Xiao Lou and Yu Hanjiang didn't go to sleep until midnight. Before falling asleep, Yu Hanjiang leaned over and kissed Xiao Lou's forehead, softly saying, "Get some rest, goodnight."
A simple goodnight kiss made Xiao Lou's heart race and his cheeks burn. He tossed and turned in bed, unable to fall asleep, and couldn't help but relive the image of being held and kissed by Yu Hanjiang.
Xiao Lou touched his lips, still warm from the other's touch, and closed his eyes shyly. Luckily, he hadn't connected via Telepathic Connection; otherwise, how embarrassing would it be if Yu Hanjiang knew he was still reliving that kiss? He'd have to be more careful about connecting via Telepathic Connection in the future.
In fact, Yu Hanjiang was not asleep either.
Ninth Brother used to criticize him for being "single by choice," saying he was like a hard rock that no one would like. But now, even the hard rock has come to his senses. He's learned to care for someone, to protect someone, to feel his heart flutter when someone gets close, and to be overjoyed when his confession is accepted.
For him, Xiao Lou was the only warm color in the dark world, and also the only soft spot beneath his hard armor.
Xiao Lou, on the next bed, was breathing evenly and seemed to be asleep.
Yu Hanjiang smiled faintly and thought to himself: Xiao Lou, if one day we can really go back, I want to take you home to meet my parents and tell them—this is the person I love most, and I will live out the rest of my life with him in peace and safety.
...
The next morning, Xiao Lou and Yu Hanjiang both woke up with noticeable dark circles under their eyes.
The two exchanged a glance, then simultaneously looked away, embarrassed.
Last night's dream was... indescribable. Perhaps it was because we were both experiencing our first love, and having shared our first kiss, being young and vigorous men, that we dreamt about it during the day.
After taking cold showers, the two calmed down and pretended nothing had happened as they went to have breakfast...lunch together.
Shao Qingge and Ye Qi had finished lunch at the restaurant on the 7th floor. Noticing Xiao Lou and Yu Hanjiang approaching, Shao Qingge walked past them and teased in a low voice, "You two, I didn't see you at breakfast today. What were you doing last night? Did you just wake up?"
Shao Qingge asked casually, but the two were feeling guilty. Xiao Lou's ears turned red as she recalled what happened last night, while Yu Hanjiang pretended to be calm and said, "It's nothing, we just discussed the next steps."
Shao Qingge glanced at Xiao Lou's reddened ears with a half-smile and said, "It seems you two discussed it quite late last night. Captain Yu usually has a regular schedule and sleeps until noon, this is the first time."
Ye Qi earnestly suggested, "You guys shouldn't work too hard. Go to bed earlier from now on."
Xiao Lou: "..."
Actually, they didn't go to bed late, but they both had insomnia. They were too embarrassed to say the truth, so Xiao Lou just casually said, "Go back to your room after you finish eating. Xiao Ye, be careful."
Just then, Xiao Lou saw Tang Ci arrive at the restaurant in a wheelchair. Shao Qingge and Ye Qi greeted him and went back inside. Tang Ci pretended not to know Xiao Lou and the others and went to eat on her own.
A message came through the chat group, and Tang Ci said: " A friend from the Intelligence Bureau told me a clue. Someone on the Challenger forum sent messages to some teams, inviting everyone to a gathering at the Sun City beach bar at 1 a.m. tonight. I don't know what they're going to do."
Yu Hanjiang and Xiao Lou exchanged a glance. He picked up his phone and sent a message using Tang Ci's self-made chat software: "Could it be that the stampede incident made the Challengers realize the crisis, and they want to discuss countermeasures to deal with the Hunter?"
Tang Ci said, "That's possible."
In his hotel room, Lao Mo saw the message and said, " Aside from Mr. Gui's Distant Place Association, the all-female Luoying Pavilion, and the mysterious Eternal Kingdom, most Challengers operate in teams. I hosted quite a few Challengers when I was in Moon City, and they were all reluctant to join these kinds of organizations."
Qu Wanyue said, "If it were me, I wouldn't want to join either. Although an organization can be a support, there are many rules to follow, and we're not familiar with the other members of the organization. Our small team is the most free."
Tang Ci said, "According to the Intelligence Bureau's statistics, Challengers who do not join large organizations and only operate in teams make up nearly half of the total number. This number is quite large. We cannot predict what the consequences would be if these scattered teams united to deal with Hunters."
Teams like Xiao Lou always prioritize their teammates. In escape rooms like Spade and Plum Blossom, when they encounter other Challenger teams, they try not to get involved—keeping to themselves and their teammates safe is probably the mindset of most Challengers.
However, this stampede was so brutal that it may raise alarm among many Challengers.
When the snow is light, everyone can "sweep the snow in front of their own door." But once the heavy snow is enough to collapse everyone's houses, if they don't unite, they can only wait to be defeated one by one.
Xiao Lou said worriedly, "Most cards are banned in the main city, but some are not. So, if Challenger really openly confronts Hunter Organization, the number of casualties will definitely exceed our imagination."
Challengers all have cards in hand, and quite a few of them can be used in the main city. Just like that day, Ye Qi used the piano music box to control a group of people. Other teams that have survived until now must also have some powerful cards in hand.
Hunters openly bullied Challengers, resulting in a stampede that killed over 500 and seriously injured over 1,000. What if the Challengers, out of anger, unite...
If they join forces to slaughter the world's native inhabitants, the consequences will be unimaginable!
Xiao Lou recalled that back in Spade 3 During a financial crisis, spade Guardian had shown them some images—
Some Challengers, in order to complete the game, released the Zombie Virus directly in Central Square, infecting everyone and turning them into zombies; others, on the other hand, indiscriminately slaughtered the native inhabitants, treating them like monsters in a game, without considering them human beings at all...
In Challenger, there are also some thugs who will stop at nothing to survive.
The enmity between Hunters and Challengers has now deepened to an unbreakable bond. If they were to openly clash, the innocent victims would be ordinary civilians without cards. These civilians are not NPCs or just data in a game; they have feelings and consciousness.
Xiao Lou asked in the group chat, "Should we go take a look?"
Yu Hanjiang agreed: "We can wear the Invisibility Cloak and go take a look. We don't know what they're trying to do at this rally."
Ye Qi said worriedly, "Could it be Hunter again? Are they deliberately luring the Challenger team out to carry out another massacre?"
Tang Ci said, "This time it shouldn't be. The Challenger forum requires strict verification, and news of the gathering only circulates within the forum. Moreover, the participants should all be Challengers with considerable strength. Even if the Hunter shows up, he will be outnumbered and taken down by the Challengers working together."
He paused, then added, "I'm in a wheelchair and it's inconvenient for me to move around. If you want to go, I can send you the location of the bar. Although this is an internal Challenger gathering, you still need to be careful. If things don't look right, retreat immediately."
Yu Hanjiang said, "It's inconvenient for too many people to move around. I 'll go with Xiao Lou."
The teammates had no objections.
Xiao Lou and Yu Hanjiang were ready, and at 1 a.m. that night, the two arrived at the seaside bar on time.
This bar is quite large, with two floors and floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the beach. Usually, many people come here to listen to music, eat barbecue, and drink beer all night. But tonight, the bar is unusually quiet, and a sign that reads "Closed" is hanging at the entrance.
According to the Intelligence Bureau's investigation, the bar was run by a Challenger.
With the main gate locked, Yu Hanjiang and Xiao Lou couldn't get in. So, they put on their Invisibility Cloaks, leaped onto the roof, and dropped their eavesdropping device on it to listen carefully to what was happening inside.
A woman exclaimed, " Hunter has gone too far! In this stampede, a female student I knew was trampled to death by her own people. What do they take us for?!"
A middle-aged man's voice said, "I am the captain of a team. One of my teammates died at the concert, and another is in critical condition in the hospital. We thought we could live in peace with the people of this world, but they are becoming more and more ruthless. We can no longer sit idly by and wait to die!"
"Yes, with so many team leaders gathered here today, we should all come up with a plan!"
"I think we should get rid of Luo Yan first! If she hadn't held a concert and deliberately sold tickets at low prices, so many Challengers who love to watch the show wouldn't have been attracted to the venue and trampled to death. She must be a high-ranking member of Hunter!"
"You think Luo Yan is so easy to kill? She ran away long ago after the incident, and now we can't even find a trace of her..."
A group of people were chattering away, making a huge commotion inside the bar.
Just then, a deep, calm voice suddenly said, "Everyone, don't get agitated. I organized this gathering of casual players not to incite you to fight the Hunter Alliance head-on. Doing so would not benefit us at all."
Yu Hanjiang and Xiao Lou exchanged a glance; the voice seemed somewhat familiar.
The two looked closely through the skylight in the roof—
A man wearing a silver mask sat on the stage where the bar singer was performing, a faint smile playing on his lips. He spoke loudly, " We currently know nothing about the Hunter Alliance, including who they are and their strength. The most terrifying opponents are always the unknown. Therefore, I do not recommend that you impulsively kill Luo Yan or those Hunter minions with totems to vent your anger. This will not solve the problem at its root."
His words made a lot of sense, and the people present were gradually calmed down by his voice.
One of the girls said, "White Fox, stop keeping us in suspense. You messaged us on the forum, asking us to gather at this bar for a meeting. What exactly did you want to talk about?"
The man's gaze swept across the room, a hint of a smile appearing in his narrow eyes behind his mask: "Don't rush, I was just about to say. There's only one way to solve this problem—leave this world."
A series of synchronized gasps filled the bar.
Someone couldn't help but retort: "Isn't that obvious? If you can leave this world, who the hell would want to stay here!"
The Masked Man calmly stated, " The Hunter harbors extremely strong hostility towards us ' outsiders,' and I don't know the reason for this hostility. However, if we switch perspectives, and our home is invaded by some strange people with special abilities—people who could easily replace our loved ones and friends and kill them—would you be afraid?"
The group looked at each other in bewilderment.
The man turned and sat on the sofa, saying, "If one day you suddenly wake up and find that your city has inexplicably fallen into a financial crisis; or one day you go to the hospital for treatment and suddenly there is an outbreak of parasitic infection... all of this is because of outsiders, wouldn't you hate them?"
Everyone: "......"
The man said slowly, "Since we are ' outsiders,' we don't belong to this world, therefore..."
The fundamental solution is to return to our original world, where both worlds operate independently and without interference.
Xiao Lou and Yu Hanjiang were deeply impressed by his theory.
This man's insight is indeed a line of thought. If, according to his speculation, all the accidents in Card World are due to the arrival of the Challenger, then for the people of this world—killing the Challenger is equivalent to driving away the invaders.
They were just protecting their homeland.
Xiao Lou took a deep breath and looked at Yu Hanjiang, saying, " Hanjiang, do you remember this person?"
At least he's not called " Captain Yu " anymore...
Yu Hanjiang was very pleased and nodded, saying, "I remember the masked man we met in Liuxi Village. He had a card that allowed him to take things from a distance and even took our gems. When we left Spade 4 and chose our main city, we chose Moon City, but he insisted on choosing Sun City. I never expected to meet him here again."
Xiao Lou admired Yu Hanjiang's memory. Perhaps Yu Hanjiang had memorized everyone he encountered along the way as a "criminal suspect"? He said softly, "This person's thinking is quite interesting. Should we go and talk to him?"
Yu Hanjiang nodded: "Okay, let's wait until they finish their meeting."
The bar was filled with the captains of the Free Challenger teams. After explaining his theory, the man told them a solution: "Try to clear the S -level secret chamber and return to the real world. Then you won't have to face the Hunter anymore. Staying here won't work; we don't belong to this world."
Many team leaders thought that he had talked a lot of nonsense.
At 2:30 a.m., challengers spontaneously dispersed, many of them carrying Lightness Skill Cards. They appeared and disappeared without attracting the attention of some indigenous people barbecuing on the beach.
Yu Hanjiang and Xiao Lou exchanged a glance, then gracefully descended from the rooftop and entered the bar side by side.
The bar was decorated in a cozy style, with green plants hanging on the walls and ceiling. A masked man was sitting leisurely next to him, slowly sipping a cocktail. Yu Hanjiang walked up behind him and whispered, "What a coincidence, we meet again."
The man turned around and looked at the two of them: "And you two are?"
Xiao Lou reminded us: "We have worked together at Liuxi Village before."
The man paused, his eyes filled with doubt: "Really? I have no recollection of either of you."
Yu Hanjiang asked, "Do you have a card that allows you to retrieve objects remotely?"
The man smiled and shook his head: "No, you two must have mistaken me for someone else. Would you like to sit down and have a drink?"
Yu Hanjiang and Xiao Lou found it a bit strange. With their ability to recognize people, they shouldn't have made a mistake. Although the man from Liuxi Village was also wearing a mask, his height, build, and mask pattern were the same... Most importantly, his voice was the same as that man's.
Was he pretending not to recognize him, or did he have amnesia?
The two sat down and chatted with him casually for a few minutes. They found that he didn't seem to be acting, so Yu Hanjiang and Xiao Lou returned to the hotel with their doubts.
******