When Xiao Lou and Yu Hanjiang returned to the villa, Qu Wanyue and Liu Qiao had already returned home and prepared dinner. Liu Qiao's expression was much calmer. She clearly believed Xiao Lou's speculation, thinking that as long as she could clear the secret room and return to the past, she could save her sister in reality.
Actually, Xiao Lou's speculation has no factual basis; it's entirely theoretical. No one knows what will happen after Challenger clears the game. However, holding onto such hope is better than facing a bleak future.
After dinner, Xiao Lou called everyone to the living room, took a laptop, and opened the USB drive that Tang Ci had given him.
The USB drive contains four folders named hearts, spade, plum blossom, and diamonds. Each folder is further divided into levels 5, 6, and 7, for a total of 12 B-level escape rooms. The walkthrough is very comprehensive.
The Hearts walkthrough includes a detailed storyline description and is divided into two versions—which is consistent with what Lao Mo said before. The low-level Heart Room has two different storylines, like A and B versions of an exam, where you randomly choose one after entering.
In addition to listing the puzzle types, Diamond Secret Room also provides a complete maze map in 3D, allowing you to quickly find the correct way out of the maze from a top-down perspective.
Spade Secret Room outlines the survival objectives and provides some survival tips. Levels 5, 6, and 7 of Plum Blossom are all common card games.
After reading the guide, Lao Mo couldn't help but exclaim, "It truly lives up to the reputation of the Intelligence Bureau's collection. There's a reason why it's worth 1 million gold coins. It's so much more detailed than I knew. Especially the Heart Room. I only got an A rating on these levels before. Following the Intelligence Bureau's guide will definitely get me a perfect S rating."
Ninth Brother once mentioned that the secret room cannot be entered repeatedly. Xiao Lou looked at Mo Xuemin and said, "Old Mo, you've already cleared these levels, so you can't go in, right?"
Mo Xuemin laughed and said, "Sure, you can re-enter a Level B escape room, but since I've already cleared it, I won't be able to get the reward after entering. You can't re-enter Level A and higher escape rooms."
Xiao Lou thought for a moment and said, "Since you can get in, let's split the eight of us into two teams and finish the B-level escape room as soon as possible."
"Wouldn't the rewards be less if we split into teams?" Ye Qi asked, puzzled. "For example, if 8 people go to Heart 5, they can get 8 cards, but if 4 people go, they can only get 4 cards?"
" The cards that are the fixed rewards for these levels are all resource cards. You don't need to take too many. If you don't have enough, you can buy more from the card market." Xiao Lou opened a "reward list" document on the USB drive and pointed to the cards on it. "The lottery after a perfect clear is fixed for each room. For example, Heart 5 has two treasure chests. No matter whether there are 4 or 8 players, the number of treasure chests will not change."
"Oh! Professor Xiao means we should focus on the gacha pulls in the treasure chest and just grab the regular rewards casually, right?" Ye Qi suddenly realized, "Looking at this list, the regular rewards for the B-level escape rooms seem to be all B cards."
"Yes, and they're all B-cards for daily necessities, probably to prepare for the later difficulty levels of the dungeons." Old Mo paused and said, "Some of the rewards overlap with the Weekly Routine, and most of the cards can be bought on the trading market, so taking a few fewer B-cards in the group won't make any difference."
"Splitting into two teams will improve efficiency," Xiao Lou summarized with a smile. "Everyone choose the escape room they're good at. Captain Yu and I will go for a triple run of Hearts first. Who wants to go to Hearts?"
"Me!" Ye Qi raised his hand, after all, he had also received an S rating in Heart 3.
"I'm going to Plum Blossom." Even though he's a total heartbreaker, Shao Qingge isn't going to hold anyone back; he prefers to play cards at Plum Blossom.
"Where are the others?" Xiao Lou's gaze swept over everyone.
Qu Wanyue smiled and said, "I don't have any particular strengths or weaknesses when it comes to escape rooms. Professor Xiao, you can arrange it."
Liu Qiao replied, "You can arrange it."
"Okay." Xiao Lou stroked his chin and thought for a moment before making a decision: " Captain Yu, Ye Qi, Liu Qiao, and I will go to Hearts for a three-round run. CEO Shao, Lao Mo, and the Longqu Couple will go to Plum Blossom for a three-round run. After we finish those three rounds, we'll go to Spade, and Lao Mo will take everyone to Diamonds. Lao Mo is good at mazes, so with him leading the team, you should have a easy time getting through the mazes."
In the same level of the secret room, you can choose any cards. Everyone said that the arrangement of three Hearts and three Plum Blossom cards was fine.
Xiao Lou said, "The escape room will be set up at 11:55 PM on Friday. Everyone, please get some rest these two days and recharge your energy. Both teams will be doing six consecutive runs. To avoid any unforeseen circumstances, the two teams will be connected via a Telepathic Connection using a qin guan card to maintain communication at all times."
At this point, the communication channels of the Qin Guan Card become particularly important, because it is not limited to any particular room and allows for communication across the world.
Xiao Lou looked at Mo Xuemin: "Old Mo, you have experience in clearing levels, you can lead Team 2. I'll give you a Qin Guan card, you can connect with me."
Mo Xuemin nodded: "No problem."
That's how the matter was decided.
On Thursday and Friday, everyone rested at the villa, and the ample rest left everyone feeling refreshed.
At 11:55 PM on Friday, there were 5 minutes left before the start of this week's Weekly Routine.
Xiao Lou led Yu Hanjiang, Liu Qiao, and Qu Wanyue to the card wall. Lao Mo also stood in front of the card wall. The two of them were connected by Telepathic Connection and drew two playing cards, Heart 5 and Plum Blossom 5, almost at the same time.
Because the team opened two secret rooms simultaneously, the person standing behind Xiao Lou was pulled into Heart 5, while the person standing with Lao Mo was pulled into Plum Blossom 5—the eight people were split into two groups.
The teams each attempt a different challenge.
Heart 5 is a case involving a love triangle and the female protagonist's suicide. There are many misleading clues. At first, Challenger will think that the murderer is one of the boyfriends. In the end, through deduction, everyone has a solid alibi, and the female protagonist's suicide note is found, leading to the conclusion that it was suicide.
Even without a walkthrough, this secret room is no challenge for Yu Hanjiang and Xiao Lou.
With the help of the walkthrough, they solved the escape room that originally required 3 days in just 1 day and achieved a perfect score!
Xiao Lou has already arranged the order of the two treasure chests for the lucky draw.
He discovered that the cards everyone drew in Secret Room World seemed to be related to their real-life interests and professions. For example, Ye Qi was a singer and always drew instrument cards; Captain Yu was a policeman and always drew gun cards; Liu Qiao seemed to have a connection with fairy tales and had already drawn two fairy tale cards.
Xiao Lou asked Ye Qi and Liu Qiao to draw blood from the two treasure chests in Heart 5.
The team is currently lacking control cards. During the last battle against the shark swarm, everyone was still using the lowest-tier [ Nine Palaces Grid ], and several cards were wasted. Ye Qi's S-tier control cards [ guitar ] and [ flute ] are much better; they have no usage limit and the cards won't break. The downside is the long cooldown time, making it difficult to chain skills together. As the team's main control player, Ye Qi needs to draw a few more musical instruments.
Xiao Lou smiled and looked at the two of them: "Xiao Ye, you go and draw the prize first."
Ye Qi looked excited, rubbed his hands together, walked to the treasure chest, and casually pulled it out—
[Erhu]
Rarity: S
Description: Obtain a prize through a lottery after achieving an S rating.
Additional Skill 1: Erquan Yingyue
"Erquan Yingyue" is a famous erhu piece that depicts the composer's turbulent life. Its mournful melody evokes sadness and brings tears to the eyes of listeners. Playing this famous piece on the erhu for 30 seconds (up to 2 minutes at max level) affects all targets (including friendly targets) within a 500-square-meter area with its sorrowful melody, rendering all card skills ineffective. Cooldown: 1 hour.
Additional Skill 2: Horse Racing
A famous erhu piece with a strong rhythm, its stirring melody evokes the feeling of galloping across the grasslands. Play the melody of "Horse Racing" on the erhu for 1 minute (3 minutes at max growth level). During the performance, all teammates bound to the contract book automatically gain a 200% movement speed bonus. Cooldown time: 5 hours.
Ye Qi's eyes lit up when he saw the card: "A musical instrument card with two skills!"
His previous [ guitar ] and [ flute ] were single skill cards. After reaching the maximum level, the guitar becomes a crowd control skill and the flute becomes a single control skill, with cooldown times of 5 minutes and 30 seconds respectively.
The Erhu card has a long cooldown, but its two wide-range crowd control and buff skills are very useful.
Xiao Lou leaned closer for a closer look and exclaimed, "A max-level 'Erquan Yingyue' is a wide-range, two-minute-long group silence that disables all card skills. This control is very strong."
Yu Hanjiang nodded: "This card can be used in conjunction with weapon cards. My weapon cards do not require the use of skills. I can kill the target by simply shooting and aiming. The military knife does not require skills in close combat either."
He killed so many sharks simply by hacking them down with his knife, without using any special skills. Ye Qi's "Erquan Yingyue" silences a large area, giving Yu Hanjiang the opportunity to cut in and finish off his opponent with his weapon.
Liu Qiao also praised, "The horse racing skill provides a speed boost for the entire team, making it very useful for chasing and escaping."
Ye Qi excitedly took out the card and tried it out. He found that after activating the skill, he could play the fixed melodies of "Erquan Yingyue" and "Horse Racing" by randomly plucking the strings. He was even more excited: "I have never formally studied the erhu. The automatic playing is much better than the guitar and flute!"
Xiao Lou laughed and said, "Each has its advantages and disadvantages. Your guitar and flute have a short cooldown time, so you can use them frequently. As for the erhu, it has a 5-hour cooldown, so you have to save it for a crucial moment."
Ye Qi nodded: "Yes, I understand!"
Single-skill cards have very short cooldowns, allowing for multiple skill releases during intense battles. For example, [ Flute ] can frequently put a single target to sleep. Cards like [Erhu] are trump cards, capable of deciding the outcome of a battle in a single burst, requiring precise timing for release.
Xiao Lou looked at Liu Qiao and said gently, "Xiao Liu, you can have the second treasure chest done."
Liu Qiao nodded solemnly, stepped forward, and reached into the treasure chest.
[ Thumbelina ]
Rarity: S
Description: S-rank completion of the escape room, with a chance to win through a lucky draw.
Additional Skill 1: Flowers Bloom
After the flower bloomed, the adorable and petite Thumbelina was born. Using her skill, she instantly shrunk to the size of a thumb.
Because Thumbelina is so small, she is difficult for ordinary people to see. Therefore, she is immune to all attacks during her transformation and can be satiated simply by eating dew, grass, and flower petals. The transformation lasts for a maximum of 12 hours and can be canceled at any time, with a 24-hour cooldown period.
Additional Skill 2: Thumb Magic
Thumbelina wants you to be the same age as her so that you can be friends.
Designate a target and shrink them to the size of a thumb. The transformed target shares Thumbelina's characteristics, is immune to attacks, and does not experience hunger. The transformation lasts for up to 1 hour and can be canceled at any time. Cooldown time: 12 hours.
Liu Qiao said with a blank face, "Another fairy tale card."
Ye Qi laughed and said, " Liu Qiao, you really have a connection with fairy tales. Do you read fairy tale books every day?"
Liu Qiao said, "When I was little, my sister would tell me fairy tales every night before bed. She told me all kinds of fairy tales, including Grimm's Fairy Tales, Andersen's Fairy Tales, and various Chinese fairy tales..." A hint of disappointment flashed in her eyes when she mentioned her sister, but she quickly calmed down: "Maybe that's why I always draw the fairy tale card."
.
Little Red Riding Hood, Poison Queen, and Thumbelina — Liu Qiao's three fairy tale cards are all very strong. The Thumbelina card I drew today is practically invincible during its transformation, and it can also bring a teammate to share the invincibility attribute.
Xiao Lou said, "Let's see how the card works."
Liu Qiao looked at Xiao Lou: " Professor Xiao, would you like to try transforming?"
Xiao Lou smiled and nodded. The next moment, Liu Qiao used his second skill. Xiao Lou's body suddenly shrank to the size of a thumb. He looked up at his teammates, who were as tall as mountains, and felt a little panicked.
Suddenly, Yu Hanjiang reached out and gently "picked up" Xiao Lou, who had shrunk to the size of a thumb, and placed him in his palm.
Xiao Lou, about the size of a thumb, is just too cute.
Yu Hanjiang held him up to her face, and looking at the tiny child, her heart softened.
Xiao Lou was both amused and exasperated: " Captain Yu, you're like a mountain in my eyes."
Ye Qi, spoiling the mood, said, " If Captain Yu sneezes now, won't Professor Xiao be blown over?"
Yu Hanjiang glanced back at Ye Qi, who immediately shrank back, pretending not to say anything.
Xiao Lou walked back and forth in Yu Hanjiang's palm a few times and said, "This transformation skill is very interesting. For example, if a teammate can't walk anymore or is injured, Liu Qiao can shrink him to the size of a thumb and then let the teammate carry him."
He paused, then continued, "For example, during the Liuxi Village incident, I was blind, so Captain Yu had to carry me on his back. Now that we have this card, I can shrink to the size of a thumb, and Captain Yu can put me in his pocket. Wouldn't that be much easier?"
Yu Hanjiang imagined putting the tiny Xiao Lou into his pocket, and a smile involuntarily crept onto his lips.
Little Xiao Lou paced back and forth in his palm, still diligently analyzing the card's usage. Yu Hanjiang's palm itched, and his heart felt like it was being scratched by cat claws. He really wanted to reach out and poke Little Xiao Lou's head...
Liu Qiao leaned closer and looked at Professor Xiao, who had shrunk to the size of a thumb. She found it amazing: "Luckily, he is immune to attacks after transforming. Otherwise, if he were to be accidentally stepped on and killed by his teammates when he is so small, it would be a tragedy."
Ye Qi said seriously, " Liu Qiao, you must give your teammates a heads-up before you transform in the future. Otherwise, if you become so small, your teammates might not be able to see you and could get seriously injured if they step on you, even if they don't die."
Xiao Lou laughed and said, "Alright, quickly change me back."
Yu Hanjiang carefully and gently placed Xiao Lou on the ground.
After Liu Qiao's card effect ended, Xiao Lou returned to normal and stood beside Yu Hanjiang again.
Recalling the experience of suddenly shrinking, Xiao Lou felt a little uncomfortable and looked at Liu Qiao, saying, "This card is very powerful. When necessary, it can shrink the enemy to the size of a thumb, making it easier for us to catch and take them away."
Ye Qi laughed and said, "That's right! No matter how powerful the enemy is, if it's shrunken to the size of a thumb, we can put it in our pocket and take it away!"
The two cards [Erhu] and [ Thumbelina ] in heart 5 made Xiao Lou even more convinced of his deduction.
Each card drawn by each person is related to the real world.
In the future, based on the team's card situation, we can specifically assign a person to draw cards.
For the next Hearts 6, Xiao Lou had Ye Qi and Liu Qiao draw the cards.
Ye Qi drew the instrument card [ Guzheng ]. Both skills, "High Mountains and Flowing Water" and "Autumn Moon over the Han Palace," are large-scale crowd control abilities. The former is based on the idea of "seeking a kindred spirit through high mountains and flowing water," which can increase the attack power of the entire team. The latter is a large-scale sleep effect. When you encounter Ye Qi, he will play the erhu, Guzheng solo, flute, and guitar all at once. If you are in a team, your opponents will be annoyed to death by him.
Liu Qiao drew the Fairy Tale card [The Little Mermaid], which has only one skill: turning all teammates into mermaids who don't need to breathe underwater for up to 2 hours. This is much better than the Weekly Routine reward card [Diving Suit]. After becoming mermaids, everyone also gains increased movement speed and agility in the water, making them more flexible. In the future, they will truly be "like fish in water" when dealing with aquatic environments.
Ye Qi and Liu Qiao were both very happy to receive two powerful cards.
Hearts 5 and Hearts 6 were easily cleared, and Hearts 7 was no challenge for them either. They cleared three levels in a row with great speed. When it came to the two treasure chests in the last level, Ye Qi said, " Professor Xiao, Captain Yu, you guys draw them! We feel bad that you always make Liu Qiao and me draw them."
Liu Qiao agreed: "Yes, Professor Xiao will be the one to draw the prize this time."
Xiao Lou smiled slightly: "Okay, then Captain Yu and I will draw cards for this round."
He had a premonition that he was going to draw a character card again... maybe it was related to the fact that he always read history books when he was a student?