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墨書 Inktalez
“Amin??”
Xu Nuan first called out lightly, but when no one responded, she panicked and quickly stood up, shouting loudly.
“Amin?”
“Amin, where are you?”
Gu Ze, who had been sleeping soundly but was always alert, was startled awake by her voice. He rarely heard Xu Nuan sound so flustered, and this time her voice was not only frantic but also filled with unease. It reminded him of the time at the Supply Station when her frail shoulders were trembling. A wave of bitterness washed over him.
“Calm down, Nuan.”
Gu Ze took a long stride, stepping over the clutter on the floor to reach Xu Nuan's side. He grasped her shoulders and glanced around, noticing that He Min's backpack was still there and that there were no other footprints nearby. He let out a sigh of relief.
“Look, her things are still here. She might have just gone to the bathroom.”
Xu Nuan’s face remained anxious as she hurriedly scanned the items on the ground. She made a move to grab a flashlight and head into the bushes.
“This Survival Game is different from before; someone could be plotting against us at any moment. Why didn’t she call for me?”
Xu Nuan felt chaotic inside; the scenes from her dreams felt too real, blending with reality. Coupled with her persistent headache, she sometimes couldn’t tell if she was in reality or still dreaming.
“She probably didn’t want to disturb you since you were sleeping.”
Gu Ze held onto the hand that Xu Nuan was using to grip the flashlight, looking intently into her panicked eyes as he asked softly.
“Did you have a nightmare?”
The warmth in her hand and the face so close to hers, along with the concern reflected in those eyes, made Xu Nuan momentarily dazed, but she gradually calmed down.
"Mm."
After responding, she noticed that He Min's flashlight, which had been placed beside the sleeping bag, was gone. No one could have taken He Min away without disturbing her and Gu Ze, so it must have been He Min who left this temporary campsite on her own. She just didn't know how long ago that was.
"Don't worry, she knows what she's doing. Let's wait ten minutes. If she hasn't come back by then, we'll go look for her."
With those words, Xu Nuan's restless heart quieted down. It was only then that she realized how close she was to Gu Ze and hurriedly took a few steps back.
"I'm sorry, I've been overthinking things lately; I'm not in a good state."
Indeed, it was evident to anyone that Xu Nuan was unsettled and her skills had declined. Even on a task like this one, she seemed distracted and often lost in her own emotions. This was also why Xu Hang had assigned her to Gu Ze's group; in such urgent times, only Gu Ze would be willing to spend time and energy calming Xu Nuan.
"I understand," Gu Ze said. He felt powerless against Xu Nuan's inner demons and nightmares. All he could do was stay close to her and wait for her to find her way out of it herself. Although he wanted nothing more than to help Xu Nuan escape this state, he couldn't bear to use harsh methods that would leave scars in her heart.
"With me and He Min here, you don't need to think too much. Just rest well these days."
Xu Nuan forced a smile, and Gu Ze immediately understood that the usually independent Xu Nuan had made up her mind and wouldn't accept his well-meaning but unstructured arrangement.
The atmosphere suddenly became tense as the relentless sea breeze swept across the island. The Olive Grove rustled softly, and the windmills turned gently; all the surrounding sounds suddenly became very clear.
Xu Nuan silently locked eyes with Gu Ze. After a few seconds, they both heard footsteps—very light, but the sound of crunching dry twigs and leaves made it audible in the stillness of the night.
Xu Nuan quickly withdrew her gaze and instinctively leaned closer to Gu Ze as they both focused on the source of the sound, their bodies unconsciously drawing nearer as they watched that direction warily.
Gu Ze was the first to notice He Min, who was cautiously walking back without even turning on her flashlight, perhaps afraid of disturbing them.
“Amin?”
Xu Nuan looked at the slowly approaching figure in surprise, and He Min wore a perfectly timed expression of astonishment.
“Nuan, how come you’re all awake? I was worried I’d wake you up!”
Having just woken from a nightmare and relieved to see He Min safe, Xu Nuan sighed and walked over, complaining softly.
“Next time you go out at night, you should take me with you. It’s dangerous here.”
“Got it. If I had known that even this noise would wake you up, I might as well have brought you along. I was scared just now; the forest was too quiet.”
He Min didn’t hesitate at all and affectionately linked her arm with Xu Nuan's. The two returned to their spot under the tree to rest again. Gu Ze merely glanced in the direction from which He Min had come before taking a few steps toward his resting place. Suddenly, he stopped, turned sharply to look in another direction, and dashed off, leaving behind a hasty remark.
“Wait here!”
The moment Xu Nuan had finally relaxed, her body tensed up again. Quick as lightning, she grabbed Gu Ze’s backpack with one hand while her other hand reached for the short knife at her waist. He Min also wore a wary expression but didn’t seem as anxious as Xu Nuan.
They could only hear rustling in the forest, like something crashing into trees, but there were no voices. Gu Ze’s footsteps faded away, and gradually, the area fell silent.
Even though He Min was beside her, Xu Nuan felt a chill run through her body. This fear was different from worrying about He Min getting into trouble; He Min didn’t provide the same sense of reassurance that Gu Ze did at that moment. Xu Nuan could almost hear her own heartbeat; her breathing became heavy, her palms sweaty while a cool breeze brushed against her back.
Suddenly, she recalled the scenes from her dream—the terror and dread compelled her to stand up recklessly and head toward Gu Ze’s direction. However, she was quickly stopped by He Min.
"It's dangerous for you to go alone."
Xu Nuan frowned as she looked at the backpack belonging to Gu Ze that she was holding. Suddenly, she felt a wave of irritation, while He Min continued to persuade her.
"You have to trust his abilities. It's safest for us to stay together, and we also need to prevent anyone from stealing the statue."
Xu Nuan suddenly felt the weight of the backpack in her hands. Without turning to look at He Min's expression, she muttered something vague.
"It's different."
"Huh? What's different?"
He Min, who thought Xu Nuan would no longer act impulsively, sighed in relief until he heard her emotionless words.
Xu Nuan merely shook her head, saying nothing as she sat under the Olive Tree, clutching Gu Ze's backpack and ignoring He Min.
He Min frowned as he observed the suddenly changed Xu Nuan. Suppressing his own rising frustration, he walked over and sat beside her, offering a few words of comfort before falling silent.
It had been a long time since Xu Nuan felt this way; every moment became difficult to bear. The so-called rationality and calmness were cast aside, and she even began to pray for things she once scorned.
Time dragged on, and Xu Nuan had no intention of chatting with He Min to pass the time. She simply stared blankly in the direction where Gu Ze had left, her ears focused on the area around the white house with windmills within dozens of meters. She knew that staying with He Min to protect the statue was crucial, but her heart couldn't help but worry—more than she had worried about He Min before. She couldn't control this feeling.
Time passed slowly, and she lost track of how long it had been until she sharply heard sounds approaching. Xu Nuan quickly stood up, half-expecting and half-wary as she looked towards the source of the noise. In stark contrast to the daylight image, He Min let out a soft sigh and stood up as well.
When she saw the tall figure of a man returning bathed in moonlight, Xu Nuan felt that familiar heart-stopping sensation once again, even stronger than before.
"Are you hurt anywhere?"
Seeing Gu Ze covered in dirt and leaves, with his hair slightly disheveled, Xu Nuan couldn't help but ask.
"I'm fine."
Gu Ze brushed off his clothes and walked slowly towards Xu Nuan.
"It must have been that one named Lin. She runs fast and is quite skilled. I guess she thought she could take the statue while we were asleep, but she didn't expect us to wake up and expose herself."
"I see."
Xu Nuan nodded, setting Gu Ze's backpack down before sitting back against the tree. However, her gaze couldn't help but wander to the mess on Gu Ze's clothes.
He Min seemed to be more observant.
"It looks like Lin has trained well in the game if she managed to escape from you. But even if we catch her, it won't matter; neither of their teams has likely found the statue yet. They're both eyeing our team."
"Exactly, that's why I came back," Gu Ze replied, glancing at Xu Nuan, who appeared calm yet curled up tightly.
"In the future, our team should stick together as much as possible to avoid any feints."
Hearing this, Xu Nuan shivered slightly but quickly regained her composure, her tone very calm.
"It's late now; let's all rest for a bit. We need to continue searching for the statue tomorrow."
Gu Ze and He Min settled down, slipping into their sleeping bags, and soon the sound of their steady breathing filled the air. Xu Nuan, who had been haunted by nightmares and was now too afraid to sleep again, lay wide awake, staring blankly at the night sky. Her mind was a void, devoid of thoughts. After a while, she cautiously turned her head to glance at Gu Ze, who was lying on the ground with his backpack as a pillow. A strange thought flickered briefly in her eyes.
When dawn broke, Xu Nuan was the first to rise. Having barely slept through the night, she felt somewhat fatigued but didn’t want to sleep or dare to do so. It was better to get up and pack her things in preparation for their search for the statue.
As she heated some water, Gu Ze and He Min gradually woke up as well.
"Warm, you’re up early," He Min said, rubbing her sleepy eyes as she greeted Xu Nuan. Xu Nuan simply smiled in response, remaining silent. Gu Ze furrowed his brows and glanced at her but also said nothing.
Having lived in the game for so long, the group had grown indifferent to food and other matters; etiquette was something that needed to be cultivated. They had spent more than half a year neglecting these manners but believed that once they returned to urban life, they would quickly pick them up again.
With this mindset, they tidied themselves up briefly and grabbed a quick bite before officially starting their search for the statue at a higher elevation.
The Olive Trees nearby were no taller than four meters and were easy to spot. They didn’t have to worry about statues hiding at the tops of coconut trees; instead, they focused on searching through dense clusters of flowers, some tall and others short, as well as white houses or rocks gathered along the roadside.
The statue found by their group was carried by Gu Ze, which meant that Xu Nuan and He Min faced less danger and could move around more freely.
Xu Nuan squinted her eyes and bent down to look around, not wanting to miss any possible hiding spots. Unbeknownst to her, she had drifted further away from He Min. When she finally lifted her head to scan her surroundings, she realized she could no longer see Gu Ze or He Min. Estimating her speed, she figured that as long as she called out, they would hear her, so she continued her search without worry.
Suddenly, she heard a dull thud as a stone fell into the soft sand. Turning towards the sound, she froze in place.
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