In the center of the " Spade 4 " playing card in Yu Hanjiang's hand, a familiar black vortex appeared. The two were suddenly sucked into Spade 4's Secret Room World. Xiao Lou endured the dizziness of the spatial shift and looked closely—
Surrounded by mountains and verdant peaks, with lush green trees lining both sides of the road, it resembles a tranquil paradise.
Not far away was a small mountain village. It was dusk, and the golden sunset seemed to drape the entire village in a soft veil. A clear stream flowed quietly around the village, and pale blue smoke rose from the chimneys in the distance, carrying the rich aroma of food in the air.
Someone was stir-frying shredded pork with green peppers. The spiciness of the green peppers and the aroma of the pork mingled together and wafted over from afar, whetting Xiao Lou and Yu Hanjiang's appetite.
When I finished Diamond 4, it was morning, but when I entered the world of Spade 4, it was dusk.
The flow of time in the secret room is controlled by the Guardian. It was the same when we went to Spade 3 last time. Morning suddenly turned into dusk. They have gotten used to the time discrepancies between different Secret Room Worlds and no longer need to adjust to the time difference.
I wonder what kind of world Ace of Spades has thrown them into this time? It looks like a small village in the middle of nowhere?
As the two were wondering, a familiar text notification simultaneously appeared in the floating box above their heads—
Welcome Xiao Lou and Yu Hanjiang to Spade 4 [ Liuxi Village ]!
This place boasts some of the clearest streams in the world, and the entire village is surrounded by three of a Kind streams, hence the name [ Liuxi Village ].
This is a secluded village. It is said that due to genetic reasons, babies in this village are born blind. Their world is shrouded in darkness, devoid of any light. They believe this is normal; all humans should live in darkness like them.
Sunrise and sunset, spring, summer, autumn and winter—they see no difference.
Living in a world of darkness, they have their own standard for judging time. Every day at the crack of dawn, they get up together and turn the hourglass in the middle of the village upside down. When the sand in the hourglass runs out, they know it is dark and everyone goes to sleep on time.
The lives of the villagers are simple, regular, and leisurely.
Until one day, a child with a genetic mutation appeared in the village, who could see light.
Only then did he realize how colorful the world truly is.
However, Liuxi Village is too remote. There are no roads or railways here. Only helicopters can fly in through the layers of mountains. Even if he can see, he has no way to go out into the world.
He could only stay in the village and live like a blind person with his relatives and friends.
This person is hidden in the crowd and you don't know who he is, but once he discovers you, he will immediately join forces with the other Villagers to drive you out of the village— Liuxi Village is extremely xenophobic and does not allow any outsiders to disturb the peace of the village.
Outside the village are endless desolate mountains and wilderness, where wild animals, poisonous snakes, and birds of prey roam, making it difficult for those who leave the village to survive.
Please have the Challenger stay in Liuxi Village for seven days and try not to be kicked out.
During the survival period, killing Villagers is prohibited. If a Challenger kills a Villager, the challenger will be considered to have failed the challenge. If you get hungry, you'll have to find your own way to get food. Of course, if you're brave enough, you can steal food from Villagers, as long as you don't get caught.
For 3 random hours each day, every Challenger may suffer the negative effect of "blindness". Please try to act with your companions to avoid not being able to see the way and falling into the lake to drown.
Legend has it that seven precious gems are hidden in Liuxi Village. After seven days, the team that finds any one of the gems will be considered to have passed the challenge, while the team that fails to find any will be expelled from the village.
Friendly reminder: Blind people usually have extremely sensitive hearing and smell.
Best of luck to you.
***
Xiao Lou looked at Yu Hanjiang, about to speak, but remembering the notification he had just received, he immediately looked around warily. Finding no one nearby, he lowered his voice and whispered in Yu Hanjiang's ear, "This village is full of blind people, but some of them have a genetic mutation and can see. If we're accidentally discovered by them, we'll be driven out of the village? Is that what you mean?"
Yu Hanjiang nodded and summarized, "Seven days to avoid Villager and find gems. Finding any one of them will allow you to pass the level."
Xiao Lou looked up at the mountain village not far away and said, "I think it's not just about hiding from Villager and finding gems. Something else might happen within the next seven days."
The previous Spade 3 Financial Crisis directly gave each Challenger 100,000 gold coins. As long as the Challengers stockpiled enough supplies beforehand and didn't starve, they could easily pass the level, which seemed very simple.
But who would have thought that the Challengers were staying at a shady place, where the guesthouse owner and the Freelancer teamed up to almost wipe out the entire Challenger team.
Spade 4 is definitely more difficult than Spade 3.
First of all, the Challengers have no idea whether this genetically mutated person who can see them is male or female, old or young. This person blends in with all the Villagers. He grew up with blind relatives and friends, and his disguise ability is absolutely top-notch.
Because they don't know who he is, the Challengers need to avoid all the Villagers, making the difficulty increase dramatically.
Once discovered, they will be driven out of the village.
Outside the village roam countless ferocious beasts and venomous snakes; being driven out means becoming food for these wild animals.
Food.
What's even more difficult is that Challengers will randomly go blind for 3 hours each day. If something happens during this time, there's no escape. Furthermore, the completion condition is finding a gem; what if a Challenger who hasn't acted for the past few days ends up stealing gems from other Challengers?
In the final days, Challengers may fight amongst themselves in their quest to clear the game.
It's possible that some Challengers who can't complete the game might ruthlessly drag others down with them, causing the Challenger team to be wiped out.
The Financial Crisis escape room is an option for teamwork, but it has too many restrictions. The more people there are, the more noise they make, and the easier it is to be discovered. Therefore, teamwork is not advisable at the moment. If any teammate exposes their whereabouts, it could lead to the entire Challenger team being wiped out.
Xiao Lou and Yu Hanjiang exchanged a glance, neither of them feeling confident.
Yu Hanjiang said in a low voice, "Let's go into the village and take a look."
The two walked side by side, and after a few steps, they saw a clear dividing line. Next to the boundary stood a stone tablet with the three traditional Chinese characters " Liuxi Village " engraved on it. Clearly, this was the boundary of the village.
As dusk falls, the villagers are busy. Women are picking vegetables in the garden in twos and threes to prepare dinner, men are fetching water from the spring, some children are playing in the open space, and some elderly people are walking their dogs in the village.
Xiao Lou and Yu Hanjiang hid behind a tree and looked from afar. All the Villagers in the blind village looked no different from ordinary people, and their eyes were even clearer than most people's, as if they had been washed by a stream.
The inability to see is due to genetic inheritance; it's a pity that so many beautiful eyes are wasted.
Perhaps due to their childhood blindness, which honed their exceptional hearing and sense of smell, coupled with their intimate knowledge of the village's roads, houses, and other villagers, the young people walked quite quickly, without even needing canes. Only a few elderly people with white hair walked slowly, probing their way with canes.
Many elderly people keep large, aggressive dogs, some of which are nearly a meter tall and are black...
Xiao Lou met the dog's eyes and quickly dodged behind a tree.
He was terrified by the large dog's gaze, afraid his voice would be heard, so he simply squatted down, took a twig, and quickly wrote on the ground: "This dog looks fierce, Captain Yu, are you familiar with it?"
Yu Hanjiang quickly wrote: "It's a Tibetan Mastiff, the most ferocious of all dog breeds. It has an extremely strong territorial instinct and will be very hostile to strangers within its territory. It is skilled at attacking, has a lithe build, and its sharp teeth can bite through a human's neck in one bite. Keeping this kind of ferocious beast in the city is prohibited. Professor Xiao may not have seen it before."
Xiao Lou said in a trembling voice, "I've never seen one, but I've heard of them. How could there be such a fierce dog in this village?"
Yu Hanjiang said, "Although it is fierce, it has one characteristic—it is extremely loyal to its master. Tibetan Mastiffs have a strong sense of protecting their masters and will protect their territory, food, and property. If Liuxi Village is its territory, then we outsiders are its enemies."
Xiao Lou peeked out from behind the tree at the imposing figure of the Tibetan Mastiff in the distance. If this Tibetan Mastiff pounced on him, he would probably be powerless to resist. Xiao Lou immediately felt a splitting headache: "It seems that we not only have to avoid Villager, but also this big dog."
Yu Hanjiang frowned and wrote, "Let's wait until it gets dark and the Villagers are asleep before we make our move."
Xiao Lou nodded; that was the only option.
Not far away, a woman carrying a vegetable basket and a man carrying water nearly bumped into each other, but as if sensing each other's presence, they separated at just the right moment. The woman stopped and asked with a smile, "Brother Qin, are you going to fetch water?"
The man said, "Yeah, we've run out of water. How's your Niu Niu feeling?"
The woman sighed helplessly and said, "She got caught in the rain a few days ago and has a slight fever. I was planning to take her to Granny Sun's place after dinner tonight. This girl has been in poor health since she was little."
The man said, "Don't be careless, hurry up and go to Granny Sun to ask for a prescription."
The woman said, "I know. I'm going home now. Please say hello to my sister-in-law for me."
The two parted ways on the road and went their separate ways home.
Xiao Lou found the conversation between the man and woman quite amazing. He quickly wrote on the ground: "Both of them are blind, yet they can tell who the other is when they pass by. That's incredible."
Yu Hanjiang also took out a twig to write: "People who have been blind since childhood are used to the dark world. Their keen hearing allows them to distinguish the footsteps of everyone in the village, and their keen sense of smell allows them to smell the scent on everyone. They are very familiar with the roads, buildings, and even every small animal in this village. As outsiders, it is too difficult for us to avoid being discovered by them."
At first, Xiao Lou thought that as long as he avoided the hidden boss who could see, he would be fine.
It now seems that all Villagers could potentially discover their presence, and the enormous Tibetan Mastiff led by the hunchbacked old lady also poses a threat to everyone.
Xiao Lou pointed to a wooden hourglass about the height of a person in the middle of a clearing in the distance and said, "That big hourglass, is it used by the Villagers to keep track of time? When the sand on it runs out, it will be time for them to go to sleep, and then we can go into the village to investigate."
Yu Hanjiang nodded and said, "We need to find out which family owns the Tibetan Mastiff, and we also need to avoid this aggressive dog."
The two hid behind a tree and patiently waited for nightfall.
Just then, two boys suddenly peeked out from behind the trees on the west side. The two cleverly hid from the Villagers and slowly circled into the village from behind them.
They walked very quietly, as if they were thieves.
They had only taken a few steps when the black Tibetan Mastiff suddenly turned around and began barking in their direction: "Woof woof woof!"
A giant dog, over a meter tall, glared at them and barked incessantly. The two boys' expressions changed, and they took off running. The hunchbacked old woman turned her head to look in their direction, her aged voice icy: "I think I smell a stranger... Xiao Hei, go after them."
She loosened the rope, and the Tibetan Mastiff began to chase after the two Challengers at breakneck speed.
Hearing the commotion, the other elderly people in the neighborhood frowned and said, "Have strangers come to the village?"
The old woman said, "Yes, Xiao Hei found them."
This black Tibetan Mastiff appears very docile when with its owner, like a well-behaved child, and even rubs against its owner's hand from time to time. But when it chases and bites strangers, its speed is comparable to that of a wild beast!
The huge black shadow moved like the wind and caught up with the two boys in the blink of an eye. Seeing the ferocious black dog getting closer and closer, the two boys panicked and ran blindly. They were not familiar with the village and ended up walking into a dead end, where they were suddenly tackled to the ground by the Tibetan Mastiff!
"Ah—ah ah—"
A bloodcurdling scream, like a pig being slaughtered, echoed from the alley.
Xiao Lou's face turned pale, and she reluctantly looked away. Yu Hanjiang's gaze also became exceptionally deep.
Soon, the Tibetan Mastiff returned with a piece of clothing and a bloody piece of flesh in his mouth. The hunchbacked old woman sniffed it and said coldly, "Sure enough, strangers have broken into the village..." She turned to her side and said, "Lin San, please tell the village chief to be careful. These people are taking advantage of our blindness; who knows what bad things they might do!"
The young man called Lin San immediately said, "Okay, Aunt Qin, I'll go to the village chief's house right away."
The old woman led the dog back to the dead end. Tibetan Mastiff barked a few more times, attracting the attention of the young people nearby. The young people asked in confusion, " Aunt Qin, what's wrong?"
The old woman said coldly, "Someone sneaked into the village, broke their legs, and threw them out."
She left those words behind, then bent over, hunched over, and turned away, leading the imposing big dog.
A group of young people started hitting the target with sticks. Xiao Lou and Yu Hanjiang could clearly hear the sound of bones breaking and the terrified screams of the two Challengers...
Moments later, the two men, who had been crippled and covered in blood from dog bites, were thrown out of the village.
The village returned to silence.
Behind a tree not far away, two girls were trembling with horror. Xiao Lou made a "shh" gesture to his lips, and the two girls immediately covered their mouths.
Yu Hanjiang wrote on the ground: "These two guys are too impatient and underestimate blind people. They have alarmed the whole village, and our next move will be even more difficult."
Xiao Lou said with a headache, "Can't we wait until it's dark and the Villagers are asleep before going into the village? They're too impatient."
Moreover, they didn't know Tibetan Mastiff, yet they dared to enter the village while the old lady was walking her dog; they were practically courting death.
This time, I wonder how many Challengers were matched with at the same time in Liuxi Village? Apart from the two idiots who rashly entered the village at the beginning and were discovered, the other Challengers are currently very quiet, and everyone has tacitly hidden themselves.
As the last grain of sand in the hourglass fell, Old Mrs. Qin led her dog home, and the other Villagers also went back to their rooms.
As darkness fell, the village became exceptionally quiet. The cool moonlight shone down, casting a soft glow over the small mountain village.
The moonlight, though dim, was better than complete darkness.
Gradually, rustling sounds arose around them, clearly indicating that the Challengers were making their move.
By the moonlight, Xiao Lou saw a petite girl... She was probably only about 1.5 meters tall, not even reaching Xiao Lou's chest. She had a ponytail and moved with great agility. She leaped from one tree to another, and after several leaps, she scaled the wall and climbed onto the roof of a Villager's house.
Xiao Lou only felt a dark shadow flash by in the moonlight, and then it disappeared without a trace.
Immediately afterward, Xiao Lou saw another man slither away on the ground like a reptile. His crawling posture resembled that of a gecko, and he specifically chose to crawl in the shadows of trees under the moonlight. In the blink of an eye, he too disappeared.
Yu Hanjiang leaned close to Xiao Lou's ear and whispered, "Most Challengers who make it to Spade 4 are not easy to beat."
Xiao Lou nodded in agreement. Those two oddballs at the beginning probably just coasted through the previous levels. The secret room had already warned the Villagers that their eyesight, hearing, and sense of smell would be exceptionally sharp due to their blindness, yet they still dared to enter the village rashly.
Most Challengers with decent intelligence were able to glean key information from the prompts.
After the sand in the hourglass runs out, the Villagers will go to sleep. The safest approach is to wait until the Villagers are asleep before taking any action.
Just as Xiao Lou was about to speak, Yu Hanjiang suddenly pointed to the side and whispered, "Look over there."
To the left, a hooded boy and a tall adult man over 1.85 meters suddenly teleported from under one tree to under another. If Xiao Lou hadn't had good eyesight, he would have thought he was hallucinating.
Under the moonlight, the two, who could teleport 50 meters at a time, quickly disappeared from Xiao Lou's sight.
Yu Hanjiang said in a low voice, "It's Shao Qingge and Ye Qi."