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墨書 Inktalez
It was still night, the sky adorned with countless stars and a full moon casting a faintly cool light over the earth. The jungle, filled with Trees and Bushes, stood like contemplative figures, silent and still. The clamor of the Forest during the day had long since faded; those creatures lurking in the shadows were either resting or waiting for their moment to move.
None of this concerned Xu Nuan. She stood tall, looking down at Xu Hang, and this posture gave her the illusion of being in control, able to issue commands.
Her lips pressed together as words jostled for space on her tongue. Having eaten little for dinner and feeling anxious now, her throat felt dry, and the words that would come out later would likely be hoarse.
How should she ask so that both Xu Hang and Gu Ze would believe her unease stemmed from anxiety rather than distrust?
Yet, once the question was spoken, it would inevitably imply distrust.
This feeling of being excluded was truly unpleasant, and Xu Hang and Gu Ze must have sensed it too; they were not so dull as to overlook their own actions.
Should she ask?
How should she begin?
While Xu Nuan remained silent, Xu Hang spoke first, his voice heavy with fatigue. The hoarse tone reminded Xu Nuan of Gu Ze before nightfall.
"I know what you want to ask, but I'm sorry; I can't tell you right now. When the time comes, you'll understand."
Xu Nuan was taken aback; she didn't even know what she should ask. Perhaps it was because Gu Ze had never hidden anything from her before—he would always voice whatever was on his mind, just like those promises that repeatedly surfaced. But after Gu Ze had expressed his guilt and ceased making promises, Xu Nuan found herself unable to comprehend his actions.
She had always believed that words could easily deceive people, which is why she despised promises. Yet now it seemed that words were the best means of communication; as long as they were clear, many unnecessary misunderstandings could be resolved.
"When will he be back?"
The moment of defiance lasted only a few minutes, and Xu Nuan couldn't help but chuckle at herself.
"He'll be back soon. You should go rest now."
Xu Hang once again avoided Xu Nuan's gaze.
"Do you think I would be swayed by such a vague answer?"
Xu Nuan felt a surge of anger. Worried about waking the others, she deliberately lowered her voice, but the husky tone only betrayed her emotions, overflowing with indignation. The water spilled from the bottle could never return.
"Even if he were standing right in front of you now, he wouldn't tell you."
Xu Hang noticed the emotions spilling out of Xu Nuan and was puzzled by how easily she seemed to be affected. However, remembering Gu Ze's advice, he felt compelled to persuade Xu Nuan at this moment.
Yet, his words struck Xu Nuan like a heavy iron rod, shaking her mind and heart.
"...I understand."
After a long pause, Xu Nuan finally found her voice. With her head slightly bowed, she seemed as if she might merge with the night at any moment.
Xu Nuan turned to walk back, the distance of mere meters feeling insurmountable to her.
Though the moonlight still shone, her silhouette began to blend into the darkness.
Xu Hang hesitated for a moment before calling out to Xu Nuan.
"Wait, I have a question I want to ask you."
Xu Nuan turned back expressionlessly, looking at Xu Hang from a distance that was not too far. Her light-colored eyes appeared somewhat desolate, having lost some of their luster.
Xu Hang frowned but steadied his voice to ask.
"Do you really like Ze?"
He could not allow anyone to take advantage of his brother. Some things should have been clarified earlier; otherwise, once certain events occurred, there would be no way to turn back. Communicating with a woman like Xu Nuan was the most straightforward approach, and if she wished to conceal her intentions, no one would be able to discern her plans.
Xu Nuan's eyes appeared somewhat cold.
She indeed had not shown much concern for Gu Ze, nor had she ever spoken sweet words to him. Her envisioned future did not include Gu Ze, so this question was quite apt.
She had no intention of answering Xu Hang; this matter was unrelated to him.
"I'm not doubting you, but your actions make it hard for others not to think otherwise."
Xu Hang explained lightly, seemingly casually reminding Xu Nuan.
"You need to understand that Ze is different; in every aspect, he is unique."
Of course, he was different—his family background, appearance, talent, and future were all distinct.
Xu Nuan took a moment to grasp the meaning behind Xu Hang's words.
Gu Ze's brother hoped she would choose between them.
After giving Xu Hang a deep look, Xu Nuan turned back and lay down in her now cold sleeping bag, losing all desire to sleep. The cold moonlight swept across the sleeping bag, appearing somewhat indifferent.
Chaotic thoughts flooded her mind, followed closely by the sound of faint footsteps entering her ears.
There was more than one person.
Realizing this, Xu Nuan's gaze turned cold again.
Perhaps not expecting anyone to be awake at this hour, He Min and Yu Yu stood awkwardly under a tree not far from their Temporary Campsite.
Moonlight, shadows of the trees, a man and a woman.
Xu Nuan scanned the two with an emotionless gaze and quickly sensed something was off.
He Min seemed different.
Her face was slightly pale, lacking the rosy hue of embarrassment that usually followed intimate encounters, and there was a faint hint of ambiguity around her neck that she hadn’t consciously concealed.
Xu Nuan immediately understood what had happened. She then turned her attention to Yu Yu, who wore a smile on his face, but it seemed somewhat forced.
Shouldn’t he be feeling joyful?
A sense of discomfort arose in Xu Nuan's heart, but she wasn’t foolish enough to directly inquire about others' private matters.
She merely nodded lightly and lay back down, staring up at the starry sky.
There was no drowsiness.
She could discern He Min and Yu Yu's actions from the various sounds reaching her ears. They walked back, exchanged a few quiet words, entered their sleeping bags, and prepared to rest.
She eased her breathing.
However, this night was destined to be anything but calm. As Xu Nuan lay there with her eyes open, she heard the sound of wings slicing through the air—intense and approaching rapidly.
Outsider was not good.
Xu Nuan immediately sat up, looking up at the night sky. A large group of indistinguishable creatures flew over from the jungle, blocking part of the moonlight as they passed, enough for her to guess that these yet-to-reveal their true forms were colossal beings.
"Everyone, wake up! There's danger!"
Almost in the next second, Xu Hang shouted loudly. His piercing voice successfully roused the previously soundly sleeping Xie Huai and Deng Yinyin. When Xu Nuan locked eyes with Chi Xiaoming, she saw clarity in his gaze.
This person hadn’t been asleep; he was aware of the brief yet significant conversation between him and Xu Hang. He knew about He Min and Yu Yu returning from their outing, and of course, he also knew that Gu Ze had temporarily left.
Another uncontrollable individual.
Xu Nuan suppressed her rising irritation and quickly packed her belongings into her backpack like everyone else. She then took out a short knife. In the midst of this chaos, no one paid particular attention to Gu Ze's whereabouts.
As they could once again see the moon clearly, they also discerned what kind of creatures were approaching them.
Eagles.
Large yet ordinary eagles.
They were far inferior to the Killer Eagle encountered at the beginning of the game or the humanoid-like eagles faced during the thirty-some levels.
However, even ordinary eagles could inflict harm with their sharp claws and beaks, especially to human faces.
The Swarm of Eagle Flock swooped down with their distinctive cries, unstoppable in their descent.
Xu Nuan wasn’t overly worried; as long as they entered the jungle and utilized the tall trees and dense bushes for cover, these creatures that could only exert their advantage in the air would be powerless against them. But entering the jungle required Xu Hang, so she waited.
Unfortunately, accompanying the call of the Eagle Flock was the voice of the System.
Once again, it was a case of The Minority Obeys the Majority.
The choice was between active attack or passive evasion.
How could eight people's choices possibly align?
Xu Nuan felt a bit annoyed. As she twisted her jacket into a strip and flung it aside to distract the eagles, she called out to the few who were still hesitating.
"Everyone is choosing to evade."
With this choice, they could enter the dense forest instead of getting entangled with these eagles in this relatively open space.
But as always, because everyone had the right to choose, and each choice was related to their own interests, people considered things from different angles. Once there was no need for the leader to issue commands, the choices became chaotic.
Not everyone would think like Xu Nuan, accurately utilizing the terrain and not viewing evasion as something shameful; survival was paramount.
For most people, the first reflex regarding this option was whether they could attack or not, without considering what each option represented behind the scenes.
With differing objectives and resources at hand, each person's understanding and attitude toward the game varied.
Clearly, when faced with this option, people's first reaction was to attack; only through attacking could they continue on their path.
Xu Nuan was in the minority. Even though Chi Xiaoming made the same choice as her, it wouldn’t save much.
"Damn it!"
Xu Nuan was genuinely angry, her movements slowing down.
"What are you all thinking? Clearly, choosing to escape is the right decision!"
She, who rarely spoke in the team, began to complain, and her complaints ignited the anger of several others.
"Watch your tone. We have martial arts skills; are we just going to hide like fools? Are you stupid?"
Due to her morning grumpiness and the sudden shock, Deng Yinyin reverted to her usual fiery temper.
Xu Nuan's anger flared up as well, especially when she noticed the disapproving looks from He Min and Xu Hang.
"I'm not playing by these rules anymore!"
More than the increasing number of eagles, what infuriated Xu Nuan was everyone's attitude at that moment.
"Do you really think the System would be so kind as to create a rule? Every rule comes with a trap. The Minority Obeys the Majority simply means letting foolish people make foolish decisions!"
Fuming, Xu Nuan didn't care about anything else.
"Xu Nuan, you can't throw a tantrum just because you're in the minority. Even if you refuse to follow this rule, it doesn't change the fact that you're still one of the few."
At that moment, Xu Nuan's attitude mirrored her initial confrontation with the Third Batch of Players. Xu Hang recalled the scene of being ostracized back then, his expression darkening as he spoke without holding back.
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