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墨書 Inktalez
After enduring countless hardships to reach the summit, they descended with the belief that they had conquered the peak, only to discover that the path down was the same one they had taken to ascend. For those who had always held onto the hope that reaching the summit would lead them to the Special Tree, this was undoubtedly bad news.
Faced with this grim reality, everyone began to dig into their memories to confirm or deny the situation.
Ultimately, in everyone's recollection, the place they now found themselves in was indeed where they had briefly stayed on the first day. This realization was truly frustrating.
"Are we really expected to climb to the top again?" Xie Huai trembled as he voiced what everyone was reluctant to confront.
After a moment of surprise, Tang Jingshu regained her composure. "But we clearly chose the right direction this time. If we end up back at square one, climbing again and choosing correctly will still lead us back to the same point."
"Tsk, this game just loves to watch people make fools of themselves," Deng Yinyin said irritably, scanning her surroundings before her gaze landed on Gu Ze. Her tone softened slightly as she asked, "What do you think?"
This was one of the few exchanges between Deng Yinyin and Gu Ze following the confrontation with Xu Nuan, and no one missed the expectation in Deng Yinyin's eyes.
Gu Ze's expression remained unchanged as he took over the conversation.
"If we go back up, it will take at least five days, and our supplies are insufficient. If we descend and truly return to our starting point, it will take us half a day to reach the Supply Station. Although we can't enter it, we can confirm we've returned to square one. Our supplies will still be inadequate, so either way, our crisis remains unchanged."
Gu Ze's words seemed like mere ramblings but echoed Xu Nuan's thoughts. Whether ascending or descending, both options were unfavorable for the Players. Climbing again would yield the same result as now—a deadlock. Continuing downwards carried at least a fifty percent chance that the Supply Station would be gone while they were stuck halfway down.
Misty Snow Mountain appeared bewildering; in reality, it merely added psychological pressure on the Players. They faced a dilemma: gamble on continuing down after abandoning half their journey or fear wasting time climbing up again. Many would feel lost because of this uncertainty, but with careful consideration, a decision could be made easily.
"Down." The decision came from Xu Hang. From Xu Nuan's perspective, it seemed that Xu Hang had exchanged a glance with Gu Ze before arriving at this conclusion.
Xu Nuan had to admit that Xu Hang was the most respected person among them; whatever decision he made could be executed without question by others. In this regard, even though Gu Ze was clearly more capable, he still fell slightly short compared to Xu Hang.
As Xu Nuan began to recall memories from university days, she gradually recognized Gu Ze's abilities. The memories once cast aside in a corner were brushed free of dust and unfolded like a scroll before her eyes.
As everyone regained their confidence and set off down the mountain, Xu Nuan spoke up.
"I didn't expect you to be the head of the Human Resources Department; you really keep a low profile. It seems like hardly anyone in the school knows."
Walking alongside Xu Nuan at the back of the crowd, Gu Ze was clearly taken aback. The cold sunlight outlined his still gentle features.
"Did I remember incorrectly?"
Seeing Gu Ze in a daze, Xu Nuan immediately began to doubt her memory. She had spent so much time in the game that many things were now just a blur.
"You didn't remember incorrectly," Gu Ze said, snapping back to reality and slightly raising his chiseled face to better bask in the sunlight.
"I just thought that when we first met in the game, you didn’t recognize that we were alumni. Now you suddenly remember this."
Gu Ze's explanation left Xu Nuan momentarily stunned, and an awkward flush crept up her fair ears, hidden beneath her raised collar.
"Ah, my memory is hit or miss."
Xu Nuan hurriedly explained. She couldn't admit that at first, Gu Ze hadn't caught her attention at all; she had not recognized him, and with just his face, she couldn't recall anything. The more Gu Ze smiled nonchalantly, the more embarrassed Xu Nuan felt, prompting her to change the subject.
"Wait, aren't you majoring in Information Management? How did you end up in the Human Resources Department?"
"Training skills has nothing to do with my major," Gu Ze replied, his expression unchanged and tone steady, which struck Xu Nuan as rather unusual.
After pondering what was off about it, Xu Nuan decided to brush aside that detail and instead explained why she remembered.
"I have a roommate in college who is from your department. Occasionally, she talks about the activities you all have, and they sound quite interesting."
"Your roommate? That means she's one of the girls from our school," Gu Ze said, appearing to recall something. He tried to tap his chin with his finger but realized he was wearing gloves, so he awkwardly let his hand drop.
"Her name is Tao Jing, right? She's also from our school, and she meets all the criteria. She's quite capable at getting things done."
Thinking about her college roommate, Xu Nuan slightly squinted her eyes, allowing the sunlight to bathe her face. The corners of her lips lifted due to pleasant memories.
"Yes, that's her."
Seeing Xu Nuan's expression, Gu Ze decided to end the topic, and Xu Nuan forgot what her original purpose for bringing it up was.
The two of them walked in a harmonious atmosphere at the back, while the four familiar figures ahead of them were enveloped in a quiet silence, an unspoken tension lingering among them.
Xu Nuan was completely unconcerned about this silence, while Gu Ze was aware of the reason and deliberately ignored it.
In any case, the journey down the mountain was somewhat challenging, but fortunately, they did not encounter any other dangers.
Half a day later, they finally arrived at the location of the Supply Station that lingered in their memories.
It was a snowy expanse, vast and boundless. The bleak white stretched endlessly into the distance, embodying an infinite despair.
Yet at this moment, everyone was cheering.
"We chose the right direction!"
"Isn't it exciting to see the Supply Station for the first time?"
"Exactly! We're probably halfway down the mountain now, and there's still a long way to go before we reach the foot. There must be a Special Tree down there!"
With this enthusiasm, everyone continued to hurry down the mountain.
Xu Nuan felt a brief moment of lightness, but soon returned to her serious contemplation of this challenge.
Indeed, blizzards, avalanches, black bears, and Snow Leopards were undeniable threats in this stage, but what truly stood out about this game was the markers left by those who had gone up while they were heading down. Everything else was, to some extent, a natural threat that didn't quite fit the game's style.
Could this stage really be so simple? Or was there something crucial she had overlooked?
Xu Nuan pondered deeply for a while but couldn't pinpoint anything strange. The more she thought about it, the more she doubted the true purpose of this game stage.
Her troubled expression caught Gu Ze's attention as he glanced around curiously and couldn't help but ask.
"What are you thinking so seriously about?"
Genuinely considering Gu Ze a companion, Xu Nuan hesitated for a moment before speaking up.
"Gu Ze, don't you think this stage is too easy? I feel like I'm missing something. Have the Designers become normal?"
Gu Ze fell silent for three seconds before chuckling softly. He unconsciously reached out to ruffle Xu Nuan's hair, his tone softening as his deep voice sent a tingling sensation through her.
"Do you have a persecution complex? An avalanche isn't exactly a light disaster. And even if it were easy, isn't that a good thing? You need to relax and take a proper break."
Xu Nuan faintly sensed a tone of indulgence in his voice. After a few seconds, she pretended to calm herself and swatted Gu Ze's hand away, making an effort to keep her expression neutral.
"Being prepared and worrying are only a wall apart. I can't control the balance between the two right now."
When Xu Nuan said this, she didn't look at Gu Ze's expression after swatting his hand. After all, she was answering his question; it was just that he didn't believe her. There was no point in discussing a topic that had already ended, and with that thought in mind, Xu Nuan finally noticed the glances from the few people ahead who occasionally looked back at them. After a few internal clicks of her tongue, she turned her head away.
"However, when you mentioned 'Designers,' you were certain that the main Designer of this game is a group of people."
Caught up in her own thoughts, Xu Nuan suddenly panicked at what was supposed to be a casual remark.
"Ah, large games usually have many Designers, right? Just like many online games; it's something you can guess easily. There's nothing special about it."
Xu Nuan spoke in a flurry, her expression flustered as she waved her hands repeatedly. Even Xu Hang and the others walking ahead sensed something was off, let alone Gu Ze, who was walking beside her.
"I didn't mean anything by it."
Gu Ze's consistently gentle words did nothing to ease Xu Nuan's anxiety.
Fully aware that her reaction was somewhat excessive, Xu Nuan felt a wave of regret wash over her. Her face turned pale and flushed, completely shattering her calm demeanor. Unbeknownst to her, her reaction deepened the intrigue in Gu Ze's eyes and planted a seed of doubt.
"Ah, I'm sorry. I'm a bit sensitive when it comes to topics related to this game. I truly apologize."
As she said this, Xu Nuan couldn't bring herself to look at Gu Ze's expression. Phew, she really was too easy to unsettle.
"It's nothing; I understand. This game can easily make people lose their temper."
Gu Ze's gentle voice failed to provide any comfort.
Xu Nuan felt an impulse to cover her face and walk away, but Gu Ze, being considerate, did not press the issue, successfully bringing the topic to a close.
The journey down the mountain was monotonous and dull, with unchanging snowy landscapes, black bears casually wandering about, and the occasional glimpse of a Snow Leopard on another peak. There would be no disasters like avalanches this time; the smooth descent only heightened Xu Nuan's unease.
The absence of danger made Xu Nuan increasingly anxious, to the point where she began to wonder if she was developing paranoia.
However, reality once again proved that her unease was not unfounded.
After several days of descending and running low on supplies, they finally reached the foot of the mountain. In fact, before arriving at the base, they had caught a glimpse of a large area of red ahead. Due to the angle, the red appeared somewhat blurry, but this discovery was enough to bring joy to everyone.
The excitement of the others erupted as they reached the foot of the mountain, contrasting sharply with Xu Nuan's anxiety.
The Special Tree was just a few hundred meters away, but between them and the red Special Tree lay a massive Ice Lake.
It was indeed an Ice Lake, but anyone with keen eyes could see that the ice layer was very thin.
Walking on thin ice was about to become a reality.
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