Card Room (Rebirth)
chapter-147

Xiao Lou and Yu Hanjiang were going to ask Tang Ci about the attack strategy for the subsequent secret rooms when a mechanical sound was heard in their ears. “Alert! Alert! Someone has broken into the underground base!”

A big screen appeared in front of Tang Ci and there was a familiar face on the screen.

There was a free-spirited smile on the man’s handsome face and his eyes were on the surveillance camera as he made a ‘let me in’ gesture. Tang Ci frowned slightly as he pressed a green button with his finger and a metal door opened immediately.

A moment later, a tall young man in casual clothing walked in.

Yu Hanjiang wondered, “Brother Jiu?”

The visitor was Lu Jiuchuan. Neither Yu Hanjiang nor Xiao Lou had expected him to appear here.

Tang Ci asked, “What are you doing here?”

Lu Jiuchuan and walked over to stand in front of the wheelchair. He leaned over and looked at Tang Ci, joking, “I came to see you.”

Tang Ci ignored his joke and calmly wondered, “You are undercover in the Hunter’s League yet dared to risk running around. Aren’t you afraid of being followed?”

“The mission failed and the league gave me a week off. No one will care about me for the time being. You can rest assured that I changed my path several times coming here. No one doubts my identity and no one has followed me.”

Tang Ci looked up at him. “What have you done? The league gave you a holiday?”

Lu Jiuchuan casually opened his shirt, revealing that on his left side chest, there was a deep scar. This scar looked like a spider.

Tang Ci’s pupils shrank. “You let Sister Ying stab you?”

Lu Jiuchuan smiled as he buttoned up his clothes. “Yes, otherwise how can I live? The Spider Goddess is the number one reward target in the Hunter’s League. I can’t say she let me go, right? I encountered her and was almost killed by her. I pretended to be dead to save myself and returned to the organization to report information on the Spider Goddess. Thus, the organization trusts me and gives me credit.”

Yu Hanjiang saw the other person’s calm expression and his heart slightly ached.

Xiao Lou couldn’t help feeling distressed. An undercover job wasn’t something that ordinary people could do. How many things had Brother Jiu suffered in the past two years? It could hardly be imagined. Now such a dep wound pierced the chest. How painful would the stab be? Yet Lu Jiuchuan didn’t even frown. Obviously, injuries had become a habit for him.

Xiao Lou was worried. “Brother Jiu, your wound needs to be treated as soon as possible or it will be infected. In addition, it is too close to your heart. If the person didn’t have good control of their hands then your heart would’ve been pierced.”

Lu Jiuchuan laughed. “Huaying has killed countless people and there is still some judgment left. Besides, my heart is born a few centimeters away from others, don’t worry.” He looked at Tang Ci and continued, “Come, give Brother a treat.”

Tang Ci had a grave expression. “Don’t take such a risk next time and be careful not to lose your life.”

He turned in the wheelchair and pressed a few buttons on the console. They saw a cute robot pushing a medical cart to Lu Jiuchuan’s side. It touched Lu Jiuchuan’s wound with a mechanical arm and the wound recovered at a speed visible to the naked eye. The scars gradually flattened, leaving only a shallow mark in the shape of a spider. The wound had recovered in just a few seconds with no stitching or bandaging.

Xiao Lou saw this magical scene and couldn’t help asking, “This is… a card?”

Lu Jiuchuan replied, “Yes, it is one of Director Tang’s robot cards.”

Yu Hanjiang was interested. “Mr Tang, did you build this smart factory underground because you are studying robots?”

Before Tang Ci could speak, Lu Jiuchuan actively explained, “He was a senior engineer specializing in the development of smart robots in the real world. The first S-grade card drawn after coming to the Card World is this healing robot. He broke the robot into pieces from head to toe, studied the program and then wrote the code himself, making other machines.”

At this point, Lu Jiuchuan glanced at Tang Ci and smiled. “Come, give them a look at the little thing you can do.”

Tang Ci pressed a button on the wheelchair and they saw a huge mechanical ant suddenly appear. The ant carried a heavy box according to instructions. The ant was five metres long and each leg moved in an extremely flexible manner, moving materials as fast as lightning!

Xiao Lou, “…”

This was called a ‘little’ thing? It was tens of thousands of times bigger than real ants! It was the first time he had seen an ant comparable to a bus…

In addition, a large number of drones flew through the air, all with offensive weapons and capable of a direct drone strike.

After the drones were a large number of centipedes. Each leg of these centipedes was a sharp blade capable of cutting iron like it was mud! If these centipedes were thrown into battle then the lethality was definitely comparable to Yu Hanjiang’s S-grade gun!

Xiao Lou couldn’t help sighing. Mr Tang was simply a mechanical summoner!

Yu Hanjiang was also surprised. “Can these machines be brought into the world of the secret rooms?”

Tang Ci nodded, pressed a button on his wheelchair and all the machinery in the open space disappeared into thin air. He quietly said, “I drew the S-grade card called Data Master that allows me to convert data into cards. However, there are restrictions. I can only convert four cards. I have made the Mechanical Ants, UAV, Mechanical Centipede and Smart Wheelchair. The ants can be used as a vehicle to escape or help carry supplies, the UAV is for aerial attacks, the centipedes are for ground attacks and the wheelchair is naturally a tool for me.”

Yu Hanjiang glanced at his brother in a puzzled manner. “Mr Tang has such strong cards. How could you lost to 150 hunters in J of Clubs?”

Lu Jiuchuan looked dark as he explained in a low voice, “This is after we failed the instance. Tang Ci only then cracked the code of the robots and it took him six months to develop it in the underground factory. If these weapons had already existed, he wouldn’t have…”

Tang Ci softly interrupted the other side, “There is no need to mention the past. At least with these things, next time we won’t be so passive.”

Lu Jiuchuan’s face also showed a smile as he looked at Yu Hanjiang. “Yes, we let you see our strength so you will have more confidence in the secret rooms in the future. You should’ve seen the brush of Old Gui, right?”

Yu Hanjiang nodded. “Yes, he can use it to control the movement of objects floating in the air. It is very strong.”

Lu Jiuchuan told them, “That is just one of his brushes. He has several brushes with different functions. Tang Ci’s cards are all related to machinery. As for Huaying, she doesn’t want to show up for the time being but she is the strongest assassin in our team. I’m sure you’ve heard about the legend of the Spider Goddess. Since the four of us can survive J of Clubs, naturally none of us are weak.”

Xiao Lou understood what Lu Jiuchuan meant. “Brother Jiu, rest assured that we will improve our strength as soon as possible.”

Lu Jiuchuan looked at him with appreciation. “It isn’t that I doubt you. It is just that at your current level, it would be really impossible to clear the S-grade rooms. Next, you should finish the B-grade rooms as soon as possible and draw some more cards. As for the B-grade rooms attack strategy…” He glanced at Tang Ci and Tang Ci took out a USB disk from a box beside the wheelchair. “It is already ready.”

Lu Jiuchuan took the USB disk and handed it to Yu Hanjiang. “This is why I had you come to find him. Tang Ci’s collection of attack strategies is absolutely the most comprehensive. In the B-grade rooms, you can directly follow his tactics and you can easily reach the perfect ending.”

Xiao Lou had previously heard Old Mo say that the Intelligence Bureau would sell an attack strategy for one million gold coins. Now Tang Ci gave them the complete strategy for free. It was obviously for Lu Jiuchuan and because he wanted to help them through the B-grade secret rooms as soon as possible.

Yu Hanjiang tanked him and put the USB disk into his pocket.

Tang Ci reminded them, “The USB dis I have you is only from the fifth to the seventh levels for a total of 12 B-grade attack strategies. You need to challenge the A-grade secret rooms by yourself. If I give you a strategy then it will just hurt you.”

Yu Hanjiang raised an eyebrow. “Is it because the plot of the secret rooms will change?”

“Yes.” Tang Ci replied. “There are many versions of the A-grade secret rooms, such as the murderer in the Hearts room. Seeing the strategy might affect your judgment and you will die after entering the later secret rooms. Since the two of you can set a world record, I think the A-grade secret rooms shouldn’t be too difficult for you.”

Lu Jiuchuan added, “As for Spades, the strongest teams of Luoying Pavilion, the Distant Guild and the Intelligence Bureau have all experienced different environments and survival goals in the A-grade rooms. We can’t provide detailed strategies. The maze in Diamonds will change every time and you will only go to a dead end if you follow the strategy. There are many confrontational games in Clubs and you will have to solve them yourself.”

Yu Hanjiang nodded carefully. “I understand. We will find our own way in the A-grade secret rooms.”

Tang Ci glanced at Lu Jiuchuan and then Yu Hanjiang. “I hope you can reach the 11th level in a month and then the four of us can meet. We can’t clear secret rooms and every week we will be pulled into the World Weekly. It is becoming more and more dangerous.”

Lu Jiuchuan laughed. “Do you mean me?”

Tang Ci was silent for a moment before frowning. “You can’t always pull Sister Ying in to let her stab you.”

Lu Jiuchuan didn’t care. “What are you afraid of? Your healing robot is very good at dealing with injuries.”

Tang Ci didn’t speak and just stared at the other person calmly, as if staring a hole into his face.

Lu Jiuchuan helplessly raised his hands in surrender. “Okay, I know.” He put away his smile and his eyes suddenly became serious. “Relax, I won’t let myself have an accident. I will wait for my brother to meet me at the 11th level. I promised that I would take you out of this world and I will never break my promises.”

He glanced at Yu Hanjiang. “Do you know how to do it? Don’t disgrace me.”

Yu Hanjiang nodded. “Yes.”

Lu Jiuchuan walked over and patted his brother on the shoulder. “You can rest for two days and thoroughly study the strategies given to you by Tang Ci. Then go to the B-grade secret rooms on Friday. I want you to use your strength and the strategy to directly crush the B-grade rooms. Once you reach the A-grade rooms, try to be careful. If you can’t get through the difficulties then find me. The Absolute Field card can be linked across rooms. Of course, I hope you won’t have to find foreign aid in the A-grade secret rooms.”

Yu Hanjiang answered, “Rest assured Brother, we have thought about how to pass them.”

Xiao Lou also promised. “Brother Jiu, don’t worry. After this week, we aren’t afraid of the Spades secret room. As for the Hearts, Diamonds and Clubs rooms, we have good teammates and it shouldn’t stump us.”

Lu Jiuchuan smiled. “Then we will meet again.”

After leaving the underground factory, Xiao Lou’s mood was quite complex. Compared to Lu Jiuchuan, Tang Ci, Old Gui and Chu Huaying who had cleared the A-grade rooms, their team was really too weak.

Tang Ci’s mechanical ants, mechanical centipedes and drones were all useful.

Old Gui’s brushes could float things into the air to play with them!

Apart from the limited weapon Blood Spider, Chu Huaying’s other cards weren’t yet known. Lu Jiuchuan’s hand was also unclear but as the captain, Brother Jiu was definitely the strongest one in the team.

These four people were so amazing, how could Xiao Lou’s team drag Brother Jiu’s legs?

Xiao Lou and Yu Hanjiang glanced at each other and became resolute.

Xiao Lou believed that clearing the fifth, sixth and seventh levels wouldn’t be difficult. They should clear the B-grade secret rooms as soon as possible. It should also be a perfect clearance so they could draw some good cards. The A-grade secret rooms were the problem they would have to face.

Thanks to jyzen for these doodles of the team.