Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
Liu Minghong, a member of the Second Batch Players, was someone Xu Nuan always saw as a figure cloaked in black, wrapping himself tightly in shadows. To Xu Nuan, Liu Minghong was also a teacher; when she first entered the game, her yearning for power led her to learn how to make explosives from him, and he had willingly shared his knowledge.
Xu Nuan had separated from the main group during the third level, and later, to avoid the schemes of Guo Dafu and his companions, she concealed her whereabouts. This decision resulted in her not encountering Liu Minghong again.
Their reunion came just a few days ago after more than half a year apart. That meeting revealed many things to her, and it was thanks to Liu Minghong that she could calmly interact with Zhang Xiao in the secret passage without worrying about how to escape.
Xu Nuan gazed at Liu Minghong as he fought against Zhang Xiao, her thoughts swirling in complexity until she could only let out a soft sigh.
In that moment of relaxation, pain shot through her legs and palms, reminding her of her injuries. She groaned softly as the sounds of wind and fists striking flesh filled her ears.
Before she could fully process what was happening, Liu Minghong suddenly pulled away from the fight. As he passed by the dazed Xu Nuan, he instinctively grabbed her and began to lead her back.
"What are you doing?"
Xu Nuan was taken aback, her gaze involuntarily drifting back to see Zhang Xiao leaning against the wall, gasping for breath. It appeared that Zhang Xiao was at a disadvantage, and Liu Minghong had the capability to deal with him.
Panic surged within Xu Nuan as she weakly tugged at Liu Minghong's hand.
"Hurry up and take care of him; he’s a future threat!"
With Liu Minghong’s presence, Xu Nuan felt emboldened.
"If we want to kill him, we’ll have to bury ourselves with him."
Liu Minghong's voice was low and muffled by his black mask, adding to its somber tone. As he spoke these words, he released her hand, seemingly indicating that it was up to Xu Nuan to choose between life and death. This direct yet somewhat cold approach was characteristic of Liu Minghong's style—something Xu Nuan found unfamiliar yet deeply understood.
Still in shock, she opened her mouth but couldn’t find the words. Suddenly, a rumbling sound echoed around them, accompanied by falling rocks. Xu Nuan quickly dodged and then realized what Liu Minghong meant.
It wasn’t that Liu Minghong had betrayed her; rather, he had sensed that the secret passage was about to collapse and had come in to warn her.
Realizing that she had just judged Liu Minghong too harshly, Xu Nuan felt a bit embarrassed. She had no words, so she simply followed Liu Minghong's lead, dodging the falling stones as they made their way back. As she ran, she glanced back at Zhang Xiao. Amidst the cascading debris, his face appeared somewhat blurred, and he was moving slower than she had imagined. It seemed that Liu Minghong had indeed injured him earlier.
Perhaps this person would be buried along with the secret passage, Xu Nuan thought as she continued to push through the intense pain in her legs.
The collapse of the tunnel was rapid; massive stones and dust were plummeting down, creating a deafening roar that deepened her anxiety and tension. Xu Nuan felt as if the ground was splitting open beneath her, and she was falling into an abyss. The sensation of losing control of her body was similar to being in an elevator, but far more perilous.
No, that wasn't right; she was truly falling!
"Ah!"
Xu Nuan instinctively screamed, immediately inhaling a mouthful of dust. She couldn't afford to cough; instead, she desperately waved her arms as if trying to grasp something to steady herself.
Along with the sensation of weightlessness came dizziness. Due to various reasons, Xu Nuan's body was already in poor condition, and now she began to feel lightheaded, unable to see clearly.
In the haze, she heard Liu Minghong's voice.
"Tsk, for your sake and your relationship with him, I suppose I'll lend you a hand. He wouldn't want you to meet him this early."
Xu Nuan couldn't help but smile bitterly. As she grasped Liu Minghong's outstretched hand when he returned, she sighed heavily in her heart.
Liu Minghong was a friend of Qin Yaojie; more accurately, he was an admirer who had always stood by Qin Yaojie as a game designer. Regardless of how Liu Minghong managed to avoid being designated as one of the First Batch of Players entering the game, the significant news he brought was enough for Xu Nuan and Gu Ze to consider collaborating with him.
Among many designers, Liu Minghong was one of the few who consistently supported Qin Yaojie from the beginning. He was responsible for aspects related to explosions, and according to him, Su Zihang was Qin Yaojie's ultimate fan who had left information about the game's operational flaws for Qin Yaojie.
Without a doubt, Su Zihang had died because of this. In Liu Minghong's memory, Su Zihang was someone who had a happy family life—a person others envied. However, one day he began to deteriorate just like Qin Yaojie and eventually passed away shortly after entering the game.
For Another Founder, Su Zihang's life or death mattered little. For that power-hungry individual, the existence of flaws in the game and secret passages were intolerable issues.
It was at that moment that Xu Nuan and Gu Ze realized many things.
Zhang Xiao designed himself not only for the secret passage but also for game data. He had made a pact with Another Founder, driven by the desire to surpass that person. For Another Founder, Su Zihang would never reveal where the data was hidden, while Qin Yaojie cruelly erased his own memories. In this context, Xu Nuan became the most special person in his world.
He despised anyone slipping out of his grasp and wished for Xu Nuan's immediate demise, yet he had to endure all of this before stripping Xu Nuan of her value.
The two factions were already aware of a third party that simply wanted her dead. Xu Nuan had no clues about this force, but from observing Gu Ze's behavior, she vaguely sensed that Gu Ze had made some progress.
However, the two had failed to exchange information and parted ways in a severely injured state, not having seen each other since.
A thought crossed her mind: Qin Yaojie had become someone she could no longer afford to have feelings for in her memories. This was an undeniable reality. Yet Xu Nuan understood boundaries and did not share such thoughts with Liu Minghong, who idolized Qin Yaojie as much as Su Zihang did.
The phrase "love for the house extends to the crow" had been taken to extremes by many.
Yet, the crow might not be willing to accept such love.
Only Feng Feng and An Liran remained from the First Batch of Players, and there were few left from the Second Batch as well. Originally, Another Founder's identity should have become clearer, but for Xu Nuan, it remained shrouded in mystery.
It was precisely because of this that she desperately wanted to learn about Another Founder from Zhang Xiao. Such a mysterious figure was far too dangerous.
Xu Nuan followed Liu Minghong to the surface and breathed in the fresh air before daring to think so recklessly. After her thoughts settled, she shot Liu Minghong a somewhat reproachful glance.
"I was so close to getting him to talk. Even if you wanted to remind me to enter the passage, you should have waited a bit longer."
Xu Nuan knew this was somewhat unreasonable; however, the frustration and regret of always missing success made her act out a little.
Liu Minghong, with only his eyes visible through his wrapped face, looked at Xu Nuan in silence. He said nothing, but his gaze swept over her before furrowing his brow beneath the scarf.
Perhaps the emotions conveyed through his gaze were too evident; Xu Nuan felt herself shrink back slightly. She was quite disheveled at that moment; survival was all that mattered to her, but she wasn't used to being looked at like that.
Fortunately, Liu Minghong quickly withdrew his gaze. Xu Nuan sighed in relief and dared not complain further, lacking the energy to tidy herself up. She turned back to look at the place they had just climbed from; it was now completely buried under stones and dust.
They had just heard a significant noise underground, and upon coming up, they realized that a portion of the trees nearby had collapsed. The secret passage wouldn’t completely cave in for any reason, and other areas hadn’t been greatly affected. Xu Nuan was uncertain whether this commotion would attract others.
At this moment, she wasn’t too concerned about that; her focus was on Zhang Xiao. The man hadn’t escaped and had met his end. Although it was somewhat regrettable, it was also satisfying. She feared that a calamity could linger for a thousand years if someone like Zhang Xiao, who had committed numerous wrongdoings, managed to escape.
However, even if Zhang Xiao did escape, he would eventually come back for her. At least he and Another Founder believed that the information about the game’s loopholes was with her. Xu Nuan felt helpless about this; she had initially thought that the notebook left by Qin Yaojie contained secrets about Su Zihang, but it turned out she had overthought it.
Xu Nuan sat on the ground without any regard for her image, staring bitterly at the collapsed secret passage, various emotions playing across her face. She hadn’t even considered bandaging her wounds or eating something to rest. This behavior was reckless, and it made Liu Minghong, who was very particular about health and routine, uncomfortable.
But this wasn’t an ordinary city life; Xu Nuan had no relation to him. To put it bluntly, what happened to Xu Nuan had nothing to do with him.
Yet, she was Qin Yaojie’s ex-girlfriend. Tsk, he was at least a friend of Qin Yaojie’s and had arrived late to help him but couldn’t even retrieve a body for him. This could be considered some form of compensation.
Contrary to his unusual appearance, Liu Minghong had a rich inner world. Since Xu Nuan wasn’t as restrained with her emotions as usual and displayed all her thoughts openly, Liu Minghong finally couldn’t hold back any longer. His deep voice came through his mask.
“Even if he’s not dead, he holds no value anymore. That person only used him to find out where the secret passage was so it could be destroyed. As for the game data, that person wouldn’t trust him.”
Liu Minghong explained in detail.
“Moreover, that person’s character is exceptionally vile; he has already tampered with Zhang Xiao’s body. Zhang Xiao knew that person’s identity well enough, but unfortunately, once he spoke up, it would lead to an explosion. Hmph, if he had really spoken just now, you wouldn’t have survived either.”
Comment 0 Comment Count