Ye Qi sat down next to Xiao Lou and briefly explained what had just happened: "At the time, Professor Xiao told me to walk out counterclockwise. I walked around counterclockwise and when I returned to the corridor, I saw Professor Xiao lying on the ground with blood all over his chest. I was about to ask Liu Qiao what happened when Liu Qiao suddenly appeared from behind and stabbed me in the heart."
Yu Hanjiang frowned and said, "You didn't have time to activate the team's resurrection card either?"
Ye Qi shook his head with a wry smile: "It all happened so suddenly, I didn't even have time to react."
Xiao Lou reached out and gently patted Ye Qi's shoulder to comfort him. The boy's throat felt like it was being rubbed with sandpaper, and his voice was so dry that it was almost inaudible. Xiao Lou looked at his chapped lips and said softly, "Xiao Ye, drink some water first."
Ye Qi lowered his head: "I've already used up my supply card in the Twin Kings secret room."
Without further hesitation, Yu Hanjiang took out his supply card, opened a bottle of Mineral Water, and handed it to Ye Qi.
Ye Qi was clearly extremely thirsty. He unscrewed the cap and started gulping down the water, but he knew the water was precious, so he only drank a third of it before returning the bottle to Yu Hanjiang.
Yu Hanjiang took the water bottle, opened a "backpack" card, and put the remaining food and water into the backpack.
Xiao Lou glanced at the full moon in the sky and said worriedly, "The night of the full moon can only last for 8 hours. Sooner or later, the sky will return to the scene of the sun and moon shining together. This amount of food and water is not enough for the three of us. We still need to find an oasis to replenish our food. Otherwise, once it gets light, we will be exposed to the scorching sun and will have a hard time escaping if we encounter attacks from wild animals."
Exhausted and severely dehydrated, their throats were so dry they were practically burning. All their Lightness Skill Cards were now useless. If they encountered another pack of wolves, they couldn't outrun them, and they were too weak to fight back. They were just waiting to die.
Yu Hanjiang said seriously, "I agree to go find food, but the oasis isn't safe. The oasis in Twin Kings' Secret Room has Hunter, and the oasis in Nightmare's Secret Room might be twice as difficult."
Xiao Lou thought about it carefully and said, "I remember CEO Shao said that after walking a distance to the right, he found a vineyard. We can try to steal some grapes without alerting Hunter, and then figure out how to hide."
After weighing the pros and cons, Yu Hanjiang ultimately decided to explore the oasis again.
Although oases are dangerous, the desert isn't safe either. If an even worse sandstorm hits, or if there are quicksand, rats, or wolves, they still won't survive. It's better to go to the oasis to find some food; at least they'll have the strength to fight if they're well-fed.
After tidying themselves up, the three got up and walked forward.
All their Lightness Skill Cards were now invalid, leaving them with no choice but to slowly trek through the desert. Fortunately, Xiao Lou's death site was near an oasis, and based on his memory of the location, he quickly found the vineyard Shao Qingge had mentioned.
The oasis in the desert was full of life, with lush grapevines bearing bunches of crystal-clear purple grapes. The grapes were big, round, fresh and plump, making the three people, who had been hungry all day, swallow their saliva.
Just as Xiao Lou was about to go in to pick grapes, suddenly, a figure flashed under the grapevines in front of him. Yu Hanjiang was quick-witted and nimble-fingered, his hands suddenly reaching out and grabbing the other person's shoulders like eagle claws!
The man was turned around, and Yu Hanjiang, facing her pale face, froze: "... Liu Qiao?"
Xiao Lou and Ye Qi were also taken aback.
After recognizing the other person, Ye Qi immediately took a step back warily and asked with a stern face, " Liu Qiao, why did you want to kill me?"
Liu Qiao looked at him calmly: "I didn't kill you. I was pulled into the mirror maze and then lost consciousness. When I woke up, I saw a notification saying that I had been eliminated and that I was welcome to the Nightmare Secret Room."
Ye Qi stared blankly at Liu Qiao, not quite understanding what was happening.
It wasn't until Xiao Lou explained, "Xiao Ye, this can't be blamed on Liu Qiao. Liu Qiao was also ambushed by Hunter. Then, that Hunter used Liu Qiao's [ Twin ] card to impersonate her and killed the three of us."
Ye Qi finally realized what was happening and scratched his head: "So that's how it is... There were Hunters lying in ambush in the maze back then?"
Xiao Lou nodded and looked at Liu Qiao with concern: "Didn't you see who ambushed you?"
Liu Qiao shook her head: "The maze was pitch black, I couldn't see anything."
Xiao Lou and Yu Hanjiang exchanged a glance, sensing that something was amiss. He pretended to be calm and said, "Xiao Ye, Liu Qiao, Hanjiang and I will keep watch outside. You two hurry up and pick more grapes. We'll set off after we've prepared the supplies."
Ye Qi and Liu Qiao nodded, took out two backpacks, and quickly started picking grapes.
Xiao Lou gave Yu Hanjiang a wink, and Yu Hanjiang followed him without hesitation. The two walked out of the vineyard side by side. Xiao Lou looked around to make sure no one was around before leaning close to Yu Hanjiang's ear and whispering, "Don't you think something's a little strange?"
Yu Hanjiang nodded: "Yes, something is not right. If Liu Qiao were so easy to assassinate, she would have died countless times already."
Xiao Lou said, "That's right. From what I know of Liu Qiao, she's very cautious. Although she gave me the witch's antidote during the relay, she still has the [ Little Red Riding Hood ] as a substitute. She has a habit of placing the Little Red Riding Hood in a safe place when entering an unfamiliar environment, and immediately switching it over as a substitute if things go wrong. Her Little Red Riding Hood, like Li Qingzhao's mark, can also be repositioned. So, theoretically speaking, Liu Qiao is the one with the strongest survival ability in our team."
During the recent relay race, when Liu Qiao went to the lounge to find Xiao Lou after his class, she secretly hid her little red riding hood in a safe place, just in case Xiao Lou was the Hunter and wanted to harm her, so she could escape at any time. Given how cautious Liu Qiao was even with Xiao Lou, how could she suddenly die in the maze? And why didn't she see anything before she died?
Yu Hanjiang frowned: "Could it be that this Liu Qiao is also a fake?"
Xiao Lou rubbed his temples helplessly. After being stabbed by Liu Qiao, he now felt that everyone he saw might be Hunter in disguise... Only Yu Hanjiang was the person he knew best, and he could be sure that the other person was real.
But he really couldn't fully trust Ye Qi and Liu Qiao.
He didn't want to be stabbed in the back by a "fake teammate" again, nor did he want to abandon his real teammates in the Nightmare Secret Room. There was no second chance in the Nightmare Secret Room; death here meant complete annihilation, and every step had to be taken with extreme caution. Xiao Lou looked at Yu Hanjiang and said softly, "The code we agreed on was already leaked during the relay, but I can ask her some other questions to determine if she's genuine or not."
Yu Hanjiang agreed, "Okay."
Just then, Ye Qi and Liu Qiao walked over carrying two large bags of grapes. Ye Qi asked, " Professor Xiao, is this enough?"
Xiao Lou nodded: "That's enough, let's hurry up and leave before we get discovered."
The backpack full of grapes was heavy, and it couldn't be carried by a thin girl, so Xiao Lou took the backpack from Liu Qiao and asked casually, " Liu Qiao, did you see your sister in the mirror maze back then?"
Liu Qiao paused for a moment, then said dejectedly, "Yes, I also saw my parents."
Xiao Lou said, "I remember, your sister's name is Liu Ying, right? Hanjiang and I both met her when we were playing cards at Plum Blossom 2. She had long black hair and wore it in a ponytail."
Liu Qiao said, "That's right. It's a pity that my sister didn't even get past the beginner level."
Xiao Lou asked, "What school does your sister go to?"
Liu Qiao: "She studied French at the School of Foreign Languages, Jiangzhou University."
Xiao Lou seemed to be chatting casually, and Yu Hanjiang had no idea what he was trying to get information out of him.
Then Xiao Lou suddenly asked, "I remember you said that you always draw fairy tale cards, maybe because your older sister often told you all sorts of fairy tales when you were little... You two must have a very good relationship, right?"
Liu Qiao: "Yes, my parents are too busy with work, so I was basically raised by my older sister."
Xiao Lou: "If one day you had a way to save your sister, but the prerequisite was killing us, would you do it?"
This question startled Ye Qi, and Yu Hanjiang also stopped and turned to look at Xiao Lou.
Xiao Lou's expression was calm. He looked at Liu Qiao with the tenderness of an older brother and said softly, "On one side are your blood relatives, and on the other are your teammates who have fought side by side and gone through countless life-and-death situations together. Between your family and your teammates, which will you choose?"
Liu Qiao remained silent.
Her face suddenly turned extremely pale, and the next moment, she grabbed a knife and stabbed it at Xiao Lou's chest again!
Her movements were extremely fast, as fast as lightning.
But Yu Hanjiang was prepared. Before the blade even touched Xiao Lou's body, Yu Hanjiang's hand suddenly grabbed her wrist and twisted it outward with force. Xiao Lou heard the cracking sound of bones dislocating. Liu Qiao's wrist was dislocated by Yu Hanjiang's twisting, and the dagger in her hand slipped onto the sand, instantly turning into a ball of light. Then, she also disappeared into thin air in front of Xiao Lou.
Yu Hanjiang said with a grim face, "Could it be that she really attacked us to save her sister? Has she joined the Hunter's camp?"
Xiao Lou gently shook her head: "I don't believe she would do that."
Ye Qi said, "But Professor Xiao, she already attacked you just now!"
Xiao Lou looked at Ye Qi: "Don't you think it's contradictory? If she really did ambush us in the maze to save her sister, killing the three of us, then why is she still here? Shouldn't she continue to infiltrate her teammates and kill off Brother Jiu, CEO Shao, and the others? If she joins the Hunter faction, who would ambush her and eliminate her in the Nightmare Secret Room?"
Ye Qi was stunned for a moment.
Xiao Lou's words made Yu Hanjiang realize something was wrong—if Liu Qiao was a true teammate, it would make sense for her to be ambushed and brought to the Nightmare Secret Room. But if Liu Qiao was the one who ambushed them, how could she be in the Nightmare Secret Room? This was indeed a contradiction.
Yu Hanjiang said in a low voice, "There are too many strange things. The Liu Qiao we just saw might be fake. Let's leave here first."
***
Twin Kings' Secret Room, at night.
Long Sen's condition was getting worse. Not only was his whole body covered in bruises from bleeding, but he also had a persistent high fever, and his forehead was so hot it could almost cook an egg. Qu Wanyue touched his forehead, her heart filled with anxiety, and gritted her teeth, saying, "If we don't give him medicine soon, Long Sen won't be able to hold on much longer."
Shao Qingge said, "Mr. Tang, take a look at this bottle of medicine."
Tang Ci took the medicine bottle from him, examined it carefully for a moment, and said, "The bottle looks fine, it hasn't been opened, and the medicine inside shouldn't have been switched." He looked up at Liu Qiao: "Xiao Liu, are you sure you found this in a pharmacy?"
Liu Qiao nodded: "Yes, that pharmacy was set up very similarly to the pharmacies that are commonly found on the street. I found Streptomycin on a shelf that was specifically for antibiotics, and I only took one bottle."
Just then, Long Sen suddenly began to convulse all over his body. This was clearly a muscle spasm caused by the worsening of his condition. The man's lips even turned a terrible blackish-purple.
The teammates all turned around, looking at Long Sen with concern. Qu Wanyue sat on the sofa.
On the ground, holding the dying man in her arms, she said with red eyes, "Give him his medicine. If he doesn't survive, I'll go to the Nightmare Secret Room to keep him company."
Seeing her resolute expression, Tang Ci had no choice but to say, " Streptomycin needs to be injected intramuscularly, I'll do it." He summoned the treatment robot, put the Streptomycin into the syringe, and injected it into Long Sen according to the instructions.
The medication wouldn't take effect so quickly. Shao Qingge glanced at the still unconscious Long Sen, then looked at Tang Ci, and whispered, " There's a wedding going on in Oasis Town. There's no one here now, but we'll be discovered soon once the wedding is over. Mr. Tang, you can keep the contract book for now. You and Ninth Brother should take everyone away from the town. My transformation will last for a few more hours. I want to use this time to investigate the town."
Lu Jiuchuan immediately objected: " What if you encounter a Hunter while you're investigating alone? No, that's too dangerous."
Tang Ci took the contract book from Shao Qingge and calmly said, " CEO Shao is now the Insect King. Ordinary weapons can't hurt him. I agree with CEO Shao's idea. The existence of Hunters is always a threat to us. Running away is useless. It would be best to find out how many Hunters are still in this town so that we can deal with them in advance."
Lu Jiuchuan frowned, about to speak again, but Tang Ci suddenly looked into his eyes and said seriously, "Trust CEO Shao, he's the only one who can go to Oasis to investigate the situation now."
Lu Jiuchuan could only nod helplessly: "Alright, CEO Shao, please be careful."
Chu Huaying asked, "Do you want me to come with you?"
Shao Qingge shook his head and handed the backpack full of grapes to Lu Jiuchuan: "I'll go instead. I can burrow into the sand and not be seen. Besides, I've never used my Invisibility Cloak before, so it'll be easier to escape alone. I'll wear a voice headset to stay in touch with everyone."
Tang Ci walked over and gently patted his shoulder: "Be careful, I don't want to change captains again."
The two exchanged a glance, and Shao Qingge nodded solemnly.
Immediately afterwards, he turned around decisively, burrowed into the sand, and disappeared without a trace.
The Zerg are not afraid of sand and do not worry about suffocation. Shao Qingge can infiltrate the sand to scout, which is his greatest advantage. Lu Jiuchuan watched the direction he disappeared in, his brows furrowing deeper and deeper.
The team of 12 people has now dwindled to only 8, and everyone looks very serious.
No one spoke; the atmosphere was oppressively suffocating.
Tang Ci glanced at the contract book, then closed it, put it in the card holder, and calmly said, "Let's go. Let's find a safe place first and decide on the next plan after CEO Shao returns from his reconnaissance."
Although Lu Jiuchuan was puzzled, he knew that Tang Ci must have his reasons for accepting Shao Qingge's decision to leave the team alone. So he stopped talking and silently followed Tang Ci.
***
Deep in Oasis Town, at its northernmost point, stands an uninhabited house.
This family seemed to have suffered some misfortune. The roof had several large holes, and only half of the walls remained, making it look like a ruin. The yard was completely unkempt, overgrown with some tenacious desert greenery, making it appear extremely messy.
Suddenly, a man with bloodshot eyes emerged from the sand in the middle of the yard.
It was Shao Qingge who left alone!
He stood in the open space, his eyes quickly scanning the surroundings. After confirming that no one was around, he lowered his voice and said, "Come out."
A boy appeared in front of him.
The other person was pale, with obvious bloodstains on the left side of their chest, and their face was also stained with blood. Their hair and clothes were dyed the color of yellow sand, making them look extremely disheveled. But their eyes remained clear and black, just as he remembered.
Shao Qingge stepped forward, stretched out his arms, and hugged Ye Qi tightly.
Ye Qi was trembling all over. Death had been so close to him. The wound on his chest was stinging in waves, like the coldness of a dagger piercing his chest, which remained there forever.
Shao Qingge's embrace was warm. Held tightly in the man's arms, Ye Qi's cold heart finally regained some warmth. He took a deep breath and said in a trembling voice, "I was ambushed in the maze. I only escaped by pretending to be dead..."
Shao Qingge tightened his embrace, his hoarse voice revealing a hint of tenderness: "I know. When I opened the team contract book, I saw your name was still there, but the team's resurrection token had disappeared. I guessed then that you probably used the resurrection token."
Xiao Lou and Yu Hanjiang have been eliminated. Long Sen is barely alive but still breathing. Everyone else is fine. Who used the revival card? It was obviously Ye Qi, who didn't appear when they gathered.
Shao Qingge was also very nervous at the time, but he tried to remain calm and told his teammates, " Ye Qi is gone."
—This is a lie, a lie that only he and Ye Qi know.
Shao Qingge became the new captain. Only he could see the contract book, and only Shao Qingge knew that Ye Qi's name was still there and the resurrection token had disappeared. However, he didn't reveal the truth; instead, he told everyone that Ye Qi was dead.
The reason for doing this is simply to protect Ye Qi.
Only the dead are the safest; Hunters won't go looking for trouble with a "dead person."
Ever since the news of Xiao Lou and Yu Hanjiang's elimination kept popping up in the pop-up window, Shao Qingge knew that the Twin Kings Secret Room they were facing this time was far more difficult than he had imagined. Although he usually preferred to win by doing nothing, now that he had taken on the position of the new captain, his intelligence had to be on point!
Ye Qi's feigned death was a hidden move by him.
Make Hunter believe Ye Qi is dead so that Ye Qi can do more things in secret.
In fact, Shao Qing
When Ge used the marker to gather his teammates, Ye Qi also came to gather, but Ye Qi was hiding to the side using Invisibility Cloak, so his teammates didn't see him.
He established a connection with Shao Qingge using Telepathic Connection, and then asked Shao Qingge to meet him at the ruins at the northernmost part of the town.
Shao Qingge handed the contract book to Tang Ci, because Tang Ci was the smartest of the remaining people. Clearly, Tang Ci had also sensed something was wrong and was playing along with Shao Qingge's act. Once Tang Ci opened the contract book, he would understand Shao Qingge's meaning.
Shao Qingge reached out and gently ruffled Xiao Ye's hair, saying, "It's good that you're alive. I don't want you to go to the Nightmare Secret Room again. Instead of reuniting with your teammates, you asked me to come here secretly to meet you. What are you planning?"
Ye Qi said, "There's definitely a mole in our team. Hunter has been monitoring our movements, and I want to find out the truth behind the scenes. It's very strange that Liu Qiao suddenly attacked Professor Xiao in the maze."
Shao Qingge nodded: "Okay, I'll cooperate with you."
******