With the help of Shao Qingge, a card-playing expert, and Ye Qi working together seamlessly, they easily passed the Plum Blossom 8 Secret Room.
Xiao Lou, Yu Hanjiang, and the others simply sat and watched, experiencing firsthand what it felt like to be carried to victory by CEO Shao. Watching Guardian deposit a gleaming box of gold coins into his bank account, the other two teams were incredibly envious. While this escape room wasn't life-threatening, losing at cards and having a large sum of money deducted from your bank account was still quite painful!
After leaving the secret room and returning to the main city, Ye Qi excitedly asked, " CEO Shao, how much money do you have in your account now?"
The team's finances were managed separately by Shao Qingge and Xiao Lou. When the team was first formed, Shao Qingge was worried that it wouldn't be safe to keep all the money in one person's hands, so he gave Xiao Lou half of the money. However, at that time, everyone only had tens of millions of gold coins in savings. Xiao Lou was responsible for the daily expenses of food, clothing, housing, and transportation. Later, most of the money earned from the auction of the cat's eye stone bracelet was deposited into CEO Shao's account, since he had an ATM and could withdraw money at any time.
Everyone was curious when Ye Qi asked that question.
Xiao Lou also looked at Shao Qingge and joked, " CEO Shao, come and show everyone your secret stash of money."
Shao Qingge immediately summoned an ATM.
This is one of the few cards that can be used anytime, anywhere in the main city. Shao Qingge inserted his ID card into the card slot of the ATM, read his fingerprint for verification, and soon a string of numbers appeared on the ATM screen.
Ye Qi stared wide-eyed as he counted: "How many zeros are there?!"
The string of zeros made his eyes dizzy; he had never seen so much savings before.
Shao Qingge said with a smile, "Currently, I have 180 million gold coins in savings."
Everyone stared wide-eyed in disbelief—when did they get so much money?
Xiao Lou quickly realized: "Did you invest your initial investment?"
Shao Qingge nodded: "Yes, every time I return to the main city, I pay attention to the stock market when I'm bored. I buy some stocks that are performing well or have potential, and then I sell them after I come out of the secret room. So I've made some money during this period."
Ye Qi gave a thumbs up: "As expected of our sugar daddy!"
After each escape room, everyone usually has a big meal and then goes back to their room to sleep. However, Shao Qingge is able to use his spare time to make money by trading stocks. This man is indeed very good at business. No wonder he was able to start a fund company from scratch.
Xiao Lou did the math carefully and said, " Copying CEO Shao's [ Rich and Willful ] S card costs 5 million gold coins. At first, we all thought this card was particularly wasteful, but compared to CEO Shao's hundreds of millions of gold coins in savings... it doesn't seem like much?"
Ye Qi nodded: "That's right! CEO Shao is indeed Rich and Willful. From now on, in the secret room, CEO Shao can copy cards at will, and no one will say you're wasteful."
Everyone agreed; it seemed that [ Rich and Willful ] would be the strongest S-rank card in Shao Qingge's hands.
Shao Qingge said with a smile, "A deposit of more than 100 million gold coins sounds terrifying, but the exchange rate between gold coins and RMB is 100:1. In RMB terms, it's only about a million."
Ye Qi said helplessly, "What do you mean by 'only' a million or so? In reality, my monthly living expenses are only 2,000 yuan."
Liu Qiao said, "In reality, a million yuan can buy a very large house in a third-tier city."
Old Mo remarked, "At Card World, you could buy four or five luxury villas."
Qu Wanyue did the math carefully and said, "That's almost ten years' worth of my salary."
Ye Qi concluded, "Chatting with rich people is really tough."
Shao Qingge: "..."
One million was indeed a small amount for him, but everyone in the team was an ordinary wage earner, and there were also two unemployed college students, Ye Qi and Liu Qiao. Shao Qingge didn't want to continue to provoke them, so he changed the subject and said, "Where should we go to the next escape room?"
Yu Hanjiang looked at Xiao Lou, thought for a moment, and said, " How about we go to Hearts 9 in order?"
Xiao Lou nodded: "Okay. What do you all think?"
None of the teammates had any objections.
Shao Qingge joked, " Hearts, then we'll have to rely on Captain Yu and Professor Xiao to carry us to victory."
Xiao Lou patiently reminded everyone: " You've all experienced the [ Turmoil of War ] in the A-level heart room before. Remember every clue you get, and don't overlook any detail."
In the last Turmoil of War, the key to solving the mystery was actually a palace secret mentioned in the daily gossip conversation between Qu Wanyue and Ninth Princess. Once Qu Wanyue overlooked this point, their reasoning would reach a dead end.
It is evident that every clue obtained by each individual will contribute to the case to some extent.
Thinking about how she had been the top courtesan in a brothel for half a month, Ye Qi's face fell: "Is this going to be another role-playing game? Don't send us to ancient times to dress up as girls!"
Xiao Lou patted Xiao Ye on the shoulder to comfort him: " Red Heart A won't repeat the same formula. This time it shouldn't be ancient times."
Yu Hanjiang's gaze swept over everyone, and he said, " Everyone, remember what Xiao Lou said. After entering the secret room, don't overlook any details of the people you meet or the events that happen. We need to gather all the clues in the end. This secret room will not be simpler than the Turmoil of War."
When everyone met his serious gaze, they all nodded earnestly.
Yu Hanjiang said, "Get ready, I'm drawing a card."
He drew the card [ Hearts 9] directly from the wall of cards, and the scene before everyone's eyes flashed, and they were immediately transported to a strange yet familiar world.
It feels unfamiliar because everyone's environment is different.
The familiarity stems from the fact that the escape room is set in a modern metropolis, surrounded by skyscrapers and bustling streets. It appears to be a weekday rush hour, with people hurrying along the streets.
Xiao Lou stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling window, wearing a white coat.
After a two-second moment of stunned silence, he immediately realized the role he had been assigned in this escape room scenario—
Behind him was the dissection room, where the dissection table was empty at the moment. Next door was a laboratory with many analytical instruments that he was familiar with, including various toxicology and genetic testing instruments.
To the left is an electric glass door with the words " Forensic Identification Center " written on it.
Xiao Lou took a deep breath and quickly turned back to his office—this time, he was directly assigned the role of Forensic Doctor in the escape room, which was practically a natural fit for him. Moreover, this time there were many instruments at his disposal, unlike before when he could only observe the scene and deduce and analyze.
Fingerprints, genes, blood, hair—various professional identification instruments can greatly assist in solving cases.
In the past, these specialized forensic instruments weren't necessary; they could solve cases successfully by relying on on-site traces and clues. This time, however, Xiao Lou was reinstated as the Forensic Doctor, indicating a significant increase in the case's difficulty and the potential for numerous misleading elements.
***
At the same time, Yu Hanjiang appeared at the police station in his police uniform.
He quickly adapted to his new identity. Although the police uniform he was wearing was somewhat different from the one he wore in real life, and none of his colleagues recognized him, Yu Hanjiang, playing himself, quickly calmed down, returned to his office, and called a young police officer over.
Similar to the Turmoil of War locked room, upon seeing someone he knows, Yu Hanjiang's mind will be filled with memories of that person.
Xiao Wu, a new intern at the Criminal Police Officer unit, is cheerful and hardworking.
After being summoned to the office, Xiao Wu scratched his head and asked, " Captain Yu, what do you need me for?"
Yu Hanjiang said calmly, "Briefly recount the recent case, and let's see how well you've learned."
It turned out to be a test of learning outcomes. Xiao Wu stood up straight and quickly described a recent criminal case—
According to Xiao Wu, Binzhou City has not had any criminal cases for a long time.
The most recent case was a heinous murder that occurred just ten days ago. It was said that a psychopathic adult male with antisocial personality disorder broke into a bar in the middle of the night and stabbed three people to death before being arrested by the police on the spot.
While listening to Xiao Wu's explanation, Yu Hanjiang took out the case file from the cabinet.
After carefully reviewing the records, Yu Hanjiang discovered that this was indeed a heinous murder case. The murderer had been apprehended and confessed, the murder weapon had been found, and the chain of evidence provided by eyewitnesses at the scene was very complete... It seemed that the case from ten days ago had little to do with the locked-room mystery.
The locked-room mystery hasn't happened yet, unlike the Turmoil of War where Old Mo could find clues by looking at the case files.
Yu Hanjiang put down the case notebook and calmly nodded to Xiao Wu: "Good memory, the details match up. Go back to work, I'll call you again if anything comes up."
Just then, a policewoman knocked on the door and came in, looking nervous. " Captain Yu, we just received a report. Residents of Moon Lake Villa Estate said that someone died in the villa next door. This morning, their cat climbed into the villa next door and came out covered in blood!"
Yu Hanjiang frowned, immediately stood up, and calmly said, "Notify the Forensic Doctor of the Criminal Police Detachment to dispatch officers immediately."
Xiao Wu cleverly turned around and went to call someone.
A moment later, Xiao Wu walked over with a man in a white coat.
Yu Hanjiang looked up and met a pair of clear, gentle eyes.
In a daze, he seemed to have returned to Jiangzhou City. Xiao Lou was just like that, wearing a spotless white coat, tall and elegant, with an otherworldly air.
Their eyes met in mid-air. Xiao Lou paused slightly upon seeing Yu Hanjiang, then chuckled and greeted him warmly, " Hello, Captain Yu." Yu Hanjiang nodded in return, " Professor Xiao, let's go, there's a case."
Both of them were playing themselves.
It seems they really will be working together as Criminal Police Officer and Forensic Doctor to solve the case this time.
***
At the same time, Starlight Economics Company.
Ye Qi sat in the barbershop, looking at himself in the mirror with a bewildered expression.
Standing beside him was a serious-looking, capable woman in a suit dress. She said decisively, "I've asked Tony to do your makeup and hair styling. As a special guest at this concert, you have to stun the audience, you know?"
Seeing Ye Qi looking blank, Manager Yun Lan frowned and asked, "How's this hairstyle? "
Ye Qi snapped back to reality, looked at his flamboyant, wine-red hair in the mirror, and said with a wry smile, "I don't like this style, Sister Yun, can we change it... something less intense?"
Yun Lan raised an eyebrow: "Isn't it pretty? You have fair skin, and dyeing your hair red will make your skin look even fairer."
Ye Qi stared seriously at herself in the mirror, inwardly complaining, "What kind of aesthetic is this? Not only is it dyed burgundy, but the hair is also styled with hairspray, making it look like a rooster's comb. What if she's holding a microphone and clucking away?"
With a few crows, the imitation of a rooster was completely natural.
Ye Qi already left a dark mark on his past by dressing up as a woman in the escape room, and he certainly doesn't want to appear in front of his teammates looking like a "punk" this time.
He smiled and said to the manager, "Sister Yun, could you please change my hairstyle, Tony? Many male celebrities get their hair permed or dyed, but I'd rather keep it natural, going back to basics. Maybe that will attract a new wave of fans?"
Meeting the boy's bright eyes and ingratiating smile, the Manager softened and waved his hand, saying, "Alright, let's try another one."
The entertainment industry is full of Tony stylists; the name has been overused by stylists. Ye Qi smiled at Tony and explained in detail what kind of hairstyle he liked. Tony nodded and said he would change it for him.
Ye Qi breathed a slight sigh of relief and obediently sat in the chair while the stylist worked on her hair.
His identity in this secret room is likely that of a singer. The Manager mentioned a "concert," but Ye Qi didn't know the details. Although holding a concert had always been his dream, this was, after all, a heart room, and someone might die during the concert! Professor Xiao urged everyone to pay attention to the details, and Ye Qi, not wanting to mess things up, quickly organized his memories.
Meeting the Manager After Yun Lan, information about the concert was automatically fed into his mind.
He is a signed singer with Starlight Entertainment. He debuted a year ago and is currently a relatively unknown figure in the music scene, having only released one single.
Three days later, the concert held at Binzhou's largest stadium was by the idol group "Five- 505 Girl Group," heavily promoted by Starlight Entertainment Company. The girl group consisted of five members whose dormitory number was 505, hence the simple and straightforward name Five-505.
Every girl is incredibly beautiful and has great singing skills. They all rose to prominence through talent shows, were signed by companies, and eventually debuted as an idol group.
505 Girl Group is currently very popular, with each member having millions of followers on Weibo. Yun Lan is the manager of 505 Girl Group. In order to increase Ye Qi's exposure, she put him in the concert as a special guest.
It's common in the entertainment industry for senior artists from the same company to bring newcomers to concerts. Ye Qi didn't have any doubts about this arrangement. What he was more concerned about was the situation of the five members of this girl group.
In fact, he didn't have much information about these five people in his mind.
Although they work for the same company, he's a nobody and rarely sees them, so they're not very familiar with each other.
Ye Qi said earnestly, "By the way, Sister Yun, since I'm going to be a guest at the concert, could you give me a copy of the senior sisters' detailed information? That way, I can avoid any mistakes if there's an interactive segment."
Yun Lan said with relief, "I've already prepared it. I'll take a look when I get back."
She handed a stack of printed documents to Ye Qi.
Ye Qi thought this must be an important clue, so he carefully put the information away, planning to look at it carefully after he finished getting his hair cut.
He had a premonition that something bad would happen at the concert, and that the girl group might not be as harmonious as they seemed on the surface. Perhaps there was some grudge among the five members, and someone might kill someone at the concert.
He is currently unable to contact his other teammates and can only cautiously gather the clues he can obtain.
Ye Qi was thinking quickly, so she didn't notice how her hair had been messed up.
Until Tony, the hairstylist, said with a smile, "All done."
Ye Qi looked up at the mirror and immediately thought: "......"
What was this stylist thinking? Why is this rooster-like hairstyle so obsessed with? The first one was a burgundy rooster-like hairstyle, and this time they just dyed the color back, but the hair is still standing on end – are they going to perform "hair standing on end" at a concert?
Ye Qi sighed in exasperation, deciding to give up and go back to wash her hair herself.
With three days left until the concert, Ye Qi anxiously wondered, " Where are Professor Xiao and the others? There should be a murder in three days, then I'll be able to see Professor Xiao and Captain Yu, right?"
And what about CEO Shao? Given his position as CEO Shao, could he be a major sponsor of the concert?
*****