there was only one time they had lacked an Antidote—the challenge where Tang Jingshu had died, which was also when Zhang Xiao had arrived. It was the same challenge where Gu Ze had helped her extract most of the snake venom.
For some reason, her irritation lessened slightly, but she still pressed the Antidote into Gu Ze's hand.
"Having learned from experience, I always bring plenty; I don’t need this one."
However, Xu Nuan was a bit hasty in her actions, trying to place the Antidote into Gu Ze's temporarily paralyzed hand. He couldn’t grip it tightly, and as Xu Nuan hurriedly reached out to catch it, she inadvertently grasped his hand and felt its abnormal twitching.
Typically, a numbed area wouldn’t twitch like that. Xu Nuan immediately realized that the unknown type of tree might have been altered by this Game Company to accommodate multiple toxins simultaneously or had significantly enhanced its original poison, causing various side effects at once.
"Is it just anesthesia?"
Xu Nuan felt a bit annoyed as she squeezed his hand tightly, looking up at Gu Ze with anger in her eyes.
"What else are you hiding from me? You are so untrustworthy."
Xu Nuan was like a cat with its fur bristled, ready to show her claws at any moment.
Gu Ze finally realized that he had to fulfill his promises, even if it meant bleeding. He needed to earn Xu Nuan's trust and not keep anything from her. To make her willingly accept his reassurance, he had to start with every little thing.
"It hurts, like something is constantly biting me."
Xu Nuan released his hand and walked while tilting her head to look at it.
"If it's anesthesia, then how can I feel pain? Is a tree really that powerful?"
She felt puzzled and somewhat displeased, thinking that Gu Ze's injury could have been avoided. She also sensed that the forest was eerie, and it would be better to leave sooner rather than later.
"I tend to think it's muscle relaxation," Gu Ze had a different perspective on this but remained open-minded.
"Don't be nervous; it'll be fine soon, and you won't need that hand for anything right now."
"No one is nervous!"
Xu Nuan suddenly turned her head and strode forward. Upon hearing footsteps behind her, she frowned again, sensing something was off. She couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong.
Regardless of the unease, they pressed on. The five of them walked through the dimly lit forest. After passing by a large area of towering trees, they arrived at a place where the trees were relatively shorter. "Shorter" was relative; these trees still blocked most of the sunlight, making the forest appear quite dark.
The woods were somewhat still, lacking the sound of wind, which made it feel even more tranquil. However, soon enough, the silence was broken by the sounds of animals moving about.
First, there was something continuously pecking at the trees, the sound rhythmic and growing louder. Soon after, something began to tug at the branches and vines, the sound of breaking air drawing closer to the group.
Instinctively, they ran in the opposite direction of the sound. The most common aggressive animals they encountered in the forest were monkey-like creatures—numerous, agile, and capable of varying sizes, easily becoming more human-like. They had learned from past encounters and developed a conditioned reflex.
The group dashed toward a spot where sunlight filtered through the leaves more intensely, hoping that the monkeys trailing behind would be slower.
Ape-like creatures always had a distinct advantage in the forest. As they hurried along, Xu Nuan anxiously watched Gu Ze's troubling hand. Eventually, they reached an area dense with vines, which was also quite damp, with moss and ferns visible everywhere.
Xu Nuan suddenly felt uneasy; this area was supposed to be one of the sunniest spots in the forest, typically the driest on the forest floor. How could there be so many vines here?
She abruptly stopped, refusing to run any further and tugged at Gu Ze beside her.
"This place is strange."
Just as they paused, the apes caught up to them. The sound of breaking air was alarmingly close. They had no choice but to turn around and saw a group of apes with a distinctive white stripe on their faces. Their arms were unusually long as they swung swiftly between the trees.
As Xu Nuan hesitated, the vines that had been tangled in midair and those sprawled across the ground seemed to come alive. They surged toward the apes with incredible speed. No matter how fast the apes were, they couldn't evade these vines. One by one, they became ensnared, their necks tightly constricted as they emitted cries of distress that gradually faded into silence.
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