After leaving the underground casino, Xiao Lou found a public phone booth nearby, took out a business card from his pocket, and called Mo Xuemin: "Mo, this is the Challenger from the Intelligence Bureau who consulted you at the train station. We're looking for a hotel to stay in temporarily. Do you have any budget-friendly recommendations?" He added, "Can we transfer the consultation fee to you?"
Mo Xuemin's enthusiastic voice came from beside me: "Sure, sure! How many days are you planning to stay?"
Xiao Lou said, "Let's stay for a week first, and then we'll figure out how to rent a place later."
Mo Xuemin thought for a moment and said, "Then take a taxi to Qingtang District. This area is the suburbs of Moon City, and the hotel prices are cheap. I recommend the New World Resort Hotel. The environment is nice, and a deluxe double room costs only 15,000 gold coins a night. I'm staying here. Don't worry, the security here is strict, so it's quite safe!"
15,000 gold coins is about 150 RMB, which is indeed quite cheap.
Xiao Lou smiled and said, "Thank you, Lao Mo."
Mo Xuemin said, "If you have any questions after you arrive, you can come to me. I was just about to go back."
Xiao Lou said, "Okay, which room do you want to stay in? I'll pay you the consultation fee later."
Old Mo said, "I live in 507, see you later!"
After hanging up the phone, Shao Qingge asked in confusion, " Why did Professor Xiao consult this person?"
Xiao Lou said, "I met a senior at the train station who makes money by selling daily news. He seems very honest. I'll ask him first, so that no one else might accidentally end up staying in a shady hotel."
Ye Qi said warily, "Met at the train station? Could they be scammers?!" He used to be scared every time he got off the train, as some elderly men and women would pull him aside and ask, "Young man, need a place to stay?" He always felt like he was being scammed.
Xiao Lou said, "Whether it's a scam or not, we'll find out by asking a few more locals." He glanced at a nearby fruit shop, went over and bought some fruit. While paying, he casually asked the fruit seller, "Excuse me, do you know how to get to Qingtang District?"
While packing the fruit, the shop assistant smiled and said, "Sir, are you from out of town? Qingtang District is east of Moon City. You are currently in the west of the city. If you take a taxi on the highway, it will take about an hour to get there."
Xiao Lou asked, "Are there a lot of people from other places over there?"
The salesperson said, "Yes, in the entire Moon City, the eastern suburbs have the cheapest housing prices."
Xiao Lou thanked her and came out carrying the fruit.
Shao Qingge suggested, "You haven't eaten yet, have you? Why don't you grab something to eat first before looking for a place to stay?"
Xiao Lou was indeed a bit hungry, so the group found a fast food restaurant by the roadside and each ordered a set meal. While eating, they asked the staff about Qingtang District. They were told that it was a suburb with many people from other places, so it was clear that Lao Mo's information was correct.
Since a taxi can only carry a maximum of four people, the five of them had to hail two taxis to go to Qingtang District together. Xiao Lou, Yu Hanjiang, and CEO Shao rode in one car, while Ye Qi and Liu Qiao followed closely behind.
The taxi driver was a chatterbox. When he heard that everyone was going to Qingtang District, he chatted with Xiao Lou about Qingtang District. He also recommended Qingtang Pedestrian Street, saying that there were many cheap barbecue places there. He also talked about several must-visit attractions and shopping centers for tourists.
Xiao Lou suddenly had the same feeling as when he met a kind driver while traveling in an unfamiliar city. He smiled and said, "Thank you, sir. Please take us to the New World Resort Hotel."
The taxi stopped near the hotel. Seeing that Ye Qi and Liu Qiao hadn't gotten out yet, Shao Qingge leaned close to Xiao Lou's ear and whispered, " Professor Xiao, are you planning to take Liu Qiao in?"
"Well, she lost all her coins in Plum Blossom 4. We'll mentor her for a while." Xiao Lou paused, then turned to CEO Shao and asked, "If she wants to join our team, is CEO Shao willing to accept her?"
Shao Qingge shrugged: "As long as she doesn't hold us back, I have no objection to adding another girl."
Xiao Lou said, "She shouldn't be a hindrance. Liu Qiao is smart and cautious, and she already has three S cards: one [ Twin ] which can copy anyone, one [ Little Red Riding Hood ], and she also drew a [ Poison Queen ] in Plum Blossom 4. She's quite strong."
Shao Qingge was somewhat surprised to hear this: "Really? She only drew fairy tale cards?"
Xiao Lou said, "Maybe she's destined for fairy tale cards. I drew historical figures, while Captain Yu drew a bunch of weapons."
Shao Qingge rubbed his nose and sighed, "So, it seems I'm the worst in the team? At least Ye Qi has a few instrument control cards, but I haven't drawn any useful cards."
Yu Hanjiang casually interjected, "It's enough that you know how to make money."
Shao Qingge: "..."
Okay, then he'll just be responsible for making money and getting by effortlessly.
At this moment, Ye Qi and Liu Qiao's taxi arrived. The two got out and walked up to Xiao Lou, who smiled and said, "Everyone's here. Let's go to the hotel to check in."
The New World Hotel is over twenty stories high, and there are two large trees at the entrance. Their tall canopies intertwine and form a beautiful natural shade. After walking through the long corridor into the lobby, Xiao Lou's eyes lit up.
The hall, with a ceiling height of over 6 meters, looked extremely spacious and grand. Many lush green vines hung down from the ceiling, with small white and blue flowers scattered on them, making the whole hall look like a romantic wedding venue.
The lights inside were all enveloped by leaves, and the soft light filtered through the gaps in the leaves, adding a touch of warmth to the place.
There were no sofas in the lobby lounge area, only...
The wooden chair exudes a natural, fresh scent of herbs and trees, a fragrance far superior to the cheap perfumes found in many hotels.
The hotel clock struck 11 p.m.
Xiao Lou led everyone to the front desk: "Do you have any rooms available? Please give us three double rooms."
The receptionist, a young woman with exquisite makeup, smiled slightly upon hearing this and said, "Sir, there are still rooms available. Please show your identification cards."
Identity card? A hint of doubt flashed in Xiao Lou's eyes. But then he realized what it meant, took out his card holder and looked—sure enough, after entering Moon City, there was a brand new card in his card holder.
[Identity Card]
Name: Xiao Lou
Height: 180cm
Weight: 65kg
ID Card Number: 89657741
The ID card didn't have a birthday, but it did list height and weight. I guess that's a unique feature of Card World? Xiao Lou handed over the card, and the girl smiled and asked, "How many people are in your party, and how many days will you be staying?"
Xiao Lou said, "Five people, staying for seven days."
The young woman said, "All guests are requested to hand over their ID cards for verification; this is the rule."
Upon hearing this, the others followed Xiao Lou's example and took out their ID cards from their card holders and handed them to her.
The girl took the five ID cards, processed them on the computer, and then sent them three room cards, saying, "Three double rooms, for a seven-day stay, room numbers are 311, 312, and 313, total price 315,000 gold coins, how do you wish to pay?"
Shao Qingge asked from the side, "Does it have to be paid in cash?"
The receptionist said, "Sir, you can also swipe your ID card directly."
Shao Qingge didn't have much cash on him, and he breathed a sigh of relief when he heard this: "Then swipe my ID card, I should have money in my card."
"Okay." The receptionist entered the amount on the POS machine, and a mechanical voice sounded in her ear: "Please verify your fingerprint." Shao Qingge placed his index finger on it, and the mechanical voice said: "Verification successful, 315,000 gold coins deducted."
Sure enough, the money he earned in other escape rooms was automatically linked to his identity card.
The receptionist handed them three room keys and ID cards, smiling as he said, "It's all taken care of. There's free mineral water in the room. Your rooms are on the third floor. Please keep your ID cards and room keys safe."
The five people took back their cards and went up to the third floor.
The third floor is a circular corridor with ten rooms in each corridor. The hotel has a hollow structure in the middle, with a large tree that grows all the way to the roof. Some pretty little lights are hung on the branches of the tree, making the scene extremely dreamy.
It's hard to imagine that the house price in such a beautiful place is only 150 yuan per day.
Liu Qiao said softly, " CEO Shao, I'll pay you back for the hotel fees these past few days when I have the money." Liu Qiao was very grateful that these people were willing to take her in when she was penniless, and of course she felt embarrassed to take advantage of them.
Shao Qingge smiled and said, "No need to pay me back, consider it my treat. We have plenty of money, and we'll have even more after selling the bracelet, so this little bit is nothing." He was always generous with money, and he felt embarrassed to ask Liu Qiao for her accommodation fee.
Xiao Lou asked Liu Qiao, "Which room are you staying in?"
Liu Qiao said, "Whatever."
Xiao Lou glanced at the three rooms side by side and said, "The girls should stay in the middle room, 312, it'll be safer."
Just then, footsteps came from the other end of the corridor, and a couple walked over hand in hand.
Yu Hanjiang suddenly said, "Everyone, please come into room 311. I have something to discuss with you."
Xiao Lou quickly took out her access card, opened the door, and went inside.
The room was quite large and spotless, with two neatly made wooden beds covered in clean white sheets and wooden floors underfoot.
Next to the floor-to-ceiling window are two rattan chairs and a light-colored wooden coffee table that looks like a tree stump— all the buildings in Moon City have this "fresh and clean" style.
There's an LCD TV in the room, and a desktop computer with broadband internet access on the table.
In the real world, these conditions would also result in a highly rated guesthouse.
All five were satisfied with the hotel environment and found a place to sit down.
Yu Hanjiang then whispered, " CEO Shao, Xiao Ye, have you heard of the 'World Weekly Routine '?"
Shao Qingge and Ye Qi exchanged a glance, both looking bewildered: "World Weekly Routine?"
Yu Hanjiang explained, "When we got off the plane, we were picked up by a Challenger guild and met their guild leader. He told us that after entering the main city, Challengers not only have to continue their adventures, but they also have to participate in the World Weekly Routine every weekend."
Ye Qi was taken aback for a moment, but quickly realized: "Is it like the Weekly Routine in the game? Is participation mandatory here?"
Yu Hanjiang nodded seriously: "It is said that all Challengers are forcibly sucked into the Weekly Routine's Secret Room World, and the Weekly Secret Chamber is random, possibly generated from hearts, spade, diamonds, or plum blossoms. The Weekly Routine missions are not directly related to the 54 cards on the card wall; they are separate secret rooms. It is said that many Challengers disappear after the weekend and never return."
Hearing this, Shao Qingge couldn't help but frown slightly: " A Weekly Routine involving a large number of Challengers, if it's a spade- like escape room, it would definitely be brutal. Just thinking about Challengers killing each other is terrifying."
Yu Hanjiang said, "That's why I wanted to discuss with you how to deal with this. If we don't gather clues and recruit strong teammates as soon as possible, we might not even be able to get to the subsequent card rooms, let alone complete this weekend's Weekly Routine."
Shao Qingge looked at Xiao Lou with suspicion: "What's going on with the big guild? The guild that you're looking for..."
Are you inviting me to join?
Xiao Lou said, "Yes, Distant Place Association. Their management saw the world announcement that Captain Yu and I broke the heart room record, so they sent someone to pick us up at the airport, trying to recruit us. But at that time we hadn't found you and Ye Qi yet, and secondly, we didn't know enough about this association, so we didn't dare to agree rashly."
Ye Qi agreed, "Yes, once you join one of these large guilds, your interests become intertwined. Their enemies will become our enemies, just like the large guilds in the game. It's actually quite complicated!"
Shao Qingge frowned and said, "Personally, I prefer more freedom. Large guilds have a lot of power and rules and regulations, and there might be infighting among them... Xiao Ye is right. We shouldn't join this guild rashly before we investigate whether there are any hostile forces. Once we join, we'll offend a lot of people if we want to leave later."
Xiao Lou said, "That's right, we're not in a hurry to make a decision. Let's wait until the weekend's weekly routine is over before we talk about it."
Ye Qi asked curiously, "Besides the Distant Place Association, are there any other Challenger organizations?"
Xiao Lou said, "There's also a large guild called Eternal Kingdom. They only aim to complete the Weekly Routine and don't want to challenge the subsequent secret rooms. They want to settle down in Card World. Another one is Luoying Pavilion, which only accepts female players. So far, all I know is that their leader is very powerful. I don't know anything else. There should be some smaller teams as well."
Ye Qi said, "If we consider this world as a game, then the Faraway Kingdom, Eternal Kingdom, and Luoying Pavilion that Professor Xiao mentioned are all large player guilds. The other smaller groups should be groups of friends or family of a dozen or so people, right?"
Xiao Lou nodded: "That's one way to understand it."
Ye Qi said, "My personal opinion is that we should form our own small team. Fewer people are easier to manage and more likely to unite us. Big guilds are too complicated. I've been screwed over by big guilds countless times when I played games..."
Xiao Lou said with a smile, " Gui Yuanzhang, the president of Distant Place Association, is a famous calligrapher. I've heard he's a good person and probably wouldn't deliberately try to cheat us. However, Xiao Ye's concerns are also valid. Large guilds are very complex. If we have any conflicts with guild members in the future, or encounter hostile forces within the guild, it will be quite difficult to handle."
Yu Hanjiang nodded: "It's better to be free. We can make our own decisions. However, I need to confirm everyone's thoughts again." His gaze swept over Liu Qiao, Shao Qingge, and Ye Qi, and he asked: "The three of you, Professor Xiao and I have already agreed to go back. What about you? Do you want to stay in Moon City and live here, or do you have to return to the real world?"
Liu Qiao spoke first: "I must go back."
Yu Hanjiang looked at her: "Reason?"
Liu Qiao's gaze was unwavering: "My sister is here too. If we both died in that car accident, what would our parents do? My parents are ordinary workers who have worked so hard for so many years to raise us and get into university. I can't abandon them." Liu Qiao took a deep breath and said, "Not only do I want to go back myself, but if I can find my sister, I also want to bring her back with me."
Yu Hanjiang nodded and looked at Ye Qi.
Ye Qi scratched the back of his head and said somewhat embarrassedly, "I also want to go back. Actually, in the real world, I participated in a singing competition and even made it to the finals. My dream is to become a singer who can hold concerts all over the country. Although I am still far from that goal, I have been learning vocal music and various musical instruments since I was a child. My parents spent a lot of money to let me learn musical instruments, so I can't just give up like this."
Liu Qiao paused for a moment, then suddenly asked, "Are you Ye Qi, the one who participated in 'Chinese Singer' and made it to the finals? Ye Qi seems to be proficient in several instruments such as piano, guitar, and flute. No wonder you look familiar to me."
Ye Qi was so proud to be recognized that he turned to look at her excitedly: "You've seen this show?!"
Liu Qiao nodded and said, "I watched a few episodes during the holiday. You sang well in the episode where it was the top 10 to top 6, and you scored in the top three. If you keep going, you might win an award. I remember after that competition, your Weibo followers increased to hundreds of thousands, right? You were quite popular."
Ye Qi blushed and said seriously, "I was actually very confident of winning the award, but unfortunately I was in a car accident on my way to the recording studio."
Yu Hanjiang never watches variety shows, Xiao Lou rarely watches them, and Shao Qingge is too busy making money to watch them.
None of the three expected that Ye Qi was actually a minor celebrity with hundreds of thousands of fans.
"Did you make it to the finals of the singing competition? " Shao Qingge smiled and looked him up and down, saying, "It seems you have the potential to be a star. Making it to the finals means your singing skills are pretty good, and you're... well, you're good-looking too."
Ye Qi's eyes lit up at the praise, and he scratched his head shyly: "Hehe, so I definitely have to go back. Maybe in the future, I'll become a singer and I can really hold a concert tour."
Shao Qingge said, "Save me a ticket when the time comes, I'll come and support you."
Ye Qi nodded vigorously: "That's for sure!"
Xiao Lou noticed that Shao Qingge was talking to Ye Qi, and couldn't help but smile and ask, " Where's CEO Shao? Are you also insisting on going back?"
Whether it was a misperception or not, upon hearing this question, a sharp glint flashed in Shao Qingge's eyes. He suppressed his smile and said calmly, "Of course, I don't want to die without knowing why."
Xiao Lou was taken aback: "What? You had an accident... wasn't it an accident?"
Shao Qingge said coldly, "I was hit by a car. It was an intersection, and I was waiting for the red light when suddenly a large truck making a left turn at the intersection came from the side and drove against traffic, hitting me. I couldn't avoid it in time and was killed. The day before the accident, I had a conflict with my two partners, and I decided to fire them and take over..."
"Restore their real power; a shareholders' meeting will be held in a few days to discuss this matter..."
Shao Qingge paused, then turned to look at Yu Hanjiang: " Captain Yu, you're a police officer, do you think this is just a coincidence?"
Yu Hanjiang frowned: "If the truck's brakes failed, it should have hit the roadside embankment when turning left at the intersection, not come crashing into you from the wrong direction. When turning left into the oncoming lane, the driver would have to turn the steering wheel at least one more turn, which sounds more like premeditated murder." He paused and said, "Of course, this theoretical speculation cannot be used as evidence; it must be confirmed through forensic examination of evidence at the scene."
Shao Qingge said coldly, "I'm more inclined to believe that this was a murder."
His words instantly silenced the room.
Unexpectedly, the ever-smiling CEO Shao was also caught in a crisis in the real world—he was very rich, but sometimes people do crazy things for money and power. His speculation was not unfounded; those two partners might have changed their mindset and, after CEO Shao decided to fire them, harbored murderous intentions towards Shao Qingge.
Shao Qingge narrowed his eyes and said, "Whether it was an accident or murder, I must go back and find out the truth. I can't let those two bastards swallow up the company I worked so hard to build. Actually, when I first met you at Plum Blossom 2, I lied—the place where I had the accident was in the eastern suburbs of Jiangzhou City. Captain Yu is the Criminal Police Department Chief of Jiangzhou City. I wonder if he would be willing to help me with this?"
Yu Hanjiang replied without hesitation, "Of course, it's within my job responsibilities. If I can go back, I'll help you investigate."
Shao Qingge nodded: "Don't worry, I will definitely go back too."
Yu Hanjiang looked at Xiao Lou and gave him a wink.
Xiao Lou understood his thoughts perfectly and smiled as he took out the contract book, saying, "Since we all share the same goal and have known and trusted each other well enough over the long period of time, I have a suggestion. Why don't I upgrade the contract book first and you all sign in here? That way, even if we get separated temporarily, we will be able to teleport to the same world every time we enter the secret room."
Yu Hanjiang nodded: "That's right. Weekly routines generate many identical copies. If we don't sign the contract book, our weekly routines might be broken up again this weekend."
Shao Qingge and Ye Qi had already agreed to team up with Xiao Lou, so naturally they had no objections.
Only Liu Qiao remains...
Xiao Lou looked at Liu Qiao and said gently, "Xiao Liu, why don't you sign in temporarily too? If you act alone now, the Weekly Routine might teleport you to a random secret room and separate you from us. It will be very troublesome for you to clear a large Weekly Routine instance by yourself. As for your sister, we can find her slowly. If you want to leave the team after we find her, you can terminate the contract with us at any time."
After careful consideration, Liu Qiao nodded seriously.
Although she had only known these people for less than a week, her previous collaboration with them at Liuxi Village convinced her that her judgment was sound. Professor Xiao, Captain Yu, CEO Shao, and Ye Qi were all principled individuals. Working with them would significantly increase her chances of success compared to acting alone.
Xiao Lou pulled out the contract book. Upgrading from beginner to intermediate level required an additional 40,000 gold coins, and upgrading to advanced level required an additional 170,000 gold coins. When everyone first saw these conditions in Plum Blossom 2, they thought it was very expensive, but now that CEO Shao had millions of gold coins in his account, this amount was nothing.
Xiao Lou said, "I remember the advanced level is limited to 8 to 15 people. We don't have enough people, so let's upgrade to the intermediate level first."
He opened the contract book and pressed the upgrade button.
After a soft light effect, the contract book turned into a shimmering silver—congratulations to Xiao Lou for obtaining the [Intermediate Contract Book ]!
Opening the book, the terms and conditions remained unchanged, except for the addition of a signature page.
The limit on the number of participants has also been increased from 2 to 5.
Xiao Lou picked up the quill pen that came with the book, smiled, and handed it to CEO Shao: "Sign it."
Shao Qingge and Ye Qi quickly terminated their contract and switched to Xiao Lou's book.
Liu Qiao also simply signed her name on the last page.
—She had a strange premonition.
—The people in this contract book may actually be able to create a miracle and become the first team to step out of Card World.