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墨書 Inktalez
This is a basin, featuring freshwater marshes and a shallow lake, with vast stretches of grassland extending into the distance. The view is incredibly broad, allowing one to see far away, where green, yellow, and red herbaceous plants intermingle. The only things slightly obstructing the line of sight are the Dawn Redwoods and the water pines.
Xu Nuan immediately made a judgment in her mind: there was little shelter from rain or shade here. The idea of seeing large clusters of trees was wishful thinking, but the waist-high reeds were perfect for ambush and concealment.
With this thought in mind, Xu Nuan couldn't help but let her gaze fall upon the nearby shallows. Reeds and cattails densely covered the entire view, occupying the shallow waters, while large patches of duckweed floated on the surface, varying in color as they spread from near to far. Through the duckweed, one could see submerged hornwort and water buttercup. The differing levels of sunlight and the variety of animals living nearby resulted in subtle differences in plant distribution across each body of water.
After surveying their surroundings, everyone instinctively looked for any signs of a special tree; it had become a habit for each of them upon reaching every checkpoint.
Not finding anything was normal, and expressions of discouragement or disappointment did not appear on their faces just yet. Without knowing what tasks might be assigned or what hidden levels or ambushes might await them, the absence of a special tree was not a significant concern.
Now, however, there was a matter at hand: whether Xu Hang's group of six should team up with Chi Xiaoming's group of four.
Although the interactions between the two teams appeared harmonious at first glance, those who had already assessed each other's abilities had made their decisions long ago.
They were no longer players who would simply smile at finding another player to accompany them. Chi Xiaoming and Xu Hang had privately agreed to collaborate on certain common goals. Soon enough, a decision was reached.
The two groups decided to split up and choose different directions to tackle the challenges ahead. Whether they would encounter each other later or receive related tasks would be determined later.
After watching Chi Xiaoming's group disappear into the reeds, Xu Nuan and her companions followed the direction chosen by Xu Hang.
They navigated through the reeds and cattail marshes for quite some time, encountering only two types of animals: frogs and cranes. Both appeared in various species and numbers, making it difficult for them to distinguish between them. What other animals they might encounter once they left the reeds remained unknown.
"These white cranes look perfectly normal; they don't seem modified at all and pose no threat," one of them remarked.
The environment they found themselves in was relatively calm compared to before. Perhaps influenced by this atmosphere, Deng Yinyin felt less tense and murmured as she walked along.
Xu Nuan thought it wise to learn from Deng Yinyin's attitude; relaxing appropriately was beneficial for both body and mind. However, her expectations did not translate into action for her brain; it continued to analyze effectively.
For instance, there were several game designers who were not in charge of major sections. Currently, Xu Nuan only knew one among them—Zhou Long—while she had no knowledge about the others. He Min also mentioned that she hadn’t interacted much with those individuals. Xu Nuan wondered why their group entered the Supply Station right after those designers if they all entered the Suffocating Sea level around the same time. This meant that those designers must have swiftly passed through that level to reach this one—and they might have already left this level as well.
Such speed in clearing levels was astonishing, especially since sometimes when players found a special tree on their way to locate a supply station, the system would issue tasks that could disrupt their control over their progress time.
"I feel like they're cheating."
Xu Nuan muttered, observing the Designers who appeared to be victims, completely unaware yet exuding an air of arrogance. Paradoxically, their progress through the challenges was inconsistent; at times they seemed to know about the traps, while at other moments they fell victim to them spectacularly. This contradiction had its reasons, and that reason might just be a breakthrough point. Xu Nuan had become so paranoid that she suspected any occurrence to be part of a conspiracy, attributing it to the game design itself and that Mastermind.
"What cheating?"
Walking alongside Xu Nuan in place of Gu Ze was He Min, her serene smile now tilted with confusion and helplessness as she looked at Xu Nuan. Her hair cascaded over her shoulders like blooming pear blossoms, and with her back to the sunlight, she was beautifully outlined by the play of light and shadow.
"Come on, can’t your brain take a break? You’re going to end up bald from overthinking."
Xu Nuan, who could comfortably accept any image without caring whether it offended others' eyes, remarked that even a bald look could be a challenge for her.
"I'm not pondering any profound issues; I won't end up bald like a math or physics teacher."
Recalling the images of her high school science teacher and her university calculus professor made Xu Nuan shiver, prompting her to abandon the idea of challenging the bald look.
"Tsk," He Min raised an eyebrow, revealing a gentle smile. "Haven't you heard the phrase 'brilliantly intelligent'?"
"If you're complimenting me on my intelligence, then yes, I'm familiar with that term."
Seeing that familiar smile, Xu Nuan stepped aside a few paces. She knew that He Min would transform into something else when it came to banter—she had never won against her in that regard.
However, as she moved aside, she accidentally stepped on someone’s foot.
"Ah, sorry."
Lost in her own world or engaged in conversation with He Min, Xu Nuan had overlooked the fact that Gu Ze was actually walking ahead of her on the left.
"Nothing."
To Gu Ze, being stepped on was merely an inconsequential touch. What truly bothered him was that ever since He Min joined the team, Xu Nuan had become more talkative, but that was in comparison to He Min.
The feeling of being unable to interject was quite uncomfortable, and the lack of progress between them was frustrating. He was eager to resolve the matters within the game.
However, sometimes the saying "man proposes, God disposes" held true; no matter how much one calculated, whether things would come to fruition could not solely depend on that person.
Gu Ze silently lowered his head to glance at Xu Nuan, whose expression was calm yet her eyes were deep, clearly calculating something. He then looked up at Xu Hang, who stood a few steps away. The so-called alliance of three did not mean they shared everything without reservation.
As Xu Nuan and He Min exchanged harmless banter, Gu Ze fell into contemplation. While Xu Hang took the lead and Deng Yinyin, who had been trying to strike up a conversation with Gu Ze, was continually distracted by Xie Huai's excuses, noon arrived.
They had not encountered the Special Tree, faced any dangers, or received any missions. This tranquility felt somewhat unfamiliar to them; it seemed like the calm before a storm, with an impending onslaught that would be impossible to resist.
Regardless, rest was necessary.
Xu Hang was an excellent captain and very meticulous. He straightforwardly called for everyone to take a break under the blazing sun.
It was a break in place. Looking around, the scenery had not changed at all: the featureless Basin without any machine heads, the occasionally appearing Shallow Lake, vast reeds, and some unknown plants intertwined together.
Xu Nuan found a dry spot and habitually sat cross-legged. She regretted there were no trees behind her to lean against, while the soft-looking reeds around her tempted her to lie down and sleep. Despite the scorching sun overhead, the sky was an incredible blue—something she could no longer see living in the city. The white clouds drifted lazily by, creating a serene atmosphere that made one yearn for it.
That was the kind of life she had always longed for.
A sea of flowers, white buildings, far removed from complexity and urban noise—just two people in between.
It was a dream she considered extravagant but one that Qin Yaojie, who tirelessly worked in the company, could not help her realize.
Although she could not compare to the talented Qin Yaojie, Xu Nuan remembered she was also quite capable herself. She rarely messed things up or left others dissatisfied. However, as she aged and faced increasingly complex environments, her once rare ability to avoid disappointing others gradually earned her a label.
A woman without great ambitions.
Regardless of age or gender, it seems that in the eyes of those around her, a talented person, a smart person, must achieve something significant; wasting one's talents through inaction is unacceptable. Yet, she is just such a person.
Xu Nuan remembered that she rarely explained her dreams to others and seldom got angry at their criticisms. She always believed that those who truly understood her would support her, while those who criticized her simply did not understand. Since they did not understand, why should she be angry?
What she never considered was that Qin Yaojie did not share this perspective. The fact that she worked at the headquarters of Gu Group in B City was largely thanks to Qin Yaojie. Meanwhile, Qin Yaojie was also striving at Fengtong Technology in the city. If it weren't for the proximity of the two cities allowing them to share a rental apartment, she might not have been able to see Qin Yaojie often after graduation.
She thought they were fighting for their future together, but ultimately she realized she was mistaken. Without understanding her dreams, even if Qin Yaojie was working hard, there were other reasons behind it.
Indeed, she had concealed some matters from He Min, such as how she managed to maintain her composure after Qin Yaojie's death—was it because she regarded the past as mere smoke?
Of course not. She had simply seen a few words left by Qin Yaojie in that notebook. It was the only message he had recorded for her, and it made her suddenly realize why Qin Yaojie had never understood her and why she could feign calmness.
Many signs had appeared long ago; it was her own foolishness that prevented her from noticing them in time. It was no wonder she ended up in such a situation.
"Nuannuan, wake up."
"Nuannuan?"
Just as Xu Nuan thought she was lying on the ground gazing up at the Azure White Clouds with her hands supporting her body, a familiar voice suddenly reached her ears. Slowly opening her eyes, she realized she had unknowingly fallen asleep on the ground.
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