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墨書 Inktalez
Opening her eyes, Xu Nuan saw He Min's worried face. Beyond He Min, the sky was shrouded in dark clouds, not the Azure White Clouds she had imagined.
One hand propped on the ground and the other supporting her head, Xu Nuan sat up, feeling a bit dazed.
"Did I fall asleep?"
Xu Nuan was confused. In her memory, she had just sat down to rest, gazing up at the blue sky. Although she had thought about lying down on the reeds for a quick nap, she knew they would only be stopping here briefly and had no time for sleep.
"Yes, didn't you realize you fell asleep?"
He Min's expression was somewhat strange as she looked at Xu Nuan with a hint of hesitation.
"We were chatting for a while, and when we turned around, we saw you lying on the ground asleep. Were you so tired that you fell asleep that quickly? But what kind of dream could you have in such a short sleep that made you..."
He Min didn't finish her sentence, and it was only then that Xu Nuan became aware of the dampness on her face. She reached up to touch it and found it icy cold.
So the Azure White Clouds she had just seen were a dream. Had she been dreaming about a dream she had held for years? Was that even possible? And why would she cry over an impossible dream? It was just saline solution, not an emotional outpouring.
"I didn't dream of anything."
Xu Nuan deflected the question and wiped away her tears, focusing on what mattered.
"I thought I was awake."
"Huh?"
He Min, who hadn't experienced what Xu Nuan just went through, looked puzzled. She reached out to check Xu Nuan's forehead and then her own, mumbling.
"You're not running a fever. What are you talking about?"
Xu Nuan was speechless and shook her head again. She crossed her legs properly and surveyed her surroundings. The only one remaining in their resting spot was Xie Huai; the other three were nowhere to be seen, although their backpacks were still there.
Following Xu Nuan's gaze, He Min explained.
"They have some things to take care of outside. They'll be back soon, and then we can leave."
Xu Nuan nodded, not saying much, and began rummaging through her backpack for something to eat. However, when her hand brushed against the notebook, she noticed something was off. She had originally placed the notebook at the very bottom, but now it was near the top—someone had tampered with her belongings.
Xu Nuan's warm gaze darkened instantly. She feigned nonchalance as she took out a bottle of water and some compressed biscuits. At that moment, she heard He Min's voice.
"If I had known they wouldn't be back so soon, I wouldn't have woken you up. It would have been better for you to sleep a little longer; you seem to have trouble sleeping at night."
Xu Nuan paused in her search, looking up just as He Min continued.
"But you really looked like you were having a bad dream; your expression was quite sad. I got worried and woke you up."
"Well, it's good that I'm awake."
Xu Nuan cut off He Min's words, pointing at the sky.
"It's about to rain. If we can't find a place to shelter, it will be a disaster."
He Min followed Xu Nuan's gaze and looked up at the rapidly gathering dark clouds, frowning slightly.
"It seems there aren't any tall trees around here to provide shelter from the rain. It might be tough later on."
Xu Nuan merely raised an eyebrow, remaining silent.
As both of them fell into silence, busy with their own tasks, Xie Huai, who was sitting far away, spoke up softly, addressing Xu Nuan.
"Xu Nuan, can you tell me how much information you have about Zhang Xiao? Where might we encounter him?"
Caught off guard by Xie Huai's straightforwardness, Xu Nuan froze. She had plenty of fragmented information about Zhang Xiao in her mind, but it wasn't coherent enough to be useful.
"You suddenly ask me this; I don't even know how to respond."
From Xu Nuan's perspective, Xie Huai's complexion appeared somewhat pale. In fact, Xie Huai had looked this way since the previous round. At first, she thought Xie Huai was merely startled by Zhang Xiao's actions, but now it seemed as if Xie Huai was unwell.
Before Xu Nuan could voice her concerns, she heard He Min speaking to Xie Huai.
"I believe Zhang Xiao has been hiding in the shadows all along. We are at a disadvantage in the open, but we do have one thing we can leverage: the secret passage of this game. Zhang Xiao is very eager to find out where that secret passage is."
Xie Huai, who had previously dismissed Zhang Xiao's mention of the secret passage as a joke, widened her eyes slightly and looked at Xu Nuan for confirmation.
Xu Nuan's expression darkened for a moment before quickly returning to her usual calm demeanor. At that moment, He Min turned to explain to her.
"Actually, I only learned about this because I’ve been close to Qin Yaojie."
He Min met Xu Nuan's light brown eyes with a composed gaze and continued to explain softly.
"Zhang Xiao has tested Yaojie multiple times in front of everyone, but Yaojie has always been oblivious. He even took medication and forgot about it. I mentioned this to you briefly before."
Xu Nuan nodded.
"I remember; you often talked about some things with him."
These words were clearly what He Min had hesitated to say earlier, and Xu Nuan chose not to press further.
"That's great! Xu Nuan, since you have such a good relationship with Qin Yaojie, you must know where that secret passage is. If that's the case, we can lure out Zhang Xiao and escape from the game through the secret passage!"
Zhang Xiao appeared anxious, her face flushed with an unusual hue.
Xu Nuan narrowed her eyes, suppressing her inner irritation as she met the gazes of He Min and Xie Huai. Just as she was about to say something, they heard rustling sounds coming from the reeds nearby, abruptly halting their conversation. They looked up to see Gu Ze and his companions strolling back; their expressions indicated they had clearly overheard He Min's earlier remarks.
Xu Nuan exchanged a glance with Gu Ze before lowering her gaze in silence. Deng Yinyin reacted similarly to Xie Huai.
"Xu Nuan, if you know where the secret passage is, why didn't you say so earlier? If we find the secret passage, we can leave the game sooner and even teach that Zhang Xiao a lesson before we go—what’s there to hide?"
If the secret passage were so easy to find, why would she be troubled and at a loss for how to design a way to bring Zhang Xiao out?
If the secret passage were such a simple and magical existence, how could the Mastermind remain so calm until now?
"Things are not that simple."
Xu Nuan said in a hushed voice, suddenly feeling foolish sitting on the ground looking up at several people.
She couldn't just sit there with her mind in chaos, trying to decipher Qin Yaojie's ambiguous hints while only having a vague understanding of the secret passage. Perhaps she was the only person in the world who knew where the secret passage was, yet she didn't actually know its location. It was a contradictory statement, but it was true. After the matter concerning her, Gu Ze, and Xu Hang's Alliance was revealed, she couldn't admit that she didn't know where the secret passage was. There were too many people around; if any information reached Zhang Xiao's ears due to some uncontrollable circumstances, she wouldn't be able to draw Zhang Xiao out for a long time.
The origin of this situation was Xie Huai's impatience, the flaw was He Min's sympathy for Xie Huai, and the coincidence was the return of Deng Yinyin and others. All these factors combined led to her current predicament.
As she hesitated over how to explain, she noticed Gu Ze frowning, his gaze fixed on He Min. In that moment, an idea struck her—she could use this opportunity to design her response.
"I do know where the secret passage is."
Xu Nuan deliberately paused as she spoke, and unsurprisingly saw expressions of surprise and joy from those who were unaware of the truth, aside from Gu Ze and Xu Hang. As their excitement became evident, Xu Nuan continued.
"But I'm still figuring out which Survival Game it is located in. You must understand that a secret passage isn't something that can be easily exposed."
Xu Nuan noticed their frowns deepening and felt a pang of anxiety.
"So when I figure out which level contains the secret passage, I will let everyone know. As for whether we can find it in that level, it will depend on our luck."
"Nuan, do you mean that there is only one Survival Game with a secret passage? If we don't reach that level or miss it, we won't be able to use this secret passage?"
Surprisingly, it was He Min who asked first, and her question was quite sharp.
Xu Nuan maintained her composure as her gaze shifted from Gu Ze to He Min and nodded.
"Yes, there is only one secret passage that exists in one Survival Game, and it can only be opened once. However, there is no limit on the number of people who can pass through at once."
"Unlimited? That's great! When we find it, we can leave together. After all, those who exit through the secret passage will have successfully cleared the challenge and can also get the reward."
Deng Yinyin said this in a very casual tone, immediately causing Xu Hang to frown and call her name in a low voice.
"Deng Yinyin!"
"Hmm?" It seemed something had happened before their return, and Deng Yinyin dared to glare at Xu Hang, her tone filled with dissatisfaction. "Did I say something wrong?"
Xu Hang's brow twitched slightly, but he didn't say much. His gaze towards Xu Nuan carried a hint of apology.
Xu Nuan didn't think much of this apology. She had originally planned to open that secret passage to let these people leave. However, there was only one opportunity to activate it, and the risk was too great. She couldn't guarantee that after using this design on Zhang Xiao, the timing would be just right for these people to escape. If not, she would be unable to help.
"Of course, it would be best if we could all leave through the secret passage," He Min said with a smile, trying to ease the tension. "But it would be even better if we could use this to attract Zhang Xiao for Tang Jing Shu's revenge. The key is figuring out where that passage is in relation to the challenges. Let's proceed step by step and wait for good news from Warm."
"Indeed," Zhang Xiao echoed, his expression still far from cheerful even upon hearing good news. "At least we now have an important assurance. So, I'll leave these two matters in your hands."
The enthusiastic gazes from the few people beside her made Xu Nuan feel as if she were a rare animal in need of protection. Even Deng Yinyin, who had been targeting her because of Gu Ze, looked at her with much friendlier eyes.
Hmph, Xu Nuan sneered inwardly; they shouldn't hold too high expectations of her. The primary purpose of this secret passage was still to deal with Zhang Xiao; helping these people leave quickly was merely a secondary benefit, and that benefit depended on timing as well.
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