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墨書 Inktalez
Xu Hang was not surprised at all that Gu Ze had not found the person controlling Fan Beibei. If someone as cautious and intelligent as that could be easily caught, they would not deserve to be called talented, nor would they be the designer of this game.
However, because Xu Hang brought up the matter, it reminded Xu Nuan of something she had been concealing. With the realization that came before Xu Hang's appearance, she felt a bit shaken and began to hesitate.
On the way, it was mostly Xu Nuan and Xu Hang exchanging questions and thoughts, while Gu Ze occasionally chimed in, appearing indifferent to both matters. Xu Nuan found it strange but had no words to express her thoughts. It seemed that Gu Ze had been deliberately designed into the game; in reality, it was premeditated. Because of that premeditation, Gu Ze's objectives in the game differed from hers and from those of Xu Hang and the others. This was not a divergence but rather indicated that there would be no conflict of interest among them.
For this reason, Xu Nuan felt relaxed and did not pay much attention to it. By the time they reached the place where He Min and the others were waiting, the sunlight was gradually fading. They had spent a long time here due to a powerful group of mechanical mice related to Fan Beibei.
What Xu Nuan did not know was that as she approached He Min and casually greeted Chi Xiaoming, Gu Ze and Xu Hang engaged in a very brief conversation.
"Are you really not going to tell her in advance?"
Xu Hang glanced at the figure sitting comfortably, suppressing his inner sentiments.
"Maybe she doesn't want you to do that. I certainly don't want any conflict between you two that I would have to resolve."
"Don't worry, nothing like that will happen. Besides, I can't wait any longer."
Gu Ze's expression was calm, yet upon closer inspection, he bore some resemblance to the initial version of Xu Nuan. The difference was that a sharp glint flashed in Gu Ze's eyes, contrasting with his outwardly gentle demeanor. In contrast, Xu Nuan's eyes and expression were always tranquil; only when confronted with memories of the past did she exhibit significant emotional fluctuations.
"Really? Will this truly be a surprise?"
Sometimes, Xu Hang marveled at how Gu Ze and Xu Nuan were like a pot and its lid—perfectly matched.
"In the end, if it turns into a shock, let's see how you handle it."
Though that was the case, Xu Hang believed in Gu Ze's sense of propriety and understood that this seemingly unambitious person had already grasped all the matters at hand.
Setting off again with Chi Xiaoming and the others did not raise much opposition. Although Deng Yinyin and the others thought that the timely appearance of Chi Xiaoming and his companion merely counterbalanced Fan Beibei's attack on them, there was no inherent conflict of interest between the two teams. Traveling together on the remaining few paths would not change the outcome.
As they walked under the fading light, the atmosphere among them was somewhat quiet. Aside from Gu Ze insisting that Xu Nuan walk in the middle of the group, interactions among the others remained largely unchanged. At this moment, Fan Beibei was being supported by Yu Yu and Chi Xiaoming, while He Min walked quietly beside Yu Yu. There was little communication between them, and their demeanor could hardly be described as intimate.
Deng Yinyin and Xie Huai regarded this as He Min's one-sided feelings and did not interfere in such personal matters. Meanwhile, Xu Nuan began to confront her feelings about Yu Yu and had to reflect on He Min's series of behaviors since their reunion. The details she had previously overlooked began to surface bit by bit, and Xu Nuan's doubts grew larger.
Similarly, nothing happened on the road that Xu Nuan had worried about; Chi Ming, who was also at a checkpoint, did not ambush them ahead. Lacking Gu Ze's keen observational skills, Xu Nuan was not sensitive enough to detect changes in the human presence around her. She relied on Gu Ze's reactions to gauge the situation. As she breathed a sigh of relief, Xu Nuan speculated that Chi Ming would arrive at the Supply Station before them and then wait for an opportunity to ambush them. However, what puzzled Xu Nuan most was that she had actually seen Chi Ming unharmed. According to her deductions, Mastermind would not want her to know more about the background of this game and thus would not let her encounter Chi Ming. Yet, not only had she met Chi Ming, but they had also spent some time together. However, at that time, in order to conceal her knowledge of Chi Ming's identity, she missed the opportunity to extract information about the fourth party.
She felt no regret; after all, it had been a special circumstance. The fact that she survived to meet Gu Ze again was a miracle. Sometimes being too greedy is not a good thing.
With this thought in mind, Xu Nuan set aside her concerns about Chi Ming and turned her attention to Yu Yu. However, every time she discreetly glanced at Yu Yu, her peripheral vision would catch sight of Gu Ze walking behind her on the right side, causing her focus to waver.
Gu Ze's influence over her was growing stronger. Xu Nuan lowered her gaze; because of this, there were some things she could not let Gu Ze know. Her previously wavering thoughts became resolute again as she decided not to tell Gu Ze about the designer, the secret passage, or Su Zihang.
If this man protected her with his life, then she should guard these secrets for him. Bearing the weight of another person's life was a heavy aspiration; the more so it was, the more she needed to keep those burdensome secrets hidden within herself without revealing them.
Xu Nuan planned this in her heart; unfortunately, she forgot one thing: plans can never keep up with changes. Faced with so many unforeseen events in the future, she could not guarantee that she could hide these secrets alone.
Although they had crossed a hill along Special Tree, they still had not seen the Supply Station by nightfall and were forced to choose a Temporary Campsite.
At the same time, their afternoon trek made them aware that those mechanical mice that began counting down after 'dying' would explode after a certain period were circling around Special Tree. As soon as they got close to Special Tree, they would be entangled by these mechanical mice. The mechanical mice appeared harmless; they could be destroyed with a kick. However, they had to control their impulse to destroy these annoying machines for their own safety.
Because of these mechanical mice, an afternoon of silence concealed everyone's irritation; they could even foresee what kind of scene awaited them in the upcoming Survival Game. If there were already shaped bombs appearing at this checkpoint, then even more lethal things would follow. These were not mere beasts that nibbled at humans but rather things that could take lives in an instant without warning.
Xu Nuan was the least irritated among them regarding this matter. While resting at the Temporary Campsite during the night, she carefully pondered over what Liu Minghong had reminded her about, repeatedly reminding herself and Gu Ze to avoid certain types of things in the future to steer clear of dangers like bombs. As for how many of them actually listened, that was beyond her control.
The long night stretched on, and it wasn't just the weary who wished to fall asleep immediately.
The people gathered around the campfire were engaged in their own conversations, such as Xu Nuan with Gu Ze, He Min with Yu Yu, Deng Yinyin with Xie Huai, and the two captains.
Xu Nuan initially thought she could discuss various topics from the game with Gu Ze, but soon realized there were many things she couldn't talk about. This realization made her feel as if she had no common ground with Gu Ze, leading her to a moment of self-deprecation.
Gu Ze didn’t give her much time for self-pity; he began to ask numerous questions about Xu Nuan's childhood and subtly steered the conversation towards her embarrassing moments, which ultimately left Xu Nuan feeling both shy and angry. After enough teasing, they finally exchanged some normal college stories—precious memories from their four years at the same school where they had little interaction.
Neither of them paid attention to whether their banter would disturb others; they continued their playful exchange like a battle of wits, each unwilling to back down.
"I really want to go over and fight him," Gu Ze suddenly said as Xu Nuan felt drowsy.
Xu Nuan immediately pulled Gu Ze a bit closer, pretending it was a whisper while her voice remained cold and sharp.
"I suspect he already knows that person is in this round."
"He might even know that you’ve already clashed with that person."
Gu Ze's gaze was fixed on Xu Nuan's face, which was now very close to his, while his peripheral vision discreetly monitored Chi Xiaoming, who was having a light conversation with Xu Hang. Chi Xiaoming still wore his usual expressionless face, but upon closer inspection, there were turbulent emotions swirling in his eyes.
Compared to Fan Beibei and Yu Yu, Chi Xiaoming had originally been a good partner for collaboration. However, his lack of transparency and unclear intentions led Xu Nuan to temporarily abandon any plans for cooperation with him.
The person kept insisting on dealing with Chi Ming, punishing the illegitimate child of Chi Securities, but if there was a sudden change of plans, Xu Nuan would only end up being stabbed in the back.
"If that's the case," Xu Nuan narrowed her eyes slightly, "he must have met with others. Otherwise, he would need to have extraordinary insight; otherwise, he wouldn't know about this matter."
Xu Nuan coldly laughed without showing any expression, but inside she was dissatisfied with Chi Xiaoming's constant scrutiny of her since their last meeting. Chi Ming and Dong Keyong were formidable figures, possessing a different kind of purpose compared to the relatively straightforward Chi Xiaoming. This straightforwardness referred to their sensitivity towards the game and humanity. At that time, Chi Ming could discover Dong Keyong, and Dong Keyong could discover Chi Xiaoming. By this reasoning, it was clear that Chi Xiaoming had not been lying in ambush nearby.
If Chi Xiaoming was paying more attention now, it couldn't simply be because Xu Nuan had clashed with Chi Ming; she couldn't think of any other reason.
So if Chi Xiaoming already knew about this matter, where did he get that information? Was it from someone even more powerful? Or could she boldly assume it was from the person manipulating Fan Beibei? What role did Chi Xiaoming play among these individuals?
Xu Nuan didn't know. What she did know was that Chi Xiaoming was far from an ordinary gamer; the relationship between Chi Securities and this game was certainly not that simple. Could it be that hidden within all this was a mastermind?
Everything felt vague, but with the appearances of Chi Xiaoming and Chi Ming, along with the potential confrontations between them in the future, these matters would eventually come to light, and she awaited that day.
"Nuan, don't overthink it. Sometimes approaching things from a simpler perspective brings you closer to the answer."
Just as Xu Nuan was making various bold assumptions, Gu Ze's voice rang out, and his words seemed to carry a deeper meaning.
"Ze, do you know something?"
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