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墨書 Inktalez
Xu Nuan understood why Fan Beibei was no longer in the team.
Just yesterday, while she was still in a deep sleep, their team faced a choice dictated by the principle of The Minority Obeys the Majority.
Whether they wanted the Special Tree to appear was an obvious answer.
However, this choice meant they could not escape the next decision.
Everyone chose to have the Special Tree appear, which meant they had to select one person to kick out of the team, and they could not partner with that person until they reached the Supply Station. The rule for selecting this person was also based on The Minority Obeys the Majority; whoever received the most votes would have to leave the team.
Afterward, Xu Nuan regretted missing an opportunity to leave the team. Based on her performance over the past few days, she should have been the most disliked by her teammates and should have been eliminated. If she had been voted out instead of leaving voluntarily, perhaps she wouldn't feel so reluctant about Gu Ze. However, no one voted for her; in fact, at that moment, no one was the first to cast a vote.
Although going through challenges alone might not mean much, there is a significant difference between being proactive and reactive. Being forced out of a team makes it difficult to escape when faced with great danger; even if one manages to escape by chance afterward, resentment toward former teammates can lead to enmity. Those who remain will feel guilty and worry about repercussions if something happens to the person who left; once their spirits weaken, it becomes hard to continue in this game.
Moreover, they could not guarantee that after making this choice, a chain reaction of decisions would not be triggered. For instance, if they wanted the Supply Station to appear, they might need to eliminate another teammate or even harm or kill someone.
During Xu Nuan's intermittent sleep over the past few days, Gu Ze and others faced many choices adhering to the rules—some were ridiculously simple while others were quite challenging. As they continually followed the majority's opinions in their choices, seeds of conflict were sown among them. Perhaps it wasn't apparent at that moment, but once those seeds were nourished by dark emotions, an explosion would inevitably occur one day. And that day could very well be a fatal blow.
Fan Beibei's absence indicated that she was ultimately forced out of the team; however, looking at Gu Ze's expression, it seemed things were not that simple.
Xu Nuan's puzzled gaze prompted Gu Ze to begin explaining. His voice was low enough that those walking ahead could hardly hear him.
"Yesterday, Fan Beibei had a dispute with He Min and Deng Yinyin. At that time, Yu Yu seemed somewhat distracted and ran off in anger. Later, when it was time to gather and leave, she still hadn't returned."
Gu Ze's expression was serious, yet his eyes showed no turbulence; he conveyed his true feelings to Xu Nuan—he didn't care about what happened among those people nor did he mind Fan Beibei's disappearance.
"We searched for a while but couldn't find her. Eventually, we all voted for her, and then the Special Tree appeared."
"What a coincidence."
Xu Nuan couldn't help but feel a pang of emotion as she observed the few people ahead of her. They seemed so relaxed. He Min and Deng Yinyin showed no signs of guilt over Fan Beibei's disappearance, even though their argument had led to it. Yu Yu still wore a gentle expression, seemingly unconcerned about Fan Beibei.
This stark reality made it hard for Xu Nuan to breathe. She felt unqualified to judge anyone; after all, she too was being pushed into the darkest corners of her heart, left speechless.
The daze brought on by her thoughts weakened her body. It was already a struggle to keep walking on flat ground without having eaten properly. Yet Gu Ze didn’t force her to eat, and she didn’t feel hunger, as if her body no longer belonged to her.
“Nuan, can you promise me not to ask anything for the next few days? Just stay close to Chi Xiaoming and Hang; you’ll find out the answers soon enough.”
As Xu Nuan sank deeper into her thoughts, Gu Ze suddenly stopped and spoke to her with utmost seriousness.
His deep brown eyes were filled with determination and some other emotions she couldn’t quite identify.
“I’m a very suspicious person.”
Xu Nuan found it hard to meet his gaze. She was eager to understand what was happening; she didn’t want to waste any more time. One rule had already revealed these people's true colors, and she felt she had no reason to stay any longer. If she couldn’t draw warmth from them or find light in her darkness, then her existence in this group held no meaning.
Of course, the matter of the secret passage meant that she wouldn’t be easily abandoned by them, leaving her unsure whether to laugh or feel resigned.
Reality—this game was reality.
“I think I’ve been through this with you before,” Xu Nuan forced herself to smile and tried not to lean on Gu Ze as she moved forward steadily. “I don’t trust anyone.”
Gu Ze’s pupils suddenly constricted, causing Xu Nuan pain as well. This situation bore many similarities to the last one, yet her state was far worse—both physically and mentally. She wasn’t sure if it had anything to do with the medication Qin Yaojie had tricked her into taking; all she wanted was to take a few more steps forward and gather more clues.
When she noticed the hand gripping her arm tighten suddenly, Xu Nuan let out a soft laugh. Not trusting anyone was just a lie she told herself. If she truly didn’t trust Gu Ze, upon realizing something was off with the medication he injected her with, she would have started struggling or even attacked him, regardless of the consequences. The reason she hadn’t done so was that deep down, she still believed in Gu Ze and hoped he would guide her toward a good outcome.
Her mind told her that Gu Ze was deceiving her, hiding actions from her while injecting drugs—these were unforgivable acts. If there were unavoidable circumstances, he should just tell her directly; she would try to understand rather than tormenting herself while also causing him pain.
She didn’t want them to hurt each other.
"Even... if it's me," she dodged Gu Ze's gaze, but his voice struck her heart like a drumbeat. "You still can't believe me?"
A long time ago, when she first said those words, she had already hurt Gu Ze. Later, when she realized her true feelings, she regretted it. Yet in that moment, she still uttered those words.
She regretted it as soon as the words left her mouth, and seeing the hurt expression on Gu Ze's face deepened her regret. So now, how should she respond?
Before she could answer, they heard Xu Hang's shout from ahead, as if he had discovered something and was calling them over.
Gu Ze did not press further, allowing Xu Nuan to catch her breath and follow along.
Without a backpack, her body felt strange; she occasionally fainted. She could only follow Gu Ze, who shone like a light guiding her through this difficult time.
Should she trust her own light?
Xu Hang and the others discovered some traps that could be deadly for both beasts and humans.
Seeing the sharp bamboo in those holes reminded Xu Nuan of the traps they had encountered in the previous stage.
At that moment, Deng Yinyin keenly spotted some disordered footprints not far from the hole. By examining the size and shape of the footprints, they realized that this trap had been set by three or more people.
"Although any Player could have passed this way, I can't shake the feeling that these traps are aimed specifically at us," Xie Huai said, scratching his head as he shared his opinion. He was startled when he noticed Xu Nuan silently standing beside him, and an awkward smile appeared on his face as his gaze began to dart away from her.
Xu Nuan didn't have time to ponder what his behavior meant; she squinted at the footprints and then gazed into the distance. The jungle was an ideal place for ambushes, with plenty of materials to use for hiding spots. Although one person might have keenly sensed a gaze upon them, it didn't mean there weren't others watching her or their group.
She and the Third Batch of Players had things that others coveted, but these matters hadn't been fully disclosed. Moreover, after all their wandering around for so long, there were still many first and Second Batch Players who hadn't encountered them yet. Those Players likely had no channels to learn about their information or movements; targeting them seemed somewhat implausible.
Wait a minute, Xu Nuan suddenly realized that she had been neglecting someone recently.
"Zhang Xiao!"
The man who understood them so well and had likely already reached the 'Forest of Hatred' in this Survival Game was the most probable candidate for these actions. However, all that Zhang Xiao knew was about the secret passage, which shouldn't interest the Third Batch of Players.
But that didn't seem right. Xu Nuan recalled that during the 'Gentle Prairie' stage, she had deduced that Zhang Xiao couldn't discuss Gu Ze with her. Gu Ze was a special existence; even if Zhang Xiao had been deceived at first, he would quickly realize it and investigate along that line. He was a man skilled at temptation, and anyone around her whom she hadn't met could potentially be under his influence.
That matter might have been exposed. Xu Nuan's expression turned anxious as she hurriedly turned to look at Gu Ze. When their eyes met, she found herself at a loss for words. If that matter were revealed and other Players found out, they would be in real danger. The game itself was brutal, and the upcoming Survival Game carried its own risks; they couldn't guarantee they would navigate those dangers smoothly, and now a new threat loomed.
If only she had realized this sooner, Xu Nuan thought with frustration. With Yu Yu and others present, she couldn't immediately discuss this issue with everyone.
But discussing it wouldn't help; she needed to find someone who had set a trap to verify her suspicions. How could she do that? Right now, she felt utterly powerless—who could she find? Who could she threaten?
"I'll go; you don't think about anything."
Before the pain in her head could fully register in her nerves, Gu Ze pulled Xu Nuan away from the entrance, his voice filled with helplessness.
"You stay put for the morning, and in the afternoon, I'll tell you what I've been up to lately."
The delayed pain made Xu Nuan frown. She looked up at Gu Ze somewhat sluggishly, and when she saw the seriousness in his eyes, a sudden possibility crossed her mind.
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