Coincidentally, Yu Hanjiang and Xiao Lou had just left the hotel, and the rest of the teammates went back to their rooms. As a result, Shao Qingge unexpectedly ran into Li Mo in the elevator.
Shao Qingge and Li Mo had previously played gambling for several hours in an underground casino in Moon City. That happened in the main city, so Li Mo recognized Shao Qingge.
Shao Qingge took the initiative to greet him: "President Li."
Li Mo nodded and said, "Mr. Shao, what a coincidence."
Shao Qingge smiled and said, "Mr. Li is also in Sun City, staying at this hotel?"
Li Mo said calmly, "Yes, we're here for a meeting."
After exchanging only a few polite words, Ye Qi boldly and secretly placed an eavesdropping device in the sole of Li Mo's shoe.
As the concert was about to begin, Yu Hanjiang and Xiao Lou noticed that six VIP seats were empty. They asked Tang Ci to check, and it turned out that the empty seats belonged to Shu Xiaomeng and others.
The teammates sensed something was wrong.
Ye Qi overheard the conversation between Li Mo and Shu Xiaomeng through the eavesdropping device.
Shu Xiaomeng seemed very angry, her voice trembling: "Why won't you let us go to the concert? I couldn't go to a concert ten years ago, and this time, Xiaoyan and Xiaoyu even took time off from work to fulfill our dream. You just won't let us go and lock us all in the hotel. Isn't that going too far?"
Li Mo said calmly, "It's for your own good that I'm not going. Luo Yan is no simple man."
Shu Xiaomeng jumped up and down in anger: "What do you mean? I've liked Luo Yan's songs for twenty years, you know that..."
Li Mo interrupted her: "The concert venue isn't safe, you'll soon realize that. Xiaomeng, since we met, have I ever done anything to hurt you?" Shu Xiaomeng was stunned by the question. Li Mo sighed softly and said in a low voice: "Trust me, stay in the hotel and get some rest. The celebrity you admire isn't actually as gentle and kind as you think."
Upon hearing this, Ye Qi hurriedly relayed the information to Tang Ci.
This confirms Yu Hanjiang and Xiao Lou's earlier speculation that something might have happened at the concert.
Tang Ci informed Lu Jiuchuan, who happened to have already arrived at the concert venue. He disguised himself as a security guard and maintained order at the venue, thus gaining access to the backstage area.
At 9:30 p.m., when Luo Yan came off stage to change for the first time, Lu Jiuchuan hid in her dressing room.
He noticed a black totem tattoo on Luo Yan's right shoulder.
She is Hunter!
Lu Jiuchuan didn't know what they were up to, but based on the clues he had, especially the seating chart Tang Ci found after hacking into the official website, a large number of Challengers were gathered in areas C and D, so something was bound to happen, and it was very likely to be a mass incident.
The use of firearms is prohibited in the main city. Hunters cannot simply take a submachine gun and spray bullets in areas C and D, nor can they plant explosives on the site. Lu Jiuchuan has been with the Hunter Organization for more than half a year. These people are ruthless in achieving their goals and are extremely adept at manipulating people's hearts. Therefore, it is more likely that they will use Challenger to kill Challenger.
After reviewing everyone's cards, Tang Ci discovered that Ye Qi's piano music box could achieve maximum crowd control, so he urgently brought Ye Qi to the venue. Lu Jiuchuan met them backstage and had Ye Qi enter the stadium through the back door. Tang Ci hacked into the venue's lighting system to control the spotlights, which is why Ye Qi suddenly appeared on the main stage.
Upon hearing the full account, Yu Hanjiang clenched his fists: " Where are the Luo Yan people?"
Lu Jiuchuan coldly said, "They ran away after the incident. The idol singers she called in all ran away faster than the last."
Yu Hanjiang's fists clenched so tightly they cracked. He desperately wanted to grab this woman and make her experience what it felt like to be trampled underfoot! To kill outsiders, she actually caused a stampede in a stadium with 100,000 people—she was utterly insane!
Tang Ci said, "I just checked. The lights in the stadium were damaged beforehand. The moment the concert ended, the chandeliers on the roof started falling one by one, injuring people and causing panic. There were quite a few hunters mixed in in sections C and D. They took advantage of the chaos to push outsiders to the ground and lead the people behind them to step over their bodies."
He closed his eyes slightly and said, "The official data hasn't come out yet, but preliminary estimates suggest that the death toll from this stampede is over a hundred, and the number of injured is over a thousand. The mandatory Weekly Routine starts in a few days, and it's uncertain whether the injured will survive it."
Xiao Lou: "..."
If Ninth Brother hadn't managed to get Ye Qi into the main stage and control the situation in time, the accident would have been even more serious. After all, the other Challengers only have a handful of cards that can be used in the main city and have wide-area control capabilities.
Xiao Lou clenched his fist slightly and asked, " Hunters are even targeting the innocent natives of this world to kill us. Many people in Area A, where Captain Yu and I are, have been trampled and injured. They are truly heartless! Is it all just for the bounty?"
While driving, Lu Jiuchuan suddenly said, "It's not just about the bounty."
Everyone turned to look at him.
Although Lu Jiuchuan wore a mask, his eyes were as sharp as an eagle's. He whispered, "I've been infiltrating the Hunter Alliance for over half a year, and recently I finally made contact with some high-ranking members, including some local tycoons. While they're not short of money, the bonuses they give to all the Hunters aren't small either. The Alliance's daily expenses are enough to buy a building in the city center. If they didn't have a deep-seated grudge against the Outsiders, why would they go to such lengths?"
" Would we use the manpower and financial resources to establish the Hunter Alliance, specifically to fight against outsiders?"
It makes sense. Rich people don't have money falling from the sky. It's understandable that they would hire someone to kill their enemies. But to offer a large-scale bounty for killing outsiders, where there's a reward for killing any outsider...
Isn't this going too far?
People like Xiao Lou and Yu Hanjiang have tried their best to abide by the bottom line of humanity since entering this world. They have never slaughtered any innocent natives. The few times they have taken action, it was only to kill criminals or in self-defense.
They have no grudge against the Hunter Alliance, so why are they being targeted?
Lu Jiuchuan said, " I am still investigating the Hunter Alliance's hatred towards us, but I have a bold guess that there are actually many of our kind within this organization."
Xiao Lou had already thought of this.
Because Hunters are well aware of the " outsiders have spells" mechanic, meaning they know that outsiders have cards, and some Hunters even obtain these cards after defeating outsiders to enhance their own strength.
If Challenger hadn't joined the organization, how could they know so much about Challenger, even down to the exact timing of the Weekly Routine missions, and even send Hunter to the Weekly Routine world to snipe outsiders?
As early as the Financial Crisis room in Spade 3, the Hunters received advance notice and tried to harm them. If there hadn't been a traitor within the Challenger, how could the Natives have known so clearly?
Xiao Lou felt a chill run down his spine as he thought about it. He couldn't help but wonder, "I remember Lao Mo saying that quite a few Challengers are willing to stay in this world and continue living. Could it be that the people we want to leave are, in some way, on the opposite side of them, and that this could affect their survival here?"
Lu Jiuchuan nodded with interest: "Tell me your analysis."
Xiao Lou said, "For example, if a Challenger wants to stay, they have to kill other Challengers to gain residency in Card World? That would make sense for them joining the Hunter Organization. Given the eccentricities of those four Guardians, they might actually come up with such a mission."
The Spade instance we experienced previously featured a "mutual destruction" mechanic.
Perhaps the Hunter Alliance's final boss is also the Challenger? He brainwashes the indigenous people and uses bounties to recruit them into the organization to target the Challenger …
Ye Qi's scalp tingled as he said, "According to Professor Xiao, perhaps we can assume that their mission is to kill their own kind to gain residency rights. For example, killing a Challenger can earn them a year's residency rights? If that's really the terrifying setup, then their large-scale hunting of Challengers is also for survival in this world? Maybe killing more will grant them immortality?!"
Everyone: "..."
Ye Qi's words froze the atmosphere instantly, making it feel like we'd been transported into a horror game.
Upon hearing this speculation, Lu Jiuchuan's face darkened. He said in a low voice, "No matter what, we have to find a way back to the normal human world. This world has gone mad. Human lives have become data and bonuses to them. I recently made contact with several key figures in the Hunter Organization. I will investigate these next few days. More clues will be beneficial to us."
Upon hearing this, Yu Hanjiang asked worriedly, "Brother, Saturday is the Weekly Secret Chamber, you have to come with us, right?"
Lu Jiuchuan nodded: "Okay, I'll try my best to finish the investigation before Saturday. Time is tight, so let's get the contract book signed today. When you start the Weekly Routine, you can just pull me in."
The car quickly arrived at the hotel's underground parking garage. Tang Ci had sent a message to his teammates in advance, so Mr. Old Gui and Chu Huaying were waiting for them in the garage.
Lu Jiuchuan took out the contract book and destroyed it on the spot.
This book once contained more than ten names; it was the first task force Lu Jiuchuan had assembled to overcome obstacles.
Unfortunately, they almost all perished in Plum Blossom J's challenge chamber, with only four surviving. The names of the others had long since disappeared from the contract book —but they lived on in Lu Jiuchuan's heart.
Lu Jiuchuan looked at the contract book that had burned to ashes in his hand and a bitter smile appeared on his lips.
He said, "My teammates are gone forever, but I will go back with their wishes."
Yu Hanjiang walked over, gently pressed his brother's shoulder, and said, "From now on, we're here for you."
Xiao Lou took out the contract book and handed it to Lu Jiuchuan.
Lu Jiuchuan readily agreed, "Sign them. I hope that changing to a different book this time will bring everyone good luck."
He took the lead and signed the three elegant characters " Lu Jiuchuan " on the next page.
Tang Ci followed suit and signed it immediately.
Gui Yuanshan and Chu Huaying also quickly signed their names.
Four new names, emitting a soft glow on the contract book, signify the formal creation of the contract.
To avoid attracting Hunter by having too many people gather in the underground parking garage, Xiao Lou, the other teammates, did not ask them to come downstairs. The signing was carried out secretly inside the car.
Lu Jiuchuan handed the contract book back to Xiao Lou, saying, "I have other things to do and meetings with other people, so let's wait for the Weekly Secret Chamber to discuss it."
Chu Huaying looked at him calmly: "Are you going on another adventure?"
Lu Jiuchuan said, "It's a rare opportunity. The dinner party the day after tomorrow will be attended by senior members of the Hunter Organization, and I must go."
Chu Huaying nodded and said, "Don't get hurt again. We'll treat you when you get back."
Lu Jiuchuan smiled and said, "I know, I'll be careful."
Return
The old man looked at Tang Ci and said, " Hua Ying and I still need to go back and make arrangements for the guild members. Xiao Tang, you're in charge of preparing the Weekly Routine mission."
Tang Ci said, "Don't worry, senior, I'll pull you into the dungeon on Saturday night."
Gui Yuanshan is the president of the largest Challenger association, the Distant Place Association, and Chu Huaying is the head of the Luoying Pavilion. They do have a lot of things to do. Today, they came with Brother Jiu just to unbind the contract book and sign in Xiao Lou's book to prepare for the upcoming Weekly Routine.
After saying goodbye in the underground parking garage, Xiao Lou, Yu Hanjiang, Ye Qi, and Tang Ci took the elevator back to their hotel room.
Xiao Lou leaned wearily against the wall, closed his eyes, and kept recalling the horrific scene from the concert: people who had fallen in the aisle, waving their bloodied hands and struggling, calling for help, screaming in agony... The pain they endured before they died was unimaginable.
Those are all living, breathing human lives!
Xiao Lou truly cannot comprehend Hunter's brutality. Regardless of the reason, disregarding the lives of others and indiscriminately killing innocent people—can they still be called "human"? They are nothing more than a group of cold-blooded killing machines.
The contract book in my hand seemed unusually heavy.
He is the owner of this contract book. He initially only wanted to team up with Yu Hanjiang, but now the book has been signed by 12 people.
Hunters are so cruel, cold-blooded, and ruthless. Will they really be able to get through the S-rank level this time?