Shao Qingge and Ye Qi searched the area around the oasis for a long time, but apart from Cheng Ziyang and Xue Qing, whom they had met before, they did not recognize any of the other Hunters.
Ye Qi suggested via Telepathic Connection: "Why don't we find Liu Qiao first? If the Liu Qiao in our team is Hunter in disguise, then the real Liu Qiao is definitely under their control."
He was restrained and had lost consciousness.
Shao Qingge asked, " Oasis Town is very large. Where do you think Liu Qiao is most likely to be hidden?"
Ye Qi scratched his head and thought carefully for a moment, then suddenly said, " Hospital!"
"Where did you and Professor Xiao encounter the ambush?"
"Yes, we encountered a strange mirror maze at the hospital, and then a hand suddenly reached out from the mirror next to me and Liu Qiao and pulled us in. Liu Qiao reappeared and stabbed Professor Xiao to death, and also stabbed me to death." Ye Qi recalled the scene seriously and guessed, "I think it's very likely that Liu Qiao was replaced when she was pulled into the mirror."
Shao Qingge also thought this speculation was quite reasonable. There were two possible points in time when Liu Qiao disappeared from everyone's sight: one was when she was swept away by the sandstorm, and the other was when she was pulled away by the mirror. She and Lao Mo were swept into the depths of the desert by the sandstorm, and when Jiu Ge found them, their behavior was not abnormal. Therefore, the most likely scenario is that she was captured and controlled in the mirror maze.
It seems necessary to go to the maze again.
Shao Qingge said, "I still have a copy of the [ Tao Yuanming ] card. How about this, you wait for me near the vineyard, and I'll go to the maze to find Liu Qiao. Once I find her, you immediately use Peach Blossom Spring to teleport us there."
Ye Qi currently only has one Invisibility Cloak. If the two of them enter the maze together, neither of them will be able to get out if they run into trouble. The safest approach is for one person to go and investigate, while the other is ready to use Peach Blossom Spring Teleportation at any time.
CEO Shao is currently in his Insect King state, and Ye Qi didn't want to cause him any trouble, so he readily agreed to the other party's suggestion: "Okay, be careful on your own, and call me immediately via Telepathic Connection if you encounter any problems."
Shao Qingge said, "Don't worry, we still have 2 hours until the transformation. Let's hurry."
After the two separated, Shao Qingge burrowed into the sand and hurried toward the hospital Ye Qi had mentioned.
Fortunately, the hospital's red cross marker was very obvious. Using the north star as his navigation tool, Shao Qingge headed north and quickly found the hospital. He crawled through the sand to the back door of the hospital, and with a slight push of his legs, nimbly climbed inside.
The corridor was dimly lit, with many doors on both sides of the first-floor corridor, each marked with common hospital signs such as "Pharmacy" and "Emergency Observation Room." But strangely, he didn't see the "mirror" Ye Qi had mentioned.
As Shao Qingge was wondering, he suddenly heard very light footsteps behind him. He quickly jumped onto the roof, extended his sharp fingernails like hooks, and hid in the darkness.
The Zerg's eyesight in the dark is several times better than that of humans. He could see the face of the person entering the corridor from more than ten meters away—it was none other than Liu Qiao!
Shao Qingge was slightly shocked and immediately held his breath, staring at the other person.
Liu Qiao walked down the corridor into the depths of the hospital. After turning two corners, she reached the end and pushed open a door with the words "Emergency Operating Room" written on it.
Shao Qingge scrambled across the rooftop, following him all the way to the operating room door. He used his sharp fingernails to poke a hole in the glass door above it and squinted inside.
Then, he saw something shocking.
In the operating room, a girl lay on the bed, her eyes closed and her face pale—she was the real Liu Qiao!
But Liu Qiao, who walked into the operating room, suddenly changed her appearance.
A high ponytail appeared at the back of her head, and she seemed to have instantly grown 10 centimeters taller. Although her features were somewhat similar to Liu Qiao's, she appeared much more delicate. A cold glint flashed at her fingertips, and with some kind of card, Liu Qiao on the hospital bed suddenly opened her eyes.
Liu Qiao paused, stunned, after recognizing the person in front of her: "...Sister?"
Liu Ying smiled and said, "It's me."
Liu Qiao sat up abruptly, looking at her warily: "What was the gift I received for my 5th birthday?"
"It's the robot figurine that your older sister secretly bought for you with her allowance when you were six years old." She reached out and gently grasped Liu Qiao's hand. "I'm real, you don't need to keep confirming."
Liu Qiao looked at her in confusion: "But I haven't been able to find you in the main city, and Mr. Tang's Intelligence Bureau website doesn't have any information about you either. What's going on?"
Liu Ying said softly, "After entering the main city, I was attacked by Hunter, but was rescued by Brother Xu, the guild leader of Eternal Kingdom. To protect me, he hid me and made me live under an assumed name. During this time, I have been searching for him..."
Liu Qiao stared into her eyes and interrupted her in a low voice: "You're lying."
Liu Ying bit her lip, looking at her with an innocent yet sad expression.
Liu Qiao said, "You never dare to look me in the eye when you lie to me. Besides, if you really were rescued by the people of the Eternal Kingdom, why would you suddenly appear here?! Isn't this the Twin Kings' Secret Room? You're not bound to our contract book, and the Twin Kings' Secret Room never mentioned any other Challenger teams. So, the only explanation for your appearance here is..."
Liu Qiao paused, her face turning grim, and said, word by word, "Sister, you've joined the Hunters' camp?!"
Liu Ying's eyes suddenly reddened, and she choked out, "I didn't want it to be like this either! I've been trying to find you, but after leaving Plum Blossom 2, I still couldn't find you. I was too scared to go into the back room alone, so I temporarily teamed up with a girl. As a result, we were shot and killed by escaped prisoners in the Financial Crisis world of Spade 3..."
Seemingly recalling that unpleasant experience, the girl began to tremble slightly: "I was eliminated and sent to the Nightmare Secret Room, and I got seriously ill from drinking unclean water. I begged everywhere with a high fever, but no one gave me any food. I only..."
I held on for five days, and just when I thought I was going to die, someone suddenly appeared in front of me and asked me to make a choice.
The man wearing a silver mask had a gentle gaze.
He looked at the dying Liu Ying and whispered in her ear, "I'm giving you one last chance to choose. Option A: If you fail to complete Nightmare Secret Room, you will be eliminated, completely freed from illness and pain."
"Option B: Obey my orders and become the Hunter. As long as you can kill others, you can gain more time to survive. Trading your life for time, isn't that fair?"
Upon hearing this, Liu Qiao's voice trembled slightly: "You chose Hunter?"
Liu Ying nodded gently: "If it were me alone, I would definitely choose A. Dying would save me from all this suffering. But you were in the car accident with me, and I'm worried that you're still in this world. I want to find you. I'll do anything to survive!"
Liu Qiao clenched her fist tightly: "And then you went and killed someone?!"
Liu Ying immediately shook her head: "No! You know, I'm not very brave. I wouldn't even dare to kill a fish, let alone kill someone. After I entered the main city, Eternal Kingdom suddenly sent someone to contact me and said they could help me. They took me to see the guild leader, Brother Xu. He gave me a few [Survival Time Cards] and told me to wait patiently, saying he would help find out about you."
Liu Qiao is very familiar with the guild Eternal Kingdom.
One of the largest guilds in Card World, it is said that the members of this guild, in order to continue to survive in Card World, aim to complete the Weekly Routine. Most of them have purchased property in the Card World capital city, and some have even married and had children with the natives.
Now it seems that this strange guild might be Hunter's headquarters!
Liu Qiao asked with a stern face, "Aren't you stupid enough to believe him? He's no relation to you, so why would he give you a time card and help you find me?"
Liu Ying whispered in defense, "He also graduated from Jiangzhou University, he's my senior, and we're from the same hometown. He said that it's not easy for anyone to survive in Card World, so he's naturally happy to help me..."
Liu Qiao's gaze was sharp as a sword: "You believe me?"
Perhaps realizing her reason was flimsy, Liu Ying didn't explain further, lowering her head and saying, "I can't help it if you don't believe me. I don't have a single penny on me, and to get a survival time card, I'd have to kill someone. I have no choice but to live under his roof and stay by his side. Fortunately, he's been very good to me, and he's been sending people to inquire about you..."
Liu Qiao sensed something was wrong and hurriedly asked, "And then? He found out about me and sent you to the Twin Kings secret room to rescue me?"
Liu Ying nodded: "Yes, as long as I complete the mission, we can all get the immortality card."
Liu Qiao's face turned pale and then red. Her parents were busy with work, and she and her sister had taken care of each other since they were little, and they had a very good relationship. Liu Qiao knew her older sister well. Her sister was timid and had a mild case of "saintly syndrome." When she was bullied as a child, she didn't dare to seek revenge, and her younger sister would always roll up her sleeves and fight for her.
Despite the obvious trap, Liu Ying naively believed that her "fellow villager" would help her!
In the treacherous Card World, which of those so-called senior students or fellow townsmen would be willing to help you for no reason? You should be grateful they didn't stab you in the back. That Brother Xu is clearly using Liu Ying!
Thinking back to the shock she felt when she first saw her sister in the maze, and the brief period of unconsciousness that followed, Liu Qiao suddenly had a very bad feeling. She quickly rolled out of bed and was about to rush out when suddenly, the glass door of the operating room was kicked open, and a dark figure climbed down the roof!
The man's eyes were bloodshot. Before Liu Ying could react, he suddenly stretched out a long arm and grabbed Liu Qiao's arm. Realizing he was CEO Shao, Liu Qiao didn't resist. The next moment, the scene changed, and the familiar Peach Blossom Spring appeared in their field of vision.
Ye Qi hid under a tree. Shao Qingge released Liu Qiao and whispered, " Liu Qiao, your sister has really ruined us!"
Liu Qiao hurriedly asked, "What happened?"
Shao Qingge said with a grim face, "She impersonated you and killed Xiao Lou and Yu Hanjiang."
Liu Qiao: "..."
The girl's face drained of color instantly. She was about to speak when Long Sen's voice came from beside her: " CEO Shao, I have something to tell everyone. Mr. Old Gui is an undercover agent planted by Hunter among us!"
Shao Qingge was shocked: "What?!"
Although Ye Qi was horrified, CEO Shao told his teammates that he was dead in order to protect him. Therefore, he forcibly controlled his emotions, covered his mouth, and dared not make a sound.
Long Sen's eyes were bloodshot. He clenched his fists and said in a hoarse voice, word by word, "After you left, Liu Ying used her teleportation skill to pull a group of Hunters over to attack us. Wanyue was killed by the man with the crystal ball. Then, Old Gui suddenly betrayed us and killed Ninth Brother, Mr. Tang, and Old Mo! I was turned into sand and buried far away by Wanyue, and that's how I managed to survive."
Upon hearing Long Sen's words, Shao Qingge's expression changed drastically, and the veins on the back of his hand bulged.
Ye Qi hid under the peach tree, feeling cold all over.
how so?
Old Gui? The oldest member of the team, Professor Xiao said he was a master of Chinese studies, with beautiful calligraphy and highly praised traditional Chinese paintings. Everyone respected him and called him "senior." How could it be him?!
Shao Qingge gritted his teeth: "No wonder we've been followed by Hunter all this way; the mole was him!"
Liu Qiao said in a trembling voice, "When I first saw Old Gui, I felt that the way he looked at me was a bit strange. It turns out he's the Hunter! So, after he saw me, he notified Brother Xu of the Eternal Kingdom, asking him to tell my sister my whereabouts, and then they..."
" They devised this elaborate plan, using my sister, to wipe us all out in the final Twin Kings secret room?"
The usually composed girl was now on the verge of emotional collapse. She clutched her head, squatted down, and choked out, "I'm sorry, it's all my fault... I should have realized something was wrong when I saw my sister in the maze. I wasn't careful enough, and I dragged Professor Xiao into this..."
Shao Qingge said, "What's the point of saying all this now?"
Liu Qiao paused, then suddenly seemed to remember something and looked up at Shao Qingge: "Right, Professor Xiao and Captain Yu are gone, CEO Shao, you are the new captain, you can activate the [ Time Reversal ] SS team limited card! I remember this card can turn back time by 5 hours, and 5 hours ago, everyone was still alive!"
Upon hearing this, Shao Qingge narrowed his eyes slightly. Just as he was about to speak, a calm voice suddenly rang in his ears: "Don't use Time Reversal. Now is not the best time."
Everyone turned around and saw Tang Ci standing under the peach tree, his clothes charred in large patches, but his body unharmed.