Card Room (Rebirth)
chapter-130

The next morning, Xiao Lou’s biological clock woke him up at 7:30. He opened the floor to ceiling window and see the endless sea in the distance. The blue water was clear and the sky above was cloudless. The fine sunny weather meant the tourists were in a good mood. From time to time, there was laughter from tourists outside the cabin. Yesterday’s incident seemed to have been forgotten.

Yu Hanjiang put milk and biscuits on the table. “Professor Xiao, come eat breakfast.”

Xiao Lou finished washing up, sat down on the bed and opened a packet of milk. He drank it and asked, “The water pollution problem should’ve been solved?”

Yu Hanjiang nodded. “Yes, just in case, let’s not eat the food on board for a while. The vacuum-packed cookies are safer.”

The two simply had breakfast and went to the entertainment centre on the seventh floor together.

After a night of rest, the tourist’s diarrhea symptoms were completely controlled. After breakfast, their faces were rejuvenated and they smiled.

At 8 o’clock in the morning, there was a long line for several classic entertainment activities. In particular, the thrilling sea parachute previously charged 80,000 gold coins and now it was free. They naturally wouldn’t miss this golden opportunity.

The staff arranged the experience in sequence. Next to it, the airwalk, sea glide, banana boats and other activities had a large number of tourists gathered. The entertainment centre on the seventh floor was filled with laughter.

On the highest deck, many people held their phones and posed for photos against the railing. Others were recording videos with professional camera equipment. There was no doubt that these people were locals since challengers couldn’t bring the equipment into the secret room.

Xiao Lou roughly counted. There were around 100 locals on board. They didn’t know what was going to happen in the future so they were having a good time on the cruise ship. In contrast, the challengers didn’t have the leisure to experience the sea entertainment. Most of them were in the cabins while others were on the deck to watch the situation.

The ship had 450 challengers, a mixed bag. Since the cruise ship was now in a safe period and there were no emergencies, there was a tacit understanding between challengers to avoid unnecessary fighting. Everyone was waiting patiently.

The morning passed quickly. The sea was calm with no waves and the sky was blue. The weather was so good that a casual photo taken could be a computer desktop.

Shao Qingge came to find Xiao Lou on the deck. “I have observed that no one has diarrhea on the entire ship. The problem of food poisoning should’ve been solved. Shall we go have hotpot at noon? It’s free anyway.”

Ye Qi heard the word ‘hotpot’ and couldn’t help gulping. He stared at Xiao Lou. “Can we go?”

Xiao Lou smiled. “It’s best not to. There is a saying that ‘pain is forgotten after the scarring.’ Don’t forget how we got hit yesterday. The Keeper of Spades never plays according to common sense. In case of another food poisoning and subsequent accidents, what if we need to run for our lives while finding the toilet at the same time?”

Ye Qi awkwardly scratched his head. Eight people running for their lives but couldn’t find the bathroom. Finally, they could only do it in their pants. This picture was too beautiful to imagine. Let’s listen to Professor Xiao and cautiously eat biscuits!

Shao Qingge spoke helplessly. “Yes, we can’t relax our vigilance. We’ll have a good meal when we return to the main city. Does Little Ye like hotpot? Then we’ll find a regular hotpot restaurant and have a good time.”

Ye Qi nodded excitedly. “Yes, going to the main city to eat is more reassuring!”

Mo Xuemin, Long Sen, Qu Wanyue and Liu Qiao also came to the deck. Old Mo looked at the distant calm sea and frowned. “How is it that nothing happened? This frequency isn’t quite right… in accordance with the progress of most secret rooms, seven day long survival rooms usually leave one day for everyone to become familiar with the environment. The next day, there is a series of accidents. How is it that things are too calm today?”

Xiao Lou glanced at Yu Hanjiang. “It’s like a parabola. The first day is the period of adaptation, the second to sixth days are the peak period of intensive accidents and the last day was calm.”

Yu Hanjiang nodded. “Today is the second day. The cruise ship must encounter an accident. Let’s wait patiently. If nothing happens in the morning then something will happen in the afternoon.”

A couple had just returned from watching Titanic in the movie theatre. They went to the stern and took the classic posture. The girl opened her arms to welcome the sea breeze while the boy held her from behind. Their friends took their photo…

Several tourists came out after watching the movie and their faces were full of colour as they sighed. “The 4D theatre is really amazing!”

“The scene is so lifelike that I thought there was thunder and lightning outside. As a result, the weather outside isn’t so good!”

”Let’s have lunch first and see it again in the afternoon!”

”I remember that there is another one at 3 in the afternoon. We should line up ahead of time and get good seats.”

Xiao Lou listened to the surrounding comments and raised his eyes to the endless sea. All the dangers were hidden under the calm sea but he didn’t know when they would come. The group went back to their room on the third floor for lunch.

Milk, mineral water, chocolate, compressed biscuits, juice…

Old Mo said, “As long as there are no accidents, this is enough for us to eat for seven days. I buy food with more calories, even if they aren’t delicious.”

Xiao Lou smiled. “It is okay to eat like this in the secret room. After returning, Chief Shao will invite everyone to eat hot pot.”

People said that living was the most important and they didn’t care about eating.

Yu Hanjiang stated, “Split it into three backpacks. If we encounter a dangerous situation where we need to escape, Long Sen, Little Qu and Little Ye will each carry one bag. You all have convenient movement cards and carrying a bag won’t affect your speed.”

The trio nodded, each one carrying a bag on their back.

After lunch and confirming the escape plan again, it happened to be three in the afternoon. According to the arrangement, the classic play Thunderstorm will start at 3 p.m.

Xiao Lou was alert. “The play is about to start. Everyone, be ready.”

Yu Hanjiang ordered, “Little Liu, Little Qu, Long Sen and Old Mo will go to the stern. The four of us will wait here. After receiving news through the heart channel, we will meet at the stern on the first floor.”

Eight people getting together to act wasn’t very convenient. Yu Hanjiang divided them into two teams to be on standby. Xiao Lou pushed open the window and looked into the distance. The sea was very calm but there was no sign of a typhoon.

At this time, the theatre on the seventh floor.

The host called out, “Welcome to the 4D Grand Theatre. Please enjoy the classic drama, Thunderstorm!”

There was applause and the curtain slowly opened. The leading actors came to the big stage in turn and started the wonderful performance.

Inside the theatre, the 4D lighting and sound effects created an extremely realistic environment. The plot was moving forward…

The actor Zhou Ping was the eldest son of the Zhao mansion. He had money and was from a wealthy mining family. He had an abnormal relationship with his stepmother but he felt in love with the gentle and kind maid, Si Feng. Due to the bad situation of Si Feng’s family, his father didn’t agree with them. On a stormy night, the actor decided to run away from home. Si Feng also ran away from home and the two people met in the living room.

Si Feng’s mother was called Lu Shiping and she was actually the biological mother of Zhou Ping. She had been abandoned by Zhou Puyuan and remarried, giving birth to a daughter. After finding out that her eldest son and youngest daughter actually loved each other and that her daughter was pregnant, Lu Shiping was so upset by the reality of the brother and sister love that she decided to hide the truth and let them go.

However, Zhao Puyuan, the culprit who abandoned Shiping, also came to the living room. He recognized Lu Shiping and excitedly asked his son to kneel down to recognize his mother. “She is your mother. 30 years ago, she didn’t die!”

Thunderbolts rang out in the theatre, followed by heavy rain around the stage.

On the stage, the man who played the hero Zhou Ping was full of horror. He couldn’t believe it as he stared at the woman, frantically shaking his head. “No, not her… Dad, tell me she isn’t my mother!”

Zhou Puyuan was angry. “Don’t talk nonsense! She might be from a bad family but she is truly your biological mother!”

The pained Zhou Ping cried out, “Dad!” The next moment, Si Feng realized the man she loved was her own brother. She shook her head crazily and ran out the door screaming. This was the most exciting climax of the drama. The family contradictions, the secrets of their lives, all completely broke out on the night of the thunderstorm.

There was the deafening sound of thunder and the heroine Si Feng rushed out of the room in shame and anger. Then she died from electrocution. The hero Zhou Ping opened a drawer and grabbed a gun. A gunshot rang out through the theatre. He had shot himself and fell straight down to the ground. On the big stage, there was a heartbreaking cry.

The heavy rain and lightning completely drove up the mood of the audience. The warm applause could almost topple the roof.

One man spoke excitedly. “This is the most wonderful play I’ve ever seen. It is worthy of being a 4D drama. I will give the environment a full score. The sound of thunder is very realistic. It is too strong!”

Someone was immersed in the drama and scolded angrily, “Si Feng is so pitiful. She is the most innocent. The culprit is that bastard surnamed Zhou. If he hadn’t abandoned Shiping then it wouldn’t have resulted in such a tragedy.

A girl suddenly spoke. “Why do I feel like the theatre is shaking?”

The companion next to her said, “The theatre is shaking? It feels like an earthquake?”

Just then, the curtain of the theatre fell and the play ended.

The audience was ready to leave the scene when a loud banging sound entered their ears.

There was the continuous sound of thunder and the seats on the theatre started to shake from the left to right. The whole theatre suddenly tilted down at a strange angle and a girl screamed as she fell out. “Ah, an earthquake!”

Someone shouted in a rough voice.”What earthquake?! We’re on a ship!”

Someone screamed. “The boat is going to capsize. Run away—”

Several hundred people were gathered in the theatre. The crowd rushed out and some people fell. Before they could get up, they were trampled on by the people behind them. The screams of pain made the group panic even more.

The first person to rush out of the theatre directly came face to face with huge waves.

It had obviously been 3 o’clock when the drama started in the afternoon. Yet at this moment, the entire sky was covered with dark clouds. There were four hurricanes on the sea and the rumbling thunder was about to break their eardrums. The flashes of thunder almost split several cracks in the sky!

The Royal Caribbean cruise ship tilted 45 degrees and the visitors simply couldn’t stand still. There were strong winds and torrential winds. The tourists were screaming and running around. The deck on the seventh floor was a mess!

At this time, Yu Hanjiang’s group gathered at the stern the moment the heavy rain started. The originally calm sea was shaking like there was an underground earthquake. In the distance, a huge wave nearly 50 metres high was moving toward the Caribbean.

The big waves were getting closer and closer to the ship. Once the ship capsized… the consequences were unimaginable!

At the stern, there were already some challengers who couldn’t wait to jump onto the escape boat using various cards. One person untied the rope and drove the escape boat to escape. Others were afraid of being drenched in torrential rain. There were constant challengers coming to grab the escape boats!

Since the challengers weren’t at the grand theatre, their actions were obviously faster than those of the tourists on board. In an instant, several escape boats were launched.

Liu Qiao just wanted to act when Yu Hanjiang stopped her. “Wait.”

Yu Hanjiang’s brow furrowed as he watched the distant waves, his expression extremely serious. “Such a big wave is likely to directly overturn the escape boats. If we take the escape boat to leave right now then it is likely to be more dangerous!”

Surrounded by challengers scrambling for the escape boats. Yu Hanjiang saw the teams who hurriedly ran on the escape boats suddenly disappear from view. The speed of the escape boat wasn’t too fast yet it disappeared suddenly. It was likely that there was a sea vortex in the distance. The small escape boat encountering a big vortex was just like a mosquito encountering a spider web. It couldn’t escape at all. It was directly drawn to the bottom of the sea by the vortex.

As the waves drew closer, Xiao Lou clenched his fists. “Will the cruise ship be knocked over?”

At this point, the cruise ship was swinging violently. It would be hard to save the huge cruise ship once it capsized.

Yu Hanjiang thought about it and ordered calmly, “Grab an escape boat first. Once the boat capsizes, everyone has a way off. However, don’t go too far. There might be a whirlpool in the distance. Wait for me near the cruise ship first. I’ll go to the captain’s cabin.”

Ye Qi was nervous. “Group Leader Yu, do you want me to lend the teleportation card to you?”

Yu Hanjiang replied, “No, you take good care of Professor Xiao. I’ll put on the accelerator shoes for easy action.”

He looked at Xiao Lou with deep eyes and pressed a hand to Xiao Lou’s shoulder. “Wait until I come back.”

Xiao Lou nodded firmly. “You be careful.”

Xiao Lou watched Yu Hanjiang departing and was worried. Still, he knew that he would distract Group Leader Yu if he followed this time. Group Leader Yu going to the cabin was obviously to make the captain stabilize the ship to prevent it from capsizing.

They wouldn’t leave on the escape boat yet. They believed in the professional captain. Perhaps there was a chance at life! Once the captain was unable to hold the cruise ship and the hurricanes really blew the cruise ship over, Group Leader Yu could use the acceleration shoes to run back to the escape boat and meet everyone.

At the stern, a large number of tourists and challengers competed for the escape boat and the situation was a mess! The storm grew bigger and bigger and the entire sky was dark. The thunder in the sky and the screams from the cruise ship gathered together. The originally happy and peaceful cruise ship was like human purgatory at this moment.

In the constant screams, Liu Qiao opened the Light as a Swallow card and jumped directly on an escape boat. The husband and wife Long Sen and Qu Wanyue jumped up accurately. Ye Qi teleported Ye Qi, Shao Qingge and Old Mo to the position of the escape boat.

The seven people were sitting on the escape boat and Old Mo was in charge of the boat.

In the distance, there was a huge whirlpool. The escape boat rushed too fast and was caught in the whirlpool. There was a sharp scream from it. Once Old Mo saw this, his face turned white. He immediately turned the escape boat to avoid the centre of the vortex.

Xiao Lou clenched his fists. The storm hit him and his entire body was soaked. Nevertheless, he couldn’t care about himself. He could only hope that Group Leader Yu could return safely and hope that the cruise ship didn’t completely sink!