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墨書 Inktalez
This was a name unfamiliar to Xu Nuan, but from the complex expressions of the others, she could tell that the emotions she had revealed while shouting were profound.
Once again, this damned uncontrollable situation only added to Xu Nuan's growing frustration. Nevertheless, she wiped the sweat from her forehead and offered an explanation.
"I don't know."
It was a blunt truth, yet the others, unaware of what Xu Nuan had experienced, regarded her statement with skepticism.
He Min, who had been the first to ask, looked awkward but didn’t say much. What doubts lingered in her mind were beyond Xu Nuan's guess.
However, there were those who made their disbelief quite evident. Deng Yinyin, sitting across from Xu Nuan and closer to the fire, tossed a stick into the flames while casually mocking her.
"If you don’t want to think about it, there's no need to lie. It’s strange to shout so desperately and not recognize someone."
Xu Nuan found it odd as well. In the dim light of the fire, she locked eyes with Deng Yinyin. Perhaps her voice was too flat and devoid of inflection, which instead gave off a sinister vibe in the darkness.
"I have no reason to lie. If there’s nothing else, I’ll go rest."
With that, Xu Nuan stood up and walked toward the tent. Her steps were somewhat unsteady, but in the dim light, it was hard to notice. Lost in thought, she failed to hear the sudden rustling coming from the bushes behind the tent.
Once Xu Nuan entered the tent, the remaining few exchanged glances cautiously; an awkward atmosphere spread among them.
He Min pondered for a moment before addressing Gu Ze nearby.
"Do you want to check on her? Something feels off."
Gu Ze was positioned far from the fire, nearly blending into the night with his dark tactical jacket. Because of this, He Min couldn’t see his expression clearly; all she could hear was his deep and somewhat cold voice.
"If she isn’t lying, then there’s nothing I can ask."
He Min frowned, thinking Gu Ze's response was strange and somewhat evasive. Considering that he hadn’t interacted much with Xu Nuan today only fueled her curiosity about what had transpired in the lounge. Was it Xu Nuan's fault that they were at odds? And Xu Nuan’s claim of having no memory seemed overly dismissive.
Everyone present appeared burdened with their thoughts. Even without monster attacks or challenging tasks, no one felt particularly at ease.
This bizarre atmosphere lingered within the team. Occasionally they would cross paths with Chi Xiaoming and his trio but would quickly part ways. In this round, they encountered only weak beasts that posed little threat; essentially unscathed, they easily reached the Supply Station and moved on to the next stage.
They repeatedly charged through the painful Stone Mountain and the treacherous terrain, finally arriving at the No Path Tundra in the Survival Game. The previous levels had a common characteristic: they were surprisingly simple.
When they first entered the game, due to their lack of experience, inadequate skills, and insufficient mental fortitude, they made many mistakes and often got injured. The Survival Game felt daunting at that time. However, to be fair, it was relatively easy; the beasts they encountered were within a range that humans could resist, and the traps were manageable. As more Survival Games unfolded, the beasts became fiercer, and the occasional Hidden Levels caught them off guard. Moreover, after Qin Yaojie’s death marked a turning point, the Survival Games began to focus more on tasks that tested their intellect and psychological resilience, creating immense pressure. Competing against other players also required better skills.
Everyone went through this gradual progression, leading to two contradictory reactions towards the simplicity of these levels. On one hand, their tense nerves began to relax; their vigilance gradually faded as they unconsciously started to think positively. On the other hand, they suspected that the System was deliberately doing this to wear down their gradually built-up caution, lulling them into a false sense of security before delivering a fatal blow. The key was that despite everyone reminding themselves not to fall for it, they still couldn't help but indulge in the ease of their surroundings.
This was the general atmosphere within Xu Nuan's team. In fact, Xu Nuan herself had been in a daze throughout these levels. She often seemed absent-minded while talking to others and would frequently doze off as soon as she sat down, calling out "Su Zihang" in her sleep. When questioned by others, she would respond with vague and dismissive attitudes. Regardless of who she faced, she maintained this demeanor, leaving others puzzled; some even speculated that she had become mentally unstable after accidentally killing Zhang Hui.
Throughout this time, Xu Nuan had hardly communicated with Gu Ze. If their affectionate display during the Dreary Wetland level had dazzled everyone before, now they seemed like strangers—part of the same team yet completely disconnected. One was lost in thought while the other was enveloped in a low mood; ironically, the one in a daze remained oblivious while the one feeling down clung to past events. Others around them expressed concern or took pleasure in their situation; however, no one could intrude upon their estrangement.
Now they had reached the No Path Tundra level; after this, they would advance to the fiftieth level, marking their progress halfway through the game.
The temperature in the Tundra was frigid; its vegetation was even worse than that of swamps or mountains—only simple mosses and low herbaceous plants could be found amidst sparse bushes. The environment provided an expansive view; standing in one spot allowed them to see distant mountain ranges hidden in mist. Yet no matter how long they walked toward those mountains, their distance from them never seemed to change.
Half a day had passed since entering this level without encountering any fierce beasts or receiving any System tasks. Despite reminding themselves not to relax, they unconsciously did just that. When Xu Hang suggested taking a break and moving around a bit, most people began to entertain themselves; with danger still absent, they reverted to their initial attitudes upon entering the game.
As usual, Xu Nuan sat on a patch of moss gazing up at the sky when she inadvertently drifted into slumber—not into a comforting dreamland but into a nightmarish realm replaying painful memories. She awoke once more calling out "Su Zihang," confirming her surroundings with He Min nearby before pressing her left hand into the ground. The slight pain did nothing to alleviate her emotional void; instead, overwhelming frustration washed over her.
Suddenly rising to her feet, Xu Nuan randomly chose a direction and walked downhill.
There were too many troubling thoughts weighing on her mind; she began to doubt whether she had a tendency for self-destruction—this comfortable life made her feel restless. Gu Ze's indifference and Xu Hang's hesitance only chilled her heart further. Despite secretly calling out Gu Ze's name after being startled awake by nightmares at night, she remained silent when encountering him during the day. It felt as if someone who refused to give up on herself suddenly adopted such an attitude—neither explaining herself nor allowing for explanations from him—leaving her only able to distract herself from this panic with other thoughts. Those thoughts revolved around why she kept calling out a name belonging to someone she didn't know: Did she once know this person but forgot? Or was someone trying to make her remember?
"Su Zihang?"
Lying on a hillside where its angle allowed her to take in the nearby scenery stretching out before her eyes did little to soothe her troubled heart. She repeated his name again but couldn't make sense of it.
"Su Zi..."
This time Xu Nuan didn't finish saying the name before hearing familiar footsteps approaching. Her heart skipped a beat as its rhythm faltered; her expression stiffened with confusion.
She didn't dare turn around but could clearly hear that person's mocking voice.
"Are you still calling for this person even when you're not dreaming? Truly an unforgettable presence!"
Her heart sank as if submerged in water; she found it hard to breathe as disbelief filled her eyes. Never had she imagined Gu Ze would say something like that about her. When she noticed a shadow looming above her head, she hurriedly looked up.
Because she was facing the sunlight, Xu Nuan couldn't see Gu Ze's expression clearly, but that familiar, unsettling aura made it hard for her to breathe.
Before Xu Nuan could pull herself away from such emotions, Gu Ze took a few steps forward, seemingly intending to admire other scenery, indicating that he hadn't come over to find her.
In a daze for quite some time, Xu Nuan suddenly sat up and shouted at Gu Ze.
"Gu Ze, stop right there!"
That familiar figure, which once brought warmth but now felt incredibly distant, paused just outside of her reach without turning around.
Overwhelmed by a whirlwind of emotions affecting her heart and mind, Xu Nuan held back the sting in her eyes and the ache in her nose, suppressing her feelings as she asked, "What did you mean by what you just said? You don't believe me?"
In her current memory, she truly didn't know Su Zihang, and she thought Gu Ze, who was aware of her frequent memory issues, would understand and believe this. But it seemed that Gu Ze did not trust her.
She had once doubted Gu Ze, and now he doubted her; it was truly a joke.
As a sorrowful expression surfaced on Xu Nuan's face, Gu Ze slowly turned around. His expression was one she had never seen before, and his words were sharp and cutting in a way she had never heard.
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