That evening, Xiao Lou and Yu Hanjiang went to room 507 and knocked on the door. When Mo Xuemin opened the door and saw them, a smile immediately appeared on his face: "It's you two again!" He had a deep impression of these two people, after all, they had once stared at him for a minute.
Yu Hanjiang asked directly, "Old Mo, have you found a team yet?"
Mo Xuemin sighed softly: "No. There haven't been many new people lately, and the recruitment posts on the forum aren't very reliable. I think if all else fails, I'll just do the Weekly Routine by myself."
Xiao Lou looked at him and said, "Consider joining our team; we're short-handed."
Mo Xuemin looked at the two of them suspiciously, touched his nose and said, "Join you? Cough, to be honest, you are all newbies and know nothing about the Weekly Routine mission. I am determined to clear it and return, so... it's not good to join a team of complete newbies..." He put it tactfully, but what he really meant was: You bunch of newbies are unreliable, aren't you?
But Yu Hanjiang's words made Lao Mo change his mind—
He calmly said, "My name is Yu Hanjiang, and this is Xiao Lou. The two of us teamed up and broke the world records for Heart 3 and 4, and also got a perfect S rating in Spade 4. "
Mo Xuelin's eyes widened instantly, as if he had seen a raging flood or a ferocious beast.
Sometimes, there's no need for unnecessary words; results speak for themselves.
Xiao Lou glanced at Captain Yu, who was always straightforward, and added with a smile, " Captain Yu is a Criminal Police Officer, and I'm an associate professor in the Forensic Medicine Department. This is the key to our breaking the world record for heart room. We're both very good at suspenseful escape rooms. Although the team is new, everyone is very capable. Lao Mo, you're quite familiar with the Weekly Routine, so you could be our guide. Would you be willing?"
Mo Xuemin hesitated for a moment. Teams with entirely new members are prone to problems, such as internal strife at critical moments, which can cause the team to fall apart instantly. Most temporarily formed teams with new members will disband because they cannot withstand the test.
However, the two people in front of them are masters who have broken world records!
The Criminal Police Officer and the Forensic Doctor are undoubtedly a formidable duo in Heart Room. Their perfect completion of the challenging Liuxi Village demonstrates that their rookie team is no pushover. Even if they begin developing teamwork now, as long as they remain united and work together, their strength will only increase after several more escape rooms, making them even more formidable.
Joining now is like buying a stock with potential for growth.
High risk, high reward.
Instead of searching for unreliable recruitment teams on forums, you might as well try teaming up with experts who have broken world records.
Thinking of this, Mo Xuemin immediately nodded in agreement: "Okay, I don't have a team anyway, so I'll join you guys! How many people are in your team right now?"
Yu Hanjiang glanced at the empty corridor and said, "This is not the place to talk, Lao Mo, come downstairs with us."
***
Mo Xuemin followed the two to room 311 on the third floor. Xiao Lou knocked lightly on the door with a "three long, two short" knocking pattern. Ye Qi quickly opened the door from the inside, and Mo Xuemin went inside to find that there were actually five other people.
Xiao Lou introduced with a smile: "This is Mo Xuemin, Lao Mo, the oldest senior in the team. Let's all get to know each other."
The man with a short ponytail and chestnut hair was the most handsome besides Xiao Lou and Yu Hanjiang. He squinted his eyes, smiled, and extended his hand, saying, "Hello, Lao Mo, my name is Shao Qingge. In the real world, I run a fund company and am in charge of the team's finances."
Mo Xuemin immediately shook hands with him: " Hello, CEO Shao!"
The boy standing next to him had fair skin and was about 170cm tall. He seemed to be still growing, but his eyes had a hint of intelligence, and his smile was very cute. He said warmly, " Hello Uncle Mo, my name is Ye Qi, I am 20 years old, and I am a student at the Music Conservatory. You can call me Xiao Ye from now on."
Following closely behind, a slender girl with a detached expression and delicate features walked over, extended her pale hand, and said, " Hello Uncle Mo, my name is Liu Qiao, I'm 18 years old, from Medical School." A first-year university student in the Department of Traditional Chinese Medicine.
He had seen all three of them the night before last, and there were two unfamiliar faces. The man was tall and muscular, standing at 1.85 meters, with obvious muscles on his arms. He had a very honest smile and scratched his head, saying, "Hello, Lao Mo, my name is Long Sen, and I am a race walking coach at a sports school."
The woman next to him had elegant, long, curly hair that reached just to her shoulders. She smiled and said, "My name is Qu Wanyue, I'm Long Sen's fiancée, and I'm a dance teacher."
Mo Xuemin greeted everyone in turn.
The professional setup of this team deeply impressed him.
Criminal Police Officer, Forensic Doctor, Fund Manager, Music Prodigy, Department of Traditional Chinese Medicine Girl, Dance Teacher, Race Walking Coach, plus his role as a space designer—their professions cover almost all types of Diamonds ' secret chambers.
The Heart Room has a professional Criminal Police Officer and a Forensic Doctor, so finding the culprit is not a problem; the Spade Secret Room has a high probability of success with so many people working together; the Plum Blossom Confrontation Room features intellectual challenges with Professor Xiao and CEO Shao, and physical challenges with a professional Criminal Police Officer. Yu Hanjiang, and Long Sen, a race walking coach with excellent physical fitness...
You won't believe it until you see it—it's ridiculously strong!
Xiao Lou took out the contract book and said, "Old Mo, our contract book has been upgraded to a high-level one, but a high-level contract book can only be activated by at least 8 people. Now we just need your signature."
Mo Xuemin took the quill pen without hesitation and wrote on it.
He signed his name.
Looking at the various signatures on the first to fifth pages, Mo Xuemin's heart pounded. He hadn't expected to find such an amazing team after the previous team was wiped out! Mo suppressed his excitement and looked at Xiao Lou, saying, " Professor Xiao, have you ever heard of Card World's elite team that made it to Hearts J?"
Xiao Lou nodded: "I heard from the president of the Distant Place Association that they once formed an elite team to try and clear the SS escape room, but they were wiped out in the Hearts J escape room and never came back."
Mo Xuemin nodded seriously: "That team's composition is very similar to yours, with mystery writers, doctors, sports coaches, dance teachers, singers, and so on, gathering top talents from all walks of life... It's a pity they couldn't get out in the end. Many people say that the later escape rooms were too difficult, and if such a team couldn't get through, no one else could possibly pass. Professor Xiao, what do you think about this?"
Xiao Lou laughed and said, "Regarding the reason for their complete annihilation, I personally believe that there were internal problems. I heard from Mr. Gui that their team had 15 people. It's not easy to manage so many people. As long as there are cracks within the team, even an ant hole can destroy a thousand-mile dike."
Meeting Xiao Lou's calm gaze, Mo Xuemin nodded and clenched his fists tightly, saying, "That's what I think too! I think if it's really a level of difficulty that humans can't overcome, the Guardian shouldn't have told us in the first place that we could leave after clearing the S -level secret chamber. They could have just said, 'Welcome to Card World to start a new life.' Why give us the hope of leaving?"
Yu Hanjiang nodded: "There are no escape rooms that cannot be passed, only challengers who are not strong enough. The previous elite team, each member may be very strong individually, but together they may not be strong."
Xiao Lou looked at Captain Yu and agreed, saying, "That's right. Sometimes, 1+1 has an effect greater than 2, and sometimes it's less than 2. Teams that scheme against each other will only drag each other down."
He smiled and looked around, making eye contact with everyone for a second, and said, "We now have eight people. I hope that our total number is greater than eight, not less than eight. Since everyone has decided to form a team, I'll start by setting some team rules."
He took out the contract book and opened it to the first page.
In addition to the original 1-6 rules of the secret room contract book, the 7th rule is missing and can be added by the owner of the contract book.
Xiao Lou picked up a quill pen and wrote three paragraphs on the seventh line, using handwriting as neat as printed characters.
Going home is a shared wish of everyone.
All members on this contract book pledge to follow instructions, unite as one, support each other, and trust one another. From now on, we will walk side-by-side through countless challenging paths; no matter what, let's not forget the significance of "teammates" to each other.
Anyone who betrays the team will be immediately removed from the contract book upon discovery, and will be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law.
Xiao Lou handed the contract book to everyone for review, and said, "Does everyone have any objections to the additional rules?"
Everyone agreed that if a team can't even maintain basic unity and trust, how can they expect to avoid teammates stabbing them in the back in a life-or-death situation? Establishing strict rules from the very beginning is the best approach.
Mo Xuemin was surprised that the seemingly gentle Professor Xiao was so rational and calm in a critical moment. Only when a team leader like Xiao is on a contract book, and only team members who sign the book can truly trust the team.
Xiao Lou put away the contract book, smiled at Yu Hanjiang, and said, " Captain Yu is the head of the Criminal Police Department. He often carries out dangerous missions and is very good at commanding and leading teams. In the future, when you encounter spade or heart- type escape rooms, everyone should follow Captain Yu's orders."
The others nodded immediately.
Yu Hanjiang continued, " Professor Xiao is skilled at solving puzzles and mechanisms. Don't touch the mechanisms in the Diamond Secret Room randomly; just follow Professor Xiao's instructions. Also, Lao Mo is a designer and is sensitive to space. If you encounter a large maze, leave the task of finding the way to Lao Mo."
Xiao Lou said, " Plum Blossom Secret Chamber requires everyone's cooperation. Remember one thing: trust your teammates. Now, please take out all your card holders. We need to assess everyone's strength."
The group exchanged glances, and Shao Qingge took the lead, pulling out his card holder first, since he didn't have many good cards anyway. He did have a strange [ATM] card that was quite useful; it could summon an ATM in Secret Room World, allowing him to withdraw money anytime, anywhere.
Ye Qi has two instrument cards [ guitar ] and [ flute ], both of which control musical notes. His [ teleportation card ] can take two teammates with him, teleporting them 50 meters at a time. His [□□] can throw out three eavesdropping devices at once.
Liu Qiao's [ Twin ] copies others, [Flying Card] allows her to float, and [ Little Red Riding Hood ] and [ Poison Queen ] control and attack.
Long Sen and Qu Wanyue have two [ Chameleon ] cards and two [ Long Jump Master ] cards. The former blends into the environment for camouflage and reconnaissance, while the latter allows for an 8-meter jump with no terrain or time limit, making it a great card for escaping, comparable to Ye Qi's Teleportation card.
Old Mo's cards surprised everyone; he pulled out four special A-rank cards in a row—
[Rotation Spacetime] allows the space within a specified 100-meter radius to be instantly flipped 180 degrees;
[Color Elements] can color a specified area of 500 square meters with seven colors: red, orange, yellow, green, cyan, blue, and purple.
[ Model Room ]: Draw a model room on the blueprints and generate a model room magnified 100 times in a specified area, allowing enemies to enter your model room and admire your work.
[Solid wood flooring], 100 meters long and 5 meters wide, is very sturdy and can be laid on any terrain. For example, it can be used to build a wooden bridge over a river, or between two tall buildings.
Walking in the air.
Old Mo laughed sheepishly, "I've never gotten an S rating, I've only drawn A cards, but they're pretty useful. Last week in Diamond Secret Room, I escaped Hunter's pursuit thanks to the [Rotating Time] effect card."
Xiao Lou praised, "It works very well."
Yu Hanjiang took out his laptop and quickly tallied everyone's cards.
In addition to the special cards mentioned above, there are also some reward cards that are guaranteed to be obtained upon completion of the game, such as [Supply Pack], [Universal Travel Ticket], [ Nine Palaces Grid ], [ Four-Way Arrow ], and [ Kongming Lantern ], which everyone already has.
Some team-limited cards, such as the [Human Bone Pot] and [ Balance ] which have a wide-area crowd control effect, can only be carried by one team. Any extras can be sold.
Finally, Xiao Lou's character cards and Yu Hanjiang's weapon cards also broadened everyone's horizons!
Mo Xuemin looked at Yu Hanjiang excitedly: " Captain Yu actually got a limited edition weapon! If you were to sell these weapons, they would fetch an astronomical price. Especially this sniper rifle, it's priceless, and many Challengers are asking to buy it on the forums..."
Yu Hanjiang said, "I'm not selling it; I'm using it myself."
Old Mo nodded: "Yes, you're a policeman, so you must know how to use a gun. A gun is much better than swords and knives!"
Xiao Lou smiled and said, "So far, Captain Yu's weapons haven't been used yet."
Mo Xuemin was stunned for a moment, thinking to himself, if he's this strong even without weapons, wouldn't Captain Yu be unstoppable if he used weapons in the future?
Yu Hanjiang showed the statistical results to Xiao Lou. After reviewing them, Xiao Lou thought there were no problems and placed his laptop on the table, saying, "Everyone, come and take a look. Let's familiarize ourselves with the cards our team currently has."
Everyone craned their necks to examine the room closely. Yu Hanjiang whispered, "We have two more days to prepare. Let's agree in advance that once we're in the secret room, we'll all use pseudonyms and not reveal too much information. Just call me Old Han."
Xiao Lou said, "Those younger than me are called Brother Xiao, and those older than me are called Xiao Xiao. My alias is Yunxiao."
Shao Qingge said, "Just call me Mr. Shao."
Ye Qi is called "Xiao Ye", Mo Xuemin is called "Lao Mo", Liu Qiao is called "Xiao Liu", Long Sen is called "Mu Tou", and Qu Wanyue is called "Yue Yue". After discussing their code names and getting to know each other's cards, they temporarily decided on their roles and discussed until very late before going to sleep. Everyone was full of energy.
We're getting closer to the Weekly Routine.
On Friday, Ms. Xue from the Distant Place Association came to the New World Hotel, knocked on Xiao Lou's door, and said, " Professor Xiao, Officer Yu, I wonder what you two have thought about? The Weekly Routine is about to start, why not join our Distant Place Association? The president will personally guide you through the Weekly Routine?"
Xiao Lou smiled and politely declined: "Sorry, we don't want to join any associations yet. Let's talk about it after the Weekly Routine is over."
The beautiful woman shrugged: "Okay, no pressure. Best of luck to everyone."
***
Saturday, 00:00.
All the Challengers felt dizzy, and then they were forcibly sucked into a dark space.
A notification flashed across the floating window simultaneously—
[Welcome to the Weekly Secret Chamber: Endless Sea ]
[You are in room number 0783; the room has 500 Challengers.]
[ Weekly Routine Mission Requirement: Survive at sea for seven days]
Xiao Lou's pupils contracted sharply. It was pitch black all around, and he couldn't see anything, but he quickly calmed down.
According to the rules of the contract book, he and his teammates must have come to the same world.
Don't worry, they'll be able to reunite soon.