Who is Ninth Brother?
Upon hearing Yu Hanjiang's words, apart from Xiao Lou and Shao Qingge, who already knew the truth, everyone else was filled with doubt.
Yu Hanjiang explained to everyone: " Lu Jiuchuan is my cousin. In reality, he was Major Lu, the captain of the Navy's Arrow Commando Team. He sacrificed his life in a mission. I visited his tombstone with my family to pay my respects. I never expected to meet him in Card World."
This explanation left everyone speechless.
How could someone already buried in a tombstone appear in Card World?
Ye Qi looked completely bewildered and said, " Captain Yu, since your cousin has already been buried in a tombstone, why did the Guardian say we can go back? What will happen to him after he goes back? Will he come back to life?"
Teammates: "..."
Xiao Ye's words left everyone speechless, both amused and exasperated.
Xiao Lou said gently, " Captain Yu had the same question when he first met his brother. After our analysis, I speculated that if we successfully complete all the challenges and return to reality, Guardian might adjust the timeline so that we can return to the past with our memories intact, thus avoiding accidents and continuing to live."
Upon hearing this, Qu Wanyue's face lit up with excitement: " Professor Xiao means that if we all travel back in time and know the exact year and day we'll be in a car accident, we can avoid it in advance? For example, Long Sen and I are getting married on February 14th, Valentine's Day. If we go back in time, we can change the wedding date and avoid the car accident?"
Xiao Lou nodded: "That's the theory, otherwise Ninth Brother would have been cremated and couldn't be resurrected."
Ye Qi scratched his head in confusion and said, "If that's the case, we can survive in reality. But the problem is, if someone goes back to the past with their memories, wouldn't that change other people's lives? For example, if I go back and someone I know fails to complete the game and return, and I know on which day he will have an accident, can I save him in advance? Then he can survive even if he doesn't complete the game, right?"
Xiao Lou said, "I can't figure this out either. Maybe only the Guardian can explain it."
Yu Hanjiang said, " Guardian can manipulate time at will, making the flow of time different in each Secret Room World. That's why Xiao Lou made this speculation. The final interpretation of how we get back belongs to Guardian. What we can do now is to first achieve the condition of 'clearing all the secret rooms' to return."
The teammates nodded in agreement.
The only way to find out how to get back is to clear the level; this is currently the only solution.
Liu Qiao calmly said, " Captain Yu said he would take us to find Ninth Brother. Does that mean your cousin is also willing to join us?"
"Yes," Yu Hanjiang summarized simply. "He once assembled a very excellent team, but unfortunately, they were wiped out in Plum Blossom J. Everyone was eliminated and sent to the Nightmare Secret Room, and only 4 people survived in the end."
"These four individuals are all very capable and willing to cooperate with us," Xiao Lou continued. "If they join the team, our team's strength will be greatly enhanced."
"That's great!" Ye Qi exclaimed excitedly without much thought. " Professor Xiao's chosen partner must be someone special. With such a powerful assistant joining us, the Spade stages should be much easier, right? We still don't have enough combat cards."
"Besides Ninth Brother, can the other three be trusted?" Liu Qiao asked calmly.
"
We initially had our doubts, but after some investigation, I think it's plausible. After all, all three of them were teammates who had gone through thick and thin with Ninth Brother, one of whom even lost both legs in the Nightmare Secret Room.
Thinking of Tang Ci sitting in a wheelchair, Xiao Lou's eyes also showed a trace of admiration: "After losing both legs, he still survived the Nightmare Secret Room. Such willpower is not something that ordinary people can compare to."
"…That's really impressive. To be able to emerge from the Nightmare Secret Room despite being disabled, I wouldn't even dare to imagine doing that." Long Sen and Qu Wanyue exchanged a glance and decided to follow the organization. He smiled and said, "We'll follow Professor Xiao and Captain Yu's arrangements."
"Okay, I'll go talk to Ninth Brother and find a way to meet everyone as soon as possible." After saying that, Yu Hanjiang took out the [ Absolute Domain ] card. As long as the Absolute Domain is activated, he can enter the world created by Lu Jiuchuan and meet his brother.
At this moment, it was exactly past midnight. Absolute Domain refreshes its skills precisely at midnight every night.
Yu Hanjiang stepped into the domain space. Around him was a calm sea, with countless stars reflected on it like shattered diamonds thrown into the ocean. The sea and sky merged into one, a vast and magnificent sight that reminded him of the first time he met Lu Jiuchuan in the Weekly Secret Chamber —it was also a sea like this, where he could stand steadily on the surface as if he were on land.
Yu Hanjiang scanned his surroundings but didn't see Lu Jiuchuan. He called out softly, "Ninth Brother?"
There was no sound around him; even his voice dissipated without echoing, as if it had been completely swallowed by the darkness.
Yu Hanjiang's heart tightened slightly, and he continued to call out, "Brother? Are you there?"
A gentle breeze blew across the sea, causing the once calm surface to shimmer. The surroundings were utterly silent, and the enclosed space was almost suffocating. Yu Hanjiang immediately deactivated his card skill and left Absolute Domain.
Yu Hanjiang's teammates watched as he suddenly disappeared and then reappeared, their expressions turning grim.
Xiao Lou immediately noticed something was wrong and went over to ask with concern, "What's wrong?"
Yu Hanjiang frowned and said, "Ninth Brother isn't here."
Xiao Lou was startled— Lu Jiuchuan's " Absolute Domain " card was special. As long as Lu Jiuchuan gave the card to the other party, the other party could enter the independent space he created at any time, and he would immediately know who had entered his territory, and then come here to meet them. But now, knowing that Yu Hanjiang was here, why didn't he show himself to meet him?
Yu Hanjiang said in a low voice, "Unless he is in danger and can't get away."
Xiao Lou couldn't help but feel nervous: "What should we do then?"
Yu Hanjiang said, "Go find Director Tang."
Even though it was late at night, Yu Hanjiang couldn't sit still for a moment because his brother was in danger. Xiao Lou naturally had to go with him. Shao Qingge also wanted to go, but Xiao Lou turned around and said, " CEO Shao, you and everyone else rest first. Captain Yu and I are going out for a bit. We're in the main city world now, so keep your phones on at all times. Call us if anything happens."
Shao Qingge nodded: "Okay."
In the main city world, his bug king card is useless, and following him would only cause trouble. Moreover, if Brother Jiu gets into trouble, only Tang Ci would know the situation, since Tang Ci is the director of the Intelligence Bureau and has a wider range of information sources.
Thinking of this, Shao Qingge handed the car keys to Yu Hanjiang and said, "Be careful, you two."
Yu Hanjiang took the keys, drove the team's shared car, and headed towards Tang Ci's underground base with Xiao Lou.
Moon City is quiet and peaceful at night. There are few pedestrians on the streets. The whole city is nestled among the mountains and forests, and it seems to be filled with the fragrance of flowers and plants.
The vines along the roadside slid quickly past the car window. Yu Hanjiang's face was extremely serious. Seeing him like this, Xiao Lou gently squeezed his hand that was tightly gripping the steering wheel and said softly, "Don't worry too much. Ninth Brother is disguised so well that Hunter shouldn't be able to see through him. Besides, Director Tang, Mr. Old Gui, and Sister Huaying will also help him. Maybe he's just temporarily unable to meet with you."
The slightly cool touch on the back of his hand calmed Yu Hanjiang down a bit. He nodded and said, "Send a message to Director Tang and ask him."
Tang Ci works in intelligence and specializes in computer and software engineering. His counter-surveillance skills are even more sophisticated than those of the high-level criminals Yu Hanjiang has encountered. Every time Tang Ci sends them messages, he uses a virtual number, making it impossible to trace.
However, Tang Ci had previously given Xiao Lou a number, instructing them to call that number in case of emergency.
Xiao Lou sent a message: "Mr. Tang, what's the situation with Ninth Brother? We went to Absolute Domain but didn't see him."
The message received a quick reply: "He's tracked down some important leads about Hunter and went to Sun City. He's currently tied up. Why are you in such a hurry to find him?"
Xiao Lou replied, "We just came from the tenth stage. We originally planned to bring our teammates here to meet Ninth Brother."
Tang Ci thought for a moment and said, "Take them with you and come to Sun City to meet me as soon as possible. Mr. Old Gui, Chu Huaying, and I are all in Sun City right now. Ninth Brother only told me that the Hunters here will be making a big move within three days, but the specifics are still being investigated."
Xiao Lou and Yu Hanjiang exchanged a glance.
Yu Hanjiang immediately swerved the steering wheel, turned around, and headed back to the villa. He woke up his teammates and said, "Pack your things now, let's go to Sun City!"
His teammates looked bewildered. Shao Qingge asked in confusion, "Is it too late to buy tickets now?" He checked his phone and said, "Tickets for the next train are all sold out."
Xiao Lou said, "When we passed the fourth level, I remember everyone received a [universal transportation card], which didn't restrict the mode of transportation."
"I can take either airplanes or high-speed trains, so I'll use this one."
When everyone opened their card holders, they found that they did indeed have this card, which could be used as a substitute for a ticket in an emergency.
Old Mo asked, "Shall we set off now?"
Yu Hanjiang nodded: "The situation is urgent, let's set off immediately."