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墨書 Inktalez
Xu Nuan did not know how the two captains had come to an agreement, but by the time she realized it, the team had grown to nine members.
Her feelings were somewhat complicated. She was concerned not only about the three living members, Chi Xiaoming and the others, but also about the deceased Zhang Hui. Altogether, these four were not people she interacted with much, yet in this new stage called 'Friendship Forest,' she had to travel alongside them.
Despite her mixed emotions, Xu Nuan respected Xu Hang's decision. Since Gu Ze, the vice-captain, had no objections, she obediently walked in the middle of the group.
She speculated that Xie Huai and the others had not opposed this arrangement because Chi Xiaoming had rather rudely administered a Muscle Relaxant to Fan Beibei, leaving her completely immobilized on a stretcher. With no one causing a ruckus, the enlarged team became quite quiet.
Taking a deep breath, Xu Nuan followed the main group while casually observing her surroundings.
Since it was called 'Friendship Forest,' they found themselves back in a rainforest. However, this rainforest was different from the previous one in several ways, primarily in temperature and precipitation. The earlier rainforest had been stifling and oppressive, always leaving them feeling sticky and uncomfortable. The ground was often flooded, causing moss-covered tree trunks to lean precariously and hindering their movement. The standing water also created marshy areas where one could easily slip and fall. At those times, they would lament that their backpacks were not large enough and that they had not packed enough clothing.
This time around, their troubles in that regard were somewhat alleviated. The temperature in this rainforest was pleasant; if they were to compare it to the outside world, it felt like summer. The cool breeze blowing through helped ease their irritations. It appeared that there was not much rainfall here either; looking around revealed little standing water. Whether it was the massive roots of trees emerging from the ground or fallen trunks due to natural disasters, everything seemed dry, so they did not have to worry about significant obstacles.
As she looked around, she saw towering unnamed trees that stood tall like pillars. The gaps between their leaves allowed plenty of sunlight to filter through, giving way for shorter bushes to thrive and flourish beneath them. Below those were countless epiphytes in shades ranging from light green to dark green, layered upon each other and creating a vibrant spectacle that brightened her mood.
Moreover, this rainforest differed greatly from the previous one in terms of animal presence and variety; there were far fewer creatures here. They no longer encountered snakes coiled on branches at every glance or colorful spiders when brushing aside bush leaves. There were no agile monkeys swinging between branches nor brightly colored poisonous frogs; even the annoying leeches were scarce.
This should have been a cause for joy for Xu Nuan, but as she thought about how such drastic changes in species and environment indicated that they had been transported to another climatic zone on Earth by some means during their time at the Supply Station, her spirits sank further.
The previous stages had been so chaotic that she hadn’t had time or energy to delve into the secrets of the Supply Station. There had been no progress from Gu Ze and Xu Hang's side; Chi Xiaoming and his companions showed no signs of insight either. This task was completely stagnant. The appearance of a name like 'Friendship Forest' always stirred up unpleasant memories for Xu Nuan and made her uneasy about how Game Base defined 'friendship.' Additionally, the name of this Survival Game reinforced her belief that 'Forest of Hatred' was indeed a Survival Game title. Zhang Xiao must already be aware of this fact; perhaps he was already searching through the Forest of Hatred while leaving his subordinates lying in wait in other Survival Games.
Capturing more subordinates could never compare to capturing the mastermind behind everything. Xu Nuan felt intense anger towards Zhang Xiao for his manipulative tactics from the shadows. However, anger alone would not help her achieve her goals.
At present, her greatest frustration lay in being part of a team without any designers among them—there was no immediate target for her to pursue. How could she avoid these people to seek out those designers?
Xu Nuan turned around and, as expected, met Gu Ze's gaze. No matter when or where, whenever she looked back, she would see Gu Ze. This feeling was actually quite warm, yet it also inadvertently exposed her actions to his watchful eyes, leaving her unable to act freely.
After shooting Gu Ze a glare, Xu Nuan turned back to face forward, her thoughts drifting as usual. Counting carefully, there weren't many members of the First Batch of Players left, were there?
There had originally been twenty people in the First Batch of Players. She knew that Zhao Xi, Cui Yongsheng, Rao Tingxue, Wang Yiyun, Sun Ming, Zhou Long, Shen Shen, Dong Keyong, Su Zihang, and Qin Yaojie had already died. Aside from Sun Ming and Dong Keyong, along with Shen Shen who betrayed Qin Yaojie, the others had sided with him. It was undeniable that Qin Yaojie had failed miserably; those who supported him quickly followed him to death, leaving few still alive to contend with Another Founder.
Xu Nuan let out a bitter smile and recalled the others. With that, only ten people remained in the First Batch of Players. Among those she had seen were Zhang Xiao, Ning Han, and Chi Ming; that meant seven others had yet to show themselves. Reflecting on Zhou Long's previous division of this game into various segments, she remembered that Wang Yiyun was responsible for Biological Modification, while Sun Ming and Zhou Long handled architectural mechanisms. Shen Shen was likely involved in designing places that could induce illusions and delusions. There must also be designers responsible for hallucinogenic drugs and mechanical aspects. As for Hidden Levels and System tasks, they only required setting up the System program; once a Player triggered it, the task would be announced without needing much intervention from operators.
Although Xu Nuan had gained some understanding of the game's general structure, she remained unclear about how it was specifically manipulated. Most of the Designers had been given suggestions to forget about Another Founder; only a few key individuals retained their memories but were subsequently killed to silence them. Under constant surveillance, she found herself in an absolutely disadvantageous position. Ironically, the information those people wanted to know could not be gleaned through monitoring; in this regard, she held an advantageous position.
"Ha."
Xu Nuan rubbed her temples and quickly scanned her surroundings through the bushes.
Gu Ze, who had been walking behind Xu Nuan, noticed her pensive expression and furrowed his brow slightly before quickly smoothing it out again. A glint of sharpness flashed in his eyes as if he had made a significant decision.
Under the implicit clues provided by Gu Ze, Xu Hang and Chi Xiaoming chose a path that would inevitably lead them to the Special Tree. Along the way, they exchanged words in small groups or simply remained silent. The wind rustled through the leaves of the Forest with a soft sound; being daytime made it seem less sinister and terrifying. The patches of light filtering through the gaps in the leaves stretched far into the distance. Due to dust particles in the air, distinct beams of light appeared like columns of illumination, adding a touch of beauty to the rainforest.
Beautiful moments are always fleeting; while no beasts disturbed the Forest for now, the voice of the System suddenly rang out.
It was a cold and emotionless voice processed by machines that announced tasks in a monotonous tone.
"Welcome Players to Friendship Forest. In this stage, you will face various Friendship Trials; specific testing methods will be revealed as you progress."
Xu Nuan twitched her eyebrows slightly; her lips quivered just a bit. This Game Base was indeed blunt—calling a survival game related to friendship "Friendship Forest" was rather uninspired. Internally mocking this game served as a cover for her growing unease. Discussing friendship within a game felt overly sentimental; however, discussing life-and-death bonds among companions was perfectly normal.
Facing off against her companions was something she did not want to experience again. The current tranquility among them was based on the absence of any conflicts of interest or threats to their lives. Once that fragile balance was disrupted by a mission, their relationships would become incredibly vulnerable.
She couldn't help but clench her fists, forcing herself to calm down as she continued to listen to the System. The familiar sensation of her nails digging into her flesh had dulled the pain, rendering it almost ineffective. Just then, a hand reached over, pried her fingers apart, and held her hand firmly. The dry, large palm transferred warmth to her palm and then to her heart, gradually soothing her restlessness.
The System paused for a moment before continuing methodically.
“Next, I will explain the challenge mode for this level. You have ten minutes to enter this level and confirm your team. The rule is that in any situation or when encountering any mechanism, The Minority Obeys the Majority. Any team that violates this rule will face punishment.”
The Minority Obeys the Majority?
Xu Nuan frowned and instinctively tightened her grip on Gu Ze's hand.
This rule seemed simple and easy at first glance, yet it could easily lead to significant conflicts. The variable lay within the minority; once their opinions were dismissed, dissatisfaction would surely brew within them. If this happened repeatedly, feelings of rebellion would arise. Similarly, if the majority began to complain about the minority over time, resentment would grow between the two groups, ultimately leading to the team's downfall. Moreover, they were not just a six-person team anymore; they were now nine.
Xu Nuan raised her gaze to Xu Hang and Chi Xiaoming, noticing that they wore no particularly special expressions. This indicated that they had anticipated such a division of teams and had not suggested separating from the Supply Station before entering this level.
Tilting her head slightly, Xu Nuan felt puzzled, sensing that Chi Xiaoming and Xu Hang had reached some sort of agreement that allowed someone like Chi Xiaoming—who constantly spoke of 'value'—to act alongside them.
What Xu Nuan failed to notice was that while she focused on the other two, Gu Ze had been watching her intently, his deep brown eyes filled with an unfathomable depth.
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