Card Room C565 – Accidental Discovery

Perhaps it was due to Heart has a Tacit Exchange of Romantic Feelings but Shao Qingge didn't doubt Ye Qi's words at all. He also had complete trust in Ye Qi's decision which made Ye Qi sigh with relief. He asked in his mind, “Is Liu Qiao's name still on the contract book?”

Shao Qingge answered, “Yes. I just saw that the names of Xiao Lou and Yu Hanjiang disappeared.”

Ye Qi was silent for a moment before speaking. “At first, I thought that Liu Qiao suddenly acting against me and Professor Xiao was a betrayal of us. I was shocked and angry. Then I calmed down and thought about it. Liu Qiao isn't that type of person. It is very likely that the Liu Qiao who did something to us is fake. The real Liu Qiao is still alive but has lost consciousness. That is why she can't accept the call of the team.”

Shao Qingge said, “Is it possible that something went wrong when the sandstorm swept away Liu Qiao and Old Mo?”

Ye Qi thought about it. “Probably not? I remember that Old Mo and Liu Qiao weren't separated.”

Shao Qingge stopped walking and looked at Ye Qi. “They weren't separated and they didn't separate after waking up. Even so, don't forget they were unconscious for a while. During the time when Old Mo was unconscious, Liu Qiao could've been replaced and he wouldn't know it.”

Ye Qi nodded thoughtfully. “Makes sense. We have cards that can disguise as other people like the Twin card and Mask card. The hunter definitely has them. There might be more than one spy in the team. We have to find the location of the real Liu Qiao as soon as possible.”

The two of them looked at each other. Shao Qingge took out the card pack, drew out the Invisibility Cloak and Material Supply cards and handed them to Ye Qi. “You put these two cards away first, just in case.”

Ye Qi wasn't polite and took the cards. “I'll follow you using the invisibility cloak later. You move through the sand and we'll go to the wedding site first. Most of the people in the town went to the wedding. Perhaps we can find some clues.”

Shao Qingge agreed and burrowed into the sand. Ye Qi followed him using the invisibility cloak. The two of them were connected to each other so they weren't afraid of being separated. Every time he moved around a corner, Ye Qi would state the direction.

In a short time, they came to the scene of the bonfire party.

The wedding had come to an end. The bride and groom were dancing in the crowd while those who were tired of dancing went to the surrounding mats to eat. The tables were full of fruits and the aroma of roasted meat drifted in the air.

The bonfire party in the desert oasis was very lively. Ye Qi's eyes swept over the scene and he said in his mind, “There are thousands of residents in the oasis town. It is difficult to distinguish between the natives and the hunters mixed in with them.”

Shao Qingge replied through their connection, “You look around the edges. I will go to the center of their dance area to take a look.”

The two of them temporarily separated. Ye Qi investigated the outskirts while Shao Qingge sneaked into the inner circle.

The people dancing around the bonfire were too many to count. There were three layers inside and three outside. The clothes they wore were also similar. The women wore long skirts and veils while the men were shirtless.

People danced to the music and drums and the laughter was incessant.

Finding clues in such an environment was indeed more difficult.

Ye Qi walked around. Most of the people on the outskirts were eating. Ye Qi, who was already very hungry, resisted the urge to grab something to eat. He calmly glanced at the faces of the people without any deliberate goals.

Suddenly, he saw a person in the corner that he seemed to have seen before. Ye Qi couldn't help being stunned and stopped to take a closer look. This face was indeed familiar, so familiar that Ye Qi gritted his teeth!

The person seemed to be in his early 20s and was dressed in strange clothing like the men of the desert oasis. He was bare chested and sitting on the mat while eating. His eyes were narrowed slightly as he looked at the people around him like a poisonous snake. As he ate grapes, he spat the grape skins into the sand at will, looking very leisurely.

A chill went down Ye Qi's back and he immediately told Shao Qingge, “I saw an acquaintance. It is my senior from the conservatory of music, Cheng Ziyang!”

Shao Qingge frowned and asked, “Are you sure it is him?”

Ye Qi nodded vigorously. “I will never be mistaken about this bastard!”

The team had broken through all the way to the present and the number of passersby and murderers they encountered was difficult to calculate. Ye Qi didn't have an impression of everyone but Cheng Ziyang was a person he absolutely couldn't forget.

It was because it was this bastard senior who harmed him and caused him to enter the Nightmare Room!

In the 3 of Spades Financial Crisis secret room, Ye Qi was in a team with him. Cheng Ziyang stole the supplies at a critical moment, causing Ye Qi to wander to the construction site before finally being shot to death by the escaped prisoners. He was eliminated to the Nightmare Room and had to eat leaves for half a month.

Later, they reunited in 8 of Spades and this person actually did such a disgusting thing.

He remembered that at the time, Xiao Lou sneaked into the secret passage with his teammates and the university student team of the Distant Association. Shao Qingge and Ye Qi were responsible for the rear of the group and walked at the end. There was also the captain of the student team, Cheng Ziyang, and Xue Qing. Xue Qing was a girl from the Department of Chemistry and she could make an unlimited amount of alcohol with the Ethanol card.

The bugs suddenly flooded in like a tide and two bugs attacked from the roof of the warehouse!

At that time, the situation was urgent. In order to save himself, Cheng Ziyang didn't hesitate to pull the girl Xue Qing over to block him. This caused Xue Qing to be infected. The selfish practice of 'harming others for the sake of one's own interest' stunned Ye Qi.

It was because Ye Qi was distracted by this shocking action that he didn't notice the bug approaching behind him. Shao Qingge hugged Ye Qi at the critical moment and protected Ye Qi in his arms so that he was bitten by the bugs instead.

That scene often appeared in Ye Qi's dreams. He could never forget Shao Qingge saving him while Cheng Ziyang pulled his teammate over to block the knife.

Ye Qi also had a deep impression of the final ending of Xue Qing and Cheng Ziyang. Xue Qing said she didn't want to be the puppet of the bugs so she threw her card pack to Ye Qi. Then she stepped on the skateboard and rushed into the fire!

Shao Qingge might've been infected at the time but he still had his mind. He knew that Cheng Ziyang's actions weren't right plus Cheng Ziyang had once harmed Ye Qi. He took the opportunity to use Xiao Lou's hairdryer to blow Cheng Ziyang into the field of flames, burying him along with Xue Qing.

Cheng Ziyang's shrill screams still echoed in his ears.

Now seeing this familiar and disgusting face again, Ye Qi couldn't help clenching his fists tightly. “Wasn't he thrown into the fire and burned to death by you in 8 of Spades? How can he be here?”

Shao Qingge was also very confused. “He should be dead. He was the captain of the university team. I remember that after he died, the contract book went to the new captain. I remember it was a girl with the surname Gao.” Then Shao Qingge suddenly froze. “Wait, he died in the ordinary secret room and there is another chance in the Nightmare Room…”

Ye Qi couldn't believe it. “Is it possible that he survived the Nightmare Room?”

Just then, a gust of wind blew. A girl dancing in the crowd had a veil over her face blown off by the wind. She lowered her head to pick it up. The moment she lowered her face, Shao Qingge clearly saw her face.

It was the unforgettable female university student who rushed toward death like it was her home.

Shao Qingge said in his mind, “Xiao Ye, I also saw a person.”

Ye Qi asked warily, “Who?”

“The one who rushed into the fire on her skateboard, Xue Qing.”

Ye Qi, “……”

The challengers suffered heavy casualties in 8 of Spades. Before the death of Xue Qing, she threw her card pack to Ye Qi and asked Ye Qi to pass it to her teammates. Her teammates later gave Xiao Lou the Ethanol card as thanks for helping them clear the instance.

Xue Qing, who rushed into the fire and Cheng Ziyang, who was thrown into the fire—two people who should've burned to ashes were now in the two jokers secret room. What did this mean?

Was it an illusion? Or did they stubbornly walk out of the bug world's Nightmare Room?

Or maybe they became… hunters?

Ye Qi hurriedly said, “Chief Shao, look around again and see if there are any other acquaintances. I have a terrible guess but I can't be sure yet…”

“Okay. Be careful and don't get close to Cheng Ziyang.”

Ye Qi simply replied, “I understand. I won't provoke him until things are clear.”

_______________________________________________________________

At the same time, Tang Ci quietly put away the contract book and understood Chief Shao's meaning.

He wasn't in a hurry to tell Lu Jiuchuan the information. After all, Brother Jiu wasn't good at acting. Chief Shao must've left the team alone to see Ye Qi because there was an extra plan.

The thing he needed to do now was to stabilize his teammates and wait for news from Shao Qingge's side.

The grapes in the vineyard were already ripe and the round grapes were mouth-watering. Tang Ci asked his teammates to use their backpacks to pick more. Then he took everyone in the opposite direction of the oasis.

The desert at night was very gold. Once everyone moved a few kilometers away from the oasis, Tang Ci instructed his teammates to set up their tents. He told them, “These grapes were grown by the residents of the oasis and they were eaten by people at the bonfire. They shouldn't be poisonous. Everyone, rest and eat some grapes to replenish your strength.”

The group was overjoyed when they heard this and they opened their backpacks to eat grapes.

The grapes grown in the desert were big and sweet. The sweet juice almost spilled out of their mouth with one bite. After a whole day of running for their lives, everyone was tired and hungry and these grapes were like timely help.

The group sat down on the ground and ate the grapes in silence.

Qu Wanyue ate a bunch of grapes and went to take care of Long Sen. She bit the grapes and dripped the juice onto Long Sen's lips. The man's lips were dry and blue and there were several cracks. it was probably because he was too thirsty but Long Sen actually opened his mouth and licked the grape juice from his lips. Qu Wanyue was overjoyed and leaned over to ask, “Long Sen, do you hear me?”

Long Sen's eyes were tightly closed and there was no reaction.

Tang Ci came over and asked the healing robot to check it carefully. Long Sen's condition was still very poor and his consciousness wasn't clear. Swallowing the grape juice was just a natural reaction of his body. Tang Ci told her, “Long Sen won't be able to wake up for a while. Take care of him and minimize physical contact. Professor Xiao said that this disease is contagious.”

Qu Wanyue nodded. “I know. Thank you.”

She was already very grateful that everyone hadn't abandoned Long Sen when he was like this.

Tang Ci walked back to Lu Jiuchuan and looked at everyone. “Go back to the tent to rest and refresh your spirits. After dawn, there might be many dangers waiting for us.”

Everyone returned to the tent. Tang Ci and Lu Jiuchuan entered the same double tent. Lu Jiuchuan was just about to speak when Tang Ci grabbed his hand and wrote two words on his palm.

Inner spy.

Liu Qiao was stunned before quickly writing back, “Liu Qiao?”

Tang Ci frowned. “Maybe there is more than one. If my guess is right, the spy will notify the hunters of our exact location. There will definitely be a fierce battle tonight. This is why I asked everyone to replenish their physical strength as soon as possible.”

Lu Jiuchuan immediately took out his ice sword and put it on the pillow. He said with a solemn expression, “We only have eight people now. Liu Qiao's identity is problematic and Long Sen and Qu Wanyue have almost no combat effectiveness. There are only five people who can fight. If there is one more spy…”

Tang Ci looked serious. “Therefore, we have to prepare for the worst.”

Lu Jiuchuan's gaze became deeper. He was about to speak when Tang Ci squeezed his hand tightly and pointed outside the tent. Lu Jiuchuan looked out through the gap in the tent. Thanks to the moonlight coming from above his head, he could clearly see that there were countless black shadows on the sand.

These dark shadows appeared silently and actually surrounded their tents in an instant!

Tang Ci wrote on the palm of his hand, “It is teleportation.”

Both of them held their breaths. Then they heard a low voice from outside. “Action.”

A raging fire suddenly ignited around the tent. For a team, flames shot into the sky and formed a natural wall of fire that blocked their way. At the same time, countless hunters wearing silver masks rushed toward the tents like the wind!

Lu Jiuchuan decisively grabbed his sharp sword. The blade of the sword extended and the person who entered the tent to kill him was frozen into an ice statue. At the same time, he shouted into his earpiece, “Everyone, be careful!”

Lu Jiuchuan came out of the tent with his sharp sword while Tang Ci hurriedly summoned mechanical spiders while following him.

Dozens of mechanical spiders crawled into the crowd of hunters, their sharp legs flying around like huge mechanical weapons. It was just that the hunters surrounding them weren't rookies. These people were all extraordinary. The mechanical spiders attacked the crowd but not a single person was hurt.

Tang Ci's original intention wasn't to kill people using the spiders. He just wanted to buy time for Brother Jiu.

The spiders couldn't hurt people but they pushed back some of the hunters and slowed down their attacks.

Sure enough, some hunters didn't dare go forward for the time being due to the ferocious attacks of the mechanical spiders. The pressure around Lu Jiuchuan was relieved a lot. At the same time, Chu Huaying circled behind the hunters like a gust of wind and the dagger in her hand quickly and fiercely stabbed the back of a hunter!

Chu Huaying's actions made the person in charge of the hunters look cold. He whispered to the people around him, “You guys, go and deal with Chu Huaying and Lu Jiuchuan. The rest will take care of the others!”

At this time, a corner of the desert.

Qu Wanyue was very anxious. She didn't want Long Sen's disease to spread to the others so she took Long Sen to a place that was slightly further away, keeping a distance of around 100 meters from her teammates. This was why the fire ring set by the hunters didn't encircle them. The location of her and Long Sen was still safe.

The moment when the hunters appeared, Qu Wanyue immediately covered herself with the invisibility cloak and buried Long Sen in the nearby sand with the last trance of energy in the Chameleon card. At least this would ensure that Long Sen wouldn't be found.

She wanted to go to help but Long Sen was unconscious and needed her care. In addition, she didn't have any attack cards and wouldn't be any help rushing over. She had no choice but to hold back temporarily. She stared anxiously at the fire ring and looked for an opportunity to help.

Just then, two people suddenly appeared not far away.

The girl's face was extremely pale against the light of the fire but her eyes were calm—it was Liu Qiao.

Beside her was a man who was tall and slender. He wore a silver mask and patted Liu Qiao on the shoulder. “You have done a good job. You will get the best achievement if this mission is successfully completed.”

Liu Qiao asked softly, “Do you really have to kill them all?”

Qu Wanyue's heart tightened and she immediately listened carefully.

The man replied indifferently, “The master has long said that we just need to complete the task of killing the challengers in the two jokers secret room and we will get the chance to live forever in the Card World. Don't you want to be reunited with your sister?”

Liu Qiao lowered her head. “Can I meet her?”

“Yes. Tang Ci and Lu Jiuchuan will definitely suspect you. You have already done what you should do. The next thing will be left to us. Go ahead. She was hidden by me in a safe place.”

Liu Qiao turned to leave and she soon disappeared into the darkness.

Qu Wanyue was shocked. She had felt that something wasn't quite right with Liu Qiao but she hadn't expected that these hunters were actually brought here by Liu Qiao! She held her breath and thought about how to notify her teammates. Yet the next moment, a white light suddenly flashed in the man's hands.

Under the illumination of the light, Qu Wanyue's invisibility cloak actually lost its effect.

The man smiled as he looked at Qu Wanyue. “Do you think a low level card like the invisibility cloak will always work?”

A black crystal ball appeared in his hand. Qu Wanyue immediately used the Long Jump card to try and escape. However, she had only run for less than 10 meters when the black fog caught up with her like a beast and instantly swept over her entire body!

Qu Wanyue's body was actually torn to pieces by the black fog.

The man looked coldly at the pieces of her body on the ground before looking around. There was only an endless desert as far as he could see. He couldn't see Long Sen at all. He frowned and turned to the fire field, whispering in the ear of the person in charge. “Qu Wanyue was killed by me but I didn't find Long Sen.”

The other person nodded and waved behind him. “Notify the people of the oasis. Kill Shao Qingge first!”

Not proofread

Chapter end