At one in the morning, just as everyone was about to go to sleep, countless green eyes suddenly appeared around them, staring at them without blinking. Xiao Lou's back stiffened, and he asked softly, "Are they wolves?"
Ye Qi immediately jumped up, cursed "Fuck!", grabbed the guitar with both hands, and went into battle mode.
Yu Hanjiang whispered, "Don't move. There's a fire here; they won't dare come any closer."
Although wolves are afraid of fire, what if the fire goes out? If so many wolves pounce on them all, they might be torn to pieces, just like the two Challengers who were driven out of the village on the first day, their flesh eaten away and only bones left.
The thought of the two Challenger skeletons they had encountered on the road made everyone turn pale.
Just then, it suddenly started raining. Xiao Lou quickly said, "Protect the charcoal fire!"
However, the torrential rain poured down, and before anyone could protect them, all the charcoal fires and torches were instantly extinguished by the rain. Seeing the fires out, the wolves slowly advanced and surrounded them, quickly trapping them completely.
Yu Hanjiang shouted sternly, "Everyone, step back! Get back into the trees!"
The tree was very thick and had lush foliage. Upon hearing this, Liu Qiao immediately leaped up into the tree, and the long-legged woman also nimbly climbed up. The two of them helped each other up in the tree, pulling all the other Challengers up as well.
Yu Hanjiang protected Xiao Lou as they retreated to the side of a tree, and whispered, "Everyone, let's work together and take down these wolves."
Everyone was stunned, especially the couple. Their first reaction to encountering wolves in the mountains was to run away, but they never expected this person to actually fight the wolf pack head-on!
Old Qi nodded first and said, "Those who came from Diamond 4 all have Balance, right? One Balance card controls the pack for 5 minutes. If everyone uses it separately, we can control the wolf pack to death."
Yu Hanjiang quickly assigned tasks: " Old Qi, you go first."
Old Qi reacted quickly. Seeing the wolves surrounding the tree, he immediately threw out a Balance card, freezing a large number of wolves in place. Yu Hanjiang said, "Xiao Ye!"
Ye Qi understood and quickly played the guitar, putting the entire wolf pack to sleep.
Yu Hanjiang dashed forward, wielding a Fruit Knife, and swiftly stabbed the wolves!
In an instant, blood splattered everywhere!
Yu Hanjiang moved alone among the sleeping wolves. A ruthless glint appeared in the man's eyes. He killed eight wolves in a row, as if cutting vegetables, using the brief period of sedation to control them. His moves were fast, ruthless, and accurate!
The people in the tree watched this scene with trepidation.
The man was agile and charged into the wolf pack all by himself, without showing the slightest fear on his face!
Ye Qi's sedation effect wore off quickly, and the wolf pack awoke to find their companions badly wounded. A man was hacking and slashing at the wolves with a knife, enraging the remaining wolves, who howled at Yu Hanjiang, as if they wanted to pounce on him and tear him to pieces!
Two wolves happened to be in the gap of the Balance scale and were not frozen in place. After the two wolves woke up, they suddenly pounced on Yu Hanjiang. Xiao Lou's heart almost stopped, and he subconsciously shouted, "Watch out!"
Without hesitation, he threw out another Balance card, which accurately froze the two wolves as well.
They were only a little over a meter away from Yu Hanjiang, their green eyes coldly staring at him, their mouths wide open revealing sharp teeth. If Xiao Lou hadn't reacted quickly enough, Yu Hanjiang might have been bitten by the two wolves.
Yu Hanjiang turned to look at Xiao Lou in the tree, gave him a reassuring look, and then said, "We have attack cards and control cards, what are we waiting for? Let's get moving!"
The stunned crowd finally snapped out of their daze and took out their cards to assist Yu Hanjiang. Several brave young men also climbed down from the tree and joined the battle.
Although the wolf pack is fierce, it is no match for the Challengers ' various cards that control them.
In the blink of an eye, most of the wolves were killed or wounded. The area under the tree was a mess, with wolf carcasses everywhere. The blood of the wolves stained the grass red under the rain, a shocking sight.
The long-legged woman sat in the tree, staring blankly at the corpse on the ground, muttering, "She actually... killed the wolf?"
She and her boyfriend were desperately fleeing for their lives in the mountains, hiding for an entire day. Then this man miraculously wiped out the entire wolf pack. Looking at Yu Hanjiang, standing in the rain covered in blood, a chill ran down her spine—this man's gaze was icy, his body radiating murderous intent, his eyes holding a resolute determination to kill anyone who stood in his way. She had no doubt that if anyone dared to lay a hand on him or his friends, he would deal with them swiftly and decisively.
Fortunately, she had formed a temporary alliance with them, instead of being on the opposing side. The woman patted her chest and let out a soft breath.
Under the tree, Masked Man looked at Yu Hanjiang with admiration and said, "Brother, you're really skilled. You must have trained, right?"
Yu Hanjiang gave a faint "hmm".
Old Qi jumped down from the tree and asked, "What should we do with the wolf carcasses?"
Yu Hanjiang's gaze swept over everyone, finally settling on Xiao Lou's face.
The man, who had been exuding hostility just moments before, softened his gaze as he looked at Xiao Lou. He asked in a low voice, "Is anyone interested in eating wolf meat? These wolves can serve as our food for the next two days."
Everyone: "......"
The man who had been so scared that he climbed a tree and turned the color of the tree trunk suddenly poked his head out and complained, "Damn it! I was afraid the wolves would eat me, and now you guys want to eat the wolves?"
All eyes turned to Yu Hanjiang with complex emotions, thinking to themselves, "A master's way of thinking is just different."
Yu Hanjiang said, "In reality, we can't eat wolves because they are endangered protected animals, and hunting them is illegal. But in Secret Room World, we don't have to worry about that. Of course, we can eat the wolves in the mountains. These wolves are coming to us, so we don't have to go out hunting for the next two days."
After he finished speaking, he picked up the carcass of a wolf and went to the tree.
Xiao Lou jumped down from the tree and asked worriedly, "Are you alright? You're covered in blood."
Yu Hanjiang shook his head: "It's alright, it's all wolf blood."
Xiao Lou was relieved. He glanced at the wolf on the ground and asked softly, "Are you really planning to roast wolf meat for the next two days?"
Yu Hanjiang asked, "Would you like to give it a try?"
Xiao Lou nodded: "Yes, I've never eaten wolf meat before."
The crowd: "..."
Who the hell has ever eaten wolf meat?!
Following these two is really exciting.
The Challengers, who had almost wet their pants in fright, scrambled down from the tree. Ye Qi exclaimed excitedly, "Roasted wolf meat, that's so cool! I never dreamed that one day I would encounter a wolf, and instead of being eaten by it, I would be the one eating it, hahaha!"
He made everyone laugh, and their tense expressions vanished.
The couple, who only knew how to run for their lives when encountering a pack of wolves, exchanged a glance—at that moment, they finally understood what the smiling man meant by "winning without effort."
Following the expert is so easy, the entire wolf pack was wiped out...
***
Over the next two days, Xiao Lou clearly noticed that this group of Challengers were completely obedient to Yu Hanjiang, and their eyes were full of admiration.
Yu Hanjiang single-handedly wiped out a wolf pack, proving his fighting prowess. No one dared to mess with him. The group ate roasted wolf meat with him. Although the taste was a bit strange, one couldn't expect too much in the wild. Fearing that Xiao Lou wouldn't be used to the food, Yu Hanjiang also went into the mountains during the day to hunt some pheasants and rabbits so they could eat wild fruits when thirsty.
On the fourth day, only 5 Challengers remained in Liuxi Village, indicating that some had been eliminated in the infighting.
In contrast, the twelve Challengers outside the village get along well.
After the wolf pack was wiped out, no wild animals bothered them anymore. They lived like they were on a wilderness vacation, sleeping against the trees at night and hunting wild game and gathering wild fruits during the day. They lived a very comfortable life.
The fifth day arrived in the blink of an eye, and a notification flashed across everyone's pop-up window—
Liuxi Village, Day 5, 24:00.
Number of gems remaining in the village: 0.
Number of Challengers remaining in the village: 3.
The original eight people have been reduced to only three, which shows how fierce the struggle among the Challengers in the village has been these past two days. They may have thought that the gems were in the possession of some of them, and they have begun to suspect each other and fight each other frantically. Xiao Lou is right, these Challengers who lose their minds under tension are more terrifying than wild beasts.
At 24:00, all card skills will be refreshed.
Yu Hanjiang gathered everyone together to assign tasks. He took out a map of Liuxi Village and quickly drew the route for the Three of a Kind. He said crisply, " Old Qi, you four form Team 1 and go around to Granny Sun's house from the southeast of the village; we four form Team 2 and go to Old Lady Qin's house from the northeast."
He glanced at the entire area and looked at the man who could change color, saying, "You have the ability to change color, so you won't be easily spotted if you stick to the wall. You follow along with our Xiao Liu, and the two of you will form a reconnaissance team to go into the village first to scout. We'll take action after we've confirmed it's safe."
He then looked at the long-legged woman and said, "This lady stands tall, sees far, and jumps fast. She stands in the middle of the village to observe the whole situation, and jumps over to report any unexpected events. The masked gentleman, please go to Liu Hui's house. Her due date is approaching, and I'm worried something might happen to her. Please keep an eye on her house at all times."
Hearing him quickly arrange the division of labor, the long-legged woman said admiringly, "Brother, what do you do in the real world? You're so skilled and your command is so efficient."
Yu Hanjiang calmly said, "Police."
Everyone: "..."
No wonder he planned the operation so professionally—Team 1, Team 2, the investigation team, the liaison officer—everything was meticulously planned, just like a police station making a sweep to catch a criminal. The woman couldn't help but give him a thumbs up: " Officer Han, thanks to you, it looks like we're really going to win without lifting a finger!"
Someone nearby ran over and said, " Officer Han, it's so nice to meet you! Let's be friends when we go to the main city!"
Yu Hanjiang said, "Cooperation leads to win-win results. I hope everyone will keep things on track tonight."
Everyone nodded in agreement.
Seeing Captain Yu surrounded by everyone, Xiao Lou couldn't help but smile, feeling a strange sense of pride— Captain Yu is indeed amazing, but unfortunately, we've already secured him; we've signed the contract, and you can't take him away.
***
Liuxi Village, 24:10.
Flying Liu Qiao and the color-changing man led the way to scout the village. The two circled Liuxi Village in 10 minutes and quickly reported their findings: the village was quiet and everything was normal. The remaining three Challengers were all seriously injured and hiding on the western mountain.
At 24:20, Yu Hanjiang waved his hand: "Action!"
Old Qi and his three colleagues quickly made their way to Granny Sun's house, while Yu Hanjiang and his group of four went to Old Mrs. Qin's house. Masked Man followed instructions and arrived at the door of Liu Hui's house, where she was about to give birth. The long-legged woman was in the middle of the village, responsible for information sharing between the various groups. Liu Qiao and the color-changing man continued to scout the village.
At Grandma Qin's house.
The human bones in the rice wine jar are still there, their stark white bones gleaming eerily in the moonlight.
Yu Hanjiang lifted the rice wine jar, poured out all the human bones and wine, and then put the wolf bones back in.
They replaced the water with clean water and sprinkled some dust on it, making the water just as murky as before.
On the surface, the jar still looks like it's filled with bones. As long as Grandma Qin doesn't take the bones out to examine them closely, she won't notice that the bones have been switched.
The four quickly changed the rice wine and were about to come out when the long-legged woman jumped to the door and said, "Oh no! Liu Hui suddenly had a stomachache in the middle of the night and might be going into labor!"
***
Granny Sun's house.
The old lady usually stays up late, brewing medicine until two or three in the morning, but tonight she unusually went to bed early. Her courtyard was very quiet. Old Qi and the other three sneaked into the kitchen, just about to pour all the medicine out of her medicine pot, when Liu Qiao flew down from the tree and said, " Liu Hui is suddenly going into labor, and Xiao Qing is coming this way. Hurry up!"
The four women's expressions changed, and they quickly and efficiently took the medicine away. Before they could even leave, Xiao Qing pounded on Granny Sun's door and cried out, "Grandma, Aunt Hui is suddenly having stomach pains and might be going into labor. Please come and check on her!"
Granny Sun was woken up and said while getting dressed, "Okay, Xiao Qing, go to the kitchen and get my toolbox."
The four people still in the kitchen paled instantly. Curly-haired Woman said, "Should we knock her out before we run?"
Old Qi frowned: "Don't alert her yet, she can see."
The four quickly hid behind the firewood in the corner of the kitchen. Xiao Qing entered the kitchen, picked up a wooden medicine box from the stove, took two steps, suddenly stopped, and turned back to give a cold look in the direction of the firewood.
The four people's hearts were pounding, but the girl did nothing and turned away.
Old Qi breathed a sigh of relief. After Xiao Qing and Granny Sun left, the four of them came out of the house.
At the same time, Xiao Lou and his three companions managed to subdue the Tibetan Mastiff in order to carry out their mission, but Lin Er suddenly started banging on the door frantically: " Aunt Qin, Aunt Qin! My wife is about to give birth!"
The sleeping Tibetan Mastiff was awakened and immediately roared towards the kitchen!
As Grandma Qin walked out towards the kitchen, Yu Hanjiang decisively said, "Let's go."
Xiao Lou had already opened Peach Blossom Spring on the east side of the village. Upon hearing Captain Yu's command, they immediately teleported together, the four of them instantly returning to Peach Blossom Spring. Grandma Qin entered the kitchen, but seeing no one, she checked the rice wine, finding nothing amiss, before turning and following Lin Er.
Inside Peach Blossom Spring, Yu Hanjiang praised, " Professor Xiao is so thoughtful, coming up with the idea of replacing human bones with wolf bones. The rice wine looks the same as before, and you can't see much difference in the darkness."
Xiao Lou smiled slightly and said, "We've managed to keep Grandma Qin in the dark for now, but Liu Hui and those two old women might try to harm the newborn. We need to go check on them as soon as possible."
Yu Hanjiang said, "Let's go."
The four of them left Peach Blossom Spring and headed to Liu Hui's house together.
The Challengers met in the middle of the village, and Old Qi and the others also arrived. Yu Hanjiang whispered, " Liu Hui is not in good health, and the childbirth may not go smoothly. If there are any Invisibility Cloaks here, please raise your hands."
Everyone raised their hands, and he roughly counted them, saying, "Ten. We'll take turns using the Invisibility Cloak to go into Huihui's yard and keep an eye on that color-changing gentleman. How long can your color-changing last?"
The man poked his head out and said, "If you only change color to disguise yourself, it can last for two hours, but you can't move."
Yu Hanjiang said, "Then you should listen to the sounds in the yard while you're pressed against the wall. Notify us immediately after the baby is born. When it's almost time for the baby to be born, come out and let someone else go in." He looked at Liu Qiao and the long-legged woman and said, "Thank you both for relaying the message. We can't go to Liu Hui's house together for the time being, as it might alert Villager and disrupt our plans."
Yu Hanjiang has already established his authority within the Challenger group, and given that he is a police officer, everyone listens to him.
Liu Qiao, the long-legged woman, and the Chameleon man went ahead. Yu Hanjiang leaned close to Ye Qi's ear and whispered, " Send the eavesdropping device over there."
Ye Qi nodded, teleported to catch up, stopped about 100 meters away, and threw the eavesdropping device into Liu Hui's house.
Liu Hui suddenly went into labor in the middle of the night, alarming many people. In addition to Granny Sun, Xiao Qing, and Old Mrs. Qin, all the neighbors rushed over to see what was happening, and the house was crowded with people. Liu Qiao and the long-legged woman hid in a big tree outside the house, while the chameleon man observed from behind the wall.
Inside the house, Liu Hui's painful cries echoed continuously. Her health wasn't good, and this delivery was indeed not going smoothly. Several women waiting in the courtyard anxiously discussed, " Won't Huihui have a difficult labor?" " Xiao Qing's mother died in childbirth. Poor Xiao Qing lost her mother at such a young age. Luckily, Granny Sun kindly raised her." "Don't jinx it. Huihui will be fine. She has a weak constitution, but she's been recuperating and exercising..."
Listening to the discussions through the eavesdropping device, Yu Hanjiang suddenly frowned and whispered in Xiao Lou's ear, "We overlooked a key point: Xiao Qing's name is very similar to Granny Sun's daughter, Yue Qing. She grew up without a mother and was raised by Granny Sun. Could it be that Granny Sun named her Xiao Qing... in memory of his daughter?"
Xiao Lou's eyes lit up, and she said, "Moreover, Granny Sun also passed on her medical skills to her. Maybe this Xiao Qing is Granny Sun's spiritual support all these years. She treats Xiao Qing like a daughter, so she couldn't bear to poison this girl and blind her?"
Village Chief Liu the Fourth wasn't blind; he'd just been good at disguising himself since childhood. Granny Sun hadn't had much contact with him, so she overlooked it.
However, Xiao Qing was always by Granny Sun's side. How could someone as shrewd as Granny Sun not see that she wasn't blind? Especially the way she knocked over the medicine jar was too obvious. It was impossible for Granny Sun not to notice.
There's only one explanation— Granny Sun knew all along that Xiao Qing wasn't blind.
If Xiao Lou and Yu Hanjiang's deductions are correct, then she may have really raised Xiao Qing as her daughter. After raising her for so many years, she developed feelings for her and couldn't bear to blind the girl.
This shows that Granny Sun is not entirely inhuman.
Xiao Lou asked doubtfully, "Is she really going to massacre the entire village tomorrow?"
Yu Hanjiang frowned. Granny Sun's plan to massacre the village was just their speculation. After all, Granny Sun had said she would "settle things on the anniversary of her daughter's death." However, how exactly she intended to settle things was still uncertain.
Just then, Liu Qiao suddenly flew over and said, " Chameleon time has come!"
Yu Hanjiang looked at Old Qi and gestured for them to come over.
The Challengers took turns waiting in the courtyard for Liu Hui to give birth.
It wasn't until 4:00 AM, after the Challengers had gone through three rounds and the eavesdropping device had stopped working, that Liu Qiao finally flew over and said, "The baby's been born!"
The sound of crying broke the silence of the night. Xiao Lou and Yu Hanjiang exchanged a glance and immediately put on their cloaks and entered Liu Hui's house.
Liu Hui was pale and had fainted. Lin Er waited anxiously at the door. Granny Sun came out carrying the baby, whose cries were weak and who looked like she was about to cry herself to death. Granny Sun handed the baby to Lin Er: "It's a girl. Mother and daughter are safe."
Xiao Lou, wearing an Invisibility Cloak, went over to take a look.
The baby gradually stopped crying in her father's arms. Lin Er excitedly reached out and gently took her daughter's little hand. Upon feeling the touch, the baby's palm reflexively gripped Lin Er's fingers, which was incredibly cute.
Granny Sun took out a candle and brought it close to her. The baby's pupils shrank immediately when the light shone on them.
Xiao Lou was taken aback—this child's pupillary reflex was normal.
She can see it too.