Card Room (Rebirth)

Chapter 228: Doomsday Escape 34

Yu Hanjiang had a map of the entire city in his hands.

Their current location happened to be a dilapidated residential community, full of six storey buildings without elevators. The residents of the entire community had been infected and joined the bug army. The community was so quiet that no noise could be heard.

Previously, a group of powerful challengers had used it as a temporary base. After being discovered by the bugs, they detonated the natural gas pipeline in the community, killing the group of bugs before escaping.

The bugs had suffered heavy casualties. There were still a large number of corpses of the infected on the ground of the community. The surviving bugs merged and evolved, chasing after the challengers. Therefore, there wasn’t a single figure in the small area.

Yu Hanjiang spread open the map and pointed at everyone’s location. “This Sunshine Community is one kilometer away from the main urban traffic road. If the bugs gather at the bridge then they will definitely take this main road. I will find a way to attract the bugs to this community where the trap is arranged in advance.”

“Isn’t this a bit risky?” Xiao Lou looked at the map and carefully analyzed. “Since the bug queen summoned all the bugs to gather at the bridge, these bugs are rushing to the bridge. There might be high level bugs among them. We can’t judge the level of the bugs from their appearance. What if bugs with a higher level than Chief Shao are attracted? Or what if there are too many bugs and we are surrounded?”

“Um… Professor Xiao’s worries are justified.” Shao Qingge stroked his chin thoughtfully. “I am now level 5 and I can deal with bugs below level 5 with ease. They will take the initiative to surrender to me and I can fuse with them without any effort. However, if I meet a level 6-8 bug then I’m really now sure. Fortunately, I’m not just an evolved bug. I’m also a challenger and can use cards.” He glanced at everyone and smiled. “Besides, I have teammates to help me with their cards.”

“Yes, Chief Shao now has dual abilities in his body.” Yu Hanjiang walked over, gently held Xiao Lou’s shoulders and whispered, “Don’t worry. We can think of a complete plan to protect Chief Shao.”

“Okay.” Since everyone had decided, Xiao Lou didn’t have any comments. He looked at Shao Qingge and said, “If we want to upgrade as soon as possible, we have to figure out an upgrade strategy in advance. Killing too many low level bugs will lead to a slow upgrade speed.”

“Yes!” Ye Qi was an otaku who often played online games in his free time. He had the most to say about this point. He took a branch and crouched on the ground while writing. “According to the rules of integration and promotion, Chief Shao is now level 5. If he eats level 2 and 3 bugs, the upgrade speed will be very slow. It is just like a game where high level players will gain little experience killing low level monsters.”

“I agreed with Xiao Ye. If Chief Shao wants to upgrade quickly then it is best to find a bug with a similar level.” Xiao Lou paused for a moment. “A bug of the same level is risky. Perhaps Chief Shao will be integrated instead. Therefore, the most stable way is to find level 4 bugs.”

“Yes, two level 4 bugs are equal to one level 5. If Chief Shao eats two level 4 bugs, it is equivalent to eating one level 5 and he can directly upgrade to level 6.” Ye Qi wrote carefully on the ground. “After upgrading to level 6, he can eat two level 5 bugs to rise to level 7 and so on!”

“However, how do we accurately find the level 4 and 5 bugs to merge with Chief Shao?” Liu Qiao questioned.

Yu Hanjiang replied lightly, “If you can’t find them, we can take the initiative to make them.”

“Yes, we can take the initiative to raise some high level bugs for Chief Shao to merge with.” Xiao Lou’s eyes lit up. “It is like raising a Gu. Find some low level bugs and let them merge while controlling them. Once they have merged to level four then Chief Shao will start.”

“At the supermarket and in the warehouse, there was a fire. The low level bugs sensed danger and started to merge and upgrade.” Ye Qi was excited. “Once Group Leader Yu leads a group over, we will set a fire and they will merge with each other due to panic. In this way, they will quickly merge into high level bugs and Chief Shao can upgrade as soon as possible!”

“The fastest method is indeed to raise the bugs using their characteristic of fusing with each other. We will raise senior ones for Chief Shao to take care of.” Yu Hanjiang calmly concluded.

“……” Everyone glanced at each other.

The first time they saw these bugs, they couldn’t help feeling disgusted and scared. Now they were being treated like mobs and the team was taking the initiative to attract mobs to raise Chief Shao?

They had been in the Spades secret room for a long time and everyone’s psychological capacity had continued to improve. Perhaps they would look at ease when seeing strange creatures in the future.

Yu Hanjiang took a branch and crouched down to quickly draw a route. “In a moment, I will use the light footwork and teleportation cards to wait for the bugs at the main road and lead the bugs to this area.”

He drew a circle on the ground. “Old Mo will make a maze model room downstairs. There are small secret rooms in the maze and each secret room can hold eight people. After entering the maze, the bugs will be scattered everywhere. They will fuse together due to the crisis.”

The moment eight low level bugs fused together, a level 4 bug will eventually be formed to Chief Shao to absorb.

Xiao Lou stated, “Using this method, the number of bugs needs to be strictly controlled. Once exceeded, the fused bug will be higher than the desired level.”

Yu Hanjiang said, “Therefore, everyone needs to help. Allow 16 low level bugs into the model room. After that, control skills will be used on the redundant bugs to control them and stop too many bugs from going in. Xiao Lou will monitor using a drone and count the number of bugs. Once the desired number is reached, he will ask Old Mo to block the model room with a marble wall. Long Sen is responsible for using alcohol to set a fire and Ye Qi and Teacher Qu will control the surrounding bugs.

The group listened to Group Leader Yu’s arrangement and nodded.

In this way, it could be ensured that only 16 bugs would be put into the closed model room. The bugs would be scattered in the maze-like room. After the central location caught on fire, the bugs will fuse and upgrade, leaving two level 4 bugs.

After a wave, Shao Qingge could rise directly to level 6. There was no need to fear the advanced bugs as long as Shao Qingge’s level became higher.

In order to make the plan more secure, Yu Hanjiang asked everyone to wait for midnight when all their card skills will be refreshed before taking action.

Old Mo took out the card in advance and started to draw a new model room.

His Model Room might only be an A-grade card with only one model room and a magnification of 100 times but it was quite easy to use in actual combat. After activating the card, there would be a blueprint with a grid in front of him. Old Mo used the pen that came with the card to draw many lines on the blueprint and drew a maze plan in an instant.

After entering through the door of the model room, the maze would be divided into two forked roads. The forked roads were narrow passages that only allowed one person to pass through, so the bugs had to scatter. The bugs wouldn’t be able to find an exit and at this time, there would be a fire in the maze. The bugs were afraid of fire and would spontaneously merge. They could four two level four bugs at the fastest speed. Then Shao Qingge would merge with them and upgrading would be easy.

Old Mo finished drawing the model room and pointed to the floor plan to explain it to Shao Qingge in detail. “Chief Shao, I left a back door in the model room. You can go through the back door and go left, left, right and right. Then you will quickly arrive in the centre to find the upgraded bugs. The ceiling of the model room is tempered glass. In order to avoid the upgraded bugs using their ability to smash the glass and climb out directly, you need to move fast.”

Shao Qingge took a careful look at the floor plan. “I understand.”

Old Mo’s maze design was complicated and the bugs wouldn’t be able to easily get out. Shao Qingge might not be good at mazes but if the floor plan was shown to him in advance, remembering the route wasn’t difficult for him.

They arranged everything and the group waited patiently. It was late and everyone saw the prompt appear on their floating boxes at the same time.

[8 of Spades Doomsday Escape, the 11th day, 00:00 in the morning]

[Number of challengers remaining: 120]

It was 150 yesterday. The death toll throughout the day was 30 people. Was there perhaps an encounter?

Xiao Lou remembered the over 50 people who formed a temporary alliance last night. This group of people was powerful and the dead shouldn’t be among them. It was likely that some challengers were scattered in other areas. They encountered the bug army and were wiped out.

A simple infection wasn’t directly judged as death, just like Chief Shao who assimilated the bugs. Since 30 people had been erased from the secret room, they obviously weren’t just infected. They must’ve burned to death or lost consciousness after merging with the bugs.

The remaining 120 challengers had to last three days to clear it. At this time, the smartest approach was to hide in a remote corner for three days, fight a guerrilla warfare and don’t actively provoke the bugs.

Of course, this could only be done on the premise that no one in the team was infected. Once someone was infected and wasn’t burned to death by their teammates, the bug queen could feel the existence of this bug at any time and there was nowhere to hide.

At midnight, Yu Hanjiang and Xiao Lou reconnected with Heart has a Tacit Exchange of Romantic Feelings and Ye Qi and Shao Qingge did the same.

All the team members’ card skills were refreshed and Old Mo’s model room was completed.

Yu Hanjiang ordered solemnly, “Prepare for action.”

The moment he spoke, he flew forward using the light footwork and teleportation cards. They only saw a black shadow jumping in the night sky several consecutive times before disappearing without a trace. He went to attract the aggro alone and everyone was worried.

Ye Qi nervously clenched his fists. “Group Leader Yu is flying in the sky and the bugs can’t catch up with him. How can he lead the bugs over?” He paused for a moment before something flashed through his mind. “Use blood?”

Xiao Lou nodded. “Yes, if there is a wound on his body, the bugs will know he isn’t an infected person and will rush to infect him. Group Leader Yu intends to cut his hand to attract the bugs’ attention and lead them back to the community as quickly as possible.”

Xiao Lou had learned of Yu Hanjiang’s plan through the heart channel.

At every critical moment, Yu Hanjiang was obliged to assume the responsibility of the captain. He didn’t dare let his teammates follow him because this approach was too dangerous. After all, he had to go to the bugs and use blood to attract their attention. It would be troublesome once infected by the bugs. Therefore, those who acted had to be alert enough and move fast enough.

The light footwork and teleportation cards were limited and it was really difficult to find another person who could manipulate the two cards flexibly to come and go freely among a large number of bugs. It wasn’t that Yu Hanjiang wanted to be a lonely hero. It was just that for some tasks, it was more convenient to act alone.

Seeing the direction in which the man disappeared, Xiao Lou was nervous. However, he put on a calm appearance on the surface. The team still needed his care and he couldn’t mess up. Yu Hanjiang was on the front line and he had to stabilize the rear!

One second, two seconds…

Xiao Lou was quietly counting the time in his heart while waiting for Yu Hanjiang to return.

Yu Hanjiang flew all the way and in the blink of an eye, he arrived on the road. He placed the Night Pearl on a street lamp.

The light of the Night Pearl allowed him to see countless human footprints in the thick snow. From a quantitative point of view, it was clear that the bug army had rushed to the bridge after receiving the signal from the queen.

Yu Hanjiang lurked behind a tree and waited for the right moment.

Just then, there was a rustling sound in his ears and the squeaking of feet on the snow. Yu Hanjiang frowned and his sharp eyes fixed on the road. Not far away, a large group of bugs was crawling like the tide toward the bridge.

Their bodies were close to each other as they crawled quickly in the wind. The scene of this group huddling together was even more terrifying than the subway station in Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou during rush hour on Monday. In addition, everyone was crawling on the ground and the scene looked eerie.

Yu Hanjiang held his breath and roughly counted. The number in this group easily exceeded 1,000. Based on the crawling ability, they should be upgraded bugs. It was too dangerous to lure so many and he had to wait.

After a while, another large group of bugs crawled over. There were more than before. It was almost comparable to the opening ceremony of a university.

Xiao Lou waited a few minutes but Yu Hanjiang didn’t return. He couldn’t help asking nervously, “How is it? Are you in trouble?”

Yu Hanjiang’s deep and steady voice was heard in his mind. “Don’t worry. There are too many bugs here. We can’t control an army of thousands. I’ll wait and see. Maybe there will be some small and easy to control teams.”

Xiao Lou sighed with relief. “It is good that there is no danger. If it doesn’t work then come back and we will think of a method.”

He paused before adding, “Chief Shao is right. The queen’s signal seems to be an ultimatum. It is for all bugs to rush to the east bridge before 1:00 and to not be late.”

Yu Hanjiang nodded. “Understood. I will look at the situation and then decide.”

Just then, a bug team of around 100 people appeared in the distance. They wore blue and white school uniforms and should be a group of people infected at a nearby school. Yu Hanjiang’s eyes narrowed and he flew up lightly. After several consecutive jumps, he landed firmly among the bugs.

The bugs were taken aback. Then they perceived the blood on Yu Hanjiang’s body and their eyes immediately turned scarlet. They pounced toward Yu Hanjiang with their teeth and nails. The moment they pounced, Yu Hanjiang’s response was extremely sharp and he flew up with the light footwork card.

The bugs pounced on empty air and saw the man flying 50 metres away in a flash. The bugs naturally refused to let him go and hurriedly turned to chase.

They didn’t know that in the darkness, Yu Hanjiang was slightly smiling. He had been waiting for such a number of bugs. Chief Shao finally had plenty of nutrients to absorb.