Yu Hanjiang quickly roasted the wild rabbit and also put the fish that had been roasted the night before on the charcoal fire to heat it up.
Ye Qi is blind and can only stay by Xiao Lou's side and chat with Professor Xiao.
Knowing that CEO Shao wasn't good at heart-room scenarios, Xiao Lou simply told Ye Qi in detail about the two murders that occurred on Red Heart 4's " Express Train," including the causes, consequences, and the suspects' testimonies.
Ye Qi was stunned: "Those two guys were such scumbags! If you ask me, they deserved to die!"
Xiao Lou instructed, " The names of the people in the heart room will change, and there may be several versions of the case, just like there are two versions of an exam. After you and CEO Shao go to Red Heart 4, remember to carefully analyze the suspects' testimonies and don't get confused by them."
Ye Qi nodded solemnly: "I understand. With this information, the difficulty of solving the case will definitely be reduced a lot." He scratched the back of his head, suddenly realizing that the two sides should exchange information, and hurriedly said: "By the way, plum blossom 4 is very easy and does not eliminate people. It's probably because the elimination rate of red heart 4 and spade 4 is too high, so the diamonds and plum blossom in the fourth level are free."
Xiao Lou asked curiously, " Is the plum blossom level still a card game?"
Ye Qi said, " Plum Blossom 4 is called Card Flying Chess. You draw cards and jump across squares. There are some rewards and penalties. The rewards are usually gold coins or you can directly upgrade an S card to the maximum level. The penalty is that the cards in your card holder will be randomly confiscated. It's a level that relies purely on luck."
So, the second challenge, Plum Blossom 2, tests the contestants' mental fortitude and forces elimination of Challengers; the third challenge is Spade 3. Financial Crisis increases the elimination rate; by the fourth level, Red Heart 4 and Spade 4 are very difficult, eliminating more than 80% of the Challengers, and only the remaining ones can enter the main city.
Xiao Lou thought for a moment and said, "There are two main cities, [ Sun City ] and [ Moon City ], which should be controlled by the King and Queen of Spade. After leaving Spade 4, we will be separated again. After completing the fourth level, you and CEO Shao should also choose Moon City, so that the four of us can meet up in the main city again."
Ye Qi asked in confusion, "Why not choose Sun City? Sun City sounds brighter?"
Xiao Lou smiled slightly and said, "Because Moon City has the largest and most professional casino, and you know how good CEO Shao is at making money."
Ye Qi suddenly realized: "Oh, CEO Shao can make his fortune at the casinos in Moon City! Then it's settled, let's choose Moon City together!"
Just then, a deep voice interrupted them: "What are you talking about that's so exciting?"
Smelling the aroma of roasted meat, Xiao Lou smiled and said, "I'm chatting with Xiao Ye about Red Heart 4 and Plum Blossom 4. Captain Yu, is your rabbit ready yet?"
Yu Hanjiang tore off a piece of the best-quality rabbit leg, handed it to Xiao Lou, and sat down next to him, saying, "Okay, eat up."
Xiao Lou took the meat and took a bite. Yu Hanjiang's grilled meat was really fragrant and tender. Xiao Lou had never eaten wild game barbecue before, and today he was really in for a treat. He praised as he ate, "It's so delicious. This is the best barbecue I've ever eaten."
Seeing the satisfied look on Xiao Lou's face, Yu Hanjiang smiled slightly, took out the heated fish again, and worried that he would get his hands dirty, Yu Hanjiang found a bamboo leaf, put the fish on it, and gently put it into Xiao Lou's hand, saying in a low voice, "Eating only rabbit will definitely not fill you up, have another fish."
Xiao Lou experienced being waited on hand and foot for the first time. Yu Hanjiang took such good care of him, holding a rabbit leg in one hand and a grilled fish wrapped in bamboo leaves in the other. He was a little embarrassed and quickly said, "Uh, Ye Qi, you eat too."
Ye Qi waited for a long time, only to find that Captain Yu only cared about Professor Xiao and ignored him. Since he was blind, he could only wait quietly for him to be fed.
Yu Hanjiang then realized that he had neglected Ye Qi, so he tore off some rabbit meat and handed it to Ye Qi: "Eat."
Finally receiving her food, Ye Qi gratefully accepted it with both hands, saying, "Thank you, Captain Yu!"
At this moment, Shao Qingge also returned with water. He said in a low voice, " There are quite a few Challengers near the spring. During lunchtime, they all come to fetch water. We may have left some smell from our barbecue in the temple, and many people are looking this way."
Yu Hanjiang said calmly, "There are four of us. The other Challengers are all in pairs and don't dare to come in and cause trouble."
Spade Secret Room uses random matchmaking, and groups like theirs—who met in Spade 3, planned to team up beforehand, and then happened to be matched with Spade 4 —are rare. Currently, apart from these four, all the other Challengers in Spade 4 are in pairs, indicating a lack of cohesion.
As Yu Hanjiang said, the four-person team is the strongest combination in this escape room; most Challengers wouldn't dare to go head-to-head with them. Earlier on the mountain path, it was because Xiao Lou happened to be blind that the couple tried to take advantage of him.
Yu Hanjiang said, "Everyone, please have lunch in peace. In the afternoon, after Professor Xiao and Ye Qi's eyes have recovered, we will go out again to find out what the other Challengers are capable of."
Relieved, Shao Qingge sat cross-legged on the dry grass and shared the wild rabbit and grilled fish with everyone.
The sweet spring water and fragrant roasted meat were a delight to Ye Qi – following the boss on his adventures was truly a different experience.
As the four were eating, two girls cautiously walked in and politely knocked on the door.
Yu Hanjiang frowned, his sharp gaze sweeping towards the doorway: "What is it?"
These two were the girls who had accidentally disturbed the Tibetan Mastiff at Grandma Qin's house last night. The girl walking in front had short, neat hair and a calm voice: "I saw you had grilled fish earlier. We picked a lot of wild fruits and mushrooms in the mountains. Could we trade one fish with you?"
Yu Hanjiang leaned close to Xiao Lou's ear and whispered, "Do you want to eat wild fruit?"
Xiao Lou thought to himself that eating only meat for all three meals a day would cause indigestion, and that a balanced diet of meat and vegetables was better. He smiled and nodded, "Let's switch."
Since Xiao Lou wanted to eat, Yu Hanjiang didn't mind exchanging it for some fruit. He took two grilled fish from the side and handed them to her. The girl's eyes lit up, and she immediately handed Yu Hanjiang a basket of wild fruits and mushrooms: "Thank you!"
Yu Hanjiang asked, "Where did you get this basket?"
The girl said, "We wove it ourselves from bamboo."
Yu Hanjiang noticed that the girls were quite skillful, so he said, "Give us this basket. I know how to catch fish. If you want to eat more fish, you can ask us for it again tomorrow."
The two girls were taken aback by his easygoing nature.
They quickly realized what was going on and excitedly said, "Great! We know there's a place in the mountains where you can pick wild fruits. Besides green apples, apricots and pears are also ripe this season. We'll pick some more for you this afternoon! Oh, and if you want more bamboo baskets, we can weave a couple more. There's plenty of bamboo in the mountains, so it's not difficult to make them."
Yu Hanjiang nodded: "Thank you, then I'll make up two more."
The girl happily took the grilled fish and left.
After they left, Ye Qi couldn't help but sigh, " Among Challenger, there are still more normal people. It's so much better to exchange goods and information, and everyone benefits from each other. Some people just have to resort to robbing." Clearly, he was still bothered by the fact that someone had taken advantage of Xiao Lou's blindness to steal things.
Xiao Lou said helplessly, "There are all kinds of people, and we can't control what others think."
Yu Hanjiang washed the fruit with clean water and handed the biggest apple to Xiao Lou, saying softly, "Try it."
Xiao Lou took a bite. The wild fruit was sweet and sour, and very crunchy. The freshly picked fruit tasted excellent, and it must be very rich in vitamins. Xiao Lou smiled and said, "It's delicious. Everyone should eat more wild fruit; it helps with digestion."
Because he couldn't see, Xiao Lou ate his apple very slowly, reminding Yu Hanjiang of a small animal that obediently ate its fruit with its head down. Looking back at Ye Qi, it was the complete opposite. Ye Qi couldn't see, but he wolfed down his food like a starving mouse, quickly devouring an apple and then reaching for another to continue eating.
Yu Hanjiang thought to himself that Xiao Lou's eating style was much more pleasing to the eye. Ye Qi ate fish with his mouth full of oil, unlike Professor Xiao, who was so refined and didn't even get his mouth dirty when he couldn't see.
It was his hands… He had been eating a rabbit leg, and his fair, slender fingers were a little greasy. After he finished eating, Yu Hanjiang filled a bamboo tube with water and asked, "Would you like to wash your hands?"
It's uncomfortable to have greasy fingers, but Xiao Lou was surprised by Captain Yu's thoughtfulness and immediately stood up: "Let's wash them."
Yu Hanjiang said, "Come this way."
He led Xiao Lou to the doorway, had Xiao Lou squat down, tilted the bamboo tube at a 45-degree angle, and gently poured water onto Xiao Lou's hands.
Xiao Lou noticed the cool water touching her fingertips, so she rubbed her fingers together and washed her hands clean. The grease on her hands was washed away, leaving her feeling refreshed. Xiao Lou turned to Yu Hanjiang and smiled, saying, "Thank you."
Meeting his smile, Yu Hanjiang couldn't help but say softly, "Don't mention it. You're blind, it's only right that I take care of you."
Ye Qi also ran out to wash his hands, and Yu Hanjiang simply shoved the bamboo tube into his hand: "Wash your own hands."
Shao Qingge stood behind watching this scene, a meaningful smile playing on his lips.
***
After lunch, Yu Hanjiang and Shao Qingge quickly cleaned up the scene, leaving the uneaten food at the temple to eat later that evening. Xiao Lou and Ye Qi's eyes still hadn't recovered, so Yu Hanjiang suggested, "Why don't you take a nap? You'll feel better when you wake up."
Since they couldn't see anything anyway, the two of them went to sleep in the temple.
Yu Hanjiang went outside, intending to check on the other Challengers, but considering that Xiao Lou and Ye Qi were both blind, and that Shao Qingge might not be able to handle someone coming to cause trouble, he stayed behind.
Shao Qingge stretched and said, "I also want to go blind as soon as possible. After three hours, I can feel at ease. Otherwise, I'll be on edge all the time."
Yu Hanjiang speculated, "Random blindness seems to be based on the team? I'm on the same team as Professor Xiao. When he goes blind, I'm normal, and when Ye Qi goes blind, you're normal too. The escape room probably won't let two people go blind at the same time, otherwise it would be easy to be wiped out."
Shao Qingge thought for a moment and nodded in agreement: "That makes sense. It seems that we won't be able to see them until their blindness ends."
Xiao Lou and Ye Qi took a nap.
When Xiao Lou woke up, her vision was blurry. She rubbed her eyes hard, and her vision slowly returned.
Previously, all he could see was darkness, but now he could see this colorful world again. Xiao Lou had mixed feelings. He stood up, walked to the door, and said, "I can see now."
Yu Hanjiang immediately stood up and asked with concern, "Are there any lasting effects on your eyes?"
Xiao Lou shook his head: "I can see it very clearly, just like before."
When Ye Qi woke up, he also regained his sight. He was so excited that he almost ran laps around the dilapidated temple: "It feels so good to be able to see! I was so worried when I was blind for three hours! I couldn't find things, and I was afraid of falling while walking... Sigh, I suddenly feel sorry for the villagers in Liuxi Village. They've been blind since they were little. It's so tragic!"
Xiao Lou suddenly said, "I've been thinking about it carefully just now, and there must have been some information that was misleading us when we entered the secret room."
Ye Qi paused for a moment, then asked, " Professor Xiao, did you notice something amiss?"
Xiao Lou said seriously, "If it is indeed blindness caused by genetic inheritance, as far as I know, the most easily inherited disease is retinitis pigmentosa. However, this disease does not cause blindness at birth. Instead, it initially causes night blindness, where one cannot see things at night. As one gets older, the field of vision gradually narrows, eventually leading to blindness."
Upon hearing Xiao Lou's words, Yu Hanjiang quickly grasped the key point: "You mean, the blindness of the entire village isn't due to genetic inheritance? The 'due to genetic inheritance' sign when entering the secret room was actually misleading?"
Xiao Lou nodded: "Yes. From the perspective of medical genetics, there are dominant inheritance, with a probability of 50%; recessive inheritance, with a probability of 25%; and XY sex chromosome-linked inheritance, where the incidence rate differs significantly between males and females. A genetic disease like this, which is 100% inherited by both males and females and causes congenital blindness, does not exist. The statement when we entered the secret room was misleading information."
Ye Qi looked completely bewildered, while Shao Qingge rubbed his temples, his head aching. Only Yu Hanjiang quickly grasped Xiao Lou's meaning, saying, " The Villager's blindness was caused by something, more likely some kind of drug, right?"
Ye Qi scratched his head in confusion: "But if the blindness is acquired, wouldn't it be strange for these people who could see before to suddenly lose their sight? Has no one investigated the cause?"
Xiao Lou turned to look at him and said, "What if it's a pregnant woman or a baby?"
The three of them were suddenly taken aback.
Targeting pregnant women, causing the child to be born blind, sounds like a congenital genetic condition, but it's actually a deformity caused by drugs; targeting infants, even if the baby could see initially, if they are blinded by drugs, children under three years old don't understand anything and won't remember that they could see at first. Since they become blind as adults, they naturally won't investigate or pursue the matter…
Yu Hanjiang's face instantly turned terrifyingly grim: "To harm pregnant women and infants, that's too cruel!"
Ye Qi's face paled slightly: "This...this murderer seems to have been lurking in the village for a long time, which is why the villagers, generation after generation, have all been blinded by the drugs?"
Shao Qingge asked curiously, "Is there any medicine that can cause blindness in an infant?"
Xiao Lou nodded: "Many. Any medication that affects the optic nerve, retina, or causes corneal opacity can lead to blindness if taken long-term."
The four of them fell silent at the same time.
As the girl said last night, to simply complete Spade 4, you only need to avoid the Villagers and find a gem; but to complete it perfectly, you must unravel the secret of the Villagers ' blindness.
Yu Hanjiang glanced at the sky and said in a low voice, "In the evening, the four of us will act together. Professor Xiao and I will go to Grandma Qin's house to investigate. Ye Qi and CEO Shao will take the teleportation cards and try to place eavesdropping devices in the homes of the three important people I marked. Professor Xiao will activate Peach Blossom Spring in advance so that we can be forcibly teleported if any of us encounter danger."
Ye Qi asked worriedly, "If we split up, how will we keep in touch?"
Xiao Lou played the Qin Guan card: "It allows Qin Guan to establish a ' Telepathic Connection ' channel to maintain constant contact."
Ye Qi's eyes widened: "This is possible?!"
Xiao Lou smiled helplessly: "I don't know what's wrong with my luck, I keep drawing character cards. The skill descriptions are strange, but they're actually quite useful. Qin Guan's Telepathic Connection can even establish connections across secret rooms."
After discussing their plan, the four of them went outside to investigate.
The Challengers didn't dare enter the village during the day, mostly hiding in the mountains looking for food and not interfering with each other. After all, it was only the first day, and there was no need to be too aggressive. As for the two gems, apart from the one in the temple which was probably taken by the girl last night, no one knew who had the other one or where it was found.
In the afternoon, Shao Qingge also gained the blindness buff, and the four of them returned to the ruined temple.
By the time Shao Qingge regained his vision, it was dusk.
Of the four, only Yu Hanjiang was not affected by blindness. Worried about unexpected accidents during his actions, Yu Hanjiang instructed Xiao Lou, "If I go blind halfway, just send me back to Peach Blossom Spring, so that I don't get into trouble with you if something goes wrong."
Xiao Lou nodded seriously: "Don't worry, we'll go in wearing invisibility cloaks, we won't be discovered."
As dusk fell, the villagers began to get busy. Many men carried loads up the mountain to fetch water. It seemed to be a habit of the Villagers to fetch water in the evening. The Challengers, worried about being discovered, all climbed to the top of the mountain. Yu Hanjiang and his three companions also made sure to dissipate the smell of grilled fish from the temple beforehand and tightly closed the door of the dilapidated temple.
18:30 in the evening.
Ye Qi and Shao Qingge, who were on patrol around the village with their teleportation cards, relayed a message to Xiao Lou via the Telepathic Connection: "Grandma Qin has taken her dog out."
Xiao Lou looked at Yu Hanjiang, who nodded decisively: "Let's do it."
The two put on their Invisibility Cloaks at the same time, quickly descended the mountain, and silently entered Old Mrs. Qin's house.
Just then, they noticed a strange current flowing around them. Yu Hanjiang lowered his voice warily, "Who's there?"
A young man's cold voice came from beside him: "We also have an Invisibility Cloak. Whether we can find the gem depends on our own abilities, but let's agree in advance not to make a move here. You should know the consequences of alerting the Villager."
Looks like this is a Challenger with brains.
If the Villager is alerted, the consequence could very well be the complete annihilation of all the Challengers in the village.
Yu Hanjiang nodded: "Alright, let's each find what we need by our own abilities, but don't make too much of a commotion."
The other person replied, "You too."
All four were wearing invisibility cloaks, so they could only see each other as a blur. But Xiao Lou and Yu Hanjiang walked side by side, and even though they couldn't see each other, they could feel the familiar presence of each other beside them.
Just as Xiao Lou was about to act, Yu Hanjiang suddenly whispered in his ear, "Go to the kitchen, something's not right there."