Chapter 584 - Instance Clearance
Xu Muran was still invisible at this time but Old Mo had already taken out his dye card. He estimated that the time was almost up and immediately asked Qu Wanyue and Long Sen to splash the paint from a high place.
Then Long Sen and Qu Wanyue’s legs became longer and their height exceeded 10 meters. Each of them took a bucket of paint and sprinkled it down from a high place. It was like red rain falling from the sky.
The originally invisible people were now covered with red paint and their appearance was really obvious.
Tang Ci quickly counted it. “There are still six people left.”
The explosives actually didn’t kill Xiao Lou?
Xu Muran saw Xiao Lou and his party appearing in front of them to block the way and was so angry that he wanted to vomit blood. He simply took off his invisibility cloak and ordered sharply, “Everyone behind me!”
The next moment, he threw out the black tortoise card. The giant tortoise reappeared and he and the other five hunters hid in the sh.e.l.l of the tortoise. At almost the same time, he used another powerful card.
Highly Poisonous Mandala
A huge mandala flower that was over five meters tall suddenly bloomed on the sand. As the petals blossomed, the strange purple poisonous mist quickly spread to the surroundings and turned the surrounding air purple.
It was a wide range poisonous gas. Anyone who inhaled it would be killed immediately. This was the trump card that Xu Muran had hidden.
Xiao Lou had already told Shao Qingge that Xu Muran might’ve hidden a big killing move and asked him to pay attention to Xu Muran’s black tortoise card to copy it as soon as it was used. He hadn’t dared to relax at all and kept staring at Xu Muran. The moment it appeared, Shao Qingge wasn’t late by even one second and immediately used Rich and Willful.
Rich and Willful could copy any card that he had seen in 10 minutes. Shao Qingge designated it to copy the black tortoise. He soon had an extra Black Tortoise card in hand. Then he learned from Xu Muran’s appearance and collectively pulled his teammates into the sh.e.l.l.
The mandala petals blossomed in the sand and the five meter large petals fluttered with the wind. The purple poisonous mist continued to spread.
It looked quite fierce but it was actually lonely.
The people on both sides hid in the tortoise sh.e.l.l and no one inhaled the poisonous mist at all.
Xu Muran thought he had won but from the viewing window inside the tortoise sh.e.l.l, he saw an identical big tortoise appear on the opposite side! Xu Muran’s facial features twisted with anger and he clenched his fists. “They even guarded against my card!”
Qi Yue frowned. “It must’ve been leaked by Old Gui.”
Xu Muran’s face was as black as the bottom of a pot. “Gui Yuanzhang doesn’t know I have the Black Tortoise card. How can Shao Qingge react so fast? He immediately copied the card as soon as I used it?”
He always felt that something was wrong. The other side always seemed to be able to guess his next plan. Why?
The black tortoise’s protective shield was about to fail. Xu Muran had no trump cards left. He took a deep breath and said to Qi Yue, “This mission doesn’t seem like it can be completed but we can’t be without any gains. Kill one first and gain some survival time.”
Qi Yue nodded. “Okay, I’ll go and clean up Xiao Lou.”
Xu Muran agreed. “Leave Lu Jiuchuan to me.”
The protection skill of the black tortoise sh.e.l.l expired and the sh.e.l.ls on both sides disappeared at almost the same time.
The moment when everyone met face to face again. The black crystal ball in Qi Yue’s hand suddenly released a large amount of black fog. The thick fog swept toward Xiao Lou fiercely like a beast descending from the mountain.
Xiao Lou was standing in the middle of the group but the black fog seemed to be self-aware and specifically aimed at Xiao Lou.
Xiao Lou’s heart trembled. He was thinking about how to dodge but Yu Hanjiang moved violently and forcefully pulled Xiao Lou into his arms.
The sky swirled in his vision and Xiao Lou was thrown to the ground by Yu Hanjiang, rolling twice in a row.
He looked up again and saw Gui Yuanzhang standing in front of the two of them. The brush in his hand waved rapidly and a transparent wall of wind appeared in front of him, blocking the attack of the black fog.
However, the wind wall only blocked it for two seconds. The black fog seemed to have the ability to penetrate the wind wall. It gradually penetrated it and densely surrounded Gui Yuanzhang.
Xiao Lou’s voice trembled as he shouted, “Senior!”
Xu Muran’s voice came at almost the same time. “Gui Yuanzhang, I know that you have betrayed me.”
Lu Jiuchuan shouted, “You have the face to talk about betrayal?! You traitor, I will personally resolve you today!”
He glanced at Yu Hanjiang before raising the sword in his hand and moving quickly.
Xu Muran originally wanted to kill Lu Jiuchuan in exchange for survival time. After all, the two of them were old teammates and knew each other well enough.
They acted at the same time and came to each other at the same time.
Lu Jiuchuan’s sword was extremely sharp while the angle of the sword in Xu Muran’s hand also moved sharply. Once upon a time, the two of them held weapons and fought together. Now they met again and it was a battle of life or death!
The moment when his long sword was about to stab Xu Muran, Lu Jiuchuan suddenly bent down.
Xu Muran’s sword stabbed the air. He suddenly became stunned as he saw a black muzzle.
Yu Hanjiang pulled the trigger from behind his brother.
There was the bang of a gunshot and a bullet fired over Lu Jiuchuan’s head, hitting Xu Muran’s forehead with precision.
The splash of blood instantly blurred his vision and his entire field of view turned red. Xu Muran stared at Lu Jiuchuan with disbelief. “You… actually… pulled back…”
Lu Jiuchuan said coldly, “You are too cunning. I am too lazy to pick a fight with you. I just created a chance for Hanjiang. We are brothers and our cooperation isn’t bad, right?”
Xu Muran’s eyes widened and he fell straight to the ground, unable to close his eyes.
If he hadn’t trusted his brother enough, Lu Jiuchuan couldn’t have taken this risk and rushed over to pretend to fight with Xu Muran, while he instead let his brother shoot from behind. If Yu Hanjiang’s bullet was slightly off then he would be the one who died.
The two of them had enough trust and tacit understanding to complete the final blow.
Xu Muran was killed by Yu Hanjiang’s unexpected shot!
QI Yue saw that the boss was dead and removed the black fog. He immediately turned to run but Long Sen and Qu Wanyue already blocked his way by taking advantage of their long legs. Long Sen smashed a shuttlec.o.c.k down from the sky and fixed him in place.
Chu Huaying was fast as she rushed behind him like the wind, her knife slashing at his throat!
The other hunters were resolved through the combination of Ye Qi and Shao Qingge. Xiao Ye’s musical instruments controlled all of them and no one survived Shao Qingge’s nails.
In the blink of an eye, the corpses of the fleeing hunters were scattered on the ground. The group quickly retreated and gathered around Gui Yuanzhang. “How is Senior Gui?”
”Is he okay?”
Gui Yuanzhang fell to the ground, his face black. The black fog seemed to have penetrated his body.
Xiao Lou supported him, eyes red as his vision gradually blurred. “Senior…”
Gui Yuanzhang gently held Xiao Lou’s hand, his voice hoa.r.s.e. “Xiao Lou, you are from the future so you should know that your smooth clearance means I will fail my mission. I don’t want to kill any of you in exchange for survival time…”
Xiao Lou had actually guessed it a long time ago but he didn’t want to accept this reality.
Perhaps as early as the moment when he decided to become an undercover agent, Old Gui had expected today.
Challengers and hunters, one bright and one dark—they had always been hostile camps and there was no way to be both.
Apart from Xiao Lou, the other teammates didn’t have the memory of those five hours or know the ident.i.ty of Old Gui. Lu Jiuchuan, Tang Ci and Chu Huaying crouched down beside Old Gui and looked at him anxiously. Shao Qingge also came over and placed his hand on Old Gui’s wrist. “I’ll see if I can heal him.”
However, the bugs that crawled out of Chief Shao’s fingers were all swallowed up by the black fog.
Shao Qingge said helplessly, “The black fog attack doesn’t seem to be a physical injury. My healing doesn’t work.”
Lu Jiuchuan clenched his fists. “Old Gui, hold on for a while. We will find a way…”
Gui Yuanzhang interrupted him. “No need.”
Then he looked at Xiao Lou and spoke gently. “As long as Qi Yue’s black fog hits the target, no one can save them. This is my own choice and you don’t need to be sad. Xiao Lou, you know the reason so you can slowly give everyone an explanation.”
Xiao Lou clutched his hand tightly and choked out, “Thank you, Senior… I know it is too light to say thank you but thank you for giving so much for us. Thank you…”
Gui Yuanzhang clapped his hands. “I like all you young people very much. After you go back, live well.”
He closed his eyes slowly but the corners of his lips were curled up in a relieved smile.
Lu Jiuchuan’s hands trembled while Chu Huaying tried to suppress his tears. Tang Ci, who had always been serious and calm, also had red eyes as he asked softly, “Xiao Lou, Old Gui is actually a hunter, right?”
Xiao Lou nodded.
Ye Qi, Shao Qingge and the others heard this and their eyes widened with surprise.
Xiao Lou looked at the dead Old Gui with closed eyes and explained in a low voice, “In fact, he didn’t come out of the J of Clubs Nightmare Room but chose to be a hunter. He said that you need to really become a hunter to go undercover, pretending is useless. He had to personally become a hunter to find out the details of the hunters.”
“He pretended to cooperate with Xu Muran and lurked around us, but in fact, he has been secretly helping us. Ever since we got the Time Reversal card in the Q secret room, he thought that the only way for us to clear the Card World is to find out the information of the hunters, reverse time and rely on the advantage of mastering the plot information and information of the enemy to turn defeat into victory.”
“…He was the one who told me to come back from the timeline of five hours in the future. The map, names and card information were all found out and handed to me by him at his own risk.”
Xiao Lou spoke up to here and could no longer remain calm. Yu Hanjiang wrapped an arm around his shoulders and comforted him softly. Lu Jiuchuan stood up, stared at the sky and held back the surging tears.
He silently said in his heart, ‘Old Gui, thank you.’
Just then, the dark sky seemed to suddenly be cut open.
Golden sunlight shone through the torn gap. The gap got bigger and bigger and eventually, the entire sky was divided into two parts: day and night. The position of Xiao Lou’s group happened to be exactly in the daytime world.
The warm sun shone on everyone and warmed them.
Two masked faces appeared in the sky.
The familiar two faces were indeed what Xiao Lou had guessed—Bai JInyu and his twin brother.
Apart from Xiao Lou, everyone was startled by the sight in front of them.
The older brother smiled warmly. “Congratulations. Due to annihilating the hunter group, you can pa.s.s the level in advance.”
The younger brother said coldly, “Brother, this time you won the best.”
“I said a long time ago that you shouldn’t underestimate them.”
The younger brother was silent.
The older brother looked at Xiao Lou and explained softly, “You all died in various accidents in reality. The only way to return to reality is to go back in time. Among you, Lu Jiuchuan died the earliest. we will modify the time flow rate and let you collectively return to three years ago. This is the reward that the four keepers originally promised you.”
As early as when Lu Jiuchuan appeared, Xiao Lou had speculated that the only way for everyone to be reborn in reality was to return to the past and avoid the accidents.
Now he heard the big joker say it and he was overjoyed. He hurriedly asked, “If we go back three years, can we save Old Gui in the real world? He died of a sudden myocardial infarction in reality. He can definitely be saved if the heart disease is detected in advance!”
The big joker nodded. “How far you can change the plot depends on your ability.”
Xiao Lou asked, “Will everyone keep their memories at this time?”
The big joker replied, “Yes, the team will go back in time. All of you who are present will have your memories.”
The group was relieved.
Old Gui died in the Card World but in reality, time would go back three years.
They knew where Old Gui lived and how to contact him. They had plenty of time to prepare. He died of a heart attack because the coronary heart disease wasn’t discovered or paid enough attention to. If treated in advance, many elderly people with coronary heart disease could live to 80 years old.
Xiao Lou looked at Yu Hanjiang. “I know many cardiology experts. Once the time comes, we will go to the old man and escort him to the hospital for an examination!”
Yu Hanjiang nodded. “Yes, three years is enough.”
Liu Qiao was also excited. “In my freshman year, my sister had a car accident while sending me to school. I was a high school student three years ago. If I don’t let my sister send me off, will we be able to avoid that car accident?”
Xiao Lou gently patted Liu Qiao’s shoulder. “It must be possible.”
Qu Wanyue looked at Long Sen. “We should change the wedding company and not let the wedding car get in an accident.”
Long Sen smiled and scratched his head. “Why don’t we go back and do the wedding in advance? Then we can send you the wedding candy!”
Xiao Lou told them, “Everyone must drink this wedding wine.”
Lu Jiuchuan looked at Tang Ci. “Xiao Tang, once I go back three years, I will choose another route in that mission, survive and find you.”
Tang Ci coughed softly, his ears slightly red. “What are you looking for me to do?”
Lu Jiuchuan smiled and placed a hand on his shoulder. “It is the appointment of the secret code. I will take you to Inner Mongolia to ride horses.”
Tang Ci, “……”
Shao Qingge came over and asked, “Three years ago, Xiao Ye should be in high school, right?”
Ye Qi nodded seriously. “That’s right. I still want to enter the Jiangzhou Conservatory of Music. My dream is to become a singer! If I can hold a concert in the future, I will definitely leave VIP tickets for everyone!”
Shao Qingge said, “Our agreement is still valid. I can be your wealthy backer.”
Ye Qi immediately shook his head. “No. I don’t want to hug a thigh. I’ll try it on my own.”
Shao Qingge smiled and patted Xiao Ye’s head. “Then I will wait for you to win first place in the singing compet.i.tion and introduce you to a record company. You won’t object to that, right?”
Ye Qi nodded happily. “Okay! Chief Shao’s connections can still be used.”
Old Mo’s eyes were sore as he whispered, “If I go back three years, I definitely won’t just focus on work. I will take more time to accompany my daughter.”
Liu Qiao told him, “Uncle Mo, I will come and see your daughter when there is time. Perhaps she will become an alumnus in the future.”
Everyone turned their attention to Chu Huaying. Lu Jiuchuan wondered, “Huaying, what do you want to do?”
She replied indifferently, “I’ll go back and get a black belt in taekwondo. Then I’ll talk about it.”
Everyone, “……”
Based on Sister Ying’s strength, no one would dare bully her in reality.
It was the most relaxed conversation they had since they formed the team.
The two jokers in the sky gradually blurred and countless cards flew in front of them, like the fast-forward of a movie. b.l.o.o.d.y Maple Leaf, Financial Crisis, Extremely Quick Train, Card Flying Chess, Beacon in Troubled Times, Shangyuan Lantern Festival, the bug secret room, the entertainment circle… to the four-in-one rooms of the death ward, the clone interstellar and the ghost town labyrinth.
Every card was a distinct memory.
Now these cards were destroyed but the memories would be engraved in the depths of their mind.
They unexpectedly came to the Card World and lived in fear every day, facing life or death crises all the time. Fortunately, they were able to meet so many friends and walk side by side with everyone on this tortuous and difficult road.
After the final darkness, dawn finally came.
As they were about to return to the past, Xiao Lou gathered everyone together again and said with a smile, “This time, we will no longer agree on a secret code. Everyone, leave your real world contact information.”
Ye Qi exclaimed, “My phone number is 1386975x.x.xX!”
Shao Qingge smiled. “I’ve already told you before but I’ll say it again…”
Lu Jiuchuan told them, “It isn’t convenient to contact me privately through a mobile phone in the army. You can send me an email…”
They had experienced life or death together and had a lifelong friendship. It was natural to keep in touch once back in reality.
Life was finally back on track.
For the dreams that hadn’t been fulfilled, they would strive to achieve them.
People who wanted to be together would never miss it again.
The sun rose and the moon set. Day and night were constantly alternating. The real world didn’t have so many twists and turns that were bizarre and thrilling. The sky wasn’t divided in two and there were no hunters or challengers. There was just plain tea, rice, oil and salt and a nine to five life.
However, being able to spend this life with the people they cherished was very precious, no matter how ordinary.
Xiao Lou stared up at the sky.
The faces of the two jokers completely disappeared and all the cards shattered in front of his eyes like it was a dream.
He opened his eyes again and saw the familiar school office building.
Xiao Lou immediately picked up his phone and called Yu Hanjiang.
A man’s deep voice filled with gentle warmth entered his ears. “Xiao Lou.”
Xiao Lou wondered, “How did you know it was me?”
“I memorized your phone number and just wanted to call you.”
This time, they all had their memories.
There wasn’t the Heart has a Tacit Exchange of Romantic Feelings but their minds were connected. They didn’t need a card any longer.
The environment around them was the most familiar real world and their colleagues and relatives would never try to kill them.
Xiao Lou sighed with relief and the corners of his lips rose in a long-lost, relaxed smile. “Hanjiang, we are back.”
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