The seventh day, night.
Xiao Lou organized a final dinner for everyone.
Dinner was plentiful, and everyone, adhering to the principle of "not wasting food," finished all the remaining food.
By 24:00 tonight, everyone will be able to clear the level together.
Fourteen people sat together, their hearts filled with mixed feelings.
After downing two cans of beer, Bearded Uncle laughed and exclaimed, "It's like a dream! We all teamed up to beat the game. So this is how Spade Secret Room works. Looks like we all misunderstood..."
A girl, pale-faced, said, "Yes, when I heard about the survival room, my first thought was to find a way to survive on my own. In fact, it's easier to survive if everyone works together."
A man next to him said, "If we encounter even harsher survival conditions in the future, I think we can follow the example of this experience and unite the Challengers. Some of us can hunt, some can cook, and we can take turns keeping watch. There's strength in numbers!"
Seeing everyone's confident demeanor, Xiao Lou couldn't bear to discourage them.
However, to prevent these people from blindly trusting their own kind, Xiao Lou gently reminded them: "Don't forget Liu Tong, who stole a large amount of supplies by infiltrating the Challengers. We have confirmed that there are organizations in this world that are specifically against the Challengers. In the future, everyone should not easily trust strangers. Before joining forces, it is best to verify the other party's identity first."
Everyone was shocked when they heard this.
I almost forgot, there might be a mole among Challenger's members.
If everyone blindly trusts others, they might fall into a trap set by an internal traitor and be wiped out by the traitor.
Ye Qi said enthusiastically, "I think Brother Xiao's method is very good. Challenger must have experienced a lot of escape rooms. At present, the most likely place for this group of people who are against us to appear is the Spade Secret Room. They may not know about the Hearts case, the Diamonds mechanism, and the Plum Blossom game. If you suspect the other party's identity in the future, you can use these experiences to test them."
Everyone suddenly understood and nodded in agreement: "That's right, ask them what kind of mechanism Diamond 2 is, and who died in Red Heart 2. If they look blank, then it means they are not Challengers!" "That's a good idea. The people in this Secret Room World may not consider their living space as a secret room! They see us as outsiders. If we ask them a few more questions, we can figure it out."
Xiao Lou said, "I have another suggestion: everyone should team up with others in advance and not be alone, as those who are alone are more likely to be targeted."
Bearded Uncle agreed: "Yeah, either form a team in advance and get to know your teammates, or go through the level alone like me. If you are randomly matched, the teammate you are matched with might be a traitor."
Everyone was still shaken by the experience of having their supplies stolen.
It was completely dark by then, and everyone sat together, none of them feeling sleepy.
The fourteen people sat together chatting casually. Xiao Lou casually asked them a question: "You all came into this world because of accidents in reality, right?"
People shared their experiences, including car accidents, sudden illnesses, being killed by knives, being burned to death in explosions, and so on.
Xiao Lou asked, "Did any of you touch playing cards before you died?"
Bearded Uncle spoke first: "I love playing Dou Dizhu (a popular Chinese card game), I play it on my phone every day." "I've played Upgrading (another card game) with my friends." "I recently learned how to play □□ (another card game)..." "During Chinese New Year, I played Hearts Four (another card game) with my older brothers and sisters."
Xiao Lou and Yu Hanjiang exchanged a glance.
The selection criteria of this world are indeed based on having come into contact with playing cards in reality, but the order in which one dies accidentally and comes into contact with playing cards is still uncertain.
A girl looked at Xiao Lou and asked softly, " Brother Xiao, can we really go back?"
Xiao Lou smiled and said, "I don't know either... but if I give up, I can never go back."
Everyone fell silent.
Don't give up. Even though we don't know how it will end, there's still a glimmer of hope.
Once you give up, there's no going back.
To stay in this crazy world and experience all sorts of escape rooms every day is just maddening to think about.
...
As midnight approached, everyone was on edge.
Just as the clock struck midnight, a notification finally appeared in the floating window above Xiao Lou's head—
Congratulations to Xiao Lou and Yu Hanjiang on successfully completing Spade 3 Secret Room! Financial Crisis, passing score S. Please return to Personal Space to claim your reward.
Other players also received a notification above their heads indicating that they had completed the level.
Someone jumped up excitedly: "Finally, we can leave this awful place!" "I beat the game too!" "Great, we beat it!" "Has everyone beaten it?!"
After a moment of excitement, a girl suddenly choked up and said, " Brother Xiao, Old Han, Xiao Ye, and Young Master Qin, thank you all. If it weren't for you, I might have been killed by the thugs."
Another young man added, "Yes, thank you to the four experts for helping us beat the game!"
The couple came over and bowed, saying, "Thank you for taking us in."
The two young men who were going to jail also ran over and said, "Thank you, brothers!"
Amidst the sounds of gratitude, Xiao Lou smiled and said, "You're welcome."
Bearded Uncle sighed softly, walked over, placed his hand on Xiao Lou's shoulder, and said in a low voice, "Young man, I don't know how long I have left, but I have high hopes for you... I really hope there are more people like you in Secret Room World."
If all the Challengers in Secret Room World had their courage, would they be willing to team up with other Challengers to complete the game, and would maintain their principles and bottom lines, refraining from indiscriminately killing innocent people?
So, will the Challengers in this world be much better off?
Xiao Lou's heart skipped a beat. He nodded to the uncle and said, "Old Hu, everything went smoothly."
Hu Zi laughed twice: "Let's live one day at a time, goodbye everyone!"
He was the first to leave the Spade 3 secret room.
The other Challengers also came over to say goodbye to Xiao Lou and the others, and left one by one.
Someone shamelessly asked, " Brother Xiao, are you guys short of people? If so, could you add me?"
Xiao Lou smiled and politely declined, saying, "I'm sorry, my contract book is already full."
The other party could only wave regretfully and turn to leave.
After all the other Challengers had left, Ye Qi looked at Xiao Lou and asked in a low voice, " Professor Xiao, what about me? Can I join?"
Xiao Lou smiled and patted him on the shoulder: "You're a reserved team member, aren't you and CEO Shao going to Heart 3?"
Ye Qi's eyes lit up: "Great!" He turned to look at Shao Qingge and said seriously: " CEO Shao, do n't worry, I will definitely listen to you."
Shao Qingge smiled faintly: "Just be obedient."
Anyway, he'd already gotten spoilers from Xiao Lou and knew roughly what Hearts 3 was about. As a Hearts noob, he was confident he could get a perfect playthrough with his S-rank Hearts character.
Yu Hanjiang reminded them, "You guys need to buy a contract book first and bind yourselves together, otherwise you're all alone now, and you might not find any teammates in random matchmaking."
"Leave this to me." Shao Qingge turned to Ye Qi and said, "After you return to Personal Space, don't rush to draw cards. Wait for my contract book invitation. After you sign the contract book, I will draw Heart 3 to bring you in."
Ye Qi nodded vigorously: "Understood!"
Xiao Lou said, "Then let's stick to the original plan. You two go to Heart 3, and Captain Yu and I will go to Plum Blossom 3. When we reach the fourth level, you go to Plum Blossom first, and we'll go to Hearts first, and then meet up in Spade. After we've cleared all the C-level secret chambers, you tear up the contract book, and I'll upgrade it and sign you up again. Then we can all team up together."
Shao Qingge readily nodded: "No problem."
Ye Qi, of course, obeyed: "Okay, Professor Xiao, Captain Yu, see you in Spade 4!"
CEO Shao and Ye Qi have also left.
A countdown bar appears in the floating window, followed by the option "Leave the room?".
Xiao Lou looked into the distance—under the cold moonlight, the city, without water and electricity, seemed shrouded in a thick haze.
.
He didn't know if the city would refresh after the Challengers left.
Will it return to its original state? Or will it be completely abandoned by Secret Room World and transformed into Sun City, a financial city where prices are fixed at 128 times the base rate?
They experienced a lot in this city.
They encountered Shao Qingge, a promising young entrepreneur, and Ye Qi, a music-loving teenager disguised as a garbage collector; they learned about the Nightmare Secret Room and the existence of a mysterious organization that opposes the Challengers; they heard rumors about " Moon City," and finally, they fought alongside so many Challengers, winning a brilliant victory and earning some gold coins.
I gained a lot and can consider it a successful completion.
But Xiao Lou found it difficult to calm down.
He took one last look at the city shrouded in night, took a deep breath, smiled at Yu Hanjiang, and said, "Let's go, Captain Yu, we still have to continue our journey."
Yu Hanjiang nodded and pressed the "Leave" option.
Suddenly, everything went black.
When their vision returned, they were already sitting in the helicopter cabin.
The familiar roar of propellers came from above, and the transparent bubble beneath my feet revealed a city completely plunged into darkness.
In the pilot's seat of the helicopter, a man wearing sunglasses had a cold smile playing on his lips.
It was the long-lost Guardian – Ace of Spades.
[ Financial Crisis End]