Xu Muran was half-reclining on the sofa, with a monitor screen on the table displaying footage from the surveillance network set up by Cheng Ziyang. When Gui Yuanzhang entered the room, he was staring at the screen.
Hearing footsteps, Xu Muran looked up, and their eyes met.
The room was quiet. Gui Yuanzhang calmly met his gaze and walked to the sofa to sit down. He said, "Don't worry, I just personally went with Cheng Ziyang to inspect the place. All the surveillance cameras are working properly. Our people are everywhere in Oasis Town. Even if Yu Hanjiang comes out of the Nightmare Secret Room, he won't be able to escape."
Xu Muran laughed, "I don't think they'll be able to get out of the Nightmare Secret Room."
Gui Yuanzhang turned to look at him: "So sure? Lu Jiuchuan came back from the Nightmare Secret Room in Plum Blossom J back then. Do you think Yu Hanjiang's skills are inferior to his cousin's?"
Xu Muran said, "It's not that Yu Hanjiang is inferior to Lu Jiuchuan, but that the Twin Kings Secret Room is much more difficult than Plum Blossom J. Lu Jiuchuan in Plum Blossom J encounters 10 times more Hunters, so there's always a limit. But in the Twin Kings Secret Room, there's no limit to the number of people you can kill. You take down 10, and another 10 pops up, endlessly, you can never kill them all."
Gui Yuanzhang smiled and said, "It seems you know much more than I do."
Xu Muran shrugged: "After all, I've been dealing with the boss longer than you have, so I'm bound to find out some things."
Gui Yuanzhang didn't press the matter further. He casually picked up a grape from the fruit plate, popped it into his mouth, and said indifferently, "I remember Hunter has a [ Card Skill Shielding ] card. Why didn't you use it just now? If they had used Peach Blossom Spring to pull people away, our plan would have been ruined."
Xu Muran said, " The cards from Twin Kings' Secret Room are useless once used. Of course I want to keep such strong cards so I can use them later. In their team, Xiao Lou has the most and most annoying card control skills. Once Xiao Lou is dead, it doesn't make much difference whether you use skills to block the remaining people."
Gui Yuanzhang praised, "That's true. Yu Hanjiang, Lu Jiuchuan, and Chu Huaying don't rely on skills, and Xiao Lou, who has the most card skills, died too early. Xiao Lou trusted his teammates too much, which is a consequence of his own actions. It's a pity that your turtle card was also rendered useless in the end; that card was quite powerful."
Xu Muran didn't care: "It doesn't matter. Lu Jiuchuan's Vermilion Bird is useless. I can just waste one card to kill three of them. It's not a loss."
Upon hearing this, Shao Qingge, who was in the world of the painting, quickly understood two key points—
First, the Card Skill Shielding is on Xu Muran himself, which is the most threatening card to everyone. We must be wary of it after going back in time.
Secondly, the card that Xu Muran can use to transform into a turtle should be of the same level as the Vermilion Bird of the Ninth Brother, and is very likely the Xuanwu Divine Beast. In addition to transforming into a turtle shell to protect him, it can also transform into an indestructible wall to block all skills.
After chatting with Xu Muran for a few minutes, Gui Yuanzhang made an excuse to go out on patrol.
He double-checked the facial features of all the Hunters and focused on confirming the residences of several elite Hunters, obtaining statistical data from Cheng Ziyang. Seeing that time was running out, Shao Qingge transmitted the compiled data to Ye Qi via Telepathic Connection.
Ye Qi in Peach Blossom Spring is extremely anxious: " CEO Shao, should I use Peach Blossom Spring to pull you up?"
Shao Qingge said, "It's alright. I'll stay in Old Gui's painting world and let you know as soon as I make any new discoveries. You should discuss with Mr. Tang that if Xiao Lou can't come back on time, he should activate Time Reversal with all his memories."
There was a timer in the floating box in the upper right corner of Peach Blossom Spring. Ye Qi looked up and saw that nearly 4 hours had passed since Xiao Lou and Yu Hanjiang died in the maze.
Time Reversal can only be pushed back 5 hours. Will Xiao Lou be able to return in time?
Ye Qi looked at Tang Ci nervously: "Mr. Tang, CEO Shao said that if Professor Xiao doesn't come back, he'll ask you to open a Time Reversal."
Tang Ci frowned: "Let's wait and see. I believe he will definitely come back."
*
Inside the Nightmare Secret Room.
Xiao Lou and his group of five were in Lao Mo's model room when, not long after, there was another knock on the door. Xiao Lou went to look through the peephole and was surprised to find that Chu Huaying and Liu Qiao were also outside.
Because Liu Qiao had previously laid a hand on Xiao Lou in the Nightmare Secret Room, Xiao Lou was hesitant to let them in easily and gave her teammates a meaningful look. Lu Jiuchuan immediately stepped forward and whispered, "Xiao Liu, Hua Ying, what are you doing here?"
Chu Huaying said, " Liu Qiao was crushed to death by Old Gui with an inkstone, while I was blown up."
She spoke with the same calm tone as if she had just said, "I ate a bowl of rice today."
Liu Qiao's face was unusually pale, but her eyes had regained their composure. She looked up at the cat's eye and said, "Ninth Brother is here too? I didn't expect to be able to meet up with my teammates in the Nightmare Secret Room. This room, is it Uncle Mo's model room?"
Old Mo smiled and said, "Yes."
Liu Qiao said, "Is it the three-bedroom apartment you painted before, with a row of beige sofas in the living room and bunk beds in the bedrooms?"
Old Mo leaned close to Xiao Lou's ear and said, "This Liu Qiao is real. She happened to be next to me when I was drawing the model room. No one else knew the interior structure of my model room."
Lu Jiuchuan also said to Xiao Lou, " Hua Ying is not wrong either; the Spider Dagger is still in her hands."
Xiao Lou then opened the door and invited them in.
Half of Chu Huaying's long hair was singed, her face was covered in ash, and her exposed arms had large burn marks; Liu Qiao was covered in blood, her once delicate face was distorted by the pressure.
His face was almost deformed, with large bruises around his eyes.
Seeing how badly injured the two were, Xiao Lou felt a pang of heartache. She quickly ushered them to sit down in the living room and asked in a low voice, "What happened? How did you get so badly hurt?"
Chu Huaying briefly described what happened: " Tang Ci made us cooperate with Old Gui to act out the last play. Old Gui wanted to kill Liu Ying, so Liu Qiao, CEO Shao, and I went to find him to take revenge and die at his hands, so that Hunter would no longer suspect him."
It sounds simple, but judging from the injuries of the two people, it's clear how harrowing the incident was.
However, this also relieved Xiao Lou, at least proving that everyone's speculation was correct, and that Old Gui was indeed a spy.
Yu Hanjiang suddenly asked, " Did CEO Shao go with you? Why didn't he show up at the Nightmare Secret Room?"
Old Mo guessed, "Did the Transformed Insect King escape?"
Chu Huaying said, "Probably not. When the hospital exploded instantly, CEO Shao climbed onto the roof and was definitely engulfed by the flames. He didn't come to the Nightmare Secret Room, probably because Old Gui used special means to save him and wanted to use him to send a message."
Xiao Lou also felt this was more likely. He looked at Yu Hanjiang and whispered, " CEO Shao, Ye Qi, Tang Ci, and Long Sen are still in the Twin Kings secret room. I guess they're hiding in Peach Blossom Spring, which is the safest place. We need to hurry back, otherwise, once Peach Blossom Spring disappears, Hunter will definitely find their trail."
Yu Hanjiang said, "Let's go find the exit of the Nightmare Secret Room."
Old Mo's model room is surrounded by concrete walls and has a marbled floor, so it's safe from wild animals. The roof is sealed, providing shelter from the wind and rain. Although food can't be painted in the model room, everyone has biscuits, instant noodles, milk, and other food items, so they can easily survive there for a few days.
If their only concern is survival, their best option is to stay in the model room.
However, this time when entering the Nightmare Secret Room, the floating window did not prompt "Survive here for X days" or "Crack a secret in the secret room" as before.
Since it's neither a time-survival mode nor a puzzle-solving mode, it's highly likely that the Nightmare Secret Room has an exit. They must find the exit as soon as possible, return to the Twin Kings' Secret Room to reunite with Tang Ci and the others, obtain the crucial information they've painstakingly gathered, and then rewind time by 5 hours.
Time was of the essence, so Xiao Lou didn't hesitate any longer and immediately got up to follow Yu Hanjiang.
" Professor Xiao." Liu Qiao suddenly handed her card holder to Xiao Lou and said, "I'd better not drag you down. I've already used up most of my cards, and I only have single-target attack skills left, like Poison Queen and Witch's Poison. Besides, I'm worried that if Nightmare Secret Room happens to have a plot like my sister impersonating me again, it will affect everyone's judgment."
She remembered that Tang Ci left her at Peach Blossom Spring because he was worried that her sister would impersonate her and cause trouble.
Sometimes, not causing trouble is the best way to help the team.
Liu Qiao took a deep breath and said firmly, " Uncle Mo, Sister Qu, and I will stay here, so you can have no worries."
Old Mo also said, "That makes sense. The three of us can't compare to Hua Ying, Ninth Brother, and Captain Yu in terms of stamina and fighting ability. Professor Xiao, bringing us along would only slow things down. Let's do as Xiao Liu said, the two of us will stay in the model room, and you guys go find the exit!"
He also handed his card holder to Xiao Lou: "I only have a few cards left: Paint, Space Rotation, and Solid Wood Flooring. I don't know if I can use them."
Qu Wanyue tactfully chimed in, "My dance ace can make my body more flexible, and I also have Swan Lake, which can stop the fighting and buy some time. I wonder if it will be useful."
Looking into the earnest eyes of the three, Xiao Lou took the card holder and nodded gently: "Okay, let's do it this way."
Liu Qiao, Lao Mo, and Qu Wanyue have essentially entrusted their fate to Xiao Lou. This is a complete trust in Xiao Lou; if Xiao Lou fails to escape the Nightmare Secret Room, they will have no chance of survival.
With the hopes of so many teammates on his shoulders, Xiao Lou was under a lot of pressure, but he also knew that he had no reason to back down at this moment. He had to go back to the past and start all over again!
Xiao Lou glanced at them one last time, then decisively led Lu Jiuchuan, Yu Hanjiang, and Chu Huaying out of the model room.
Liu Qiao watched Xiao Lou's figure disappear through the door, and said in a hoarse voice, " Professor Xiao, I'm sorry." She knew Xiao Lou didn't like hearing these things, so she didn't dare to apologize to his face, but the remorse in her heart could not be relieved.
Qu Wanyue gently patted her shoulder: " Professor Xiao won't blame you. It was all Hunter's scheme, so don't feel too guilty. By the way, how is Long Sen...?"
Liu Qiao said, "Don't worry, Sister Qu. Brother Long Sen will stay at Peach Blossom Spring and will be taken care of by Mr. Tang."
Qu Wanyue breathed a sigh of relief: "That's good."
Liu Qiao looked out through the peephole and saw the four figures quickly disappear into the sandstorm.
A gust of wind swept over them, whipping up sand and dust that filled their mouths. Xiao Lou and his companions could barely open their eyes, let alone communicate verbally. Apart from Chu Huaying, who was agile and could walk quickly, the other three had all their Lightness Skill Cards destroyed and had to proceed on foot.
The extraordinary phenomenon of the sun and moon shining together appeared in the sky once again.
The eerie sky, a blur of day and night, was also unpredictable, with temperatures fluctuating wildly. One moment the sun was blazing, making everyone drenched in sweat; the next, a biting wind blew, freezing the sweat so hard it almost solidified, leaving icy shards on their eyelashes.
Such terrible weather was unheard of. The four walked on the sand, looking out at the endless desert. Lu Jiuchuan suppressed the urge to swear, shielding his eyes from the sand and wind with his sleeve, and asked in a low voice, "Where do we find an exit? Do you have any ideas? We can't just wander aimlessly in this vast desert."
Go ahead and rummage through everything!
The sandstorm was so strong that he couldn't even hear himself clearly, so Lu Jiuchuan simply pressed the microphone button and repeated himself.
This time everyone heard clearly. Xiao Lou gazed at the distant sand dunes, pressed his earpiece, and whispered, "The exit can't just be hidden underground in the sand; that would make it impossible to find. As it stands, there's only one place where the exit might exist."
He turned to look at Yu Hanjiang: " Hanjiang, do you remember the mirror maze we found when we first came to the secret room?"
******