Xiao Lou rode in a helicopter for the first time.
With a deafening roar from the propellers overhead, the plane quickly took off. After Xiao Lou settled in, he leaned out the window and looked down, hoping to see if the zombies on the playground would break free from Ring's control under the summons of the Zombie Leader. However, he was surprised to find that there were countless identical Zombie Towns on the ground!
Each town is separated by a transparent barrier, with no connection or influence between them.
He saw people running in every town—some frantically stumbling and staggering; some running swiftly and calmly; and others fighting frantically with weapons against zombies.
The helicopter was going too fast; before he could even see clearly, those tiny, glass-like worlds turned into black dots and quickly disappeared from his sight.
Xiao Lou frowned and fell into deep thought.
While he was running wildly through Zombie Town, many other humans were also challenging this escape room. I wonder how many people will succeed and how many will fail and be left here forever.
As if guessing his thoughts, the man piloting the helicopter in the front row suddenly spoke up: " People who can't even get through the D-class secret room are not fit to continue living in Card World. Staying in Zombie Town forever, without consciousness or pain, is the best ending for them."
The man's voice was as cold as if a block of ice had been poured into his throat.
Xiao Lou suddenly remembered that when he first arrived at Card World, he heard a cold, mechanical voice asking him, "Choose A or B?"—the voice of the man in front of him was exactly the same as that of the system.
Slightly startled, Xiao Lou sat up straight and looked through the glass partition.
The man in the driver's seat wore large sunglasses that covered half of his face, revealing only his sharp jawline.
The man didn't turn around, yet he seemed to have a clear understanding of Xiao Lou's every move. The moment Xiao Lou looked at him, the man's lips curled up slightly, and he said, "Hello, I'm the one who brought you to Card World —you can also call me Ace of Spades."
You will meet the Guardian after clearing the level.
Xiao Lou had met the mature women of Hearts and the cute girls of Diamonds before, but now that he had met the adult male Ace of Spades, he quickly accepted the premise and tentatively asked, " Do you have to personally pick up all the players who have cleared Zombie Town in a helicopter?"
Ace of Spades said calmly, "I know what you want to ask—yes, I can create countless clones and take over all the Challengers at the same time, just like Zombie Town can create countless parallel universes."
Xiao Lou's earlier prediction was correct: a deck of cards only has 54 cards, but the world represented by each card can generate countless replicas. Even though he and Yu Hanjiang are both in Spade 2, due to the unknown barrier between Card Worlds, they cannot meet despite being in the same scene—the countless Zombie Towns beneath their feet are proof of this.
Only in future multiplayer escape rooms will Challenger be able to enter the same space when he teams up. He needs a contract book to find Yu Hanjiang as soon as possible. However, Red Heart A told him that the contract book needs to be purchased with gold coins, and he doesn't currently know how to obtain gold coins.
Thinking of this, Xiao Lou asked, " Red Heart A said that you can earn coins in the later levels, but I have never found anywhere in Secret Room World where you can earn coins?"
Ace of Spades: "You'll find out soon enough."
Xiao Lou: " How many gold coins does the contract book cost?"
Ace of Spades: "ten thousand".
Xiao Lou: "..."
Perhaps because spade represents a cruel survival chamber, this spade guard is very cold and does not answer Xiao Lou's questions as kindly as the previous guards.
Xiao Lou had no choice but to shut up and say no more.
The helicopter quickly reached its destination.
A floating platform surrounded by familiar thick white fog. Xiao Lou is in the center of the fog, unable to see the outside world, only the huge card wall in front of him.
At this point, a green stamp indicating "Completed" appeared in the lower right corner of " Spade 2 " on the card wall.
Guardian said, "To settle your rewards, please check your card holder."
Xiao Lou opened the card holder, and sure enough, two new cards appeared inside.
[ tool card : Zombie Virus ]
Rarity: A
Description: Clear Spades 2: Secret Chamber Fixed rewards from Zombie Town.
Note: The Zombie Virus spreads through droplets, scattering the virus into the air. It spreads rapidly, affecting all living things within a 100-meter radius (including yourself). Infected creatures will exhibit symptoms such as fever and weakness in the limbs, and will transform into zombies within 10 seconds. After transformation, movement speed decreases by 80%, attack power doubles, and unless decapitated, any damaged part of the body will immediately regrow.
Used once.
[ Tool card: Special vaccine]
Rarity: A
Description: A reward will be given after perfectly completing Spades 2 Secret Chamber and obtaining the initial Infected serum sample.
Note: The first one is Zombie Virus Infected Antibodies to the Zombie Virus have been produced in the serum of the Zombie Leader. After research, experts have finally created a zombie vaccine. Injecting the vaccine will grant immunity to the Zombie Virus.
Usage: Because you brought back six infected serum samples, six vials of vaccine have been made. The red, yellow, and blue vials provide complete immunity against the Zombie Virus. Green...
The vaccines in green, purple, and black tubes are even more effective, providing immunity against all toxins, such as toxic fog, miasma, and snake bites. After receiving the green, purple, or black vaccine, you will be immune to all toxins for the next 10 minutes.
Xiao Lou's eyes lit up—thankfully, he brought back all six tubes of infected blood samples, which enabled him to obtain six tubes of vaccine. In the future, this vaccine might save his life in toxic fog environments.
The guaranteed reward for completing Spade 2 is the [ Zombie Virus Card]. Using it directly will cause you to also become a zombie. Only by completing the game perfectly and obtaining the vaccine can you use both cards together without incurring negative effects.
While these two A cards have limitations, it is undeniable that in certain special circumstances, A cards are no worse than S cards.
With proper use, each card can fulfill its function. For example, the C card Fruit Knife and Rose Perfume, and the B card Nine Palaces Grid provided Xiao Lou with great assistance in the previous Zombie Town.
I wonder what kind of cards I can get in this lottery?
Xiao Lou saw the glittering treasure chest in front of him, so he stepped forward and drew a card.
—Congratulations on obtaining Card A [Summon Card: Zombie Leader]!
Xiao Lou was taken aback. This time, he actually drew an A card. Perhaps it was because he had been kiting monsters everywhere and the game took him 50 minutes to complete, so his final score was only A.
Xiao Lou picked up the card and carefully read the description.
[Summoning Card: Zombie Leader]
Rarity: A
Description: After perfectly clearing the escape room, you can draw from the limited-time card pool with a relatively high probability of obtaining it. A-rank cards are slightly weaker than S-rank cards, but easier to develop. Their initial growth rate is already at the maximum level, and all skills are automatically unlocked.
Additional Skill 1: Claw Attack
The Zombie Leader extends its claws and attacks nearby enemies at incredible speed. Creatures touched by the Zombie Leader's claws are immediately infected with the Zombie Virus and become the Zombie Leader's zombie puppets.
Additional Skill 2: Zombie Control
The Zombie Leader emits a piercing shriek, summoning six low-level zombies to assist in combat. This summoning can only be done once every 24 hours. The summoned zombies are slow-moving but possess great attack power and can obey your commands to group or disperse. Creatures that bleed after being attacked by low-level zombies will be infected with the Zombie Virus and will turn into zombies within 10 seconds if they are not vaccinated.
Note: Zombie Leader is a zombie, and its weak point is its head. Once its head is cut off, it dies instantly, and the card is also destroyed.
The card depicts a pale-faced little boy with sharp fangs and dark black eyes staring at Xiao Lou, as if he's about to jump out of the card.
Xiao Lou felt a mix of emotions as he recalled the scene in the hospital where the little guy tricked him into opening the door.
He actually drew the Zombie Leader summoning card!
He can summon this little zombie anytime he wants, which sends chills down his spine—is he sure the Zombie Leader won't turn around and attack him?
Xiao Lou put aside his strange thoughts, looked up at Ace of Spades and asked, "Can I rest?"
Ace of Spades: "5-minute break."
Xiao Lou was helpless. Hearts ' Guardian was the most merciful, giving him 15 minutes to rest. Diamonds wouldn't let him rest at all, and Spade only gave him 5 minutes. He had been running around Zombie Town for so long with his mind on edge, and his physical strength was severely depleted. At this moment, he felt incredibly heavy, and his legs felt like they were filled with lead, making it almost impossible for him to walk.
A 5-minute break... is better than nothing.
Xiao Lou immediately sat down on the sofa and massaged the stiff muscles in her legs to try and adjust herself as quickly as possible.
Ace of Spades asked, "Where are you going next?"
Xiao Lou thought for a moment and said, "The only thing left to do in the second stage is Plum Blossom, so let's go to Plum Blossom 2. "
Ace of Spades said, " Plum Blossom 2 is the last d-class secret room."
" Are there only four D-class secret rooms?" Xiao Lou was a little surprised. He thought the beginner stage would last for several levels, giving newcomers to Card World a period of adjustment. He didn't expect there to be only four D-class secret rooms: Red Heart 2, Diamond 2, Spade 2, and Plum Blossom 2.
" The D-class secret room is just to give you a general idea of the four types of secret rooms; one level is enough." Ace of Spades waved his hand, and the card Plum Blossom 2 flew directly from the card wall to Xiao Lou's front. " There are many people entering Plum Blossom 2 at the same time; wait for Plum Blossom to match you with an opponent."
"An opponent?" Xiao Lou looked up in surprise.
"When you're tackling an escape room, you'll definitely have rivals," said Ace of Spades.
"..." I wish I hadn't gone to Plum Blossom. Is it too late to switch to another escape room now?
***
At the same time, inside the Personal Space.
Yu Hanjiang's clothes were covered in mud, and his face was covered in dust, making him look rather disheveled.
He had killed too many zombies during the process of clearing the level. Although those low-level creatures did not have any effect on him, it still took him a lot of effort to deal with them.
However, the dirty clothes were restored at a speed visible to the naked eye after arriving in Personal Space.
It was as if nothing had happened.
It must be data erasure. After Challenger left the escape room, everything he had experienced inside would be wiped clean, but the physical fatigue remained. Yu Hanjiang took a deep breath to calm himself and asked in a low voice, "I want to team up with someone, how do I do that?"
Ace of Spades said expressionlessly, "Buy the contract book with gold coins, 10,000 per book. Find a way to get the gold coins in the subsequent secret rooms."
"So troublesome?"
"If you find it troublesome, you can go through the levels alone; no one is forcing you to team up."
Yu Hanjiang raised an eyebrow and said no more.
As a Challenger, there was no fear in his eyes. The tall, imposing man stood calmly and composed on the floating platform surrounded by white mist, as if he were standing in a police station.
He casually pulled a card from the treasure chest, read the description, and then simply said, "I'm going to Plum Blossom 2 next."
Ace of Spades said, "Please wait, we are matching you with an opponent."
A moment later, Yu Hanjiang received a notification: "Opponent matchmaking complete, you are player number 3."
At almost the same time, Xiao Lou also received a notification: "Opponent matchmaking complete, you are player number 1."
—The secret room is being generated.
Challenger data reading complete.
Welcome, Challengers, to the Plum Blossom 2 Secret Room: [Challenge at 10:30]!
Author's Note: I've already given out red envelopes in the previous chapters, thank you everyone, muah!
Captain Yu, who has been living in system announcements, is finally going to make his official appearance!