Currently, only three locations have been identified for the gemstones, but there are many possibilities for their distribution.
Ye Qi didn't quite understand how Xiao Lou could deduce that the seven gems would form a human shape. On the way, he couldn't help but ask, " Professor Xiao, the positions of those three gems look like triangles or pentagrams... How did you deduce that it was a human shape?"
Xiao Lou explained, "Looking at the pattern alone, there are indeed many possibilities for the distribution of the three gems. The reason I deduced that the gems formed a human shape is not only because of their position, but also because of the human bones in Old Madam Qin's wine jar."
Yu Hanjiang recalled the wine jar and said, "If I remember correctly, there were exactly seven human bones soaking in her wine jar?"
Xiao Lou nodded: "Moreover, these seven human bones were taken from the temporal bone of the head, the vertebrae of the cervical spine, the finger bones of both hands, the pubic symphysis of the pelvis, and the toe bones of both feet, which represent the seven points of the human body. Since Grandma Qin said that the distribution of the gems formed an array, the human bones she soaked must also have a special meaning. In connection, the positions of the seven gems are very likely also the seven points of the human body."
Ye Qi suddenly realized: "The old lady soaked seven pieces of human bone in a wine jar, and arranged seven gems in the shape of a reclining human figure in the village. This feels more like a curse or a seal?"
Xiao Lou stroked his chin thoughtfully: "It does resemble a sealing formation from a fantasy game, but we can't determine the specific reason why Grandma Qin did this. We have too few clues."
Yu Hanjiang frowned and said, "Grandma Qin is definitely related to the massacre of the village back then. Let's go find the gem first. It's only the first day, so we have plenty of time to solve the mystery. We can analyze it slowly later."
Xiao Lou nodded and quickly followed Yu Hanjiang.
The four of them came out of the dilapidated temple and were about to go down the mountain when they heard a series of barking dogs!
Xiao Lou was startled—he hadn't expected these dogs to have such a keen sense of smell, almost comparable to police dogs tracking criminals. In just over ten minutes, they had followed the scent of the gems up the mountain. This western mountain was the Challengers ' base camp, and the secret chamber required the Challengers not to kill Villagers; accidentally killing a Villager would result in immediate failure. The Villagers led their dogs up the mountain to search for people, while the Challengers could only hide.
Just as they were about to run into the main search force, Xiao Lou gave Yu Hanjiang a wink.
Before Ye Qi could react, the two simultaneously threw out the word "Balance "—
Four silver-white metal discs, each 5 meters in diameter, quickly appeared on the ground, trapping all the dogs and Villager inside!
The Balance system works by ensuring that if the weights on the left and right discs are not equal, the trapped target cannot leave the weighing area. With so many Villagers and dogs, the weights on both sides are definitely different. The two Balance systems and four weighing discs keep them all in place.
When the dogs saw Xiao Lou and his companions, they tried to pounce and bite, but found themselves unable to move. They could only bark frantically in their direction: "Woof woof!" "Woof woof!"
The combined barking of numerous dogs shattered the tranquility of West Mountain. Xiao Lou's actions were, in effect, a warning to his Challenger companions, urging them to take cover.
Balance exists for 5 minutes, enough time for Xiao Lou and his group to escape.
The villager couldn't see and didn't know what was happening; they only heard their dogs barking wildly. The next moment, they felt a gentle breeze brush past them—
Because the path was blocked by the Villagers, the four of them couldn't just pass through the pack of dogs. Fortunately, Ye Qi's teleportation card allowed him to teleport through gaps. He aimed at the gap between the scales, first taking Xiao Lou, then returning to take Shao Qingge and Yu Hanjiang —the little guy was indeed very clever when escaping in a crisis.
Ye Qi, still shaken, breathed a sigh of relief as he weaved through the pack of dogs. His face pale, he said, "That Tibetan Mastiff was only a few centimeters away from me. If I hadn't been quick enough, it would have turned and bitten me, and I would be done for..."
Xiao Lou patted his shoulder reassuringly: "You've worked hard, let's go quickly."
The four quickly descended the mountain.
When Xiao Lou reached the foot of the mountain, he heard a rustling sound coming from the woods behind him. He looked up and saw a white figure lightly leaping from one tree to another. The girl, Light as a Swallow, seemed to have mastered the ultimate Lightness Skill.
Her flight card was indeed powerful. Xiao Lou looked up and met her gaze. The girl nodded at him and then quickly flew towards the east side of the village.
With so many villagers bringing dogs up the mountain to search, the Challengers who hear the barking are likely to come down and hide. Soon, a large number of Challengers will appear in the village. They must find the gems quickly, otherwise, they'll have to resort to robbery, and Xiao Lou has no intention of stealing from others.
Yu Hanjiang knew the situation was urgent, so he handed the map to Ye Qi and said, "Xiao Ye, you have a teleportation card. Take CEO Shao to the farmland in the southeast to find gems as soon as possible. Professor Xiao and I will go to another farmland."
Ye Qi nodded, activated his teleportation skill, and took Shao Qingge with him, disappearing in the blink of an eye.
Xiao Lou wanted to use speed-boosting shoes, but his running speed was slow, and his 100-meter sprint time always hovered around the passing mark. Speed-boosting shoes increase one's speed by five times, but since his foundation was poor, even with the speed boost, he wouldn't be particularly fast.
Thinking of this, Xiao Lou said, "We're in a hurry, why don't Captain Yu put on his speed shoes and go ahead first?"
Yu Hanjiang shook his head: "I haven't been affected by the blindness yet. Being alone could cause problems. We can't split up. How about this, I'll put on the speed shoes and carry you?"
Xiao Lou didn't hesitate.
He simply handed the Gale Card from the card holder to Yu Hanjiang.
Yu Hanjiang donned his speed-boosting shoes, activated his five-times-speed ability, and carried Xiao Lou on his back. Xiao Lou only saw a blur before his eyes, and before he could react, Yu Hanjiang had darted away like an arrow!
Xiao Lou felt dizzy and immediately reached out to hug Yu Hanjiang's shoulder to prevent herself from falling.
This intimate gesture made the man's back stiffen slightly, but he did not stop.
A gentle breeze brushed past their ears, and the surrounding scenery rushed past them. Perhaps because they were moving too fast after putting on the speed-enhancing shoes, both of their heartbeats became a little erratic, and Yu Hanjiang's usually steady breathing became slightly rapid.
He carried Xiao Lou across the entire village in just five minutes.
After arriving at the farmland, Yu Hanjiang put Xiao Lou on the ground.
Xiao Lou realized he had been holding Captain Yu the whole time, and his ears started to burn. He quickly let go, steadied himself, and changed the subject, saying, "The gem should be in this area. Let's hurry and find it, lest other Challengers come and steal it again."
Yu Hanjiang nodded: "Okay, let's split up and search."
It is harvest season, and golden wheat ears sway in the wind in the fields, filling the air with a sweet fragrance.
The two entered the wheat field, which covered dozens of acres and stretched as far as the eye could see. Finding the exact location of the gemstone was difficult; what if it was in the middle of the field? Would they have to shovel all the wheat and dig up the ground?
That project is too big.
What clues or hints might there be?
Xiao Lou frowned as he looked at the vast wheat field, noticing exactly seven scarecrows among them. Scarecrows are placed in fields to scare away birds that steal the grain. At eye level, they don't look like much; each scarecrow appears the same size. But if viewed from above…
Xiao Lou's eyes lit up: "These seven scarecrows are arranged in a human shape. The one on the far west is the head, and the two on the far east are the feet. The gem should be on the left foot."
Upon hearing this, Yu Hanjiang immediately ran over and lifted the scarecrow. There was nothing unusual on the ground. He touched the scarecrow and found that its belly was empty. He reached into the scarecrow's belly and, sure enough, pulled out an exquisite wooden box. Opening the box, he found a dark green gemstone.
Yu Hanjiang returned to Xiao Lou's side with the gemstone: "Found it."
Xiao Lou was overjoyed and immediately contacted Ye Qi through the Telepathic Connection: "Xiao Ye, have you found the gem? Are there seven scarecrows in the farmland?"
Ye Qi said, "I couldn't find it. This farmland is so big... There are definitely scarecrows. Is the gem under the scarecrow?"
Xiao Lou suggests: "Look from west to east. The scarecrows are arranged in a human shape. Look inside the scarecrow's belly, at the right foot position."
Soon, Ye Qi's excited voice rang in my ears: "Found it! The gem really is inside the scarecrow's belly!"
Xiao Lou said, "Quickly bring the gems and come over to meet us."
The farmland was flat, allowing Ye Qi and Shao Qingge to teleport directly.
In less than a minute, the two of them appeared in Xiao Lou's field of vision. Ye Qi, holding a wooden box, looked excited as he approached Xiao Lou and opened the box, saying, " Professor Xiao, I found a gem, a transparent one."
Xiao Lou picked up the gem Ye Qi handed him and compared it with the one he had found.
Both gemstones are spherical and perfectly round. A bright, thin line runs along the center of each stone. The one he and Yu Hanjiang found was dark green, while the one Ye Qi and CEO Shao found was almost transparent white. Under light, the gemstones radiate a soft luster, especially the central line, which sparkles beautifully.
Xiao Lou didn't know much about jewelry, so she turned around and asked, "Do you know each other?"
Yu Hanjiang and Ye Qi both shook their heads, indicating they did not recognize them.
Shao Qingge smiled and picked up the two gemstones, examined them in the sunlight, and said, "These are cat's eye stones. The one Professor Xiao has is a Hetian jade cat's eye; the one Xiao Ye found is called a moonstone cat's eye. Judging from the color, these gemstones should be completely natural. The gemstones are round, and the cat's eye line is in the middle and so clear. Both gemstones are quite valuable."
Ye Qi turned to look at him admiringly: " CEO Shao is quite knowledgeable about gemstones, isn't he?"
Shao Qingge said, "It's necessary for business. I've specifically studied knowledge related to gold and jewelry."
Xiao Lou picked up the two gemstones and examined them closely. He noticed a small hole in the middle of each gemstone and asked in confusion, "What does this small hole on the gemstones mean?"
He was deep in thought when a calm, cool female voice suddenly rang out behind him: "Seven gemstones, it should be a bracelet."
The four of them turned around abruptly and saw the girl sitting on a tree not far away. After meeting their gazes, she leaped up and landed steadily in front of Xiao Lou, opening her palms.
In her palm, there was also a gemstone, a golden cat's eye.
Its color was crystal clear, and it shimmered with golden light under the evening sun.
Shao Qingge narrowed his eyes slightly and said, "Yours is a golden-green cat's eye, the most precious variety, and it has the highest resemblance to a cat's eye."
The girl withdrew her hand and said, "You probably guessed it, this is the one I found in the human bone pit in the ruined temple."
Xiao Lou asked, "You just said that the seven gemstones form a bracelet. What's your basis for that?"
The girl pointed to the small hole in the center of the gemstone and said, "This hole is probably for threading a string through, to string the seven gemstones together, like a bracelet a girl wears. I bought a similar colored eye stone bracelet before, but..."
"I bought a synthetic cat's-eye stone, which cost a few dozen yuan. It's not as precious as the natural one."
Shao Qingge thought for a moment and nodded in agreement: "It does look like a cat's eye bracelet that girls wear. If it were a bracelet made of seven different kinds of pure natural cat's eye stones... then the price would be astonishing."
Ye Qi asked curiously, "So, the owner of this bracelet must be very rich?"
Shao Qingge said, "The three we found so far include a transparent moonstone cat's eye, a dark green Hetian jade cat's eye, and a golden chrysoberyl cat's eye. Other common cat's eye stones include red rutile quartz cat's eye, tourmaline cat's eye, quartz cat's eye, and tiger's eye cat's eye... The colors of the seven cat's eye stones are likely to be different. Collecting different types of cat's eye stones to make a bracelet shows that the owner is not only rich but also very knowledgeable about cat's eye stones."
The girl looked at him with considerable surprise: "You know a lot about jewelry?"
Shao Qingge smiled, his eyes narrowing, "I know a little."
The three of them: "..."
CEO Shao is so arrogant, he still has the nerve to say he "knows a little"!
Xiao Lou smiled slightly, looked at the girl in front of him, and asked, "You've been hiding all this time, but you suddenly contacted us just now. Is it because you want to cooperate with us to achieve a perfect clear?"
The girl nodded: "You've already found two gems, and all four of you can complete the game. I've also found one, so there's no competition between us. Therefore, I'd like to team up with you to try for a perfect completion."
This girl is clever. If the four of them hadn't found the gems, and she had rashly cooperated with them, her own gems might have been stolen. But now that the four of them have found two gems and are certain they can pass the level, and she can too, under these circumstances, they don't need to be too wary of each other if they cooperate.
Taking one more gem won't add to your score, so there's no need to start a fight.
The smartest approach is to cooperate and find the perfect way to complete the game together.
This girl has a flight card, allowing her to fly using trees, which will help Xiao Lou and his group find clues. She has clearly witnessed the abilities of Xiao Lou and his companions, and she believes they can assist her.
The two sides hit it off immediately.
Xiao Lou smiled and said, "Since we're going to cooperate, could you tell me your name? I can't exactly call you Flying Man."
The girl seemed to have no sense of humor, and with a blank expression, she said, "Hello, my name is Liu Qiao."
Ye Qi excitedly said, "Hello, my name is Ye Qi!"
Shao Qingge stroked his chin thoughtfully: " Liu Qiao...this name sounds familiar?"
A fragment suddenly flashed through Xiao Lou's mind—
Back in Plum Blossom 2, in the [Challenge 10:30] escape room, during a seven-person card game, when Shao Qingge went all in at the start to play a psychological game, there were two girls who helped Xiao Lou and the others complete the game. One of them was very thin, and the other had a high ponytail. In the end, Xiao Lou let her win a round and helped her win.
After the card game ended, everyone discussed why they had come to this world and discovered that they had all come from accidents.
The bus that the two girls were riding on was the same school bus that Xiao Lou was hit in the accident.
The girl with the high ponytail said, "My younger sister may have also come into this world. She is in poor health and I don't know how long she will live. If you have the chance to meet her in the future, could you please tell her to live well... Her name is Liu Qiao."
Memories flooded back, and Xiao Lou realized where she had heard the name before. She immediately asked, " Liu Qiao? Don't you have an older sister who was in a car accident with you?"
Liu Qiao's expression changed slightly: "How did you know?"
Shao Qingge also recalled this incident, saying, "We met her at Plum Blossom 2. She said she was taking the school bus to take you to school when she was in an accident and was taken to Card World."
Liu Qiao clenched her fingers tightly, her eyes filled with worry: "My sister..."
Xiao Lou said, "She wasn't eliminated in Plum Blossom 2. She teamed up with another girl, and we didn't see her in the subsequent escape rooms."
Although Xiao Lou hadn't seen her sister, he had a feeling she might not make it to Spade 4. Both girls seemed physically weak, and they were likely to be wiped out by the criminals in the Financial Crisis level. Moreover, Heart 3 was very challenging, Red Heart 4 was even more so, and Spade 4 was an insanely difficult interconnected escape room with an over 80% elimination rate. The chances of her sister making it out of the beginner area and successfully into the main city were extremely low.
Liu Qiao was silent for a moment before saying softly, "My sister's name is Liu Ying. We were indeed in the same car accident. After Plum Blossom 2, I bought a contract book to team up with her, but Guardian told me that she was already paired with someone else."
This aligns with what Xiao Lou and the others said.
After finishing Plum Blossom 2, Liu Ying paired up with the girl she played cards with, and coincidentally missed her sister's invitation.
Xiao Lou asked in confusion, "Your sister said you weren't in good health, how did you manage to walk to Spade 4 all by yourself?"
Liu Qiao's face was slightly pale, clearly indicating that the journey had been difficult. She said, " After perfectly clearing Red Heart 2, I drew a card that allows me to move while floating, and I successfully dodged the zombies in Spade 2. The teammates I was matched with in Heart 3 and Red Heart 4 were quite strong, so I guess I'm just lucky to have made it this far."
Ye Qi asked curiously, "Randomly matched teammates are easy to get matched with bad players! How did you pass Spade 3?"
Liu Qiao's face was grim: "In Spade 3, I was robbed of my items by a randomly matched teammate. I realized that my teammate's identity was questionable, so I quickly moved away from her. I hid in a tree using a flight card and survived for seven days on milk and bread from my backpack, along with eating leaves."
Ye Qi empathized deeply, her face contorted with resentment: "You got screwed over by randomly matched teammates too, right? Me too. That guy was actually my senior from university in real life, and after our stuff was stolen, he took all my food by himself."
"Yes!"
Others: "..."
Those two poor souls, it's really not easy for them to survive by eating tree leaves.
Xiao Lou said gently, "Your sister asked me to pass on a message to you, telling you to live well. Since we've met by chance, let's work together this time. After we pass the fourth level, you can come with us to Moon City, and then we can inquire about your sister's whereabouts. How about that?"
She couldn't find her sister here either, so she went to the main city. If her sister survives the fourth level, she might be able to meet her again. The descriptions of her sister from these people don't seem like lies, and they're quite strong. Working together, they might be able to get a perfect S-rank clear.
Liu Qiao took a deep breath, nodded, and said, "Okay."
She turned around and said, "I hid in a tree last night and found some clues in the village. Come with me."