When Xiao Lou and his three companions returned to the villa, Lao Mo and the others had not yet returned.
It was Wednesday afternoon in the main city, and the Weekly Routine was over. Xiao Lou opened his laptop and logged into the Challenger forum—this week's Weekly Routine was the Plum Blossom Secret Chamber, where all Challengers were pulled into a huge casino to play cards.
Challengers do not need to cooperate as a team, but fight individually. There are 10 people at each table. Winning each round will earn points. According to the "last-place elimination system", after ten rounds, the person with the lowest ranking at the table will be eliminated, with the elimination rate controlled at 10%.
This Weekly Routine sounds easy, but because of the lack of teamwork, people who don't know how to play cards will struggle if they get into Plum Blossom. The Weekly Routine takes time to understand the rules of the game, and if you're unlucky, you could easily be eliminated. Xiao Lou thought to himself, "Luckily, they avoided this week's Weekly Secret Chamber; otherwise, would all eight of us have made it to Plum Blossom?" The survival of the Weekly Routine is still uncertain.
Seeing that it was still early, Xiao Lou took Ye Qi and Liu Qiao to the kitchen to cook, while Yu Hanjiang organized the cards that everyone had drawn on the computer.
At 6:30 p.m., Mo Xuemin and the other three also returned.
The four looked relaxed, clearly having encountered no major difficulties in the Diamond Secret Room. Shao Qingge rubbed his temples and said, "I got dizzy wandering around in the maze, but luckily Old Mo was there to guide me. I definitely wouldn't have been able to find my way out on my own."
Qu Wanyue asked with a smile, "Did things go well for you in Hearts and Spade? You're back so early?"
Ye Qi exclaimed excitedly, "It went very smoothly, and we even drew 6 great cards!"
Xiao Lou said, "Everyone, let's eat first. After we finish eating, we can take stock of the cards and try out the new card drawing function."
Smelling the aroma, everyone gathered around the table and sat down.
Xiao Lou prepared a few simple home-style dishes, and then summoned Historic Figure Summon.
The time in Secret Room World and the main city world is different. When you draw cards in Spade 7 it is Tuesday, but today in the main city it is Wednesday. Historical Figure Summon's skills have a cooldown calculated by days, and they have all been reset at this time - so he can make another bowl of dongpo pork.
Upon seeing a man dressed in ancient costume with a dashing smile appear nearby, Old Mo asked curiously, "Who is this?"
Xiao Lou said, " Historical Figure Summon, his three skills can make a bowl of dongpo pork, you should try it too."
Everyone: "..."
Sure enough, a steaming bowl of dongpo pork appeared on the table, its color resembling fine agate. The small bowl contained only a small portion, enough for just one piece per person, and everyone picked up their chopsticks and put the meat into their mouths.
Old Mo's eyes lit up immediately: "It's delicious!"
Long Sen exclaimed excitedly, "This is the best meat I've ever eaten!"
Even Shao Qingge, who was used to eating delicacies, narrowed his eyes and said, "It tastes even better than the pork in a five-star hotel. Did Su Dongpo really make this himself?"
Xiao Lou nodded: "Yes, he can only make one bowl a day."
Everyone looked at Xiao Lou with complicated expressions— Professor Xiao's card draws are getting stranger and stranger. Bai Juyi lit the charcoal fire, and Historical Figure Summon made dongpo pork. What if he draws Historical Figure Summon in the future? Should he drink alcohol?
After dinner, Xiao Lou called everyone to the poolside, summoned Li Qingzhao and Historical Figure Summon, and explained their skills and uses in detail. He then asked, "Old Mo, how many cards did you draw?"
Mo Xuemin said, " Plum Blossom stages 5, 6, and 7 are all reward resource cards. We drew a total of 6 treasure chests in Diamonds stages 5, 6, and 7. Since we cleared the stages with an S rating, all the cards we drew were S cards."
Old Mo had already cleared these levels before, so there were no rewards for re-entering; this trip was essentially unpaid work. Watching his teammates draw S cards one after another, Old Mo was incredibly envious. Xiao Lou knew what he was thinking and smiled, "It's okay, if you get an S clear next time, Old Mo, you can go first for the lottery."
Mo Xuemin touched his nose and laughed, "Cough, it doesn't matter. We're all a team anyway, so it doesn't matter who gets the best cards." He looked at Long Sen and Qu Wanyue and said, "Why don't you two show us the cards you drew?"
Since Mo Xuemin couldn't participate in the lucky draw, Long, Qu, and Shao each drew two treasure chests in the Diamond Secret Room, for a total of six treasure chests.
In the real world, Long Sen works at a sports school, and all the cards he draws are related to sports.
[Toolboard: Super Badminton Shuttlecock]
Rarity: S
Additional skill 1: Straight drop shot
Effect: Using a super badminton racket, hit the shuttlecock in a straight line to any location within a 500-meter radius. If it hits the target's body, the target will be stunned for 5 seconds. This skill has no cooldown, but whether you can hit someone with the shuttlecock depends on your badminton skills.
Additional Skill 2: Sudden Smash
Effects: Immediately smash the shuttlecock downwards from a high place. If it hits a vital spot on the target, such as the temple or heart, the target will enter a near-death shock state. If no rescue is received within 10 minutes, the target will die.
This skill has no cooldown, but it is very difficult to hit a vital spot, so it is recommended to practice it more.
Note: Each bucket of shuttlecocks contains 50 shuttlecocks. Shuttlecocks that have been hit can be retrieved and reused, but they may be damaged after being hit and become unusable. The number of shuttlecocks is fixed; once all 50 are used, the card expires. The number will only refresh upon entering the next secret room.
Upon seeing the card, Xiao Lou asked with interest, "Do you play badminton?"
Long Sen chuckled and scratched his head: "I can hit them, my technique is alright. With 50 balls, no matter how I hit them, I'm bound to hit someone with a few, right?"
Ye Qi praised, "My Flute can lock onto targets, but it has a cooldown. Brother Long's card can't lock onto targets, but the advantage is that it has no cooldown. If you can aim, you can quickly hit a dozen balls and stun the entire opponent!"
Liu Qiao said, "The second skill is similar to my Poison Queen, both of which can instantly kill the target. However, it is much more difficult to operate."
Xiao Lou looked at Long Sen and said objectively, "With no skill cooldown and 50 balls to let you do whatever you want, the difficulty of operation will definitely increase. It seems that you need to practice playing badminton more in the future."
Long Sen nodded: "Yeah... I still need to practice soccer."
He took out the second card and handed it to Xiao Lou.
[Tool Card: Super Football]
Rarity: S
Additional Skill 1: Shooting
Effect: Kicks a soccer ball up to 500 meters. The ball falls from the sky, creating a crater in the ground. Targets within 10 meters of the crater are stunned by your powerful kick and will not want to attack for the next 10 seconds. Cooldown: 30 minutes.
Additional skill 2: Dribbling past opponents
Effect: The player with the soccer ball at their feet moves with lightning speed. During the "dribbling" phase, the player becomes immune to all forms of control and damage, and gains a 200% speed boost, as if sprinting across the field. Of course, if the soccer ball is intercepted halfway through the run, the dribbling buff will be transferred to the interceptor. The buff lasts for 10 minutes. Cooldown: 45 minutes.
Seeing the two new cards Long Sen drew, and recalling the [ Long Jump Master ] card that allowed him to perform zombie jumps, Ye Qi couldn't help but exclaim, "Brother Long, you truly deserve your sports school background! You're practically an all-around athlete!"
Long Sen smiled wryly: "But I'm not very good at football. I'd probably get intercepted after a few steps while dribbling past someone."
After thinking about it carefully, Xiao Lou said, "This card actually has another use, which is relay passing. We can use a team relay to pass the ball around, giving everyone a short-term boost and protection from injury."
If the ball is intercepted while dribbling past an opponent, the buff status will be transferred.
But what if a teammate intercepts it? Wouldn't everyone be taking turns enjoying the buff?
Long Sen's eyes lit up, and he nodded excitedly: "That's right! I'll dribble the ball for half a minute, then pass it to Professor Xiao. If we take turns like this, everyone can get the buffs of damage immunity and speed boost!"
Ye Qi complained, "From now on, when we play team battles, we can play soccer at the same time, right?"
Shao Qingge said with a smile, "Whoever gets the ball is immune to injury. Our opponents are going to be driven crazy by us."
Ye Qi said, "Shall I play the erhu to accompany you?"
Everyone: "..."
The art style is so beautiful, it feels like their team is about to become a "comedy troupe".
Liu Qiao looked at Qu Wanyue curiously: " Teacher Qu, what cards did you draw? Could they all be related to dance?"
Qu Wanyue took out the two cards she had drawn.
One S-rank card is [Swan Lake], which summons a large number of ballet dancers within a designated 500-meter range to perform the classic ballet "Swan Lake" for 10 minutes. No one can bypass the stage performance. It's a very powerful isolation skill; if you place a Swan Lake card behind you while escaping, your pursuers will be forced to stop in place and wait for the ballet to finish.
The other card is called [Latin Dance King]. Activating the card allows you to achieve extreme flexibility in your body, bending at will.
Liu Qiao was taken aback: "Bend arbitrarily? How far can it bend?"
Using the Dance King Card, Qu Wanyue bent over, easily grabbing her toes with both hands. Spreading her legs wide and doing a "one-split" was child's play—these were basic skills for a dance teacher. However, after using the Dance King Card, her entire body became incredibly flexible; her fingers and arms could bend into "S" shapes, and her head could rotate 180 degrees.
Xiao Lou was startled when she suddenly turned her face away.
Qu Wanyue said, "This card can change the flexibility of the body. After using it, I can squeeze through a hole the size of a plate, much like... the bone-shrinking skill in martial arts novels?"
Xiao Lou smiled and praised, "That's great. With the Chameleon card, there's almost nowhere Teacher Qu can't go."
After seeing the cards drawn by the Long and Qu couple, it was finally Shao Qingge's turn.
Ye Qi joked, "Rich people wouldn't just pull out a bank account, would they?"
Shao Qingge raised an eyebrow and said, "This card is a little easier to use than the ATM, but it's very expensive."
Xiao Lou and the other three didn't quite understand how a card could cost money.
Until Shao Qingge took two cards from the card holder and handed them to Xiao Lou —
S-level special effects sign [stock curve]
Description: A volatile stock market affects investors' moods, and of course, it also affects their trading performance.
Effects: Costs 1 million gold coins. Displays a stock market curve on the LCD screen. When the stock price rises, the effective range of all friendly card skills increases by 50%, and their attack hit rate increases by 50%. When the stock price falls, the effective range of all enemy card skills decreases by 50%, and their hit rate decreases by 50%. The stock curve exists for 10 minutes, and its rise and fall can be manipulated at will. Cooldown time: 4 hours.
Xiao Lou was taken aback. The card that CEO Shao drew was a team support card. Based on the rise and fall of the stock curve, our side's range and accuracy would increase, while the enemy's range and accuracy would decrease. Although it only had one skill, it could affect the entire team, and its effect was actually very strong.
Especially Yu Hanjiang's weapon, with its range increased by 50%, can now snipe targets that were originally only able to reach 1500 meters away.
As a result, CEO Shao's stock price rose, and Captain Yu's gun could snipe targets 2200 meters away.
In addition, cards like Ye Qi's musical instrument cards, Xiao Lou's character cards for crowd control, Long Sen's badminton and soccer cards, and even Lao Mo's model room and coloring cards can all receive significant range and accuracy bonuses.
The second card Shao Qingge drew was rather complicated...
S-level special effects sign [ Rich and Willful ]
Description: Do you think rich people are happy? No, in fact, rich people are countless times happier than you imagine.
Benefits: Rich and Willful, buy whatever you want.
After using a special effect card, deduct 5 million gold coins from your account and copy any card you have seen within the last 24 hours.
Note: This skill can only be copied in Secret Room World; it cannot be activated in the main city. A single Secret Room can be copied a maximum of three times. While you may have money, don't be too extravagant. If your account balance is insufficient, the skill activation will fail.
Everyone: "..."
The CEO Shao card can be called the "spendthrift card," as it costs 5 million to use its skill once!
However, its effectiveness does indeed justify the card's strength.
You can copy cards you've seen within the last 24 hours, including not only your teammates' cards but also your opponents' cards!
Each escape room can duplicate 3 cards. If you specifically target and duplicate the opponent's powerful S-rank cards, the entire team's combat power will be greatly enhanced. Although CEO Shao's two cards cost money, they are extremely powerful support cards.
Xiao Lou asked, "We've spent a lot of money on rent and a car these past few days. Do we have enough savings?"
Shao Qingge rubbed his temples, looking troubled, and said, "It's not enough. The [ Rich and Willful ] special effect card will require a lot of funding in the future. It costs 5 million to use the skill once, and 15 million for a single run of the secret room. It's time to sell our cat's eye bracelet."
Old Mo said, "Leave this to me. I know about jewelry auctions and can find an intermediary to handle things for us."
Yu Hanjiang was taking notes on his laptop the whole time. After recording all the new cards, he created a data table and sent it to the WeChat group, saying, "This is all the cards our team currently has. Everyone take a look carefully and we'll try them out in practice later."
A moment later, the group arrived near the pool, led by Captain Yu.
Qu Wanyue was very interested in Liu Qiao's new card: "Will the Little Mermaids all grow tails after turning into mermaids?"
Liu Qiao went underwater and used a card, and to everyone's amazement, a beautiful mermaid tail actually grew out of it!
Xiao Lou also summoned all the character cards and tried out the second skill of Historical Figure Summon. He found that the skill of Historical Figure Summon only affects historical figures. Liu Qiao's Little Red Riding Hood, Thumbelina, Poison Queen, etc. are fictional characters from fairy tales, not real people, so the skill will not be refreshed.
Ye Qi played the erhu and guzheng, testing the control range and timing of the new instrument.
Long Sen was playing badminton and soccer on the sidelines, while Qu Wanyue played a ballet performance...
Everyone was enthusiastically trying out the new cards, except for Yu Hanjiang, who stood to the side, arms crossed, watching everyone play with a serious expression.
Xiao Lou walked up to him and smiled, " Captain Yu, why don't you give it a try?"
Yu Hanjiang took out his newly drawn handgun and looked at a badminton shuttlecock that had fallen into the pool.
He squinted, aimed, and pulled the trigger.
With a crisp "bang," the badminton shuttlecock was instantly pierced by the bullet!
Long Sen, who was playing badminton nearby, broke out in a cold sweat: " Captain Yu is awesome, his marksmanship is amazing!"
Everyone else's cards were a mess, but Yu Hanjiang's were simple and straightforward.
No matter how strong your hand is, it's like children playing house in front of his gun.
Xiao Lou couldn't help but admire: " Captain Yu's marksmanship is truly impressive."
Yu Hanjiang nodded seriously after being praised, and said, "I handled a gun when I was ten years old, so I don't need to practice specifically. Besides, you can't use a silencer in the main city, so firing a gun will easily attract attention."
Upon hearing this, everyone gave a thumbs up.
Xiao Lou believed that Captain Yu didn't need to practice; if it really came down to a life-or-death situation, and Yu Hanjiang had no choice but to fire, he would definitely be able to kill with a single shot.
***
That night, everyone used all the cards in the villa, trying them out until late at night before resting.
Over the next two days, Lao Mo took CEO Shao to an auction to sell their cat's eye stone bracelets. Each bracelet sold for a good price, and their nearly empty wallets were filled again. Shao Qingge's personal account had more than 80 million, and Xiao Lou had also saved 80 million.
After making all the preparations, everyone rested for half a day, and the A-grade secret room was opened at 23:55 on Friday night.
According to Jiu Ge and Tang Ci, the storyline in the A-grade secret room is randomized, and there is no way to create a walkthrough; you have to rely on yourself.
Among the four suits, Xiao Lou and Yu Hanjiang exchanged a glance and tacitly drew [ red heart 8 ] from the card wall.
Going to solve the mystery room, at least there's no need to worry about the safety of their teammates, and the two are confident that they can solve the puzzles of the a-grade secret room on their own.
A notification flashed before everyone's eyes simultaneously—
[ A-grade secret room opening soon ]
[Story generation in progress, countdown: 10, 9, 8, 7, 6...]
[Role assignment complete]
Welcome to the world of Red Heart 8: Turmoil of War.