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Xu Nuan unexpectedly encountered Deng Yinyin and Xie Huai. After a moment of surprise, she directly ignored Deng Yinyin's question and began to observe the two of them.
To be honest, after the last incident, Xu Nuan had adopted an indifferent attitude towards both of them. It was hard for her to feel any fondness for someone who had shouted about wanting to kill her and another who clearly favored Deng Yinyin. She was well aware that neither of them held any good feelings towards her either; their connection was solely based on shared secrets.
This was what Xu Nuan found quite amusing. Before joining this team, she had already had numerous conflicts with these individuals. After those conflicts, she finally found a sense of belonging within this group and acknowledged them as her companions. However, under the various trials of the game, the camaraderie they shared—tainted as it was—was on the verge of collapse, barely maintained by their superficial connections.
Suppressing the sudden surge of emotions, Xu Nuan shifted her focus to the two of them. Although Deng Yinyin appeared somewhat disheveled while waiting for her response, she still radiated energy, her pride evident in her expression. Yet, it seemed she hardly noticed her dirty clothes. In stark contrast, Xie Huai looked much worse. His clothes were stained with clotted blood, his complexion pale and alarming, with deep-set eyes that suggested he hadn't rested well.
Xu Nuan quickly glanced at him and noticed that Xie Huai had unconsciously covered his abdomen several times in just a few seconds. It was hard not to notice something was amiss.
Clearly, Xie Huai had sustained an injury to his abdomen. Without a closer examination, it was difficult to determine how severe it was, but as far as Xu Nuan knew, this was the first time Xie Huai had suffered such a grievous injury.
The truth was that Deng Yinyin and Xie Huai were the weakest members of the team. The former had a penchant for adventure and retained some childlike qualities, while the latter was timid and fearful of death. Logically speaking, both should often be liabilities who got injured frequently; however, in this team, they somehow remained the safest members. Because of her childlike nature, others would not compete with Deng Yinyin; if danger truly arose, it would be stronger members who charged ahead. As for Xie Huai, his caution—though stemming from fear—had proven beneficial thus far.
So when they were divided into groups back then, Xu Nuan couldn't help but worry about these two whom she didn't like at all. She felt that having them together might lead to trouble. Now it seemed trouble had indeed occurred, but they managed to handle it well.
Despite being injured, Xie Huai had still made it here alive, while Xu Nuan quickly sensed a hint of caution and testing in Deng Yinyin's previously proud demeanor.
The traps these two encountered were definitely not simple; Xu Nuan immediately reached this conclusion.
She felt a flicker of interest but knew this wasn't the right time to delve deeper.
However, their silence prompted Deng Yinyin's childlike nature to resurface.
"I’m asking you something! What does it mean not to answer?"
Deng Yinyin's critical gaze fell upon the new member Feng Feng.
Clearly, Feng Feng's ordinary looks and short stature were not what Deng Yinyin appreciated in a man; her downward glance was quite provocative to a man's pride.
Xu Nuan refrained from stepping in to defend Deng Yinyin; instead, she wanted to observe Feng Feng more closely. Before reuniting with Gu Ze, Feng Feng's disappearance had raised her suspicions—even though he had created an antidote for her. Those were two separate matters, and she could make appropriate arrangements between them.
Seeing that Xu Nuan remained silent for an extended period, Chi Xiaoming finally spoke up with his usual simplicity. The coldness emanating from him caused Deng Yinyin to halt her questioning.
"They got separated from us; we can meet again at the Supply Station."
Xu Nuan sensed Chi Xiaoming's confidence in Gu Ze and Xu Hang from his words. However, she and Feng Feng were aware of Gu Ze's situation, while only Chi Xiaoming knew the truth about Xu Hang. What he thought was his own business, and no one else could discern any discrepancies.
A fleeting sense of unease swept through her heart, but it vanished before she could dwell on it.
"But we have searched for a long time without seeing the Special Tree, let alone the Supply Station," Xie Huai spoke up, his voice hoarse, reminiscent of wheels rolling over sandy ground, revealing his exhaustion.
Xu Nuan frowned, puzzled by Xie Huai's condition. Her confusion stemmed mainly from the subtle dynamics between Xie Huai and Deng Yinyin. "Subtle" was a fascinating word that could describe many situations and convey different meanings. Xu Nuan felt that the atmosphere between Yu Yu and He Min was subtle, as was the one between Deng Yinyin and Xie Huai, yet these two subtleties were entirely different.
She felt a stir in her heart, almost voicing her doubts, but when she saw Deng Yinyin still watching Feng Feng intently, she swallowed her words.
"The fact that we encountered each other means we have left the previous traps behind and returned to the original path. It is only a matter of time before we find the Special Tree and the Supply Station."
In an instant, Xu Nuan understood Chi Xiaoming's meaning and explained it to Xie Huai.
The seemingly weak Xie Huai accepted this without further comment, leaning against a nearby tree without the support of Deng Yinyin as he had before.
This action caused Deng Yinyin to furrow her brow in dissatisfaction as she ceased to confront the shorter Feng Feng.
Xu Nuan sighed in relief and discreetly glanced at the silent Feng Feng, noticing his calm expression that seemed oddly out of place on his youthful face.
Regardless, their group had now become five people.
Yet even with five traveling together, silence reigned. Xu Nuan would not initiate conversation with Deng Yinyin or Xie Huai again, as their relationship had soured once more; it wasn't out of stubbornness but simply following her instincts. Naturally, she did not expect the taciturn Chi Xiaoming or the seemingly harmless yet occasionally chilling Feng Feng to break this silence either.
The sunlight remained scorching, spilling generously over everyone and quickly causing beads of sweat to form. However, this mild discomfort did not hinder their pace; they continued forward steadily at their previous speed.
As they progressed, Xu Nuan noticed a hint of color returning to Xie Huai's previously pale face, though his eyes appeared somewhat dazed.
Recalling Xie Huai's abdominal injury and the relentless sunlight, Xu Nuan realized he was likely running a fever due to inflammation of his wound. Just as she intended to approach him with a warning, she noticed Deng Yinyin had already recognized Xie Huai's discomfort and was impatiently rummaging through her backpack for medicine and water.
Deng Yinyin’s face showed impatience, yet her movements were unexpectedly gentle—so different from her usual demeanor towards Xie Huai. At last, Xu Nuan understood where that subtle feeling had come from.
She took a step back to her previous position and continued walking forward, no longer paying much attention to the interaction between the two, but her mind began to worry about Gu Ze, who was somewhere unknown. She remembered that Gu Ze had been stabbed by He Jun, and regardless of whether the bullet had hit him, that injury under the scorching sun became a hidden danger for Gu Ze, especially since he intended to deal with two troublesome individuals on this trip. That wound was indeed a burden for him.
Xu Nuan's breath momentarily faltered, but she quickly composed herself and walked earnestly ahead, firmly believing that her Gu Ze would meet her at the Supply Station. He was her Gu Ze, so she believed he would manage to do it.
Xie Huai's discomfort was merely an interlude in their journey. Soon, they regained their previous pace and continued forward, this time guided by Chi Xiaoming. Xu Nuan had no doubts about this. She had previously caught Chi Xiaoming's offhand remarks; he had informed Gu Ze about some peculiarities of the mechanisms and how to dismantle them, allowing Gu Ze to successfully destroy many traps. Conversely, Gu Ze must have provided Chi Xiaoming with special information about this game model, enabling Chi Xiaoming to make similar judgments.
When Xu Nuan expressed that she had no objections, Feng Feng showed the same attitude. Xie Huai was already too weak to voice any opinion, while Deng Yinyin initially had reservations. This was her usual way of acting—not out of distrust for Chi Xiaoming or belief that this direction was wrong. Deng Yinyin instinctively thought her choices were correct and expected others to consider her opinions before making decisions. In short, she hoped others would prioritize her input.
Xu Nuan was familiar with Deng Yinyin's personality; she wasn't particularly concerned but didn't want the silence among the five of them to turn into a meaningless argument. Thus, she used her gaze to stop Deng Yinyin.
When Xu Nuan stared directly at her, Deng Yinyin noticeably flinched and obediently fell silent.
She had no interest in knowing why Deng Yinyin couldn't meet her gaze; all she needed was for the final outcome to be one she was pleased with.
As it turned out, Chi Xiaoming's choice was correct. That evening, they saw the Supply Station at the end of the Special Tree. The Supply Station remained white, shaped like a newsstand, standing out between the red Special Tree and other ordinary green trees yet making it difficult to spot at first glance.
The group showed varying degrees of joy. In this round, everyone had acted as a team, yet upon reaching the Supply Station, only Deng Yinyin and Xie Huai's team remained intact; others were missing members. This realization quickly dampened Xu Nuan's good mood, and at that moment, she had no interest in observing Chi Xiaoming and Feng Feng's reactions.
This time she walked at the front and naturally opened the door to the Supply Station. As the door swung open, the figures standing in the living room came into view.
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