" Old Gui, aren't you going to make a move?"
No sooner had Xu Muran finished speaking than Lu Jiuchuan saw a sharp knife pierce through his chest.
Blood spurted from his chest. He turned around in disbelief, looking at the incredibly familiar Old Gui in front of him —the man who had shared life and death with him for so long, his most respected senior, and his most trusted teammate.
He never imagined that the mole in the team was actually Gui Yuanzhang!
Consciousness rapidly detached from his body. Before collapsing, he only heard Tang Ci's trembling voice cry out, "Ninth Brother!"
Lu Jiuchuan's vision blurred completely. He wanted to hold Tang Ci's hand and say sorry, and he also wanted to say sorry to Yu Hanjiang and Xiao Lou, but he didn't have time to do anything before he completely lost consciousness.
Tang Ci was furious and wanted to question Gui Yuanzhang, but Gui Yuanzhang acted decisively. With a sudden flick of his brush, Tang Ci was blown away like a kite with a broken string. The surrounding flames quickly engulfed his body. Before his teammates could react, Tang Ci was instantly consumed by the raging fire!
Chu Huaying immediately covered her body with the Invisibility Cloak and rushed forward like lightning.
She is the fastest of all people.
Seeing her disappear, the man in the crowd hurriedly took out his white crystal ball, trying to illuminate her, but Chu Huaying was as fast as the wind; in an instant, she had broken free of the encirclement of the fire. The man turned his head and looked, but in the vast desert, there was no trace of Chu Huaying.
Xu Muran's gaze was icy as he gritted his teeth and said, "She got away again! Go after her!"
Several hunters nearby immediately chased after the direction where Chu Huaying had disappeared.
Old Mo stood there, dumbfounded. He wanted to activate the Invisibility Cloak, but Gui Yuanzhang suddenly turned around and stared at him coldly, saying, "You're not as fast as Hua Ying. You can't escape. Don't waste your energy."
Old Mo asked in a trembling voice, "Why...why did you betray everyone?"
Gui Yuanzhang's gaze was icy: "Betrayal? I've always been the Hunter, so how can you call it betrayal? Joining you was just to infiltrate, but luckily, in the final Twin Kings Secret Room, I took care of you all at once."
As Lao Mo spoke, he retreated, intending to activate his Invisibility Cloak. However, a beam of white light suddenly shone down from the man holding the crystal ball, instantly disabling his invisibility. Lao Mo didn't have a Lightness Skill Card, and in the blink of an eye, he was surrounded by several Hunters. Just as a sharp sword pierced his body, Lao Mo looked directly at Gui Yuanzhang, his eyes filled with disappointment.
Gui Yuanzhang calmly sheathed his dagger and walked gracefully to Xu Muran.
Xu Muran smiled and extended his hand: " Old Gui, it's a pleasure doing business with you."
Gui Yuanzhang did not shake his hand, but asked calmly, "Are you sure his promise is true? That killing the Challenger in the final chamber will grant us immortality in Card World?"
Xu Muran raised an eyebrow: "Of course. The master's status is one level higher than the Guardian's, so his word is the rule."
He stepped forward, smiling as he patted Gui Yuanzhang on the shoulder: "We've waited too long for this opportunity. Xiao Lou and his gang are too difficult to deal with. It's thanks to your deep hiding that we were able to strike successfully. Now, we've taken care of those four tough nuts: Xiao Lou, Yu Hanjiang, Lu Jiuchuan, and Tang Ci. As for the remaining Shao Qingge, they'll have no choice but to surrender once the Insect King's transformation ends."
Gui Yuanzhang said, " Shao Qingge's transformation time should have 2 hours left. We can use fire to deal with him, but after he transforms into the Insect King, he can burrow into the sand. We need to send someone to find his location first."
Xu Muran nodded: "Don't worry, I've already sent someone."
The man holding the crystal ball asked in a low voice, " Brother Xu, what should we do with Liu Qiao?"
"We promised Liu Ying that as long as she completes the mission, we will spare her sister's life." Xu Muran's eyes narrowed slightly, and his tone suddenly turned cold: "After we've dealt with the others, we'll kill Liu Qiao and Liu Ying last, to prevent them from ruining things."
After saying that, he released a Thousand Mile Sound Transmission card and said, "Ziyang, activate the teleportation."
The man holding the crystal ball reminded him, " Long Sen hasn't been found yet. Should we look again more carefully?"
Gui Yuanzhang said, " Long Sen is unconscious and has a high fever. He's barely alive and won't survive the night without someone taking care of him."
Xu Muran smiled and waved to the two men beside him, saying, "You two stay here and keep watch. In case Long Sen is lucky enough to survive..." He made a throat-slitting gesture with his hand, and the two men immediately nodded, "Understood, Brother Xu."
Xu Muran said, "The rest of you come back to the Oasis with me and take care of Shao Qingge and Chu Huaying!"
A teleportation message arrived from the Oasis, and everyone except the two remaining Hunters vanished without a trace.
The fire burned for a long time before gradually dying down.
Crimson flames nearly dyed the night sky red, bloodstains littered the desert, Old Mo lay on the ground with wide eyes, Lu Jiuchuan died with a face full of rage, Tang Ci was thrown into the flames and his body was never found...
In the distance, the sand suddenly shifted slightly, as if something was about to break through the soil. Immediately afterward, a gust of wind swept across the sand, carrying a cloud of dust into the distance.
All of this happened right behind the two Hunters, so they didn't notice.
After an unknown amount of time, in the desert several kilometers away from where Ninth Brother and the others were killed, a head suddenly emerged from the sand. His face was as pale as paper, and he sat on the ground panting heavily, his body covered in bruises.
His lips
His skin was cracked, and his whole body was trembling violently.
Long Sen woke up, but at the worst possible time.
The moment he woke up, he witnessed Qu Wanyue being torn to pieces by the black mist and heard Old Gui betray him, killing Lu Jiuchuan, Tang Ci, and Mo Xuemin!
He was turned into sand by Qu Wanyue and dissolved into the desert. Watching his wife being killed, watching his teammates die one after another, and being powerless to do anything about it—that feeling was absolutely awful!
Long Sen clutched his head tightly.
The man, in extreme pain, let out a hoarse, beast-like whimper from his dry throat.
what to do?
Looking at the endless desert, Long Sen felt utterly lost. He took a deep breath, took out some grapes from his backpack, and wolfed them down. Then he took out a bottle of Streptomycin and a syringe, aimed it at his arm, and promptly pricked himself with the needle.
Qu Wanyue gave him the medicine and a backpack card; these were his only hope for survival. To commit suicide would be too cowardly, and it would betray the unwavering support of his teammates during his illness.
Even if it means going to hell to be with Qu Wanyue, he will find a way to tell Shao Qingge the truth.
***
Oasis Town, Hospital.
Xu Muran led the Hunters into the hospital, where Gui Yuanzhang then realized that this was the Twin Kings' secret room. At Hunter's headquarters, Xu Muran lived in the "Dean's Office" on the top floor. Gui Yuanzhang followed him into the office and asked in a low voice, "How many Hunters were sent on this mission?"
"Thirty." Xu Muran paused, then squinted at Gui Yuanzhang. " Why would Old Gui suddenly ask about this?"
Gui Yuanzhang asked, "With so many people, have you already thought about how to distribute the rewards after the mission is completed?"
Xu Muran turned around with a smile, poured him a cup of tea, and said, " The Twin Kings Secret Room mission will reward two [Permanent Access Cards]. You and I will each receive one, and the remaining [Survival Time Cards] will naturally be distributed according to everyone's contributions. Wasn't this something we already agreed on?"
Gui Yuanzhang frowned slightly: "There's no need for such high-sounding words in front of me. As the leader of the Eternal Kingdom guild, once you get the [Survival Time Card], you'll definitely prioritize taking care of your own guild members. As for the other Hunters, like Liu Ying, as long as they're not completely obedient to you, you'll definitely eliminate them first."
Xu Muran, though exposed, showed no anger. He narrowed his eyes and said, "When I saw you at Hunter Alliance, I said that we could join forces to change the landscape of Card World. Eternal Kingdom, I personally chose the name of this guild. I think you, Old Gui, understand what it means."
Gui Yuanzhang crossed his arms and said calmly, "Of course. You want to be like the Guardian —the one playing the game, not the pawn. Any Challenger who has a chance to escape the secret chamber and leave Card World will be eliminated by you. Now can you tell me why?"
Xu Muran leaned back in his chair, picked up the teacup on the table, and said slowly, "The sun and moon shine together, and the two kings coexist. But in fact, you should have already realized that the two kings do not share the same ideals. As the Hunters of the Moon God's camp, only by completely crushing the best Challenger team on the Sun God's side will the balance of the world tilt in our favor."
Gui Yuanzhang seemed to have grasped something crucial, and his gaze suddenly turned cold: "What if someone has already completed the Challenger game?"
Xu Muran shrugged: "Then we, the Hunters, will most likely be wiped out."
Gui Yuanzhang: "..."
His brow furrowed deeply at the other person's words: "Total annihilation? That is, complete disappearance?"
Xu Muran put down his coffee and looked up at Gui Yuanzhang: "It's like dawn breaking; the sun rises, and the night disappears. Any Challenger who clears the game and returns to reality will create a butterfly effect, completely changing Card World. Do you now understand why I insisted on having you infiltrate Lu Jiuchuan's inner circle?"
A sharp glint suddenly flashed in the man's eyes: "I didn't expect Lu Jiuchuan to actually emerge from the Nightmare Secret Room at Plum Blossom J! I know him, and I'm afraid he'll bring even stronger teammates to clear all the secret rooms and disrupt my plans!"
Gui Yuanzhang calmly looked at the other party: "So, you altered the Intelligence Bureau's information, making Tang Ci mistakenly believe that I was also a Challenger who came out of the Nightmare Secret Room alive, and even made me establish the Distant Place Association as a cover, and sign Xiao Lou's contract book?"
Xu Muran laughed, "I know you've been waiting for this day for a long time. From now on, apart from the two kings, the rest of Card World will be under our control. You can continue to lie low as ' Challenger,' using the Distant Place Association to find outstanding talent, and then work with me to eliminate all the excellent Challengers. That way, no one will ever leave Card World."
A faint smile finally appeared on Gui Yuanzhang's usually calm face: "Very good."
He extended his hand, looking Xu Muran in the eye: "It's a pleasure working with you, Captain Xu."
Xu Muran stood up, his attitude friendly: "Thank you for your cooperation, Old Gui. Next, it's just Shao Qingge and Chu Huaying left."
Gui Yuanzhang said, " I will handle Shao Qingge personally; Chu Huaying is your responsibility."
The two exchanged a glance and nodded to each other, which was considered an agreement.
****