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墨書 Inktalez
Xu Nuan was momentarily stunned by the simple words of the middle-aged man, and then a certain possibility crossed her mind.
Knowing that the first person to speak is often the one to reveal the most, Xu Nuan remained silent, continuing to look at the middle-aged man with that same gaze. This time, they were very close, and despite the surprisingly thick lenses between them, she could still see the clarity in his eyes.
If his eyes were clear, it meant that this middle-aged man was awake. Xu Nuan felt a surge of anticipation for what he would say next.
Gu Ze and the others were also taken aback by the man's words. Realizing this was a good opportunity to draw him out, they chose to remain silent, waiting for Xu Nuan to engage with him.
"You look better in the photo," he said.
After a long wait, this was the response that made everyone glare at the suddenly alert man with anger.
However, Xu Nuan remained unfazed and decided to continue with his line of conversation.
"I'm just more photogenic; I don't look good in real life."
From that single statement, she understood the relationship between this middle-aged man and Qin Yaojie.
"No," the middle-aged man insisted earnestly on this point. "You should smile."
Gu Ze, who was closest to them, nodded in agreement but then became wary of the middle-aged man. He thought he was merely trying to steal someone away, forgetting entirely that Xu Nuan was not yet his corner to claim.
Xu Nuan, however, revealed a faint smile at the man's words.
"Do you think I should smile after everything that's happened?"
Though much of her statement reflected her true feelings, Xu Nuan wanted to use it as a means to observe the man's reaction.
To her surprise, he remained serious. "You should smile. Someone has done a lot for you. If you don't hurry and find him, you may never see him again."
"What do you mean?"
Xu Nuan suddenly felt a wave of panic, and the expression on her face made Gu Ze sense that a crisis was looming once again.
Meanwhile, the middle-aged man continued to speak to himself.
"They have betrayed us, everyone has betrayed us. That terrifying man has been using us all along."
"What betrayal?"
Xu Nuan was no longer calm; she grabbed the middle-aged man's collar.
"Who is that man? Who is the Mastermind? Who is controlling you all?"
In contrast to Xu Nuan's agitation, the middle-aged man kept repeating those words.
"Betrayed, everyone has betrayed us. A bunch of selfish people, thinking only of themselves when danger strikes. Betrayed, all betrayed."
"What betrayal? What hardship? What about you?"
Xu Nuan shook the middle-aged man's collar but noticed his eyes gradually becoming glazed over, as if he were slipping into a delirious state. She felt a sense of reluctance to stop questioning him, but Gu Ze intervened.
"Nuan, let's change the topic to something gentler. His mental state isn't stable."
Gu Ze felt disappointed that the first Game Designer they encountered was mentally troubled, but he was also relieved. If someone appeared who could drive Xu Nuan crazy, that would be truly disastrous.
Xu Nuan hesitated as she looked at Gu Ze. After taking a deep breath, she softened her voice to appear more gentle and asked, "What is your name? Can you tell me?"
As she leaned in closer, she noticed a fleeting moment of clarity in the middle-aged man's eyes, but it was quickly replaced by confusion, leaving her feeling disheartened. Just as she was about to express her disappointment, the middle-aged man suddenly spoke in a mechanical tone, enunciating each word carefully.
"Wang Yiyun, biologist, responsible for Biological Modification. Wang Yiyun..."
Wang Yiyun kept repeating those few words, almost like a machine, while not far away, the Mechanical Parrot suddenly echoed Wang Yiyun's voice, repeating the same phrase alongside him.
"What’s going on? Why is it making such a mechanical sound?"
Xu Nuan felt a bit panicked and wanted to shake Wang Yiyun, but was stopped by Xu Hang, who approached quickly.
"Don't shake him; that might drive him further into madness."
Xu Hang's expression was serious as he stared intently at Wang Yiyun, seemingly lost in thought.
Xu Nuan, unwilling to let go of the clue before her, felt frustrated.
"Why has he turned into this? I just asked him one question, and now he keeps repeating it, like—" Xu Nuan struggled to find the right words.
"Like a mechanism has been triggered."
"How can a person have a mechanism? You must be delusional," Deng Yinyin said dismissively as she walked over, curious about the situation. Xu Nuan ignored her.
Xie Huai, who had also come over, hesitated before speaking up.
"Could it be psychological suggestion? Maybe someone has implanted a suggestion in him?"
Xie Huai explained, "Haven't some psychologists published theories about this? They say that certain words or images can influence a person's thinking, creating a deep-seated impression that prevents them from acting on it. It’s like locking something away in a box. The key to opening that box could be specific phrases, gestures, or sounds. Is it possible that your earlier statement was that key? Has someone suggested this to Wang Yiyun?"
Xie Huai's reasoning sounded quite plausible.
Xu Hang, familiar with Xie Huai's interests, knew that he had two main hobbies: advertising planning and psychology. The former was his profession; the latter was his pastime. Despite his unassuming appearance, Xie Huai could read years' worth of psychological research papers from both domestic and international sources in just a week.
"You know more about this than we do," Xu Hang affirmed Xie Huai's hypothesis.
"Perhaps that's the case. Then we definitely shouldn't disturb Wang Yiyun. If he has any psychological or mental issues, it won't help us at all."
Xie Huai nodded in agreement and suggested, "We could knock him out; that wouldn't affect him."
Xu Hang readily accepted this suggestion, respecting Xu Nuan's opinion before proceeding. "Let's carry him along, and once he wakes up, we can ask him more questions."
At this point, Xu Nuan could only nod in agreement.
After a brief rest, Xu Hang carried the frail Wang Yiyun on his back, and together with the others, they continued forward.
Following this incident, everyone felt guilty towards Xie Huai. Such misunderstandings were bound to hurt him. However, the reasons for misunderstanding Xie Huai stemmed not only from their own seeds of doubt but also from the aftereffects of the previous challenge and the manipulations of the deranged Game Designer known as Wang Yiyun.
Deng Yinyin looked at Xie Huai with newfound respect. "I didn't know you understood psychology. Why haven't I heard you mention it before?"
Xie Huai could only smile wryly; he couldn't help but think that it was because Deng Yinyin had never regarded him seriously in the past. This incident made him realize that one reaps what one sows. Although he felt wronged and angry about being misunderstood by his companions, it was ultimately his own fault. If he hadn't betrayed his teammates to complete the mission, they wouldn't have fallen into such traps so easily this time. He suddenly became worried about future Survival Games and missions; if similar situations arose again, how would he cope? How would those who still considered themselves his companions respond?
After learning some fragmented and ambiguous information from Wang Yiyun, Xu Nuan fell silent once more.
Who was this terrifying man who manipulated Designers and Players?
Xu Nuan vaguely sensed that this man was connected to both the design that led her into the game and the murderer of her parents. However, there were very few clues linking these events together.
For a moment, she thought that Wang Yiyun's terrifying man referred to Qin Yaojie. After all, Qin Yaojie was also one of the Game Designers and the leader of the First Batch of Players, someone who could give orders. But Wang Yiyun had seen her through a photograph; his calm yet serious demeanor indicated that the person he feared was not Qin Yaojie.
Since Wang Yiyun had seen a photo of Qin Yaojie and kept repeating that there were traitors and dangers, it likely meant that Qin Yaojie and some Players were in danger. Therefore, that man could not be Qin Yaojie. Eliminating this possibility brought Xu Nuan a sense of relief, but she soon felt pain for feeling relieved about something so troubling.
Xu Nuan had a strong premonition that Qin Yaojie was in danger. However, without any communication devices, it was difficult for her to locate him.
The thought made her heart tremble; words like danger and betrayal filled her with worry and fear. Yet, remembering how Qin Yaojie had given her medicine and done so much for her, Xu Nuan felt ashamed for even having such concerns.
She tried hard to push away thoughts of this so-called danger, but she knew deep down that she was waiting for Wang Yiyun to wake up before asking for more information. She disliked this version of herself but couldn’t control her heart.
Both Qin Yaojie and Wang Yiyun were Game Designers and Players. Xu Nuan had an even bolder speculation: could it be that the terrifying man Wang Yiyun spoke of had driven all the Designers into the game? Was Qin Yaojie forced into it? If many Designers were among the First Batch of Players and none of them entered the game willingly, then there must be someone even more powerful behind these Designers. This person controlled everything—was he one of the four factions she suspected, or was he independent of them?
Once this thought took root, she unconsciously began to think of excuses for Qin Yaojie. Yet the memories in her mind kept reminding her not to be easily deceived.
While Xu Nuan struggled with her myriad thoughts, a voice filled with suppressed anger came from beside her.
"Wang Yiyun is just a crazy person who loves to spout nonsense. If you take her seriously and walk into a dead end, then you won't be the clever Xu Nuan anymore."
Xu Nuan looked up at Gu Ze beside her, clearly seeing his dissatisfaction reflected in his deep brown eyes.
This man was angry; she realized this but found herself at a loss for words.
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