When they returned to the main city, it was evening. Xiao Lou and his teammates cooked a hearty dinner and then let everyone go to sleep and rest.
Finally, everyone could sleep peacefully in their bedroom under the covers, no longer having to sleep in tents in the snow. With their bodies touching the soft mattress, everyone slept exceptionally well.
Ye Qi, however, was plagued by nightmares. Although the secret chamber was over, he couldn't calm down. He remembered the scene where CEO Shao, to protect him, rushed over without hesitation and was scratched by the insectoids. In his dream, CEO Shao was the size of a thumb, holding tiny Shao Qingge in his hands, his heart aching.
Later, Shao Qingge transformed into the Insect King, covered in blood, with bloodshot eyes.
Ye Qi was startled awake. He rubbed his eyes and went to the bathroom door, where he met Shao Qingge, who had just finished washing up.
The man, who had just woken up, wore disheveled pajamas and exuded a cat-like languor. His hair was loose, and compared to his usual neat short ponytail, he now appeared more relaxed and carefree, making him irresistibly sexy.
Seeing Ye Qi walk over in a daze, Shao Qingge couldn't help but chuckle and ruffle his messy hair, saying, "How come your hair looks like a bird's nest from sleeping?"
Ye Qi looked at himself in the mirror and realized that his messy, upright hair did indeed look like a bird's nest. He blushed and quickly picked up a comb to tidy his hair. Shao Qingge squinted at him and found the little guy adorable the more he looked.
Ye Qi, unaware of CEO Shao's thoughts, asked curiously, "When you leave an A-level escape room, your body data is cleared. You're the same as before, there are no more worms in your body, right? And your eyes aren't red anymore."
Shao Qingge said, "Yes, it's back to normal. But with the bug king card in hand, I can still transform in the secret room whenever I want."
Ye Qi breathed a sigh of relief and said, "It's good that there are no aftereffects."
Just then, Xiao Lou walked over and said to Shao Qingge, " CEO Shao, after lunch, come with us somewhere. Someone wants to see you."
Shao Qingge didn't ask any more questions and readily agreed.
Ye Qi asked, "Who is this mysterious person?"
Meeting Ye Qi's curious gaze, Xiao Lou patted him on the shoulder and explained, "It's Mr. Tang who gave me the Drone card before. He's not available to meet with everyone yet, so we're taking CEO Shao with us because his Bug King card will be a great help to him. Don't worry, Captain Yu and I will go too, and we'll be back soon."
Ye Qi nodded knowingly: "Okay, be careful on the road, and contact me anytime if anything happens."
After lunch, Yu Hanjiang drove his car and took Xiao Lou and Shao Qingge to Tang Ci's underground factory.
Whether or not to meet Tang Ci was a decision Yu Hanjiang made with his brother Jiu Chuan through the Absolute Domain card. Last night before bed, Yu Hanjiang activated the Absolute Domain and entered the realm to meet his brother. Lu Jiu Chuan asked him why he had suddenly contacted him, and Yu Hanjiang explained the whole story, also telling his brother that the reward card Shao Qingge had obtained had the ability to repair severed limbs.
Lu Jiuchuan, usually so composed, widened his eyes instantly, his voice trembling almost imperceptibly: "Repair the severed limbs."
Yu Hanjiang nodded: "That's right. According to Card's description, Mr. Tang's leg disability should be curable."
Lu Jiuchuan's hands trembled with excitement. He clenched his fists and said in a deep voice, "That's great! Xiao Tang will be very happy. I'll make the arrangements right away. You can go see him tomorrow."
On the way, Yu Hanjiang gave Shao Qingge a brief explanation of Lu Jiuchuan's undercover mission to Hunter Alliance.
Shao Qingge narrowed his eyes slightly: "Ninth Brother is Captain Yu's cousin. Since you believe in him, I am willing to believe in him too."
Xiao Lou said, "Ninth Brother has had a tough time. He's still infiltrating the Hunter Alliance as an undercover agent. If he's discovered, he could lose his life. His identity is too dangerous, so we don't dare tell too many people. It's not too late to tell everyone after Plum Blossom J meets up with him."
Shao Qingge understood: "I understand, I won't say anything more."
When the three arrived at the underground factory, Lu Jiuchuan and Tang Ci were already waiting there.
Tang Ci's face was sickly pale, probably due to his long-term disability and confinement to a wheelchair. His features were delicate, giving him the appearance of a frail beauty, but his gaze was incredibly calm yet sharp, making him someone not to be underestimated.
He looked at Shao Qingge: "You're CEO Shao."
Shao Qingge greeted them politely: "Hello Mr. Tang, hello Ninth Brother."
The man standing next to Tang Ci was tall and imposing, dressed in a crisp military uniform. He looked exceptionally handsome and bore a resemblance to Yu Hanjiang. However, compared to Yu Hanjiang's seriousness, his smile was more flamboyant. This was clearly the Ninth Brother that Captain Yu had mentioned.
Lu Jiuchuan chuckled jokingly, "I heard that in this escape room adventure, CEO Shao even played the role of the Insect King."
Shao Qingge touched his nose and said modestly, "It was just luck. I wasn't devoured by the Zerg, and with Captain Yu's help, I killed the Queen."
Lu Jiuchuan praised, "Not bad, you have quite a lot of experience."
He looked at Tang Ci and said, " Xiao Tang, what we experienced in Spade 8 was an avalanche, right? It seems that the secret room each team enters is random."
Tang Ci nodded: "Yes, this has been verified. There are many A-level secret rooms, and there are not enough samples to make a strategy guide yet. Every team encounters something different. Many A-level secret rooms are one-time use only. I've never heard of the Zerg secret room before."
Yu Hanjiang said to Lu Jiuchuan, "Brother, let Mr. Tang take a look at the card that CEO Shao drew."
Shao Qingge cooperated by taking out the card and handing it to Tang Ci.
Tang Ci took the card and looked at it. The man's calm eyes surged like a tide, his fingertips trembled slightly, and he remained silent for a long time. The next moment, Lu Jiuchuan took the card from his hand, looked at it, and said excitedly, "That's right, limb regeneration, your leg can be healed."
Tang Ci didn't speak, but gently bit her lip, as if she couldn't believe it.
Lu Jiuchuan turned to Yu Hanjiang and the other two and said, " Xiao Tang's leg was injured in the Plum Blossom J escape room. It's been more than half a year, and he's been in a wheelchair ever since, making it very inconvenient for him to move around."
Walking in a wheelchair is no problem; the smart wheelchair can automatically adjust its direction and path. However, going to the bathroom or getting into bed is extremely difficult. Tang Ci, such a proud person, has lost a lot of weight since becoming disabled in both legs.
His pride prevented him from talking about his disability.
But now, Xiao Lou and the others have given him hope for recovery.
Tang Ci took a deep breath and lifted the blanket covering her legs.
Because the blanket had been covering his lower body, Xiao Lou and the others were unaware of the condition of Tang Ci's legs. Upon closer inspection, all three were horrified to see that his legs, starting at the knees, had been cleanly severed from the lower half by a sharp instrument; his calves and feet were gone, replaced only by half-severed, cold, golden...
Prosthesis
Tang Ci turned his head away somewhat embarrassedly, his eyelashes trembling violently. He clenched his fist lightly and said slowly, "My legs were cut off by the Hunter. I was attacked by the Hunter in the Nightmare Secret Room. After my legs were cut off, I crawled out with great difficulty."
Xiao Lou and the other two:
It's hard to imagine the immense pain a person must endure to have both legs cut off.
And how much willpower does it take for someone to endure such excruciating pain and crawl out of the Nightmare Secret Room?
Xiao Lou felt a deep respect for the thin, pale man before him. He had managed to crawl out of the Nightmare Secret Room after breaking his leg and then established the Intelligence Bureau to gather information on Challengers. Xiao Lou couldn't help but admire this man's strength.
Lu Jiuchuan tenderly covered Tang Ci with a blanket and whispered, "Because Xiao Tang's legs were left in the Nightmare Secret Room, Old Gui, Hua Ying, and I tried all sorts of methods and consulted many medical experts, but none of them could cure her. Unexpectedly, you went to the Zerg Secret Room, encountered Zerg with regenerative abilities, and even drew a related card. It was truly a coincidence."
His fists trembled with excitement: " Xiao Tang finally doesn't have to use a wheelchair anymore!"
A layer of tears welled up in Tang Ci's eyes. He had been disheartened, but he never expected that things would take a turn for the better.
Xiao Lou felt sorry for him and said gently, "Mr. Tang, don't worry. CEO Shao's card can not only repair severed limbs, but the neurotoxins released by the Zerg are similar to anesthetics, so there will be no pain during the repair process."
Yu Hanjiang said in a low voice, "It's a pity that this card can only be used in the Spade and Plum Blossom Secret Chamber, not in the main city. We have to meet in the S-level secret chamber. Mr. Tang will have to wait a while longer if he wants to be fully restored, until we reach Plum Blossom J. "
Tang Ci nodded gently: "I didn't have much hope to begin with. After the past six months, I've almost gotten used to not caring how long I have to wait." He looked at the three of them and said softly, "Thank you."
Shao Qingge smiled and said, "You're welcome. We'll be teammates from now on, so it's only right that we help each other out."
Xiao Lou said, "Yes, Mr. Tang gave us the drone." The card was a huge help to us this time too.
Lu Jiuchuan walked over and patted Yu Hanjiang on the shoulder forcefully: "Good job, bro. You're welcome. Let's finish the game together, and I'll treat you to barbecue when we get back to reality."
Yu Hanjiang nodded readily: "Don't worry, brother, we will definitely clear the A-level escape room as soon as possible and meet up with you."