Last time I cleared Spade 2 In Zombie Town, the Guardian came to the rooftop in a helicopter to pick people up. Unexpectedly, after completing Spades 3, the Guardian came to pick people up again in a helicopter. The helicopter has almost become the mount of the Ace of Spades.
Perhaps this is a unique hobby of the Ace of Spades?
Xiao Lou and Yu Hanjiang sat in the back row, exchanged a glance, and neither of them spoke.
However, Ace of Spades in the front row spoke up, saying, "This time in Spade 3 Secret Room, Challenger's survival rate exceeded 85%, thanks to your help... However, your help in clearing the level may not necessarily be a good thing for them."
Outside the window, it was pitch black; the city below had completely disappeared from sight. Xiao Lou smiled and replied, "I understand what you mean. In Card World, Challengers must learn to become stronger on their own; they can't always rely on others' help to clear the game. But I don't think helping them is a bad thing. At least they live a few more days, and maybe they'll draw better cards and go further, right?"
Xiao Lou didn't want to meddle, but he wouldn't stand by and watch someone die.
Yu Hanjiang agreed with Xiao Lou's opinion, saying, " Professor Xiao is right. We should only do what we are supposed to do. As for what they will encounter in the future and how long they can live, it's all up to their fate."
Ace of Spades smiled slightly: " Challengers like you are few and far between."
Yu Hanjiang changed the subject, saying, " Why wasn't there a perfect completion for Spade 3: Secret Room? The final hint only said'successfully completed,' does that mean a 100% Challenger survival rate is required for a perfect completion?"
Ace of Spades said, "I will explain this to you."
Just then, the helicopter suddenly landed on a floating helipad, and the two were back in the Personal Space shrouded in thick white fog. Ace of Spades flicked his finger, and a large screen appeared in front of them, playing fragments of the plot.
On the first screen, a man suddenly rushed into a large crowd gathered in Central Square and unscrewed the familiar green bottle cap— the Zombie Virus began to spread rapidly, infecting a large number of people in the surrounding area, turning the original Financial Crisis world into an enlarged version of a zombie apocalypse!
Challenger stood amidst the infected zombies, his voice still tinged with laughter: "This secret room is so easy. Just turn these people into zombies, and after I get vaccinated, I can easily pass through, right? "
In the second screen, a group of Challengers form a robbery gang. Using the [ Invisibility Cloak ] and [key] obtained from the Red Heart 3 escape room, they rob a bank under cover of darkness when no one is around. The woman in charge says smugly, " No matter how much prices rise in the Financial Crisis, we have millions in our hands. We can get through it without even lifting a finger. It really is a C-level secret chamber; this is too easy..."
In the third screen, two heavily armed Challengers stormed into the hotel, killed the loan officer at the front desk, and took over the hotel, laughing and saying, "From now on, this is our territory. We'll have food, drink, and a seven-day stay. Isn't that an easy way to pass the test?" "Big brother is right. We have guns. Nobody dares to come near us. Hahaha."
Xiao Lou felt a chill run down his spine, while Yu Hanjiang clenched his fists tightly beside him.
--I see.
No wonder there are organizations in this world that specifically target Challengers; it's because there are some bad apples among the Challengers themselves who use the cards they draw from clearing secret rooms to commit arson, murder, robbery, and all sorts of evil deeds...
In order to pass through customs, they actually released the Zombie Virus directly in Central Square, infecting the entire city's original residents!
In order to get through customs, he wore an invisibility cloak to rob a bank on the first night; he even killed the hotel owner and took over the hotel!
Are they even human?!
Xiao Lou felt a chill run down his spine. Of course, these people could also clear the game, but their methods were far too brutal. They slaughtered the freelancers of this world like ants...
Therefore, there is no such thing as a "perfect playthrough" of Spade 3 Secret Room.
What constitutes perfection?
Everyone has different standards of measurement.
Perhaps in their eyes, robbing a bank, releasing a virus, or taking over a hotel are all perfect ways to pass the level. They might think they're very clever, using the cards they drew in the previous escape room to easily pass Spade 3.
Actually, if Xiao Lou were ruthless, he could simply unleash the Zombie Leader to bite people everywhere and collect a large number of zombie puppets, making the game much easier.
But he never thought that way.
After all, he was facing living, breathing people. Although they came from different worlds, these people also had feelings, consciousness, and family and friends.
To survive, they trample on the lives of humans from another world... These Challengers have actually gone mad.
A ruthless, cold-blooded, and unprincipled Challenger is also a huge threat to other Challengers.
They will stop at nothing to get through.
They have no qualms about killing indigenous people, and they probably wouldn't hesitate to kill their own kind either...
This Secret Room World will distort people's minds.
Fortunately, Xiao Lou and Yu Hanjiang remained rational, CEO Shao had no interest in killing, and Xiao Ye Qi was able to stay true to herself after experiencing Nightmare Secret Room —they shared the same values on the big picture, which was the most solid foundation for the four of them to come together.
Ace of Spades said calmly, " There are actually many ways to pass through the Financial Crisis escape room. You chose the most difficult one, but your group of Challengers has the highest survival rate in history."
On the screen, the funeral procession...
The freak of the zombie virus was only concerned with clearing the game for himself, infecting not only a large number of civilians but also many Challengers who were caught off guard. In the end, he emerged from the sealed room, and everyone else turned into zombies, turning the entire city into hell.
The group that robbed the bank had a falling out over the distribution of the money. One of them secretly ran off with a large amount of gold coins. For the next few days, they were all busy looking for the person who had run away with the money, and they suspected each other. In the end, only three of them managed to pass the level.
The people who occupied the hotel, armed with guns, thought they were safe and sound, but on the fifth day, they were riddled with bullets by thugs who were also armed.
Other Challenger teams also formed temporary organizations, but because their leaders lacked the charisma to command the respect of others, most of these temporary groups disbanded halfway through. Some, like Ye Qi's, fell into a trap set by an internal traitor and were wiped out…
Xiao Lou didn't know how to comment.
Challenger is full of all kinds of people.
At first, he thought it was a bit much that there was a mysterious organization in this world specifically targeting Challengers... Now it seems that some Challengers are acting even more brutally, relying on the cards they have!
After showing the two a few clips, Ace of Spades continued, " There's no such thing as a perfect playthrough in Spade 3. However, Challengers who perform exceptionally well during the playthrough and achieve an S rating will still receive a chance to draw a card."
He waved his hand casually and said, "Let's take a look at your fixed rewards first."
The two opened their card holders at the same time and sure enough, they saw a new card appear inside.
[ Tool Card: Supply Pack]
Rarity: A
Description: A fixed reward after completing the Spade 3 Secret Room.
Effects: Opening the supply pack will immediately grant you Mineral Water x1, Compressed Biscuits x1, Instant Noodles x1, and Milk x1.
Limitation: Each Secret Room World can only be used once.
Xiao Lou couldn't help but think, "If it can only be used once, why is Ace of Spades giving so little?"
Ace of Spades seemed to sense his thoughts and said calmly, "Don't complain that there's not much food. In some extremely harsh environments, this food might just save your lives."
Xiao Lou smiled and said, "Okay, thank you for the reward."
Yu Hanjiang calmly put away the card and asked, "Where are the gold coins? Weren't they supposed to be able to be taken out of the secret room?"
Ace of Spades said, "The gold coins you two carried when you left Spade 3 Secret Room totaled 356,800, which have been deposited into Xiao Lou's account. You can withdraw them at any ATM or bank counter in Card World. Mr. Yu, you have no objections?"
He knew that the duo Xiao Lou was in charge of the finances, so he transferred the money directly into Xiao Lou's account.
Yu Hanjiang nodded to indicate that he had no objection.
Ace of Spades said, "Please draw your cards, both of you."
He gently lifted his index finger, and a glittering treasure chest appeared on the table in front of them.
Before Xiao Lou could speak, Yu Hanjiang said, "Go ahead and draw one; you might get another summoning card."
In real life, he had won a maximum of ten dollars in a lottery, but the cards he drew in Card World were indeed quite strange. Since Captain Yu said so, Xiao Lou no longer refused. He rubbed his hands together, stepped forward, and drew a card from the treasure chest.
—Congratulations on obtaining the S-rank summon card [ Bai Juyi ]!
Xiao Lou: "..."
Thank you so much, Captain Yu, for your prophetic words.
Another summon card. Since both of them achieved an S rating in the game, this time they drew a very powerful S-rarity summon card.
Yu Hanjiang and Xiao Lou immediately picked up the card and examined it carefully.
The back features Card World's signature style: a silver background with designs in four colors: spade, hearts, diamonds, and plum blossom. The front depicts a poet in ancient attire wearing a hat.
[Summoning Card: Bai Juyi ]
Rarity: S
Description: With an S-rank completion score, there is an extremely low chance of obtaining this item from the limited-time gacha pool.
Additional Skill 1: The Old Charcoal Seller
Bai Juyi once used a poem to describe the miserable life of an old charcoal seller: "His clothes are thin and pitiful, yet he worries that the charcoal will be cheap and wishes for cold weather!"
How wonderful it would be to have a warm fire when the weather is cold!
Using Bai Juyi's " The Old Charcoal Seller " skill, a charcoal fire can be lit at a designated location. The fire can be lit in any harsh environment and lasts for 30 minutes. It can only be used once per day. For each growth level increase, the fire's duration increases by 6 minutes, up to a maximum of 90 minutes.
Additional skill 2: Unlocked when growth reaches 10.
Yu Hanjiang glanced at Xiao Lou with a complicated expression, as if to say: The cards you drew were indeed strange.
Xiao Lou rubbed his temples helplessly. He felt something was off when he first drew Tao Yuanming, then he drew Di Renjie in Heart 3, and now he drew Bai Juyi... Did he accidentally dig into the historical figures' card pool?
The two of them read the skill descriptions carefully again.
With the Bai Juyi card, there's no need to buy candles, lighters, or other fire-starting items for future escape rooms.
The Old Charcoal Seller's skill allows him to create a burning charcoal fire, regardless of damp or cold environments.
Thinking about it this way, Bai Juyi's first skill is actually quite useful. If she is ever thrown into the wilderness, lighting a charcoal fire to roast some wild game or warming herself around a charcoal fire in cold weather would be a good option.
Furthermore, there is still a second skill that hasn't been unlocked. S-cards have a higher growth potential than regular A-cards, so the second skill might be even more powerful.
Xiao Lou was very pleased to have Bai Juyi Card received
It's in the card holder.
Yu Hanjiang turned to Ace of Spades and asked, "You left us at the Financial Crisis for seven days, and we haven't slept well at all. Shouldn't you give us some time to rest?"
Ace of Spades said coldly, "Half an hour."
Xiao Lou said dejectedly, "Isn't that a bit too little?"
Ace of Spades raised an eyebrow coolly: "I don't like haggling. If you're not satisfied, how about 10 minutes?"
Xiao Lou immediately smiled and said, "Very satisfied, thank you."
Faced with his icy expression, Xiao Lou had no interest in continuing the conversation; Hearts Sister was much more friendly and approachable.
Xiao Lou sighed softly and looked at Yu Hanjiang, saying, "Let's take a break in half an hour."
Yu Hanjiang nodded, sat down on the sofa, and took the opportunity to rest.
***
Inside the Personal Space, Ye Qi and Shao Qingge benefited from Professor Xiao's influence and also received an S-level rating for passing the level.
The two of them each drew a card.
Ye Qi drew the instrument card [ flute ], which he happens to be able to play. This S-level instrument is much stronger than the [ guitar ] he drew before. Its first skill [Melodious Flute Sound] allows him to play a tune and force other people within a 50-meter radius to fall asleep for 30 seconds.
It's an amazing crowd control skill, but the cooldown is quite long; you can only use it once every 8 hours.
The second skill is not yet unlocked, but it should be quite powerful.
Ye Qi excitedly took the new card and sat on the sofa to wait. After a moment, Ace of Spades said calmly, "Someone sent you a contract book invitation. The sender's name is Shao Qingge. Do you want to accept it?"
Ye Qi, who had finally received the contract book, immediately nodded: "Accept!"
Ace of Spades handed him a contract book already signed by CEO Shao, and Ye Qi signed his name on it without even looking at it.
As soon as he finished signing, he felt a sudden darkness engulf him...
Shao Qingge actually pulled him directly into the Red Heart 3 escape room?!
Ye Qi couldn't help but curse: "Damn it! CEO Shao, I haven't even recovered yet, don't you get any rest?!"
***
Xiao Lou and Yu Hanjiang rested for a while, and when their time was up, they walked side by side to the card wall.
The third level is the final Plum Blossom 3.
Xiao Lou simply reached out and drew the card.
A moment later, time and space shifted, and they saw the familiar Plum Blossom A again.
The young man, with a blank expression, sat on the luxurious sofa and said calmly, "Welcome to the Plum Blossom 3 secret room."
Xiao Lou and Yu Hanjiang turned around and saw that both of them were wearing black suits and silver masks—this was Plum Blossom A's favorite attire. Upon entering the Plum Blossom Secret Chamber, they would automatically change clothes, and all the Challengers would be dressed in black, as if attending a funeral.
Ace of Spades likes to fly planes, Plum Blossom A likes everyone to be dressed in black, Guardian has a unique hobby, Xiao Lou is too lazy to comment.
Xiao Lou has already gotten some information about Plum Blossom 3 escape rooms from CEO Shao, and he is very confident that he can make a fortune from it!