F-class thief? Sorry, I can steal anything.

Chapter 212 Can I borrow your blood...?

The world behind the door is an endless expanse of pure white.

As far as the eye could see, there was nothing there.

"Shouldn't we wait for Miss Mu and the others?"

Wang Fugui instinctively raised the tower shield in front of him, scanning his surroundings warily, his voice kept extremely low.

However, the next second, Mu Wanqing's calm voice suddenly rang out behind them.

"No need to wait any longer, we've arrived."

Chen Yifan turned his head to look.

Mu Wanqing and her guard Zhao Hu appeared out of thin air less than 3 meters away from them.

"We are a group, bound together."

She added.

A knowing glint flashed in Chen Yifan's eyes.

"Click—"

Suddenly, a barely perceptible cracking sound came from the distant horizon.

Immediately afterwards, the crack spread wildly like a spider web, and the entire pure white space began to tremble violently. Large chunks of "white" peeled off like plaster, revealing the deep and cold outline of the city behind it.

"Holy crap! What happened?"

Wang Fugui was so shocked by the scene of the world collapsing that he took a step back.

Lin Xiaoyu also instantly entered combat mode.

Crimson vines were wrapped around her body.

Be ready to launch an attack at any time.

Looking at the three people who seemed like formidable enemies, Mu Wanqing spoke calmly.

"Don't be nervous, you can think of it as... an entrance animation."

Her gaze lingered on Chen Yifan for a couple more seconds without her noticing.

Of the five people present, besides himself and Zhao Hu, he was the only one who remained unusually calm from beginning to end.

A few minutes later, the sensation underfoot changed from nothingness to solidity.

The cold, metallic feel emanates from the sole of the shoe.

A lifeless metal corridor has replaced the previous pure white space.

At the end of the corridor, an even larger metal door blocked the way, with a few lines of words scrawled on it in scarlet paint.

Welcome to the Forgotten City.

"Please find your [ID card] within thirty minutes."

Otherwise, you will be eliminated.

A cold countdown appeared below the text: 29:59.

"Clear? What does that mean? What does 'clear' mean?"

Wang Fugui stared at the constantly fluctuating blood-red numbers, his heart pounding, and he felt a dryness in his throat.

This is too exciting! There's no tutorial, and the game starts with a death countdown right away.

Zhao Hu's face also darkened. He stepped forward and reached out to touch the cold metal door, trying to find some mechanism or clue.

"Don't waste your energy." Mu Wanqing's voice remained calm, as if she had expected this situation. "The rules of the 'Cage of the Winners' have always been simple and brutal. When it says 'clear,' it means exactly what it says."

dead.

Although the word was not spoken, it weighed heavily on everyone's heart.

"What are you waiting for! Hurry up and start looking!"

Wang Fugui was as anxious as an ant on a hot pan, and turned to rush into the depths of the corridor.

"stop."

Chen Yifan's voice wasn't loud, but it made Wang Fugui, who weighed over 200 pounds, come to a sudden stop.

All eyes were focused on Chen Yifan.

"Fanzi, what time is it? If we don't look for them now, it will be too late!" Wang Fugui said anxiously.

Chen Yifan ignored him and walked to the metal door. He reached out and gently touched the blood-red painted characters.

A sticky, cold sensation came from my fingertips.

The paint isn't completely dry yet.

"Interesting." Chen Yifan withdrew his hand, looked at the glaring red on his fingertip, and said in a low voice.

"Kid, what kind of charade are you pulling now?" Zhao Hu's voice was filled with undisguised annoyance and skepticism. "Is this the time to show off your intelligence? We only have less than thirty minutes!"

In his view, Chen Yifan's leisurely attitude was simply playing with everyone's lives.

Mu Wanqing didn't speak, but her gaze was fixed on Chen Yifan, waiting for an explanation.

"Don't rush." ​​Chen Yifan turned around, a familiar, harmless smile on his face. "The more critical the situation, the calmer you need to be. Otherwise, you can easily fall into a trap you've set."

"A pit? What other pit is there besides this broken door and this broken corridor?" Zhao Hu scoffed.

"The pit is right in front of us." Chen Yifan pointed to the words on the door.

"Find your ID card," he read out, emphasizing each word. "Pay attention to the word 'your'."

"This means that each identity card is unique and linked to us. Since there are five of us, we need to find five different cards."

"Isn't that obvious?" Zhao Hu interrupted him impatiently.

"No, that's obvious." Chen Yifan shook his head, his smile unchanged. "This is precisely the first trap."

"It's using the word 'your' to imply that we should split up and each find our own cards, because that's the most efficient way."

"What's wrong with splitting up?" Zhao Hu asked in return.

"This is a huge problem." Chen Yifan's gaze swept across the deep, deathly silent metal corridor. "Are we being forced to split up our newly assembled team in a completely unfamiliar and perilous environment?"

"Do you think the organizers would be so kind as to design an easy beginner's mission for us?"

Zhao Hu fell silent.

He may be reckless, but he's not stupid.

Chen Yifan's words were like a bucket of cold water, instantly extinguishing the anxiety in his heart.

Yes, what is the "Cage of the Winners"? It's a meat grinder!

How could the starting mission be so simple?

If they act separately, the person left behind will almost certainly die if they encounter danger.

"So, this is a test of obedience," Chen Yifan concluded. "It's testing whether we'll choose to split up hastily for quick results, or whether we'll choose a more stable approach of teamwork."

"Fanzi, do you mean we have to act together?" Wang Fugui understood.

"That's right." Chen Yifan nodded. "Not only will we act together, but we're not looking for 'your' ID card, but 'our' ID card."

"What's the difference?" Zhao Hu still couldn't figure it out.

"The difference is that any card we find belongs to the entire team. It doesn't matter who finds it first." Chen Yifan's gaze swept meaningfully across Mu Wanqing and Zhao Hu's faces.

"This way, internal conflicts caused by fighting over cards can be avoided to the greatest extent possible."

A hint of approval finally flashed in Mu Wanqing's eyes.

This man not only saw through the trap of the rules, but also subtly established the tone of teamwork with his words at the first moment, eliminating the potential for internal strife.

This scheming made her feel somewhat uneasy.

"Okay, I agree." Mu Wanqing stated succinctly, "From now on, Chen Yifan, you will be in charge."

"Young Miss!" Zhao Hu exclaimed in surprise. He couldn't understand why Mu Wanqing would hand over command to such a mysterious young man.

Mu Wanqing merely glanced at him coldly.

Zhao Hu immediately shut his mouth.

"Since the boss has spoken, then I won't stand on ceremony." Chen Yifan didn't refuse at all and readily accepted the command.

He walked to the middle of the corridor and closed his eyes.

[Shrewdness]

An invisible sense of perception, like a tide, spread in all directions of the corridor.

This corridor is very long and has a complex structure.

The walls, ceiling, and floor are all made of the same cold metal, forming a seamless whole without any gaps.

However, in the perception of the "Mind's Eye," the energy flow inside these seemingly indestructible metals is not uniform.

On the left side of the corridor, about fifty meters away, inside a wall, there was an energy node, extremely faint, yet like a firefly in the dark, clearly displayed on his perception map.

"Over there." Chen Yifan opened his eyes and pointed in that direction.

"Walk."

He didn't explain much, but strode over and was the first to walk over.

Wang Fugui and Lin Xiaoyu followed without hesitation.

Mu Wanqing followed.

Only Zhao Hu remained, standing there, his face alternating between pale and flushed.

He couldn't understand why Chen Yifan was so sure there was something on the other side when it was clearly just a wall.

Was it a fluke?

Or does he really have some special ability that he doesn't know about?

After hesitating for a moment, and watching the crowd walk further and further away, Zhao Hu finally followed them while cursing.

He wanted to see what tricks this kid could pull!

The five of them quickly arrived at the wall that Chen Yifan had pointed out.

It was exactly the same as the rest of the corridor.

Smooth, cold, and perfectly fitted.

"Kid, what do you say now?" Zhao Hu crossed his arms, his tone full of sarcasm. "Do you want us to tear this wall down?"

Wang Fugui scratched his head, looking confused.

"Fanzi, there's...nothing here."

Chen Yifan ignored them and simply reached out and gently tapped on the wall.

"Thump, thump, thump."

A dull, solid sound.

His brow furrowed slightly.

wrong.

The energy node is clearly right here, so why...?

He closed his eyes again, focusing his mental energy intensely, condensing the perception of his [Mind's Eye] into a thin needle, and pierced that energy node.

hum-

A faint stream of information flowed back into his mind.

That is not the structural information of the object.

Instead, it was a... sound?

"...If you want...the key...you must...pay...a price..."

A broken, hoarse voice, seemingly from ancient times, echoed in his mind.

cost?

What price?

Chen Yifan opened his eyes and his gaze fell on the wall.

Then, he suddenly turned his head and looked at Zhao Hu with a smile.

"W-what are you doing?"

Zhao Hu felt a little uneasy under his gaze.

"Could I... lend you some blood?"