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墨書 Inktalez
“Fang Zheng, what are you doing?”
Deng Yinyin's face flushed, her eyes widened slightly in shock and fear as she continued to back away, her body trembling occasionally when she stepped on a branch. Her hands were shaking, causing the short knife to quiver, leading one to wonder if it would fall from her grip at any moment.
The source of Deng Yinyin's fear and the one who was closing in on her was Fang Zheng.
The two had been separated from the others by a sudden gust of wind. The scene had been chaotic, with the strong winds shaking the branches of trees as if they could uproot the entire grassland. Accompanying the fierce wind was heavy rain, making it difficult for anyone to discern the expressions of those around them. When another strong gust swept through, Deng Yinyin found herself lifted into the air, uncontrollably moving in another direction.
As she fell to the ground—not too harshly—Deng Yinyin felt a sense of relief upon realizing that Fang Zheng was falling alongside her.
Though Fang Zheng's expression was dark, he had remained calm throughout, showing little emotional fluctuation. Deng Yinyin had not thought poorly of him.
However, that thought shattered into pieces as Fang Zheng approached her with a raised knife.
“Fang Zheng, have you lost your mind?”
Deng Yinyin repeated this phrase in her extreme panic; it was all she could manage.
Fang Zheng remained silent, his expression grim, which to Deng Yinyin felt like the return of a demon. The more he acted this way, the more thoughts raced through her mind, and the more terrified she became.
This psychological pressure drove Deng Yinyin to the brink of fear; her calves trembled as she tried to call for help.
“Is anyone there? Help!”
Deng Yinyin's voice was usually loud and sharp, distinctive in its tone. Yet now, overwhelmed by fear, her voice had turned hoarse. She shouted with all her might, but it seemed to have little effect.
The howling wind made the light rain seem even more terrifying. Deng Yinyin shouted a few words hoarsely, only to be met with Fang Zheng's impatient roar in response.
"Shut up!"
A faint red glow flickered in Fang Zheng's eyes, and the ruthless determination within it sent a chill down Deng Yinyin's spine. She fell silent.
She was a girl who loved to dream, always fantasizing about her other half riding in on a white horse to rescue her one day. In her mind, the hero would always come to save her when she was in danger and would gently comfort her.
Once, she had wholeheartedly believed that Gu Ze was that kind of person. Unfortunately, he was not. There had been someone who fit that role perfectly, but she had dismissed him with disdain.
Now, that person was dead, leaving her all alone.
Who else could she rely on?
Xu Hang?
She wasn't foolish; she knew how Xu Hang had changed since returning from Love Forest. Thus, the only person she could depend on was the one who had already passed away.
"Haha!"
Deng Yinyin laughed twice, a hint of sorrow in her voice.
She had once thought of herself as the center of countless affections, a precious treasure carefully nurtured by her elders. But in this game, she was nothing at all.
She suddenly felt an unprecedented hatred, hating herself for coming to this game and hating the person in front of her.
Survive!
This was what she insisted on, the only thing she could use to respond to the deceased.
With a quick glance, she slightly restrained her fear, activating her brain cells as she stared intently at Fang Zheng, speaking each word deliberately.
“It’s only you and me together. Because of that, if you kill me, they will immediately know who the murderer is.”
She had no power to contend with Fang Zheng; she could only rely on others.
“Haha.”
Fang Zheng chuckled a few times and stepped closer. At that moment, the Plateau above was dimming, the clouds at the edge hanging low enough to fall at any moment. The clouds were gray, mirroring the mood of both individuals.
Deng Yinyin was afraid of this side of Fang Zheng and felt irritated by the atmosphere.
Fang Zheng suddenly grinned, a hint of bloodlust in his smile—something Deng Yinyin had never seen before. She realized that she had never truly gotten to know this temporary companion. She ignored everyone else; her world revolved around herself, yet she wished for everyone else's world to include her.
She suddenly became aware of her own absurdity, but it was fleeting.
“At that time, with the scene so chaotic, who would notice that you and I were being swept in the same direction?”
The rhetorical question made Deng Yinyin tremble again. She was still retreating, yet she understood that there was no real endpoint on the Plateau. She couldn't outrun Fang Zheng, nor could she defeat him. Rather than angering Fang Zheng while trying to escape, it was better to engage with him now.
With this thought in mind, she forced her legs to steady and compelled herself to keep looking at Fang Zheng.
Fang Zheng's words were clearly not finished. Typically not one for conversation, he was now keen on tormenting Deng Yinyin with his words. Unlike Deng Yinyin, he had taken the time to observe everyone seriously during this period and had come to understand each person's weaknesses, more or less.
"Moreover, even if someone sees us being swept in the same direction, I can come up with countless excuses to prove I've never met you."
Seeing Deng Yinyin's face turn pale again from his words, Fang Zheng's lips curled into a pleased smile, reminiscent of the former Zhang Xiao.
The sounds of wind and rain faded away at that moment. What echoed in Deng Yinyin's ears were Fang Zheng's malicious words, and reflected in her eyes was his smile.
She swallowed hard, suddenly feeling her vision blur, a result of both the rain and her own body.
She was so frightened that she felt dizzy. She, Deng Yinyin, uncontrollably closed her eyes, trying to dispel this fear.
After all, she lacked experience and made a serious mistake at that moment. When she opened her eyes again, Fang Zheng was already right in front of her, one hand reaching toward her neck.
Her breath was stolen in an instant, but soon a bit of air entered her lungs, allowing her to gasp for breath.
"What do you want from me?"
Deng Yinyin swung the knife in her hand with great force, but it didn't harm Fang Zheng at all. He effortlessly knocked the short blade from her grasp and ignored her terrified expression as he leaned closer to her face.
In that moment, countless possibilities flashed through Deng Yinyin's mind. She suddenly thought of Fan Beibei, the woman who navigated between multiple men just to survive in the game.
Should she make the same choice as Fan Beibei?
She valued her life and believed she was prepared to sacrifice everything else for it. But when what she thought would happen finally arrived, Xie Huai's face flashed before her eyes.
In that instant, she knew her answer.
Deng Yinyin began to struggle fiercely. She used her mouth, hands, legs—every part of her body that could be weaponized—to attack Fang Zheng.
Fang Zheng had no intention of fighting back and was caught off guard. Although this momentary distraction gave Deng Yinyin an opportunity, their respective strengths were evident, and in the end, she was defeated. A tragic expression crossed her face, one that Fang Zheng had not anticipated.
With a swift motion, Fang Zheng ripped the ring from Deng Yinyin's hand and tossed her aside like trash.
Deng Yinyin was still in shock, staring blankly at Fang Zheng, confused.
Fang Zheng raised his hand and examined the Tail Ring seriously before looking down at the muddy Deng Yinyin sitting in the rain, his expression inscrutable.
"It seems you don't know the purpose of this Tail Ring," he scoffed, his tone dripping with disdain.
Deng Yinyin finally reacted. She remembered that when Xie Huai died, Gu Ze had removed Xie Huai's Tail Ring before placing his body in the cryogenic chamber.
The unexpectedly acquired Tail Ring seemed to hold significant importance.
Deng Yinyin's eyes flickered as she recalled the scene where Gu Ze, Xu Nuan, and Xu Hang had discussed something while holding the Tail Ring. Anxious, she hurriedly stood up and lunged toward Fang Zheng, attempting to snatch the Tail Ring from him.
"Oh? You know its purpose?"
Fang Zheng's tone was surprised, but his expression remained unchanged. Before Deng Yinyin could react, he swung his knife at her.
"Then you can't keep it!"
Deng Yinyin felt a sharp pain as her left shoulder was slashed. The immense agony caused her to stumble, inadvertently allowing her to evade Fang Zheng's next strike.
She rolled in the muddy ground, mixing dirt and blood in a scene of utter chaos.
At that moment, she realized that Fang Zheng's earlier words might have been a test. She didn't know the secret of the Tail Ring, but should she admit to knowing it in line with his words or stubbornly deny it in hopes of gaining a slim chance of survival?
Deng Yinyin wasn't someone skilled at strategizing; she felt utterly helpless.
As she watched Fang Zheng approach again with the Tail Ring in hand, she steeled herself and shouted loudly.
"I certainly know the purpose of the Tail Ring and how to use it; after all, it's such a precious item."
She was taking a gamble, and the pause in Fang Zheng's movements confirmed that she had made the right bet.
She swayed and stood up again, smiling confidently at Fang Zheng.
"Tsk, it seems you don't know, do you?"
Only by acting this way could she make Fang Zheng believe her words. Deng Yinyin had never acted before, but she had seen others perform. In the past, to deal with a few people at work, she had pretended to be quite pitiful.
The look of uncertainty on Fang Zheng's face gave Deng Yinyin a sense of accomplishment. She even boldly took a few steps forward, but unexpectedly, the previously uncertain Fang Zheng suddenly reacted and lunged at her.
Deng Yinyin was completely caught off guard, standing there dazed and wasting the slim chance she had fought so hard to gain.
A bloodied short knife came slashing toward her, blinding her with fear; she felt utterly hopeless and cold all over.
Suddenly, from the corner of her eye, a swift figure appeared. Before she knew it, another warm body wrapped around her and pulled her aside. In that instant, she even noticed that the person holding her had carefully shielded her vulnerable parts with their hands. A gentle voice whispered in her ear.
"You did great just now; there's no need to worry."
Accompanying that voice was Fang Zheng's anguished cry.
The wind continued to blow, and the rain kept falling, but her heart no longer felt despair.
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