Card Room C527 – Long Sen and Qu Wanyue

Ye Qi remembered the secret code that Qu Wanyue told him and asked with a smile, “Teacher Qu, have you eaten?”

Qu Wanyue answered, “Not yet. Xiao Ye, are you hungry? Or let's eat together first… the nearby Sichuan restaurant isn't badly evaluated. The Fuqi feipian is very famous.” (Popular Sichuan dish made of thinly sliced beef and beef offal)

Ye Qi looked at Chu Huaying and nodded at her. The secret code on Qu Wanyue's side was completely matched. It should be her.

Chu Huaying understood and turned to Long Sen to ask a question. “Long Sen, why are you here?”

Long Sen answered, “I took the No. 48 bus to find Wanyue. I wanted to find her first before joining you.”

The No. 48 bus didn't pass through the urban area at all and the driving route wouldn't pass by the sports school on the outskirts of Jiangzhou. If the Long Sen in front of them was a hunter, he wouldn't be able to answer like this. The No. 48 bus was the secret code that Long Sen agreed upon with everyone.

Chu Huaying nodded to him. “There are teammates in the world who have been replaced by hunters so we have to check your identities.”

Long Sen showed a surprised expression. “Replaced by hunters? Then are you the real ones?”

Qu Wanyue gave a reminder from next to him. “Check the secret code.”

Long Sen looked at Ye Qi and started to check it. “Xiao Ye, are you hungry?”

Ye Qi rubbed his stomach clockwise with his hand and replied, “I'm really hungry. I feel like I haven't eaten for three days.” The lines that Ye Qi spoke were right and he rubbed his stomach clockwise, showing that he was sure there were no problems with his teammates. If there was a problem with Chu Huaying, Ye Qi's movements would be counterclockwise.

Long Sen sighed with relief and asked Chu Huaying, “Sister Ying, what do you mean by our teammates being replaced by hunters? Which teammate?”

Chu Huaying said, “Xiao Lou.”

Long Sen sucked in a breath and asked worriedly, “Professor Xiao? Is he okay?!”

Chu Huaying frowned slightly. “I don't know but I can be sure that he is alive. It is because the captain of the contract hasn't been transferred. The thing we don't understand is that the hunter pretending to be Xiao Lou actually had Xiao Lou's card pack in his pocket.”

Ye Qi added, “We searched him and found Professor Xiao's card pack. All the cards were there. If Sister Ying hadn't responded fast enough, perhaps both of us would've been caught by him.”

Long Sen and Qu Wanyue looked at each other.

After a moment, Qu Wanyue asked, “Have you found the other team members?”

Chu Huaying nodded and said calmly, “Xiao Ye found Group Leader Yu, Liu Qiao and Chief Shao and we looked for Old Mo together. The four of them didn't recognize us at all. Old Gui is going on a tour around the country and Xiao Tang is on a business trip. The two of them aren't in Jiangzhou at the moment.”

Ye Qi continued, “We are currently in Jiangzhou City on December 24th. Those who aren't in Jiangzhou and the teammates who don't know us are likely to be teleported to other worlds. The Liu Qiao, Uncle Mo and others we met are their past selves so they have no memory of the Card World.”

Long Sen scratched the back of his head in a confused manner. “In other words, there are just the four of us in this instance?”

“It should be.” Chu Huaying paused before frowning. “Still, I can't be completely sure. If Old Gui or Xiao Tang return tomorrow, it is possible for them to join the team. There is also Professor Xiao. We have encountered the fake Xiao Lou and he has Professor Xiao's cards. It isn't clear if the real Xiao Lou is in this world or if he is being controlled by the hunters.”

“Do you want to try Heart has a Tacit Exchange of Romantic Feelings?” Ye Qi suggested. “Professor Xiao's card pack is in our hands. We can use Heart has a Tacit Exchange of Romantic Feelings. Assuming that Professor Xiao is in this world and not unconscious, we can find him through this.”

“Okay. Xiao Ye, try it.” Chu Huaying handed Xiao Lou's card pack to Ye Qi.

Ye Qi opened Heart has a Tacit Exchange of Romantic Feelings, closed his eyes and seriously used his spirit perception. A few minutes passed but there was no information about Xiao Lou in his spiritual world and no response from Xiao Lou.

Ye Qi helplessly opened his eyes and looked at the three people. “I can't find Professor Xiao.”

Chu Huaying stroked her chin thoughtfully. “There are two possibilities. The first is that Xiao Lou is in this world and controlled by the hunters. He is unconscious and can't respond to the mind connection. The second possibility is that Xiao Lou isn't in this world but his card pack is in the hands of the hunters for some reason.”

Ye Qi said, “If it is the first situation then it is bad. Professor Xiao is in danger now.”

Just then, he heard Qu Wanyue say with surprise, “My card pack isn't on my body. Was it also taken away by the hunters?”

Long Sen touched his trouser pockets and looked serious. “Mine isn't here either.”

Ye Qi and Chu Huaying glanced at each other.

Chu Huaying turned to stare at them. “Did you come into contact with someone who wasn't right after you came to this secret room?”

Long Sen shook his head. “No, I was in the sports school dormitory when I opened my eyes. I found that the surrounding area was the Jiangzhou City I was familiar with and went directly to the dance center to find Wanyue. I wanted to find her first before meeting everyone. On the way, I only exchanged a few words with the taxi driver. No one approached me so the card pack shouldn't have been stolen.”

Qu Wanyue answered, “I was in the lounge of the training center when I woke up. There was a dance class for me in the afternoon and the children are waiting for me in the dance studio. Halfway through the class, I saw Long Sen standing outside the classroom and then I met you. I had no contact with suspicious people during this time.”

Chu Huaying frowned. “Your card pack wasn't stolen and you weren't controlled by hunters. How could the card pack disappear for no reason?”

Ye Qi made a guess. “Is it possible that the difficulty of this secret room is that some of our teammates' card packs will disappear directly? It is just like some of the previous secret rooms where cards are forbidden. This can greatly weaken our combat effectiveness?”

Xiao Lou's card pack inexplicably appeared on the hunter.

Qu Wanyue and Long Sen's card packs were also missing. Maybe they were also with the hunters. At present, only Chu Huaying and Ye Qi could use cards and they might not be able to cope when besieged by the hunters.

Chu Huaying lowered her head and thought for a moment. Then she simply said, “I don't know how many hunters there are in this world. We should go get something to eat first to replenish our physical strength. Let's be prepared for tonight's fierce battle.”

Qu Wanyue readily agreed. “Sister Ying is right. I am hungry and I didn't eat at noon. I will only have the strength to escape later when I'm full.”

Long Sen looked at Ye Qi. “I remember that Xiao Ye likes hot pot? There is a good hot pot restaurant nearby. Do you want to try it?”

Ye Qi was about to agree when Chu Huaying suddenly said, “Go to the Western restaurant. I want to eat steak.”

Ye Qi was stunned when he heard this before quickly reacting. He agreed with a smile. “Then we will listen to Sister Ying and eat Western food. The fruits and snacks in that Western restaurant are all free and we can eat as much as we want. The steak is also very famous.”

Long Sen nodded with a look of sudden realization. “Yes, we will go to eat Western food. I will treat you today.”

_______________________________________________________________

It was already dark when the four people arrived at the central square. The square was bustling at this time. A group of uncles and aunts were doing a square dance while children were playing on scooters. The fountain in the square was lit up with colored lights and there were many couples walking around hand in hand.

Ye Qi looked up at the shopping mall opposite the square. The largest Western restaurant in Jiangzhou was located on the top floor of this bustling area.

Chu Huaying took everyone to take the sightseeing elevator all the way to the top floor and asked the waiter for a private room.

Chu Huaying waited for the waiter to go out before saying, “Xiao Ye, you order first. I will go to the bathroom first. Help me order a black pepper steak and fruit salad. The steak should be medium rare.”

Ye Qi nodded. “Yes.”

As Chu Huaying walked out of the private room and closed the door, a calm voice entered Ye Qi's ears. “Be careful.”

Ye Qi was stunned. Previously when he and Chu Huaying were looking for their teammates, they put on the Voice Headset so they could communicate with each other even if they were separated by a distance. Now this voice came from the earpiece.

Sister Ying's approach was telling Ye Qi that she suspected there was a problem with the Long Qu couple in front of them.

Ye Qi looked at the two people sitting opposite him. Long Sen and Qu Wanyue were eating together and their behavior was intimate. Their movements and looks were exactly the same as the Long Qu couple in their memories. When did Sister Ying start to suspect them?

Was it when Qu Wanyue suddenly said that her card pack was lost? Or when Long Sen mentioned the hot pot restaurant?

Chu Huaying deliberately led them to the Western restaurant because Professor Xiao said that if they were transported to a secret room with an urban environment, everyone should go to the biggest Western restaurant in the city to meet first. If there were other teammates in this world, perhaps they would also be waiting at the Western restaurant.

Ye Qi's heart was confused.

Qu Wanyue ordered her meal and pushed the menu in front of Ye Qi. “We ordered. Xiao Ye, what do you want to eat?”

Ye Qi took the menu from her and was about to speak when Chu Huaying's voice was heard in his ear. “I saw another Long Sen and Qu Wanyue in the private room 007.”

Ye Qi, “……”

Another pair?!

Chu Huaying told him in a low voice, “Hold on, don't show any clues. We need to check carefully if the Long Sen and Qu Wanyue in front of you are real or the ones in front of me are real.”

Ye Qi quickly adjusted his expression and scratched his head. “I have a big appetite and can eat two steaks. Cough, help me order two steaks, medium cooked.”

Long Sen laughed. “Xiao Ye, you're really good at eating. Then order two steaks.”

Qu Wanyue tapped her fingers and quickly placed orders on the iPad.

Just then, Chu Huaying spoke in the earpiece again. “Something isn't right. I will open the teleportation to enter the Peach Blossom Spring.”

The moment she finished speaking, a notification appeared in front of everyone. “Chu Huaying has invited you to enter the Peach Blossom Spring.”

Ye Qi agreed.

The scene before them flickered slightly and the peach blossom trees that spread over the mountains soon appeared in his vision. It was the familiar Peach Blossom Spring and familiar teammates—Unfortunately, there were two pairs of identical teammates in front of him!

The Long Sen and Qu Wanyue standing with Ye Qi saw the Long Sen and Qu Wanyue standing with Chu Huaying.

The four people stared at each other with wide eyes.

Not proofread

Chapter end