Day of Imprisonment

They had executed similar plans more than once.

In the ten-person team, some specialized in contacting people, communicating, and gathering information; others were physically strong and good at fighting.

Lü Ting and Qiukui divided them into two groups.

Strategy Group and Combat Group.

The Strategy Group had four people, and the Combat Group had six. The latter was led by Li Feng, and they all carried weapons: knives, axes, hammers. Each person also took some precautions, such as wearing helmets to protect their heads during fights, and stuffing thick books into their chests and stomachs.

These things were surprisingly good protection.

The girl who had recently joined their team was assigned to the Strategy Group. She was tasked with contacting the hotel owner to obtain the keys.

"This time, we're guaranteed to get four [Memories]. If we can clear the level, everyone present will get an extra [Memory], which means we'll make a profit," Lü Ting calculated the gains. As the leader of the small group, she had many things to consider.

Fortunately, Qiukui was there to help her share the burden.

Li Feng was good at fighting, so gradually, Lü Ting and Qiukui took over the decision-making aspects completely.

"I'll also go inside with the Combat Group in a bit. You handle things outside. Notify us immediately if there are any unexpected situations," Lü Ting said to Qiukui.

Having spent this time together, they became good friends because of their compatible personalities.

"Be careful yourself, don't rush to the front. Even individual killers have varying strengths," Qiukui reminded her.

"Don't worry, there are many of us. We got through it when there were only three of us, let alone now that Li Feng has cards that enhance his strength. He's not the same as before," Lü Ting smiled.

"I think we should confirm the situation inside the hotel again. Currently, we're only listening to the newcomer who provided the information, and many situations haven't actually been verified," Qiukui hesitated before expressing her concerns.

"If we do that, it will be difficult to carry out the plan during this cycle day once we alert the enemy. If we drag it to the next cycle day, each of us will have to spend a [Memory]. Although we've accumulated a bit now, our foundation is still too weak. Any cycle day without gains will leave us stretched thin. Qiukui, I know your concerns, but we need to seize the time and develop quickly, otherwise, the team we've worked so hard to build will fall apart."

Therefore, they need to obtain at least ten [Memories] every cycle day to break even.

Qiukui naturally knew this situation, so she didn't say anything more.

Immediately, everyone acted according to the plan.

The newcomer went to find the hotel owner. A few minutes later, she came back and handed a set of keys to Lü Ting.

The keys had labels corresponding to the room numbers.

They singled out the four rooms where the four killers were located.

"Four killers, three men and one woman. According to the information registered at the hotel, the female killer is in room 304. Let's start with this soft target. Remember, don't make too much noise, otherwise, it will easily be noticed by the other killers," Lü Ting instructed.

"Don't worry, we know what we're doing," Li Feng said, holding a two-foot-long knife in his hand. In addition, he also had an outdoor survival axe tucked into his waist.

The other men in the Combat Group also carried various weapons. Some took off their backpacks and placed them in front of their chests.

There were iron plates in the backpacks, providing strong defense.

"Open the door," Lü Ting handed the key to a member of the Combat Group in front. The latter went to the door of room 304, first listened carefully, and when there was no movement, he cautiously and carefully inserted the key into the keyhole and slowly turned it.

The action of opening the door was also done as quietly as possible. After the door opened, he took out a sharp knife and nodded to the others, then sneaked in. The people from the Combat Group followed in, and the last one was Lü Ting.

At this time, Qiukui glanced at the team members in the hallway who were responsible for keeping watch and monitoring the rooms of the other killers. These people all gave a safe gesture.

Next, they just needed to wait.

But it wouldn't be too long. At most a minute, the killer in room 304 would be dealt with.

Ideally, they would kill the killer silently. If they made a noise, they would need to change tactics. The worst case scenario would be to alarm the remaining three killers at once.

Lü Ting had already prepared some portable explosive devices, using things that could be bought from hardware stores and supermarkets, including sugar, detergents, alcohol, deodorants, cotton thread, and iron nails, as well as some gasoline, layered into canned bottles.

They only needed to connect the layered separating paper with a thread, pull it out suddenly, and mix those things together, and there would be a bang, bursting out an explosion powerful enough to kill the target at close range.

But this was the last resort, and they would avoid using it if possible.

The explosive devices were installed at the doors of the other three killers, connected to the door handles, hanging there, which meant that if the people inside wanted to come out and twist the door, it would trigger the explosion.

Time passed second by second.

Suddenly, screams and loud noises came from room 304.

"Something happened!" Qiukui's heart jumped. She was at the door and immediately opened it, but the situation in the room filled her with horror.

Many of the Combat Group members had fallen.

Now, only Li Feng was holding on.

Even Lü Ting had fallen in a pool of blood. She was covered in blood. Seeing Qiukui open the door and come in, she turned her head and shouted directly: "Run!"

The reason was simple.

There wasn't just one female killer in room 304, but five.

Four men and one woman, and they were all here.

When Qiukui saw the situation in the room, a thought instantly popped into her mind.

A trap!

This was a standard trap. It could be seen from the opened closet and torn curtains that people had been hiding there before. The people in the Combat Group had jumped into this trap without knowing it.

Needless to say, the newcomer who joined them had a problem.

But now was not the time to consider this.

Without saying a word, Qiukui rushed over and helped Lü Ting up.

She found that both of Lü Ting's arms had been cut off, and the scene was extremely bloody.

They already knew about the existence of card rings. Qiukui immediately saw an arm falling on the ground. It was Lü Ting's. She immediately picked it up and dragged Lü Ting out.

When she was about to leave the door, Li Feng was also knocked down.

"Run, you guys run."

Until the last moment, Li Feng was still shouting, trying his best to buy Qiukui and Lü Ting a chance to escape.

The five killers were strong, especially with the surprise attack, which caught the Combat Group off guard. This result was not surprising.

Qiukui carried Lü Ting on her back. Her heart was racing, her mind was blank, and she only knew to run downstairs.

At the very end, she exhausted her last bit of strength and ran out of the hotel entrance, immediately causing a commotion among the passersby outside. Many people gathered around, and when Qiukui looked back, she found several killers holding knives standing at the door.

They didn't chase after her.

Perhaps it was due to the limitations of the scene area.

But Qiukui didn't feel any sense of relief.

Because this meant that, apart from her and Lü Ting, all the other companions had been left inside.

Someone called an ambulance, but after the ambulance arrived, Qiukui found that Lü Ting's eyes were dim.

She was dead.

Fortunately, at the last moment, Qiukui put Lü Ting's card ring on her body. Watching Lü Ting's body disappear, Qiukui breathed a sigh of relief, at least indicating that Lü Ting had preserved her memory.

Qiukui didn't know how she got through the following time.

She was taken into custody by the police and interrogated, but before that, Qiukui had already swallowed her own card ring into her stomach.

She didn't say a word in the face of questioning.

Because it was not necessary, as long as today passed, everything would be reset.

Instead, she used this opportunity to think.

Thinking about what exactly happened today and why it failed.

Without a doubt, the person who had recently joined them was a spy. This was originally a setup by the other party, but how did the other party collude with the killers?

Then, what exactly was the other party?

Also, the companions who fell on the ground at that time didn't seem to be killed, but only injured and disabled.

What were they trying to do?

Suddenly, Qiukui realized a possibility.

"What if those people aren't killers?"

As soon as this possibility appeared, Qiukui felt goosebumps all over her body.

If they weren't killers, then it meant that the hotel wasn't a certain scene either.

They had been deceived from the beginning.

The newcomer who joined them was the same as them, and the few 'killers' who were ambushing in the hotel were actually the same as them, they were also Recollectors. Their purpose was to snatch card rings and cards.

In an instant, she understood.

The things that she couldn't understand before suddenly made sense.

At this moment, anger filled her heart. Qiukui shouted and struggled like a madman, cursing, to vent the hatred in her heart.

Immediately afterwards, she felt fear.

If the other party was not a killer, but a 'Recollector' like them, it meant that the other party also knew the weaknesses of the Recollectors.

They would never leave any hidden dangers and would cut the grass and eliminate the roots, that is, plunder all the cards of everyone.

Qiukui thought of many things, and tears welled up in her eyes in an instant.

And the following time was simply a torment for her.

Finally, the midnight bell rang.

Qiukui's eyes went dark, and the next moment, she sat up from the bed. Without saying a word, she found the phone and dialed Lü Ting's number.

She was afraid that the other party wouldn't answer.

She was even more afraid that the other party would answer and then ask in a strange tone: Who are you?

For a few seconds, she was as anxious as a criminal waiting for sentencing.

Finally, the phone was answered.

"Qiukui, meet me at the old place!"

Hearing this sentence from Lü Ting, Qiukui finally breathed a sigh of relief.