Xu Muran was still invisible, but Old Mo had already taken out his paint card. Estimating that the time was almost up, he immediately ordered Qu Wanyue and Long Sen to pour the paint down from a high place.
Long and Qu's legs grew longer, and they were now over 10 meters tall. Each of them took a bucket of paint and poured it down from above, creating a scene resembling a rain of red!
People who were originally invisible were made to be transparent so that no one could see them. Now that they have been splashed with a layer of red paint, the red people are very obvious.
Tang Ci quickly counted and said, "There are 6 people left."
How come the gunpowder didn't kill Xiao Lou?!
Xu Muran was so angry that he felt like he was going to vomit blood when he saw Xiao Lou and his group blocking their way. He simply took off his Invisibility Cloak and shouted, "Get behind me!"
The next moment, he hurled the Xuanwu card, and the giant tortoise reappeared. He and the other five Hunters all hid inside its shell. Almost simultaneously, he played another extremely powerful card—
Highly poisonous datura.
A giant datura flower, over 5 meters tall, suddenly bloomed on the sand. As the petals opened, a strange purple poisonous mist quickly spread to the surrounding area, turning the air purple.
A wide-ranging toxic gas, inhaled instantly fatal—this is Xu Muran's hidden trump card.
Xiao Lou had already warned Shao Qingge that Xu Muran might be hiding a powerful move, and instructed him to keep an eye on Xu Muran's Black Tortoise talisman and copy it immediately if he used it. He didn't dare relax for a second, keeping a close eye on Xu Muran. The moment the giant tortoise appeared, Shao Qingge didn't lag for a second and immediately threw out [ Rich and Willful ]!
Rich and Willful can copy a card seen within the last 10 minutes. Shao Qingge specified to copy Xuanwu, and soon he also had an extra Xuanwu card in his hand. Then, imitating Xu Muran, he pulled his teammates into the turtle shell.
Datura flowers bloom in the sand, their petals, over 5 meters tall, fluttering in the wind, while a purple, poisonous mist continues to spread...
It looked fierce, but it turned out to be empty.
Both sides hid inside the turtle shells, unable to inhale the poisonous mist at all.
Xu Muran thought victory was assured, but then he saw an identical giant turtle on the other side through the viewing window inside the turtle's shell! Xu Muran's face contorted with rage, his fingers cracking as he clenched his fists: "They actually guarded against even this card of mine!"
Qi Yue frowned and said, "It must have been Old Gui who leaked it."
Xu Muran's face was as black as the bottom of a pot: " Gui Yuanzhang didn't know I had the Xuanwu Token. How could Shao Qingge react so quickly? He copied it the moment I used it?!"
Something feels off. It's like the other person always seems to anticipate his next move. Why is that?
The protective shield of Xuanwu was about to fail, and Xu Muran had run out of trump cards. He took a deep breath and said to Qi Yue, "It seems that this mission is not going to be completed, but we can't leave empty-handed. Kill one to save time."
Qi Yue nodded: "Okay, I'll go tidy up Xiao Lou."
Xu Muran: " Leave Lu Jiuchuan to me."
When the turtle shell protection skill expires, both players' turtle shells disappear almost simultaneously.
The moment everyone met face to face again, the black crystal ball in Qi Yue's hand suddenly emitted a large amount of thick black mist. The mist swept fiercely towards Xiao Lou like a ferocious beast descending a mountain!
Xiao Lou was standing in the crowd when the thick black fog seemed to have a mind of its own and specifically targeted him.
Xiao Lou's heart skipped a beat, and he was thinking about how to dodge when Yu Hanjiang suddenly pounced on him and pulled him into his arms!
Suddenly, everything spun around Xiao Lou as Yu Hanjiang tackled him to the ground, sending him rolling twice.
When he looked up again, he saw Gui Yuanzhang standing in front of the two of them, his brush moving rapidly, creating a transparent wall of wind in front of him, forcefully blocking the attack of the black mist.
However, the wind wall only held for two seconds. The black mist seemed to have the ability to penetrate the wind wall and gradually seeped in, densely surrounding Gui Yuanzhang like ink.
Xiao Lou called out in a trembling voice, "Senior!"
Xu Muran's voice came almost simultaneously: " Gui Yuanzhang, I knew you had betrayed me."
Lu Jiuchuan roared, "You still have the nerve to talk about betrayal! You traitor, I'll personally deal with you today!"
He glanced at Yu Hanjiang, then picked up his sword and swiftly charged forward—
Xu Muran originally wanted to kill Lu Jiuchuan to buy himself more time to survive, since the two were old teammates and knew each other well.
They attacked simultaneously and arrived in front of each other at the same time.
Lu Jiuchuan's sword was incredibly sharp, and Xu Muran's knife was also extremely cunning. Not long ago, the two had even sparred with their weapons, but now, their reunion was a life-or-death duel!
Just as the longsword was about to pierce Xu Muran, Lu Jiuchuan suddenly bent down and dodged—
Xu Muran's knife missed its mark, and he suddenly froze. Then, he saw a dark gun barrel.
Yu Hanjiang pulled the trigger behind his brother.
With a "bang," a gunshot rang out, and the bullet flew past Lu Jiuchuan's head, hitting Xu Muran precisely in the forehead!
The splattered blood instantly blurred his vision, turning his entire field of vision crimson. Xu Muran stared at Lu Jiuchuan in disbelief: "You... you actually... stopped..."
Lu Jiuchuan said coldly: "You
This guy is too cunning; I'm too lazy to fight you one-on-one. I'm just making a scope for Hanjiang. We're brothers, our teamwork is pretty good, isn't it?"
Xu Muran stared wide-eyed, then fell straight to the ground, dying with his eyes wide open.
If Lu Jiuchuan didn't trust his younger brother enough, he wouldn't have taken the risk of rushing over to pretend to fight Xu Muran, while letting his brother fire from behind. If Yu Hanjiang's bullet had deviated even slightly, he would have been the one to die.
It was their mutual trust and understanding that enabled them to deliver the final blow.
Xu Muran was caught off guard and killed by Yu Hanjiang with a single shot!
Seeing that the boss was dead, Qi Yue, who had released the black mist, immediately turned around and tried to run away. Long Sen and Qu Wanyue had already used their long legs to cut off his escape route. Long Sen threw a badminton shuttlecock from high in the sky, which directly immobilized him in place.
Chu Huaying moved with lightning speed, rushing behind him like the wind and slicing his throat open with a single slash!
The other Hunters were dealt with by Ye Qi and Shao Qingge working together. Ye Qi's musical instruments kept them all under control, and no one could survive where Shao Qingge's claws went.
In the blink of an eye, the body of the last escaped Hunter lay scattered on the ground. Everyone quickly retreated and surrounded Gui Yuanzhang: "How is Senior Gui?" "Is he alright?"
Gui Yuanzhang lay on the ground, his face blackened, as if the black mist had seeped into his body.
Xiao Lou supported him, her eyes red-rimmed and her vision gradually blurring: "Senior..."
Gui Yuanzhang gently grasped Xiao Lou's hand, his voice hoarse: " Xiao Lou, since you come from the future, you should know that your successful completion of the mission means my mission will fail. I don't want to kill any of you to buy myself more time..."
Xiao Lou had actually guessed it long ago, but she just didn't want to accept this reality.
Perhaps, Old Gui foresaw this day the moment he chose to go undercover.
Challenger and Hunter, one in the open and one in the shadows, have always been opposing factions; there is no way to have it both ways.
Apart from Xiao Lou, the other teammates did not have the memory of those 5 hours, nor did they know Old Gui's identity. Lu Jiuchuan, Tang Ci, and Chu Huaying squatted beside Old Gui, anxiously watching him. Shao Qingge also came over and placed his hand on Old Gui's wrist: "Let me see if I can cure him."
However, all the Zerg that crawled out from CEO Shao's fingertips were swallowed up by the black mist.
Shao Qingge said helplessly, "This black mist attack doesn't seem to be considered physical damage, and my treatment is ineffective."
Lu Jiuchuan clenched his fists: " Old Gui, hold on a little longer, we'll figure something out..."
Gui Yuanzhang interrupted him, saying in a low voice, "No need."
After saying that, he looked at Xiao Lou and said gently, "Once Qi Yue's black mist reaches its target, no one can save it. This is my own choice, and you don't need to be sad. Xiao Lou, you know the reason, so explain it to everyone slowly."
Xiao Lou gripped his hand tightly, choking back tears, and said, "Thank you, senior... I know saying thank you is too inadequate, but thank you for all you've done for us, thank you..."
Gui Yuanzhang patted his hand: "I like you young people very much. Go back and live well."
He slowly closed his eyes, a relieved smile curving his lips.
Lu Jiuchuan's hands trembled slightly, Chu Huaying looked away, trying to hold back her tears, and even the usually serious and calm Tang Ci had red eyes. He asked softly, " Xiao Lou, Senior Gui, is actually Hunter, right?"
Xiao Lou nodded.
Ye Qi, Shao Qingge, and the others widened their eyes in surprise upon hearing this news.
Looking at his senior who was fast asleep with his eyes closed, Xiao Lou explained in a low voice, "Actually, he didn't come out of the Nightmare Secret Room at Plum Blossom J. Instead, he chose to become a Hunter. He said that for a real undercover agent, pretending is useless; you have to become a Hunter yourself to find out the Hunter's secrets."
"He pretended to cooperate with Xu Muran and infiltrated our ranks, but he was actually helping us in secret all along. Ever since Q Secret Room got the [ Time Reversal ] team-limited card, he realized that the only way for us to clear Card World was to find out about the Hunter, then work backwards in time, and use our advantage of knowing the plot and the enemy's information to turn the tide."
"...He was the one who brought me back from the world 5 hours later. He also risked his life to find out all those maps, names, and card information and gave them to me."
At this point, Xiao Lou could no longer speak calmly. Yu Hanjiang gently put his arm around his shoulder, offering silent comfort. Lu Jiuchuan stood up, looked up at the sky, and struggled to hold back the tears that welled up in his eyes.
He silently said to himself: Old Gui, thanks.
Just then, it was as if a hole had been suddenly torn open in the dark sky.
Golden sunlight streamed through the torn gap, which grew wider and wider until finally, the entire sky was divided into day and night. Xiao Lou and his companions were in the daytime half of the world.
The warm sunshine shone on everyone, creating a cozy atmosphere.
Two masked faces appeared in the sky.
The two familiar faces were exactly as Xiao Lou had guessed— Bai Jinyu and his twin brother.
Apart from Xiao Lou, everyone else was startled by the strange phenomenon before them.
The older brother smiled gently: "Congratulations, since the Hunter team was wiped out, you can clear the game ahead of schedule."
The younger brother said coldly, "Brother, you won this bet."
The older brother said, "I told you long ago that we shouldn't underestimate them."
The younger brother remained silent.
The older brother looked at Xiao Lou and said softly, "You all died in various accidents in reality. The only way to return to reality is to reverse time. Among you, Lu Jiuchuan died the earliest. Therefore, we will repair..."
" We've altered the flow of time, sending you all back three years. This is the reward the four Guardians initially promised you for completing the game."
Back when Lu Jiuchuan appeared, Xiao Lou had speculated that the only way for everyone to be reborn back to reality was to go back to the past and avoid accidents.
Hearing the King say it himself, he was overjoyed and hurriedly asked, "If we go back three years, can we save Old Gui in the real world? He died of a sudden myocardial infarction in the real world. If his heart disease had been detected earlier, he could definitely have been saved!"
The king nodded: "How far you can modify the plot depends on your abilities."
Xiao Lou asked, "Will everyone retain their memories this time?"
The King said, "Yes, it will. The team Time Reversal, everyone present will have the memory."
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
Old Gui disappeared in Card World, but in reality, time will go back 3 years!
They knew Old Gui's real address and contact information, giving them ample time to prepare. Old Gui's coronary heart disease was left undetected and untreated, leading to a sudden heart attack and death. Had he received treatment earlier, many elderly people with coronary heart disease could have lived to 80.
Xiao Lou looked at Yu Hanjiang: "I know a lot of cardiology experts. When the time comes, we'll go find Old Gui as soon as possible and take him to the hospital for a checkup!"
Yu Hanjiang nodded: "Yes, three years is enough."
Liu Qiao also got excited: "When I was a freshman in college, my sister was in a car accident when she took me to school. Three years ago, I was still a high school student. If I hadn't let my sister take me, would I have been able to avoid that car accident?"
Xiao Lou gently patted Liu Qiao's shoulder: "It's definitely possible."
Qu Wanyue looked at Long Sen: "We need to change wedding planning companies, so the wedding car doesn't get into another accident." Long Sen smiled and scratched his head: "How about we go back and hold the wedding early, then we can hand out wedding candy to everyone!"
Xiao Lou said, "Everyone must drink this toast at our wedding."
Lu Jiuchuan looked at Tang Ci: " Xiao Tang, if I could go back three years, I would choose a different path in that mission, survive, and then come find you."
Tang Ci coughed lightly, her ears turning slightly red: "What do you want with me?"
Lu Jiuchuan smiled and put his hand on his shoulder: "We agreed on a secret code. I'll take you horseback riding in Inner Mongolia."
Tang Ci: "..."
Shao Qingge leaned closer and asked, "Three years ago, Xiao Ye should have been in her first year of high school, right?"
Ye Qi nodded seriously: "That's right. My academic grades are average, but I still want to apply to Jiangzhou Music Conservatory. My dream is to become a singer! If I can hold a concert in the future, I will definitely reserve the VIP tickets for everyone!"
Shao Qingge said, "Our agreement is still valid. I can be your sugar daddy."
Ye Qi immediately shook his head: "No. I don't want to rely on others; I will work hard on my own."
Shao Qingge smiled and patted Xiao Ye's head: "Then I'll wait until you win the singing competition, and then I'll introduce you to a record company. You won't object, will you?"
Ye Qi nodded happily: "Great! We can definitely make use of CEO Shao's connections!"
Old Mo's eyes welled up with tears as he murmured, "If I could go back three years, I definitely wouldn't just focus on work; I would spend more time with my daughter."
Liu Qiao said, " Uncle Mo, I'll go see your daughter then. Maybe we can even become classmates in the future."
Everyone turned to look at Chu Huaying, and Lu Jiuchuan asked, " What does Huaying want to do?"
The latter said casually, "I'll go take the Taekwondo black belt exam first."
Everyone: "..."
With Sister Ying's fighting skills, no one in reality would dare to bully her.
This was the most relaxed conversation they had had since the team was formed.
The King and Queen in the sky gradually blurred, and countless cards flew past them like a fast-forwarded movie— bloody maple leaf, financial crisis, express train, card game, Turmoil of War, Lantern Festival, Zerg room, entertainment industry... to the final four-in-one death ward, interstellar clone, and Ghost City maze.
Each card represents a vivid memory.
These cards have all been destroyed, but the memories will remain deep in my mind.
They unexpectedly arrived in Card World, living in constant fear and facing life and death at any moment—fortunately, they met so many friends and walked this tortuous and difficult road together.
After enduring the final darkness, the dawn has finally broken.
As they were about to return to the past, Xiao Lou gathered everyone together again and said with a smile, "This time, we won't agree on any secret codes. Everyone, please leave a contact number from the real world."
Ye Qi said, "My phone number is 1386975XXXX!"
Shao Qingge laughed and said, "I've already told everyone this before, I'll say it again..."
Lu Jiuchuan said, "Remember this, it's not convenient to contact people with personal cell phones in the military, you can email me..."
Having gone through life and death together, we share a deep bond. Back in reality, it's natural to stay in touch.
Life is finally back on track.
Strive to achieve the dreams that have not yet come true.
Those who want to be together will never miss out again.
Sunrise and sunset, day and night constantly alternate. The real world doesn't have so many twists and turns, or thrills and excitements. The sky isn't divided in two. There are no Hunters or Challengers. All there is is the mundane routine of daily life, working from nine to five.
However, being able to spend this time with loved ones
Even the most ordinary days of life seem incredibly precious.
Xiao Lou looked up at the sky.
The faces of the two kings vanished completely, and all the cards shattered into fragments before my eyes, as if it were a dream.
When he opened his eyes again, he saw the familiar school office building.
Xiao Lou immediately picked up her phone and dialed Yu Hanjiang's number.
A deep, warm male voice sounded in her ear: " Xiao Lou."
Xiao Lou asked, "How did you know it was me?"
Yu Hanjiang said, "I memorized your phone number and was just about to call you."
This time, they all have memories.
No Telepathic Connection They still use cards, but their Telepathic Connection no longer requires cards.
The environment around them is the most familiar real world; colleagues and relatives will no longer try to kill them.
Xiao Lou breathed a sigh of relief, a long-lost, relaxed smile appearing on his lips: " Hanjiang, we're back."
[End of main text]