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Xu Nuan's gaze towards Xie Huai was filled with vigilance. She believed that Xie Huai had sensed her wariness; otherwise, he wouldn't be looking at her with such a puzzled expression, glancing over at Gu Ze and Xu Hang, who were temporarily ignoring him.
Xie Huai's eyes held only confusion, devoid of any evasion or guilt. Xu Nuan wondered whether he was truly innocent or just an excellent actor. Remembering Xie Huai's previously bold yet cowardly demeanor only deepened her uncertainty.
Sometimes, people are difficult to change, while at other times, they can become unrecognizable overnight. With temptation and self-interest, a single thought can lead to a complete transformation in a person.
In truth, she feared that she might change in this game, even though she had already changed significantly. Unconsciously, she took two steps back, feeling guilty and wary about her doubts during this short period. However, someone stopped her retreat.
“There are vines behind you.”
Gu Ze's steady voice calmed her wavering heart slightly; she also feared that Gu Ze might change.
Meanwhile, the confrontation between Deng Yinyin and Xu Hang continued. Deng Yinyin relentlessly accused Xu Hang of lacking conscience for not saving her when she was in danger and for not rescuing Xie Huai either. She even tried to pull Xie Huai into her camp, causing him to look at them with increasing distrust.
Great, Xu Nuan thought this could escalate badly. They suspected Xie Huai had issues and might have received a task from the System, while Xie Huai believed they were cold-hearted individuals who would watch their companions suffer without helping.
Their current situation was already perilous; if their relationships fell into a deadlock as well, Xu Nuan believed they would eventually be consumed by this deadly predicament. Once doubts began to creep in, she unconsciously glanced at Gu Ze's expression, hoping he would provide a better solution. This formed an unrecognized sense of trust that she had yet to realize.
Gu Ze’s face remained serious; he did not show any signs of panic or express that they were doomed this time. Occasionally, he glanced toward the nearby forest filled with carnivorous flowers but mostly remained silent, watching Xu Hang as if leaving the resolution entirely in his hands.
Xu Nuan trusted Xu Hang to a certain extent but believed it was because they had not yet encountered any conflicts of interest and were temporarily maintaining an alliance.
At first, Xu Hang frowned at Deng Yinyin's nonsensical accusations but eventually chose to ignore her actions and whether they would cause Deng Yinyin to start doubting him. He directly turned his attention to Xie Huai.
“You need to give us an explanation.”
Xu Hang's face was stern as he looked at Xie Huai, completely oblivious to the encroaching mist behind him and the vines threatening to strike from the front.
“What explanation?”
Xie Huai's complexion was somewhat pale, his hand clenched tightly as if he were a bit agitated. It was unclear whether it was due to Deng Yinyin's words or Xu Hang's attitude, or perhaps his own guilt.
With nothing to do and unable to think of any solutions, Xu Nuan could only pull Gu Ze along to observe Xie Huai.
Deng Yinyin, puzzled by the sudden silence in the atmosphere, shouted a couple of times.
"What are you all doing? Aren't we supposed to be figuring out how to get out of here? I don't want to become food for the man-eating flower!"
Xu Hang turned and shot her a glare before looking back at Xie Huai, whose momentum had surprisingly not diminished. He sneered.
"You know how to get out of here, right?"
Xie Huai widened his eyes in surprise, feeling displeased by Xu Hang's attitude. His voice turned cold.
"What are you talking about? Ever since I woke up, you all have been acting strange. What on earth happened?"
From Xu Hang's words, Xu Nuan realized something. If Xie Huai had indeed accepted some strange System mission, then he would certainly look out for himself, which meant he must know how to leave this place. She speculated that Gu Ze and Xu Hang's earlier silence was because they had thought of this point and chose to let things unfold naturally. While marveling at the meticulous thoughts of these two, Xu Nuan found herself unexpectedly hoping that Xie Huai had truly chosen himself over the team, because only then could they extract the method of leaving from him.
This was a game of chess where almost everyone was tormenting others while also tormenting themselves.
Suddenly, an uncomfortable feeling welled up in Xu Nuan's heart. Was what she was thinking what the System expected? Watching their relationships grow increasingly tense and distant until this team disbanded?
As she was lost in her thoughts, someone tapped her on the head with a light but firm force.
"What’s that for?"
Xu Nuan lowered her voice and glared at Gu Ze.
Gu Ze looked down and smiled. "Why are you dazing off instead of watching the show?"
"Are you enjoying the show? What does this man think this confrontation is?"
Xu Nuan covered her head and shot Gu Ze a disdainful glance, but she obediently continued to pay attention to Xu Hang and Xie Huai's actions.
"Did you not notice?"
Xu Hang's voice was somewhat low.
"These vines aren't attacking you at all, and we came here because we heard your voice. How do you explain that?"
Xu Hang finally laid it all out. If Xie Huai was indeed completing a mission for some benefit, he would surely slip up. The people here knew him well enough; if he lied, they would see right through it immediately.
"Not attacking me?"
Xie Huai's expression of confusion seemed genuine. He even placed his hand within the range of the vines' attacks to test it, discovering that they indeed did not strike him.
"What is going on?"
Xie Huai looked more surprised than Xu Nuan and the others had been when they first noticed this, and his astonishment appeared very real.
"Xie Huai, what is going on?"
Deng Yinyin was a step behind; only now did she react. Ignoring that Xie Huai had just saved her, she regarded him with a highly skeptical gaze.
"Did you receive some special mission that led you to trick us here?"
Deng Yinyin made her question clearer.
Perhaps because Deng Yinyin was the woman Xie Huai liked, he wore an unusually aggrieved expression, mixed with innocence.
Xu Nuan was still uncertain whether Xie Huai had truly received a mission from the System. His demeanor and expressions were so genuine that they shook her initial doubts.
"What should we do?"
Xu Nuan instinctively turned to Gu Ze for guidance.
"It seems like we're at another dead end."
If Xie Huai insisted on his innocence and they couldn't force him to admit otherwise, then they would have no way of learning how to escape from him.
Gu Ze narrowed his eyes, staring intently at Xie Huai, remaining silent.
"Are you... doubting me?"
Xie Huai's voice carried a sense of hurt, his already pale face growing even paler, almost as if he might crumble at any moment. The injuries he sustained in the Vine Maze were untreated, making him appear even more pitiful and reinforcing Xu Nuan's belief that they were wrongfully accusing him.
Real?
False?
Xu Nuan felt her mind turning into a muddled mess.
"But you can't explain what happened to you."
Eventually, Xu Nuan spoke up. Continuing this stalemate would only waste time, and she knew that no matter how much Xu Hang doubted Xie Huai, he would never resort to violence to force an admission. She could already foresee how events would unfold.
If Xie Huai was telling the truth, they would never extract an answer from him.
If he was lying, as long as he stubbornly denied it, they would still never get an answer unless they resorted to extreme measures, which they absolutely would not do.
Xu Hang furrowed his brow, seemingly displeased with Xu Nuan for interrupting their conversation. However, he chose to give Gu Ze face and remained silent, also stopping the ever-unfeeling Deng Yinyin from making a scene.
"That's because I don't know what happened to me either," Xie Huai said, feeling wronged by his companions' suspicions. His voice rose considerably as he spoke.
"I was with you all the time, then I was knocked out by the vines. When I woke up, I found you all standing here while I was lying on the ground, and Deng Yinyin was tied up. That's all I know; I have no idea about anything else. If you doubt me because of what happened in the last round, I have nothing to say. And I don't know how to leave this place."
As Xie Huai spoke, he was still somewhat agitated, feeling that his dignity was being challenged.
"But if you doubt me over something like this, then each of you could be suspected in the future."
Xu Nuan had to admit that Xie Huai had hit the nail on the head; this was one of her doubts as well.
"No, you can leave. You should know that these vines won't attack you, and those man-eating flowers won't eat you either. You are the only one among us who can leave."
When Xu Nuan said this, she noticed a flicker of surprise in Xie Huai's eyes, and his breathing became heavier. Behind her, Gu Ze suddenly placed a hand on her shoulder; it wasn't forceful but somehow provided a sense of reassurance.
She was taking a gamble; regardless of winning or losing, she felt that this person behind her would support her. Realizing this made her feel somewhat despicable, and her thoughts turned dark.
The group fell silent for a moment before Xie Huai slowly spoke again.
"If that's the case, then I know how to leave this place."
"Really?"
Deng Yinyin reacted most strongly to Xie Huai's words. She first expressed joy but then quickly shifted to greater suspicion.
"So it’s true; you really..."
Before she could finish her sentence, she was interrupted by Xu Hang beside her.
"Don't interrupt at this moment!"
Xu Nuan noticed that Xie Huai's expression was somewhat sad, and she felt a pang of guilt, but she still insisted on listening to him.
"I really don't know what's going on, but," Xie Huai's voice was low.
"If I won't be attacked, I can go deal with those man-eating flowers and attacking vines first. Once I clear a path, you all can leave here."
This was the safest method so far, but it would put Xie Huai in danger to some extent, which was unfair to him.
Whether it was fair or not depended on whether everyone believed in Xie Huai.
Upon hearing these words, Xu Nuan and the others fell silent, tacitly agreeing.
Xie Huai turned expressionlessly, took out a short knife, chose a direction, and was about to move forward to clear a path when suddenly a short knife flew out from the Forest, moving quickly and closing in on Xie Huai without pause.
Xu Nuan, who was closest to Xie Huai, instinctively lunged to tackle him out of the way of the incoming knife. As they both fell to the ground, they heard Gu Ze's gritted voice.
"Finally showing your true colors!"
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