Lu Jiuchuan also agreed with Xiao Lou's analysis. When he was undercover in the Hunter organization, he had always suspected that these people might be mixed with challengers. In the past few weekly missions, the Hunter companions who acted with him were very hostile to each other.
The way to use the cards is very familiar, maybe the challenger taught them.
Now, the appearance of Bai Jinyu's twin brothers has further confirmed Lu Jiuchuan's guess.
Lu Jiuchuan thought for a while, then looked back at Yu Hanjiang, "How about arresting these brothers and interrogating them carefully? You have interrogated so many brutal criminals until they confessed obediently. If you come to interrogate them, I don't believe they won't say anything."
."
Yu Hanjiang did not approve of his brother's simple and crude approach. "The surveillance was discovered by Bai Jinyu. He is now wary. We don't know the details of this person at all. If we rush to arrest him, we may fall into his trap. I always feel that,
Behind Bai Jinyu, there may be a force more powerful than we imagined."
Xiao Lou also said, "Brother Ninth, what Han Jiang said makes sense. At present, Bai Jinyu is not directly against us. Is he a hunter or on the side of the challenger? His position is actually not clear... It is better to investigate
Is it better to act after you know it clearly?”
Lu Jiuchuan chuckled and glanced at Yu Hanjiang, "Okay, anyway, you two are just like each other, and I can't speak to you."
Long Sen was stunned for a moment, "Husband...husband, what?"
Qu Wanyue poked his arm and coughed, "Let's go back first, so as not to worry anyone."
Long Sen was still wondering whether Brother Jiu's phrase "the husband sings and the husband follows" was a joke. Although his Chinese score is not good enough, is the word "one sings and one harmonizes" more appropriate to describe two men? The husband sings and the husband follows is not a way to describe a couple.
?
It seems that Ninth Brother’s Chinese is even worse than him.
Long Sen came to the conclusion. When he looked back, he saw that Xiao Lou's ears were slightly red. He wondered if it was too hot, so Long Sen thoughtfully helped Professor Xiao open the window.
At this time, it is summer in Sun City.
It was close to six o'clock in the morning, and the first ray of dawn broke through the clouds and spread gently onto the sea, dyeing the blue water orange. Lu Jiuchuan drove on the wide seaside road, surrounded by coconut trees along the way.
The sea breeze blowing in your face carries the moist smell of sea water.
Xiao Lou turned his head and looked around. The scenery of Sun City was very different from that of Moon City. It was a typical seaside city, and it was more beautiful than any seaside city he had ever been to in reality.
The sea water here is crystal clear, the blue sky seems to be dyed with paint, the beach is white and delicate, and there are many beautiful shells scattered around. The "swishing" sound of the sea water when the tide rises is like a pleasant note. People's lives
I also lived a relaxed and leisurely life, without as much pressure as in reality.
Along the endless coastline, there are many specially built holiday villas. I heard that the house prices are still very cheap. With Shao Qingge’s current savings, it will not be a problem for each of them to buy a villa and settle here...
No wonder there are challengers willing to stay in this world.
Xiao Lou was thinking about it, and suddenly an idea flashed in his mind, as if some clues had surfaced. Then, a few words gradually became clear in his mind, and he blurted out "Eternal Kingdom?"
When his teammates heard this, they all looked at him in confusion.
Yu Hanjiang asked in a low voice, "What did you think of?"
Xiao Lou came back to his senses and said, "In the Eternal Kingdom, I remember Lao Mo once mentioned that the goal of the people in this guild is not to clear the level and return to the real world, but to stay in the card world and continue to survive. Many of them are here
People buy cars and houses all over the world, and some people even marry the natives of the card world?"
Yu Hanjiang thought carefully for a moment and said, "You mean, the hunter organization is probably related to this guild?"
Xiao Lou nodded, "Eternal Kingdom, the ultimate goal of this challenger organization is to stay in the card world. They are attracted by the beauty of the card world and have completely given up everything in reality, even their loved ones. Therefore, they
There is no psychological barrier if you flout the laws of the human world and kill innocent people indiscriminately."
As early as when they came to Moon City, Lao Mo introduced them to the three major challenger associations.
The Eternal Kingdom has indeed gathered a group of challengers who want to stay in the card world.
Everyone has their own ambitions, and Xiao Lou cannot judge that it is a wrong choice for them to stay here. After all, he wants to return to reality because he still has concerns in reality, but what if some people live unsatisfactory lives in the real world?
For example, in reality, you are too poor to buy a house, you have no decent job, you have no harmonious relatives and lovers worth remembering, or you have suffered too much torture in reality...
For these people, isn’t the card world a paradise?
Sometimes, heaven and hell are just a thought away.
For those who live a very unsatisfactory life in reality, the card world is equivalent to giving them a chance to be reborn. They only need to clear the secret room, obtain powerful cards, and swipe some gold coins in the plum blossom level to have everything they need in the card world.
Your own house, car, and even find a boyfriend or girlfriend here to fall in love and get married.
They live a much happier life here than in reality, so why do they want to go back?
Lu Jiuchuan thought of this possibility and said, "I have also heard about the Challenger Association of Eternal Kingdom. They do make it their goal to stay and settle here. Most of the challengers of Eternal Kingdom will get stuck around the eighth level.
After passing the eighth level, you can get enough good cards to deal with Zhou Chang."
Qu Wanyue said, "In other words, they stopped after passing the eighth level? After that, they only need to complete the weekly routine once every Saturday. As long as the team is strong, the weekly routine is not very important to them.
Is it difficult?”
"Well, most members of the Eternal Kingdom have cards in their hands that can save their lives. Their combat effectiveness may not be strong, but their ability to escape is absolutely excellent. If they live on a regular basis, it shouldn't be a big problem."
Lu Jiuchuan glanced at Xiao Lou in the rearview mirror and said, "Professor Xiao suspects that this guild is related to the Hunters. Do you think there are additional conditions for them to stay in the card world?"
Xiao Loudao: "I just made a bold speculation. Assume that the real world and the card world are two different spaces. If we challengers want to survive in different spaces for a long time, there must be conditions, right? It's like us settling abroad.
It’s the same as getting a green card. If there is a ‘green card’ in the card world, how can we obtain permanent residency?”
Qu Wanyue's expression changed, "For example, kill a challenger and get a green card for one year?"
Long Sen's eyes widened. "If that's the case, then it would be a reasonable explanation for some challengers to rebel and join the hunter-killer organization to kill their own kind. They want to stay here forever, so they kill their own kind in exchange for living time."
?”
Xiao Lou's face was a little pale. "These are all my guesses. I just think that our understanding of the card world may be too one-sided, because we are all eager to go back, and we will subjectively think that this world is cruel, no
It’s worth remembering—but for some people, maybe this world is paradise.”
There was silence in the car for a moment.
Xiao Lou's bold speculation does have a certain possibility, and it can reasonably explain many problems.
If this is the case, the size of the hunter organization will only get bigger and bigger.
Because Lu Jiuchuan knows very well that in the long process of breaking through the level, facing the secret room that is more difficult than the last level, the challengers will be tired and frustrated. Once their teammates die in front of them, the will to go back will gradually fade away.
The ground shakes.
When Lu Jiuchuan watched his teammates being dismembered in the Plum Blossom Club with his own eyes, Lu Jiuchuan also wavered. He thought, it would be better to die here. Although the thought only passed by for a moment, people like Lu Jiuchuan who were not afraid of death almost gave up.
How can a person with a weak mind persist in completing the S-level level?
As time goes by and people are unable to clear the level, they will naturally become numb and have the idea of "it is better to stay in this world".
Maybe in the end, they who insist on passing the level will become the outliers among the challengers.
No one said anything the whole way, and the car quickly drove to the hotel.
Tang Ci and the others hadn't slept yet. After all, their teammates were going on an adventure, so they couldn't sleep peacefully.
In fact, on the way, Xiao Lou had already told Ye Qi the results of everyone's investigation through "telepathy". The telepathy between the two of them in the maze lasted for 24 hours and has not been interrupted yet.
Ye Qi then relayed Xiao Lou's speculation to everyone.
So when Xiao Lou and the other five people went upstairs, Tang Ci and the others already knew the result.
Tang Ci got straight to the point and said, "I haven't collected much information about the Eternal Kingdom. This association is the most mysterious challenger organization. No one knows who the president is, not even their own people."
Lao Mo said, "I only heard that the president of Eternal Kingdom is very powerful. Going through the weekly tasks is like playing in the weekend entertainment bureau. The internal review of their association is very strict, and there are experts who give members a lot of weekly clearance strategies."
…”
Gui Yuanzhang frowned and said, "White Fox, Bai Jinyu, could he be a high-ranking official in this eternal kingdom?"
Tang Ci opened the Challenger internal forum and displayed all the posts posted by Bai Hu in front of everyone. "He has published many strategies for secret rooms below A level on the forum. Moreover, his identity is a Challenger. These two points are indeed in line with the requirements of the Eternal Kingdom."
Style... As for whether he is a senior member of the Eternal Kingdom, whether the Eternal Kingdom is related to or cooperates with the Hunter organization, I will continue to let informants keep an eye on it, and clues need to be collected slowly."
Chu Huaying said, "Don't worry. Anyway, the troops will stop them and the water will cover them. No matter how perverted the hunter-killer organization is, they are still human beings. Human beings have weaknesses. If they dare to chase us, we can also find a way to counterattack."
Ye Qi glanced at her with admiration, "Sister Ying is right!"
Tang Ci looked at Xiao Lou, "You have been tired all night, please rest first."
Xiao Lou said, "Let's all take a nap first, get up at noon and have a meal to replenish our strength, and then we can discuss the next level."
After spending several hours in the maze and visiting the bar at night, everyone was really exhausted.
There were two presidential suites next door to Tang Ci, and they happened to be vacant. Shao Qingge paid for them, and everyone rested in different bedrooms for a few hours.
Xiao Lou was in a daze and had a nightmare.
In the dream, he stood on a wide platform, which was very much like a personal space, except that the surroundings were dark, with only a beam of light cast from the center, like a follow-up light on a big stage.
Ace of Spades, who was wearing sunglasses, put a gun to Yu Hanjiang's forehead, threw another gun to Xiao Lou, and said coldly, "If you want Yu Hanjiang to survive, you must kill Ye Qi."
Xiao Lou was sweating all over his body, but his fingers were trembling so much that he couldn't even hold the gun steady. Xiaoye looked pale and looked at him with pleading eyes. Shao Qingge stood to the side and raised the gun to him.
The four people faced each other in a dark and empty environment... The depressing feeling made Xiao Lou almost suffocated.
My chest felt tight, as if a huge boulder was pressing on me.
Suddenly, gunfire rang out.
I don’t know who pulled the trigger first, but Xiao Lou woke up from his nightmare with a slap in the face. When he woke up, the sky was bright outside the window, and it was already noon. Yu Hanjiang sat by the bed and asked him in a low voice, "What's wrong? Is that so?"
Wasn’t it a nightmare?”
Yu Hanjiang was sleeping next door. Hearing Xiao Lou's voice, he came over to see him, only to see Xiao Lou suddenly wake up.
Looking at the familiar man in front of him, Xiao Lou's heartbeat was ridiculously fast. The images in his dream were so clear that he couldn't even distinguish between dreams and reality.
Yu Hanjiang found that Xiao Lou's cold sweat had soaked his clothes. He gently touched Xiao Lou's sweat-drenched hair and said softly, "Do you think about it every day and dream about it at night? Last night, you dreamed that your teammates were killed.
?”
Xiao Lou was a little surprised, "How do you know?"
Yu Hanjiang said, "It's definitely not a good thing in a dream if it makes you feel so uncomfortable."
The familiar smell of the man made Xiao Lou feel more at ease. It was just a dream. He was indeed too nervous.
Xiao Lou took a deep breath to calm down, let go of Yu Hanjiang, looked at him and asked, "If one day, the gatekeeper or the hunter uses me to blackmail you and asks you to kill a teammate, so that I can live, you
What will happen?”
Yu Hanjiang looked at Xiao Lou unexpectedly and met those clear and warm eyes.
Perhaps Xiao Lou's nightmare is facing this cruel choice.
This question is difficult to answer.
He was silent for a moment, then raised the corner of his mouth slightly and said, "What would you do if it were you?"
Xiao Lou was startled. "Don't throw the question back to me. You talk first."
"No matter who says it, it's the same, because I believe that our answers are also the same." Yu Hanjiang stretched out his arms, hugged Xiao Lou tightly into his arms, and whispered against his ear, "If there is such a day,
I am unable to save you, and they are using you as a hostage to force me to kill other people. I will choose to kill you with my own hands, and then die with you."
Xiao Lou “…………”
Sure enough, he thought so too.
In an instant, all the depression and discomfort in Xiao Lou's heart dissipated and were replaced by relaxation.
It was just a dream. Yesterday, he reasoned about how the challenger would change his stance and become a hunter, so he dreamed of this dilemma. Perhaps, some people become hunters not voluntarily, but by force. But even if
One day, when faced with this forced dilemma, Xiao Lou also knew that Yu Hanjiang would not forget his original intention.
If we rely on killing innocent people indiscriminately to gain the right to live, what's the point of living like that?
Death is not terrible.
The terrible thing is to lose your soul and become a walking devil.
He heard Yu Hanjiang say, "I know you don't bother to live in such shame, and neither do I."
Xiao Lou smiled, said "hmm" softly, stretched out his hand and hugged him back.
Yu Hanjiang pressed a kiss on his forehead, tightened his embrace, and said in an extremely gentle voice, "Xiao Lou, don't think too much. The hunters we face have long lost their humanity, but we still know what we should and shouldn't do.
What. I always remember what you said a long time ago - the world is crazy, but we are not crazy yet."
Xiao Lou nodded in his arms.
In fact, there is nothing to worry about. No matter how bad the outcome is, we will just die together. Even if we fail and die together in this world... I will not be lonely with you by my side on the road to hell.
The two hugged each other for a while, and Xiao Lou had completely let go of the nightmare. He broke away from Yu Hanjiang's arms and suddenly asked, "By the way, does Ninth Brother know about us?"
Yu Hanjiang said calmly, "Yeah."
Xiao Lou's ears couldn't help but feel hot. "Did you tell him?"
Yu Hanjiang said, "Don't be nervous, he appreciates you very much. Don't worry, he already regards you as one of his own."
Xiao Lou paused and asked uneasily, "Then, after you go back, are you willing to come with me to meet my parents? They are both very good people and have a very gentle personality."
Yu Hanjiang was stunned for a moment, and a trace of ecstasy surged in his heart. He hugged Xiao Lou tightly again and whispered in his ear, "Of course I can't ask for it if you are willing to admit your relationship with me in front of the elders. I also want to be recognized by your parents, so
They know that you have a boyfriend, and that man's name is Yu Hanjiang."
Xiao Lou “…………”
Originally a nightmare made Xiao Lou uncomfortable, but now he feels a little sweet in his heart. Yu Hanjiang told his brother about their affairs, and he also wanted to take Yu Hanjiang home and introduce him to his parents. This shows that both of them are very serious about this relationship.
, all want their loved ones to be recognized by their families.
Instead of thinking about the bad things, it's better to be optimistic and think about your plans after going back.
At this moment, a prompt popped up on the phone. It was a message sent by Tang Ci in the group, "Everyone go downstairs to eat. Just take your room card and eat the buffet lunch. Let's discuss where to go to the next level as soon as possible after the meal."
With enough energy, they are about to face a new challenge.