Xiao Lou and his crew had a white silk awning on their boat, but now the white fabric was stained red with blood, and everyone was covered in blood, showing how fierce the battle had just taken place.
The nearby Challengers watched in shock. Seeing them head east through the sea littered with shark carcasses, the group snapped out of their daze and followed—they then realized they had encountered a powerful figure in the Weekly Secret Chamber, and following him might make clearing the game much easier.
On the lifeboat, Ye Qi saw the Challenger following behind and couldn't help but complain, "These guys, when we asked them for help earlier, none of them dared to step forward, but after we solved the problem, they shamelessly followed us around!"
Old Mo said, "Judging from their reactions, they are probably newcomers to the Weekly Secret Chamber for the first time."
He turned to everyone and explained, " During the Weekly Secret Chamber matchmaking, skilled players and newbies are placed in a secret room. Some skilled players can carry weaker players to victory. In this secret room, the elite team from Luoying Pavilion has already been discovered, along with two other elite teams of 15 players each. The others who are matched in are likely newbies like us who have just formed teams."
Xiao Lou was also puzzled: out of hundreds of Challengers, was there really not a single one with the courage?
After hearing Lao Mo's explanation, he realized that the people who saw the shark were crying and screaming in panic, unlike experienced players who had gone through many weekly routines. Perhaps it was the first time they had seen such a ferocious animal and they didn't know how to deal with it. Most of them were terrified, and even those who weren't terrified didn't dare to go into the water to fight the shark head-on.
Yu Hanjiang said calmly, "We are also novices. If we don't adjust our mindset as soon as possible, recognize our identity as Challengers, and overcome our fear of various beasts, we are destined not to go far in the future."
Old Mo smiled wryly and said, "Yes, today it's a shark. In future escape rooms, tigers, lions, wild bears, and venomous snakes may appear. Some fantasy escape rooms even have demons and vampires. If you only know how to run away, one day you won't be able to escape."
Everyone fell silent upon hearing this.
Everyone's first reaction was to run away, but hearing Lao Mo's words, they felt ashamed. If Yu Hanjiang hadn't stepped up at the crucial moment to boost morale and make everyone believe that humans could defeat sharks, they wouldn't have been able to create the miracle of eight people taking down dozens of sharks.
Yu Hanjiang said, "No matter how ferocious a shark is, it is still a creature without intelligence. If we can't even handle a shark, what will happen to the S-level secret chambers when they encounter Hunters who are intelligent and well-equipped? Will they just be waiting to die?"
Because his elder brother had told him about the terror of Plum Blossom J, Yu Hanjiang wanted to take this opportunity to test the team's courage.
Xiao Lou knew what he was thinking and gently comforted everyone: "This is just the beginning. In the future, each of us will get more cards and become stronger. Maybe after a while, sharks won't be anything to us anymore."
Liu Qiao suddenly asked, "Could I try to transform into a shark?"
She was sitting in the last row, and when she heard this, everyone turned to look at her.
The 18-year-old girl remained calm and asked in a tone as casual as if she were asking, "Can I eat rice?" She wanted to try the [ Twin ] card to see if it could copy an animal. Could she transform into the shark she had just seen? She looked earnestly at Yu Hanjiang, " Captain Yu, don't cut me with a knife."
Yu Hanjiang: "..."
Fortunately, Liu Qiao gave prior notice; otherwise, if Yu Hanjiang had suddenly seen a shark appear, he probably would have chopped it to pieces with a single stroke.
Xiao Lou was both amused and exasperated, realizing that this girl had a unique way of thinking. He reminded her, "After you change, you'll pop your head out of the sea and wag your tail to show that it's you."
Liu Qiao said "Oh" and disappeared. Immediately afterward, a huge shark suddenly appeared in everyone's field of vision. The shark was 6 meters long. It raised its head from under the surface of the sea, revealing a mouthful of sharp fangs, and wagged its tail at Xiao Lou.
Everyone: "..."
Ye Qi complained, " Liu Qiao, I'm never going to look you in the eye again! Change back to normal!"
Qu Wanyue rubbed her temples and asked, "Is this really Xiao Liu?"
Long Sen laughed loudly: "Our team is full of fucking geniuses!"
Mo Xuemin also laughed and said, "The shark that Xiao Liu turned into is actually kind of cute."
Suddenly, the shark in the water leaped up, jumping several times on the surface of the sea as if it had learned a Lightness Skill. Xiao Lou quickly stopped her: "Xiao Liu, stop playing around. You'll scare the other Challengers to death."
Not far away, the Challengers were collectively dumbfounded: "This shark can fly?!"
Upon hearing Professor Xiao's words, Liu Qiao immediately transformed back. She returned to her seat on the ship and said, "I was just trying to see if I could use the card [ Light as a Swallow ] while transforming."
Ye Qi looked at her strangely: "So, you just used the Lightness Skill card?"
Liu Qiao nodded: "Yes, after transforming, I can still use my own card. If I encounter a group of ferocious beasts in the future, I can transform into one of them and infiltrate them as an undercover agent."
Mo Xuemin praised, "This young lady has great ideas!"
Ye Qi was both amused and exasperated: "You'd better not become a shark and go undercover. Haven't you seen it? When sharks go crazy, they even eat their own kind!"
Xiao Lou realized that this girl was incredibly brave. No wonder she was able to walk into the Spade 4 escape room alone. Despite her slender figure, pale complexion, and seemingly weak appearance, she possessed a strength in her heart that surpassed that of some adult men.
Yu Hanjiang glanced at Liu Qiao and said
"Everyone has worked hard. Let's eat something to replenish our energy."
Qu Wanyue quickly picked up the backpack on the boat, took out biscuits, chocolate and mineral water from the bag and handed them to Yu Hanjiang. Everyone else also took some food to fill their stomachs.
Just then, a lifeboat suddenly appeared beside them. The middle-aged man on board asked nervously, "We just saw a shark jump out of the sea. Are you all alright?"
Yu Hanjiang said calmly, "It's alright, I've already chopped it up."
Liu Qiao shrank back and remained silent.
A young man next to Yu Hanjiang gave him a thumbs up: "Dude, you're awesome! You actually killed all the sharks! All the experts helped us out, could you please tell me your names?"
Yu Hanjiang said, "Just call me Old Han."
Xiao Lou smiled and said, "My name is Yunxiao, but everyone calls me Brother Xiao."
The boy excitedly clasped his hands in thanks: "Thank you, Old Han, Brother Xiao!"
A girl next to him handed over two cards, saying, "These cards should be useful to everyone, but we only have one each, so we can't give them to you directly. If you don't mind, you can take them and use them for now..."
Xiao Lou took it and looked at it.
[ Tool card: Laundry detergent]
Rarity: B
Description: Random drops in the lottery room.
Effects: In Secret Room World, it's common to be covered in mud and blood, but wearing clothes stained with blood is definitely uncomfortable. This laundry detergent is specially designed for clean Challengers, and it can immediately remove dirt from clothes, leaving you feeling refreshed.
Limitations: 500ml capacity, only 5ml is needed to clean clothes each time, so don't waste it.
[ Tool card: Dryer]
Rarity: B
Description: Random drops in the lottery room.
Usage effect: When your hair or clothes are wet, having a dryer will instantly make you feel refreshed. Note that this dryer has limited power; please do not use it to dry rivers or streams, as it is not powerful enough.
Limitations: Warranty period is 1 month. No refunds or exchanges will be provided for defects after the warranty period expires.
Xiao Lou, both amused and exasperated, handed the card to Yu Hanjiang: "It really worked."
Yu Hanjiang raised an eyebrow at the girl: " These are the cards you all drew in the lottery room in Plum Blossom 4?"
The girl was the one who had been sewing parasols for everyone and running her business. Hearing this, she laughed awkwardly, "Yeah, our team always draws life-related cards. Plum Blossom 4 jumps the square, and we got a bunch of needles and thread, laundry detergent, dryers, electric fans..."
The man next to him scratched his head sheepishly: "We wanted to help just now, but unfortunately our fighting strength was really limited."
These guys are pretty smart; they know how to make money using life-related cards, especially the girl who previously made at least a million by sewing parasols. Although their current combat strength is limited, they're quick-witted, and if they draw some attack-related cards in the future, the team's strength will naturally increase.
The [Laundry Detergent] card given by the girl was very magical. After Xiao Lou activated the card, a large bottle of laundry detergent appeared in his hand, with instructions on it: "Please apply the laundry detergent to the area that needs cleaning."
After unscrewing the cap and pressing gently, about 5ml of blue liquid will appear in your palm. Xiao Lou applies it to her body...
The blood-stained clothes actually became clean!
Xiao Lou was overjoyed and handed the laundry detergent to Yu Hanjiang. Yu Hanjiang imitated his actions and washed the clothes, and the detergent was passed down from person to person until everyone's clothes were sparkling clean.
Once activated, the [dryer] card is only the size of a laptop. It doesn't need to be plugged in; just turn it on and a blast of hot air blows towards you, drying wet clothes completely in less than 5 seconds.
Clean and crisp clothes feel incredibly comfortable to wear.
Ye Qi exclaimed, "These are high-tech home appliances!"
Xiao Lou took back the two cards, returned the card to the girl, and said with a smile, "Thank you."
The girl blushed slightly: "You're welcome. We should be the ones saying thank you. I'm so sorry, I only have one card, otherwise I would have given it to you."
Xiao Lou said, "No need to send it, it's already very kind of you to lend it to us."
The boy looked at Yu Hanjiang and said, "Dude, you're really awesome. Cutting down a shark is like chopping vegetables. Aren't you afraid at all?"
Yu Hanjiang calmly said, "Sharks have no intelligence. It's not difficult to control them with cards and kill them."
Everyone looked at Yu Hanjiang with admiration before sailing away.
Immediately afterward, another ship's Challenger came to deliver food. They had bought a lot of vacuum-packed snacks from the supermarket, including potato chips, preserved plums, and dried mangoes, and gave Xiao Lou several bags of them without hesitation.
This isn't the first time they've carried other Challengers to victory; receiving such preferential treatment has become a habit.
As dusk fell, the group stopped at a stretch of sea.
It wasn't until the early hours of the morning that a notification appeared on everyone's screen—
[ Endless Sea, Day 5, 00:00 AM]
[Number of Challengers remaining at sea: 381]
After encountering a group of sharks in the afternoon, two ships were completely wiped out by the sharks. Several other teams that disobeyed Yu Hanjiang's orders and fled in panic were also eaten by the sharks. The Challenger team was reduced from 434 to 381, with 52 people killed by the sharks.
Everyone had mixed feelings upon seeing this message.
If it weren't for " Old Han " and his team stepping up at the crucial moment, perhaps even more Challengers would have been devoured.
The Challengers who didn't participate in the shark hunt that afternoon couldn't help but reflect—this time they had a pro player carrying them to victory, but what about the future? If they can't muster the courage and overcome their psychological barriers to fight these ferocious creatures, they can't always rely on others to carry them to victory, can they?
***
At the same time, Absolute Domain.
Lu Jiuchuan stood on the sea, a smile playing on his lips. Ten meters away stood a woman, tall and slender, dressed in black, wearing a silver mask. Her high ponytail gave her a sharp and capable look. She wore knee-high leather boots, beside which hung a blood-red dagger, its blade gleaming coldly in the moonlight.
Lu Jiuchuan said, "So? Did you see the strength of their team?"
The woman's voice was calm: "If they can't even handle a bunch of clumsy sharks, they don't deserve to even enter the S-level secret chamber."
Lu Jiuchuan clicked his tongue: "You have really high standards for people."
The woman said coldly, " Yu Hanjiang is your brother, not mine. If you want me to accept his team, they have to show their true strength. I don't want to repeat the same mistake and get wiped out again at Plum Blossom J. "
Lu Jiuchuan said, "I understand, and I don't want to either."
The two stared at each other through their masks for a moment. Lu Jiuchuan's eyes held a smile, but the woman's gaze remained cold and indifferent. Just as she turned to leave, Lu Jiuchuan suddenly said, " Hua Ying, trust me one more time."
Chu Huaying stopped in her tracks without turning around: "Do you believe you can lead us through the game?"
Lu Jiuchuan said, "I know my brother. I believe that this time, he will lead us through the game."
Chu Huaying raised an eyebrow in surprise: "You mean, this time you're going to have your younger brother lead the team?" She turned around and stared coldly at Lu Jiuchuan: "If even you, a special forces captain, can't handle this situation, how can he?"
Lu Jiuchuan laughed and said, "Speaking of practical experience, my younger brother is actually much more experienced than me. You don't know, after he graduated, his father sent him to the border to work as a narcotics officer for two years. He fought wits and courage with the most vicious drug dealers, walking on the edge of a knife every day. He has a lot of scars on his body, which were left during that time. He led the team to arrest criminals every day and dealt with those thugs. He is far more skilled than me."
Chu Huaying fell silent.
Lu Jiuchuan continued, "You saw how many sharks he chopped up today, didn't you?"
The man's gaze was unwavering. After a long while, Chu Huaying nodded and said, "There's still time. Before he reaches the S-level secret chamber, I'll observe him further to confirm his ability before discussing regrouping."
Lu Jiuchuan smiled: "Okay, he won't let you down."
Chu Huaying waved her hand and turned to leave.
Just then, Absolute Domain experienced an unusual fluctuation— Yu Hanjiang, worried about his brother, entered after his card skill refreshed. He thought Lu Jiuchuan wouldn't be there, but unexpectedly, he met his brother's gaze as soon as he entered.
He paused for a moment: "Ninth Brother, you're still here?"
Lu Jiuchuan said, "My real identity is Challenger. To complete this Weekly Routine, I also need to survive at sea for seven days, so of course I can't leave this area casually." He looked at his younger brother with admiration in his eyes: "You killed dozens of sharks today, which was very good."
Yu Hanjiang was somewhat surprised: "You knew all this?"
Lu Jiuchuan smiled and said, "Actually, I've been observing you guys from nearby. Your team is indeed a bit inexperienced, but it's quite remarkable that everyone can keep up with your commands. After all, this is your first time working together, and you still need to work on your teamwork."
Yu Hanjiang nodded: "That's natural. They are all ordinary people who have never experienced bloodshed, but today they did not back down or flinch. Instead, they gritted their teeth and helped me kill the shark. I believe they will become stronger and stronger."
He paused, then asked, " The Hunter Alliance didn't give you any trouble, did they?"
Lu Jiuchuan said, "I found a master and set up a trap. Don't worry, the failure of this mission will be reasonable. The Alliance won't doubt my abilities; they'll just think that we were unlucky to encounter Spider Goddess."
Yu Hanjiang exclaimed in surprise, " Spider Goddess? Is that the boss of Luoying Pavilion?"
Lu Jiuchuan nodded: "Her name is Chu Huaying. She was the strongest of my 14 former teammates. I bound her to a contract book beforehand and brought her into the Weekly Routine world to help. She has already cut off the heads of those three Hunters, leaving special spider marks on their bodies. When the Hunter Alliance finds their bodies, they will determine that Spider Goddess was responsible, rather than that I silenced them."
Hearing this, Yu Hanjiang couldn't help but admire Ninth Brother's wit. In this way, he could not only team up with Chu Huaying to complete the Weekly Routine, but also conceal his identity and perfectly explain the reason for the mission failure—saying that Chu Huaying appeared and killed Hunter instantly, and he ran away as soon as he saw that things were not going well, so the Alliance would not suspect him.
Yu Hanjiang asked, "You're going to stay in the Weekly Secret Chamber for seven days, and then go back to the Hunter Alliance to continue your undercover work?"
Lu Jiuchuan said, "Yes. There are still some things I need to investigate further."
Yu Hanjiang nodded: "Understood, be careful."
Lu Jiuchuan said with a smile, "After this Weekly Secret Chamber, there shouldn't be any more surprises."
Yu Hanjiang raised an eyebrow: "Are you sure?"
Lu Jiuchuan said, "I've been in Card World for three years. The elimination rate for the Weekly Routine is usually around 10%, but it can reach 80% when you encounter the Hunter. However, you dealt with the Hunter in time this time, leaving more than 380 people out of 500. Diarrhea, shipwreck, and sea monster—these three unexpected events are enough to complete the game. After all, it's just a world."
The Weekly Routine doesn't reach the difficulty of an S-level secret chamber.
Upon hearing this, Yu Hanjiang breathed a slight sigh of relief: "There are still two days left."
Lu Jiuchuan said, "Let's spend two days at sea and think carefully about our next plan."
Yu Hanjiang nodded: "Okay, goodbye Ninth Brother."
Without lingering, he decisively left Absolute Domain —he trusted his brother, just as his brother trusted him.
Back on the ship, Xiao Lou noticed his relaxed expression and asked him in his mind, "Is Ninth Brother alright?"
Yu Hanjiang said, "Hmm, I shouldn't have underestimated him. Since he dared to meet us in the Weekly Secret Chamber, he must have prepared an escape route for himself—he brought in a powerful teammate, Spider Goddess." Chu Huaying came in to help clean up the mess.
Xiao Lou praised, "I thought so too. Ninth Brother is experienced and wouldn't put himself in danger. By the way, have you seen the legendary Spider Goddess?"
Yu Hanjiang shook his head: "No, she had already left when I entered the domain."
Xiao Lou was very curious about this person and said, "I'd like to get to know her; she must be quite capable."
Yu Hanjiang said, "There will always be opportunities in the future."
***
As Lu Jiuchuan had predicted, nothing unexpected happened in the next two days.
The Challengers drifted at sea for two days until the early morning of the seventh day, when a notification appeared in everyone's floating window—
[ Endless Sea, Day 7, 00:00]
[Congratulations to 384 Challengers who cleared the Weekly Routine! All players received the Weekly Secret Chamber reward. Please check your card holder.]
Everyone opened the card holder and took a look—
[Item Card: Sunscreen]
Rarity: C
Description: Weekly Secret Chamber Endless Sea Fixed Bonus
Effect: Prevents the skin from being tanned black by strong ultraviolet rays.
[Equipment Card: Diving Suit]
Rarity: B
Description: Weekly Secret Chamber Endless Sea Fixed Bonus
Effects: Wearing the special diving suit allows you to dive into the deep sea. The diving suit comes with an oxygen tank that can maintain a diving state for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, you must surface, otherwise you will suffocate and die from oxygen depletion.
Durability: 10/10. Durability decreases by 1 with each use; the wetsuit will be damaged when it reaches 0.
Both cards are quite useful. The [Sunscreen] is self-explanatory; everyone was very satisfied with this reward after being exposed to the scorching sun at sea. While the [Diving Suit] isn't as good as the [Diving Ghost], everyone got one, and a collective dive into the deep sea is a viable strategy when necessary.
The seven-day Weekly Secret Chamber experience passed without major incident.
The group returned to the dock and exchanged glances, all feeling a sense of relief at having survived a disaster.
Xiao Lou took a deep breath and said with a smile, "We're back in the main city. How about we go have hot pot first?"
Shao Qingge said, "Okay, it's on me!"
Everyone excitedly went to find a good hot pot restaurant. Although Secret Room World was cruel and dangerous, the constant tension was too much for everyone. In the past seven days, they had suffered from diarrhea, shipwrecks, being caught in the rain, outsmarting the Hunter, and killing so many sharks...
Everyone is really tired and needs to relax.
The eight people took two taxis and headed towards the food court that Lao Mo had recommended.
Ye Qi exclaimed excitedly, "I want to eat hot pot with mutton! I can eat three plates by myself!"
Long Sen said, "My favorite is beef tripe, as well as duck blood, pork skin, kelp, and enoki mushrooms..."
He rattled off a list of dishes, making everyone hungry.
Yu Hanjiang sat in the back row, frowning and lost in thought. Just then, Xiao Lou's voice suddenly rang in his mind: " Captain Yu, you've worked hard this time too. Don't think too much. Have a good meal and get some sleep. Once you're well-rested, we'll go see Mr. Old Gui again tomorrow."
The gentle and considerate voice warmed Yu Hanjiang's heart. He finally put down the heavy burden in his heart and said, "Okay, everyone needs to rest too. Let's do it your way."