Card Room (Rebirth)

“Three years ago.”

Yu Hanjiang stared intently into his eyes. “Did you really join the hunter organization?”

Lu Jiuchuan smiled and reached out slender fingers to undo the button of his shirt. As a soldier, he had always been tall with a strong body.The perfect body texture of the inverted triangle was clear and as the honey chest was gradually revealed, a totem over the heart was revealed!

The strange tattoo was like the devil in the moonlight.

Yu Hanjiang’s pupils shrank. This pattern was the symbol of the Hunter’s League members.

Lu Jiuchuan smiled softly and lowered his voice. “Yes, in order to live, I became a hunter.”

Hearing this, Yu Hanjiang suddenly clenched his fists. He couldn’t believe it as he stared at his respected brother. “Are you crazy? Do you know what hunters do? They are all inhuman, cold-blooded thugs! How can you turn yourself into a killing machine in order to live?!”

Lu Jiuchuan slowly buttoned up his shirt and spoke lightly. “The rules of this world are different from those of the real world. I was a hero once in reality. Since God gave me a second life, I have the right to choose to live for myself.

Yu Hanjiang’s sharp eyes stared straight at him. “In order to live, you slaughtered others?”

Lu Jiuchuan laughed. “What do I have to do with the death of others?”

Yu Hanjiang, “…”

The person in front of him was both familiar and strange.

He came to the Card World three years ago. Maybe this abnormal world had gradually dissipated his humanity, destroying his will and his faith. Today’s Lu Jiuchuan was no longer the ‘Brother Jiu’ that Yu Hanjiang knew. He was no longer upright and the soldier of iron who saluted his superiors and decisively said ‘absolutely obey orders!’

Yu Hanjiang closed his eyes and whispered, “Do you really think so?”

Lu Jiuchuan nodded, “I led you over here to tell you that if you want to live in this world for a long time, you have to join the Hunter’s Alliance. All those who want to return to reality through the secret rooms have failed and died.”

Here, his voice revealed a trace of bitter coldness. “Clearing the secret room and returning to the real world is a dream that the keepers made up for you. It doesn’t work at all. Don’t you know that you’re dead already?”

Three years ago, Yu Hanjiang had watched his body being cremated. In reality, Lu Jiuchuan was indeed dead. Were his words true? Challengers still couldn’t go back despite clearing all the secret rooms on the card wall?

Yu Hanjiang’s belief at this moment suffered an unprecedented impact! The facts in front of him showed that Lu Jiuchuan was already a box of ashes in reality. He was buried under the tombstone of the cemetery. How could the keeper say to ‘go back’? Could Lu Jiuchuan turn the ashes into a person again after passing the SS-grade secret room?

He had always believed in the words of the keepers but what if the keepers were deceiving them? Perhaps all of them had completely died in reality and had been reborn in this world. They would need to struggle in this world forever…

Yu Hanjiang quickly calmed down. He stared at Lu Jiuchuan and said, “Even if your words are true and we can’t return to reality through the secret room, what is the point of living as a killer?”

Lu Jiuchuan was cold. “Everyone has the right to choose how to live.”

Yu Hanjiang’s fists clenched and he couldn’t wait to punch this familiar face! He didn’t believe that his brother, who he had respected from an early age, who experienced strict training in the army and showed an excellent performance, who became the leader of a commando team at an early age, would become a brutal killing machine just for ‘living.’

How terrible was this Card World that a person like Lu Jiuchuan could lose his humanity? He didn’t dare think about it. He would’ve rather not seen this man, would’ve rather thought of Lu Jiuchuan as a hero in his heart.

Yu Hanjiang’s emotional ups and downs were soon passed to Xiao Lou through the heart channel. In his mind, Xiao Lou’s gentle voice was heard. “Group Leader Yu, don’t be sad and calm down.”

The things Yu Hanjiang saw, thought and heard were passed onto Xiao Lou. Xiao Lou knew that Yu Hanjiang had met his brother, who had joined the hunter organization and became a murderer.

For Yu Hanjiang, a police officer who was full of hatred for evil, his closest brother had become the most disgusting murderer in the world. Such a blow couldn’t be borne by ordinary people. Xiao Lou would also be in a state of collapse if that happened to him.

Yu Hanjiang’s mind was constantly thinking of his memories.

As a child, Lu Jiuchuan taught him to play with electric airplanes, took him to climb trees and to catch fish in the water. They were caught by their families and beaten at the same time… As teenagers, they sweated on the pitch, learned shooting skills in the shooting hall, camped in the field in tents…

Once Lu Jiuchuan was admitted to the military academy, Yu Hanjiangwent to see him off in person. He saw his brother in uniform smiling at him and giving him a standard military salute. Then when Yu Hanjiang was admitted to the police school, Lu Jiuchuan took a vacation to invite him for dinner, eyes full of trust and encouragement.

These memories broke his heart. Yu Hanjiang’s nose was sour and he didn’t know what attitude he should use to face his brother.

Xiao Lou sensed his mood was very unstable and immediately spoke. “Group Leader Yu, do you trust your brother?”

Yu Hanjiang replied, “I certainly trusted him before…”

“You trusted him before. Then now?”

Yu Hanjiang was silent.

Xiao Lou’s voice was calm and gentle. “Three years can really change a person but I think that human nature won’t change so much. For example, perverted murderers won’t suddenly become philanthropists and an upright soldier with a good nature wouldn’t simply go on a killing spree to survive. You are influenced by subjective emotions and combined with your agitation, you are likely to make a wrong judgment. First, calm down and think about it. Are there any other possibilities?”

These words were like cold water pouring down, instantly sobering Yu Hanjiang up.

Soldiers received the most vigorous training. In the real world, Lu Jiuchuan would rather die than betray his faith, even at the end of his life. The rest of this world did differ from reality but could human nature change so much? There must be a reason for this.

Yu Hanjiang completely calmed down and his mind became clear and sober. He had been shocked by the sudden sight of Lu Jiuchuan and became confused. Fortunately, Xiao Lou woke him up in time. Yu Hanjiang looked at the man in front of him. “What difficulties have you experienced… Brother Jiu?”

This familiar name made Lu Jiuchuan slightly hesitate. He raised an eyebrow and wondered, “Just now, you looked like you were going to beat me to the ground. How did your attitude suddenly change? What difficulties could I go through?”

Yu Hanjiang spoke decisively, “I believe in you. We’ve known each other for more than 20 years. You aren’t greedy or frightened of death at all. If you joined the Hunter’s Alliance, there must be some difficulties or another purpose.”

The two men stood opposite each other and were silent for a long time. Lu Jiuchuan lowered his voice and asked, “You saw the hunter’s mark on my body yet you still dare to believe in me?”

Yu Hanjiang was calm. “A mark doesn’t mean anything. I can draw it on my chest right now. However, a person’s nature won’t change so thoroughly. As long as you are Lu Jiuchuan, I will believe in you.”

He suddenly stared into Lu Jiuchuan’s eyes. “You will never be so cowardly to degenerate into a devil.”

Lu Jiuchuan suddenly laughed. He had inherited the good-looking genes of the Lu family. He was very charming when he laughed and from a young age, many girls had secretly given him love letters. At this moment, he had a smile on his face but his eyes were full of complex emotions, like surging waves.

A moment later, Lu Jiuchuan put away his smile and looked at the brother in front of him. “You are too naive. In this world, no one can be easily trusted.”

“I know, but you are my brother.”

Lu Jiuchuan heard this sentence and his pupils shrank. His hands gently shook by his side.

Yu Hanjiang didn’t ignore his actions and whispered, “The world has changed but your soul hasn’t changed. If my judgment is wrong and you really became a killing machine then the next time we meet, I will personally take care of you. However, for now, I’d rather believe in you one more time.”

Lu Jiuchuan smiled. “Boy, with your skills, you can’t kill me even if you want to. You are currently too weak!”

The scene around them suddenly changed. Yu Hanjiang found that Lu Jiuchuan had inexplicably disappeared from in front of him. In this enclosed space of sky and sea, only he remained. The entire space was suddenly broken. Yu Hanjiang standing on the sea suddenly fell into the sea. His surroundings had returned to normal. He looked back and saw the light of the Night Pearls on the challengers’ escape boat.

Lu Jiuchuan was gone and Yu Hanjiang found that there was one more card in his hand.

[Special Effect Card: Absolute Field]

Rarity: S

Description: A special effect card that changes the environment. This is the only card and the source is unknown.

The card owner is bound and their identity isn’t visible.

Usage effect: You can create an absolute field of 500 square metres, dragging up to 10 designated targets into the space. The environment and events of the space are set by the card owner at will. You can walk on water, fly through the air or walk upside down. You can even shoot movies here.

In absolute terms, any impossibility will become possible.

Restrictions: Can only be opened once every 24 hours and exists for one hour after opening.

It is only when the card owner leaves or dies that the person in the absolute domain can leave.

The card owner can give the card to anyone, so that the other person can obtain access to the field. The field isn’t affected by environment and can be accessed across secret rooms and main cities.

Yu Hanjiang held this card and frowned. The effect of this card and Xiao Lou’s Peach Blossom Spring were similar. They both opened up an independent space. The difference was that the Absolute Field environment could be set by the owner as pleased and it was bound to the owner.

The words ‘unknown source’ in the card description made Yu Hanjiang feel very puzzled. This card was left to him by Lu Jiuchuan and it had just pulled him into a special space. Yu Hanjiang put away the card with a complicated expression and spoke to Xiao Lou. “My brother, he left with no explanation.”

Xiao Lou told him, “Group Leader Yu, come back first. I’ll have Long Sen and Teacher Qu pick you up.”

Sure enough, there was a sound from the surrounding water. Yu Hanjiang turned back and saw two heads popping up nearby. They were the Long Sen and Qu Wanyue couple who used the chameleon card to blend in with the sea water. They looked like two heads floating on the sea. Yu Hanjiang was used to this. After all, in Liuxi Village, Long Sen often turned to the colour of earth and crawled on the ground.

Long Sen asked nervously, “Group Leader Yu, are you okay? We’ve been looking for you for a long time and couldn’t find you.”

Yu Hanjiang glanced at them. “I’m fine.”

He followed them back to the escape boat where his teammates were waiting for him. They saw him come back safely and sighed with relief.

Shao Qingge asked, “What’s going on? Did you catch the hunter?”

Yu Hanjiang shook his head with a calm expression. “No, he ran away.”

Xiao Lou and he were connected and Xiao Lou was clear about everything that just happened, but Yu Hanjiang temporarily didn’t want to tell his other teammates that his brother had become a hunter. He didn’t want to arouse suspicion.

Yu Hanjiang glanced at Xiao Lou and spoke in his mind, “Thank you, if it wasn’t for your timely reminder then my mind would be a mess and I would really think he became a hunter.”

Xiao Lou smiled. “No, since your brother didn’t kill you, he obviously hasn’t lost his nature. I prefer to think that he mixed into the hunter organization for another purpose. Don’t make a hasty decision first and slowly find out.”

Yu Hanjiang really appreciated Xiao Lou’s calmly. If Xiao Lou hadn’t been a bystander at this time, he might’ve fought with Lu Jiuchuan. Yu Hanjiang looked gently at Xiao Lou. “My brother left me a strange card called Absolute Field, which can create an independent space. However, the card skill is now on cooldown and I can’t enter.”

Xiao Lou was connected to him spiritually and naturally saw the description of this card.

The Absolute Field could draw up to 10 people inside. This card was very strong. It could be used for a team escape, imitating the use of Peach Blossom Spring by collectively transferring them inside for refuge. If a specific target needed to be killed, the target could be dragged into this field to fight alone. It was a card for both attack and defense. What’s more, it could cross secret rooms and invite people to come inside and talk.

Every time the skill refreshed, the owner could set up the desired environment. It could be the sea, a snowfield, the desert or a city. It could be switched at any time and was more flexible than the Peach Blossom Spring.

Xiao Lou’s eyes lit up. “This card is equivalent to an independent space transfer station. No matter what secret room you are in, you can open this card and enter the world set by your brother. Does he want to send you messages using this method?”

Yu Hanjiang suddenly realized. “Yes, clues can be passed on in this field or else he wouldn’t have left this card to me.”

Xiao Lou warned. “Don’t tell other people first. Your brother joined the Hunter’s League and others might be worried if they know about it. In particular, Old Mo’s whole team was destroyed by hunters and he finds them repulsive.”

Yu Hanjiang nodded. “I understand. Only you know about this matter.”

The team found that Group Leader Yu was silent after returning to the escape boat and was making eye contact with Professor Xiao. Apparently, they took other people as air and were conversing mentally. The people had become accustomed to this and sat back in their seats.

Just then, an escape boat came over. It was the team that had been previously rescued by Yu Hanjiang and Xiao Lou. The man in the driver’s seat laughed. “Thank you. If you hadn’t caught those killers, perhaps my team would’ve been wiped out tonight.”

A girl handed over a card. “We also have nothing good. This card is for you, as thanks!”

Old Mo took a look and his expression became complicated. He handed the card to Xiao Lou.

[Tool Card: Temporary Toilet]

Rarity: A

Restrictions: Is limited to one card per team.

Description: How can a living person die from holding back urine? However, what to do if there is no toilet? We are all adults and it isn’t good to pee your pants. This card can be used to build a temporary toilet in any environment to solve the urgent problem. There is automatic flushing and it is convenient and fast.

Xiao Lou couldn’t smile. “This card…is necessary.”

Ye Qi came over to take a look and exclaimed, “Very practical”

The girl laughed. “It is limited to one a team and our two has two of these cards. We can’t use them so we’ll give you one.”

Xiao Lou spoke sincerely, “Thank you. This card is more useful than many S-rated cards.”

The man in the driver’s seat looked at Old Mo with a complicated expression. “Brother, I want to discuss something. Next time you dye people a different colour, can you not dye them green?”

Someone else said, “Brother, you don’t know but he wore a green hat because of his girlfriend. He has a psychological shadow!”

Old Mo smiled. “I’m sorry. Then next time, I’ll dye you red?”

Immediately after, someone came over in an escape boat and asked, “What about the three hunters?”

Yu Hanjiang spoke calmly, “All three committed suicide.”

The group sighed. “Death is good. At least we don’t have to worry about being slaughtered in this secret room.”

”Thank you! If you hadn’t found it in time, tonight we would’ve all suffered!”

Looking at the relaxed expressions on these people’s faces, Yu Hanjiang and Xiao Lou also sighed with relief.

In the east, the sun gradually rose and they could see the surrounding situation. Two escape boats were destroyed and blood stained the sea red. The bodies of the three hunters were missing and had probably drifted away.

So many things happened at night and they narrowly passed through it. The challenger teams ate breakfast and continued to face the sunrise as they slowly headed east.

Once again, thank you to Chuna for the lovely fanart of Xiao Lou!