Under the dreary rain, the entire city of Coastal had lost its enthusiasm for hosting the national competition. There were hardly any pedestrians on the streets, and the city seemed much more desolate.

"It's been confirmed as an extraordinary power," Zhang Fang said, his expression serious as he listened to Bu Mingrui's report over the phone.

"Yes," Bu Mingrui stated succinctly, "In layman's terms, their souls have been extracted. Although their bodies are still very healthy, if we can't find a way to retrieve their souls, they might be bedridden forever."

Zhang Fang looked at the busy emergency room and said, "Extraordinary power... Can't it really be explained scientifically?"

"That depends on how you define science," Bu Mingrui replied. "If you think only physics and chemistry constitute science, I won't argue with you. But to me, science is anything that can be explained and elucidated with understandable theories. From this perspective, extraordinary power still falls under the category of science for me, at least for now."

"If you're interested, I could send you a copy of the hundred-thousand-word dissertation I just completed," Bu Mingrui added with a hint of anticipation, as this paper concerning the coma symptoms in Coastal City would certainly never be published, and he eagerly awaited feedback from someone who could access this confidential information.

Zhang Fang immediately recalled some terrifying memories and hurriedly said, "No, no, no!"

"It's a real pity," Bu Mingrui sighed. "To explain this matter, I've even constructed an entire model."

"Hehe..." Since meeting Bu Mingrui, Zhang Fang had learned that a scientist's idea of simple clarity was entirely different from his own understanding of the term.

"So, how do you plan to handle this situation?" Bu Mingrui asked.

Zhang Fang knew what he was asking about.

Extraordinary power had invaded Coastal City; that was a fact Zhang Fang wasn't going to cover up.

The directive from above was very clear.

Rescue the souls that had been taken if possible.

If not, evacuate the innocent.

Based on the intelligence gathered so far, it seemed the All-Knowing's operation in Coastal City was to prepare for the descent of the Secret Peeping Man.

The Secret Peeping Man is known to be a fifteenth-tier deity, and its sinister power is not something the current reality's weapons can resist.

Zhang Fang had already prepared for the worst-case scenario.

At the necessary moment, he would press that button.

"We haven't reached that point yet," Zhang Fang said.

Bu Mingrui subtly reminded him, "Don't underestimate the power of the fifteenth tier, Zhang Fang. You've got a fifteenth-tier Follower Card as well; you should know what the power of the fifteenth tier means."

Zhang Fang fell silent.

"I understand. I'll do everything I can," Zhang Fang tugged at his collar and said, "I will handle this matter."

"Are you prepared to make a sacrifice for this?"

Zhang Fang fell silent as he gazed at his Dueling Device.

Above the default deck, his Soul Card shone beautifully under the bright lights of the hospital.

"I am ready at any time."

"Is there someone brought in?" At that moment, a commotion arose outside, followed by several people swiftly carrying a stretcher through the crowd to the emergency room.

Zhang Fang inquired to a nearby staff member.

"Is it another one who fell into a coma after a duel?"

The staff, not daring to slight the inquiry from the leadership, promptly relayed the information to Zhang Fang.

"Yes, he fell into a coma after the duel. However, his case is somewhat different from previous ones," he said. "When he was brought in, his body still responded; he was literally in pain-induced shock."

Different? What's going on?

Could it be that the assault severity from the All-Knowing has escalated?

Zhang Fang glanced at the unconscious person's face and instantly recognized his identity.

The Duel Ghost, Tianxuan Xiaowulang.

No, wait!

According to the intelligence, wasn't he supposed to be employed by the All-Knowing?

"Oh! Director Zhang, I've found you," You Wenqi finally located Zhang Fang at that moment, handed him a deck, and said, "This is Tianxuan Xiaowulang's deck. Probably later, someone from Japan will come asking for it, so let's keep it with you for now."

Zhang Fang immediately inquired for more information.

Upon hearing that Tianxuan Xiaowulang was tormented into a coma by Shen Sui, he fell into silence.

He was unsure how to judge the correctness of Shen Sui's actions.

But regardless of right or wrong, it was indeed quite satisfying.

"Oh, and," You Wenqi added, "according to the gambling card duel rules, Shen Sui drew a card from it. He couldn't be bothered with a Life Card transaction and said he'd keep the card as a memento."

"What card?"

"[Celestial Favor Wave: Do As You Please]," You Wenqi replied.

He had encountered Tianxuan Xiaowulang in battle, so he was very aware of this Spell Card's significance in the Full House deck.

This is a Permanent Spell Card; as long as this card is on the field, the random special summon effect of [Full House] Follower is modified to a search special summon.

The ownership of this card doesn't actually belong to Tianxuan Xiaowulang; he merely had the usage rights from the club.

However, unfortunately, under the gambling card duel rules, any card that exists within the opponent's deck can be chosen, and leasing rights cannot exempt it from choice.

"I guess the club over there will come to hassle Shen Sui later," You Wenqi stated.

Zhang Fang rubbed his temples.

He had underestimated Shen Sui.

The plan was to have Shen Sui obtain the Secret Peeping Man summoning card from Tianxuan Xiaowulang through the gambling card duel, but Shen Sui ended up surrendering the entire deck to him.

Zhang Fang quickly skimmed through Tianxuan Xiaowulang's deck and soon extracted the Spell Card capable of summoning the Secret Peeping Man.

"This card, keep it," Zhang Fang paused, then continued, "As for the remaining cards, wait for them to come for negotiations."

The [Full House] deck is one of the main decks of the Japan B Consortium Club; losing it would be a significant loss for that club. Zhang Fang felt he could leverage this situation to gain some benefits.

At the very least, it could provide a relatively relaxed environment for Huaxia's Life Card Masters during the world championship's Forbidden Card review.

"It seems the situation is getting more severe," You Wenqi said, looking at the comatose Life Card Masters on the hospital beds, his expression serious. "We need to speed up."

He originally partnered with the Exploration Bureau purely for profit, but as the situation worsened, You Wenqi unknowingly developed a sense of responsibility.

They must swiftly clear out the All-Knowing Life Card Masters still present in Coastal City.

"We need not only to stop them, but also to awaken them," Zhang Fang pointed around and said, "We need to find the real Secret Peeping Man."

"By the way," Zhang Fang asked, "Where is Shen Sui?"

"He muttered something about Alice and dashed back to the hotel," You Wenqi responded.

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