Chapter 98: Chapter 98: Ace of Spades: Boot Cat

VROOOOM—

A sleek hovercar flew past on the road. Its streamlined body had a mirror-like white finish, and its exterior was a shimmering hologram of ghostly green flames.

The tailfin jutted up proudly, its four exhaust ports spewing long jets of blue-purple fire.

"Yahoo!"

Bai Qimeng, sitting in the driver’s seat, slapped the V-shaped steering wheel, her pretty face alight with excitement.

"Onward to the Maze!"

SLAM!

She floored the accelerator, and the engine roared. The speed on the holographic dashboard shot past 300. After overtaking one Hovercar after another, she zipped past an oncoming railcar with inches to spare.

WHOOSH—

Sitting in the back, Wang Xi hurriedly closed the window, shutting out the howling wind and plunging the car into silence.

He glanced out of the corner of his eye at the blurry, elongated streetscape, tightened his grip on his seatbelt, and said with a sigh of resignation,

"Miss Bai, this is the city. Slow down a little."

"Huh?" Bai Qimeng gripped the steering wheel with one hand and waved her other index finger in the air like a conductor.

The car’s smart system received the gesture command and cranked up the volume. Instantly, the entire cabin was filled with the noise of beeps and boops and an "OONTZ OONTZ" beat.

"What did you say?"

Bai Qimeng burst out laughing.

"I! Can’t! Hear! You!"

Seeing her play dumb, Wang Xi glanced at the max speed of 1000 displayed on the holographic dashboard and felt a sense of dread.

’This woman isn’t actually planning to street race, is she?’

When he’d first gotten in, he’d been captivated by the Hovercar’s stunning looks and had even asked Bai Qimeng about it.

She had told him it was her family conglomerate’s flagship luxury car, the "Phantom Checkmate: Queen," with a price tag of over twenty million.

Wang Xi’s heart, which had been full of anticipation, promptly died.

He had played it cool and said it was nothing special.

But that just made Bai Qimeng nod in agreement, adding that any random car from her villa’s garage was better than this one.

Wang Xi’s dead heart immediately began to rot.

"I said, slow down!"

He took a deep breath and practically roared.

"There are a million roads to take, but safety always comes first!"

This time, Bai Qimeng finally reacted.

She let go of the steering wheel, turned around in her seat to face the back, and asked with a puzzled look,

"Sorry, friend, I really can’t hear you. Could you say that again?"

"Watch the road!!"

Wang Xi’s heart leaped into his throat.

He noticed that not only had Bai Qimeng’s long legs not left the accelerator, she had just stomped it to the floor. The entire Hovercar shot forward like a rocket, the speed soaring past 500.

The streetscape outside the side windows flowed like a liquid, a terrifying sight.

"Hahaha!" Seeing the young man’s tense expression, Bai Qimeng couldn’t help but cackle. "A Professional Warrior who’s afraid of a car crash? How lame!"

"Actually, I am afraid of that."

Wang Xi’s expression turned serious, and he added grimly,

"But I’m more afraid of my client dying in a high-speed traffic accident. That would cost me a five-million-credit contract."

"Tch!" Bai Qimeng gave a flippant smile but reined it in, easing off the accelerator as she explained, "Relax. This car might be a little basic, but it’s equipped with an L5 autonomous driving system. Plus, with the traffic radar and data models the Shanshan Conglomerate built for Valley City, the error and accident rate at full speed is only a few tenths of a percent."

"..."

Wang Xi clicked his tongue.

’So this is what luxury cars are like in the new era?’

’I want one so bad.’

’But it’s way too expensive. I could never afford it.’

...

...

Thanks to Bai Qimeng’s lead foot, they made it from the Valley City Central District to the old district in the northeast corner in under half an hour.

And the Maze entrance was located right here.

In an abandoned bookstore called "Lead Type Oasis."

The hover-supercar streaked by in a brilliant flash of light before coming to a smooth stop in an empty lot dozens of meters from the store.

HISS.

Octopus-like supports extended from the chassis, propping the car up off the ground.

The gull-wing doors swiveled open, and Wang Xi stepped out.

He looked up to see rows of blue-and-black tents encircling the bookstore entrance, with caution tape strung up everywhere. The area had long been sealed off by the authorities, and access was forbidden.

Personnel from the Overlook Bureau bustled about inside, while heavily armed members of the Defense Team stood guard outside, as still as statues.

"This is the only fixed entrance within the high walls of Valley City. It leads to the Maze designated Black Spade A, ’Boot Cat’."

Bai Qimeng came over, with Lin Xin’Er in tow.

She patted Wang Xi’s shoulder, then clasped her hands behind her back and strode toward the tents with the air of a leader.

"Let’s go, handsome."

Wang Xi said nothing and quietly followed.

At the tent entrance was a registration and inspection desk, where Bai Qimeng produced a document and handed it over.

Wang Xi glanced at it. The cover of the document had three large words printed in red: "Maze Access Application".

Clearly, Bai Qimeng had come prepared.

That previous "matchmaking" commission had just been a test of Wang Xi’s "interest factor." All one could say was that Bai Qimeng’s screening process for companions defied all logic.

A female staffer in an Overlook Bureau uniform carefully reviewed the document, nodded, then picked up a stamp and pressed it down firmly.

THUMP!

"I need to verify both of your Hero Certificates."

The woman looked up at Wang Xi and Lin Xin’Er.

She had already recognized them, so she added, "Sorry, it’s standard procedure."

"Understood," Wang Xi nodded.

He and Lin Xin’Er handed over their IDs.

BEEP BEEP.

"All set." After swiping the cards on a machine, the staffer smiled and handed them back, saying sincerely, "I wish the three of you a safe return."

The trio continued down the tented corridor.

Wang Xi noticed many long metal tables set up inside, holding screens and incomprehensible machines—likely the Overlook Bureau’s monitoring equipment for the Maze.

They soon entered the abandoned bookstore.

The first floor was completely empty, all its bookshelves, tables, and chairs having been cleared out. Guided by two staff members in protective suits, the three of them entered the employee break room.

As soon as he walked in, Wang Xi saw a purple vortex clinging to the door of a metal locker.

’Maze entrances really are bizarre,’ he thought.

Besides the three of them, another group was in the bookstore’s employee break room.

Five fashionably dressed young men and women.

The leader, a young man with a ponytail, was holding a selfie stick and cracking jokes to his phone with a grin.

He seemed to be livestreaming.

A red-haired girl in the group noticed Wang Xi’s party, and her eyes lit up.

"Hey, hey!" she said, tugging on the ponytail guy’s sleeve and turning to her friends. "It’s Xi’Er and Xin’Er!"

Xi’Er...

The corner of Wang Xi’s mouth twitched at the nickname.

The group of youths all turned to look.

"?!"

The ponytail guy’s jaw dropped.

He quickly lowered his voice, said something to his phone, and then flipped the selfie stick around. The front-facing camera immediately caught Wang Xi’s group, and the livestream chat exploded.

"Holy shit?!"

"Streamer, did you step in dog shit today? Your luck is insane!"

"Six Gods and Miss Xin’Er are teaming up for a Maze? Damn, this is so hype!"

"And who is that Sister Shuai with them? She looks pretty classy. Don’t tell me she’s a rich lady?"

"Streamer I donated 10 Credit Points, go get me an autograph... and if you can, smell Miss Xin’Er’s shoes for me."

"A god-tier opportunity for views just fell into your lap, and you’re not seizing it? What are you waiting for, go talk to them! I’m dying of impatience over here!"

"Hurry, hurry, hurry! I’m the King of Impatience!"

"Dumbass streamer."

The young man with the ponytail watched the cascade of comments, his expression flickering.

He hesitated for a moment, but ultimately, his thirst for views won out. He called out to his companions and strode forward, selfie stick in hand.

With a shameless grin, he said,

"Hey there, you three. My name is Liu Wenjie. I’m a Maze Streamer with Feng Mei, and I have over seventy thousand fans..."

"Stop. I’m not interested in who you are," Bai Qimeng said, holding up a hand to cut him off. She sized him up. "What’s your level?"

"Uh," the young man scratched his head sheepishly, exchanging a glance with his companions. "I’m Professional One Star, and they’re all Amateur Ninth Rank."

"Alright, alright."

Bai Qimeng pursed her lips and waved her hand dismissively.

"Teaming up is out of the question. Go play by yourselves."

Ignoring the group any further, Bai Qimeng led Wang Xi and Lin Xin’Er straight through the Maze entrance.

"..."

The young man with the ponytail stood there, his face a mask of embarrassment.

He glanced at his phone’s livestream, which was filled with gleeful comments.

But soon, a series of donation notifications with shimmering special effects flooded the screen:

"Viewer ’SheSaidFirecrackersStainedItBlack’ has donated 10,000 Credit Points! Note: Follow them, there’s a huge reward in it for you!"

"Viewer ’TrainingMySphincterToSnapCheaters’ has donated 5,000 Credit Points! Note: Go! Get the footage!"

"Viewer ’JiBoHaoYang’ has donated 6,666 Credit Points! Note: Hurry up, I want Six Gods’ autograph!"

"Viewer ’ImmortalWithUnderwearOnHisHead’ has donated 2,000 Credit Points! Note: If you don’t go, another streamer will. You only get one chance, so figure it out."

"Thank you all for the donations!"

Liu Wenjie’s face lit up with ecstasy as he hastily offered his thanks.

Then, he gritted his teeth, as if making a decision that would shame his ancestors, and said in a low, determined voice,

"The Maze resets every minute! If we don’t follow them now, we’ll never find them!"

"Let’s go!"

With that, he gripped his selfie stick and became the first to step into the purple vortex on the locker door.

The four young men and women behind him shared a look, then followed Liu Wenjie into the Maze.

VWOOM—

After a wave of indescribable dizziness passed,

The world had changed.

When Liu Wenjie and his group came to their senses, they found themselves standing on a deserted asphalt road.

A bright moon hung high in the deep, dark night.

A cold wind blew from nowhere, kicking up old newspapers and flyers as a hazy mist began to spread.

"Brother Jie, look!" a delicate-looking young man with glasses exclaimed, pointing down the road.

Everyone looked.

In the distance stood a temporary Circus tent. Wrought-iron braziers hung inside its fence, and the faint sounds of laughter and chatter drifted toward them.

The figures of Wang Xi, Lin Xin’Er, and Bai Qimeng were already growing smaller in the distance, about to enter the Circus.

"This is..."

Liu Wenjie’s face paled.

"One of the hardest scenarios in the Black Spade A ’Boot Cat’ Maze... file number 014, the ’Circus’!"

"Quick!" he urged his companions anxiously, breaking into a run. "If we don’t find out what kind of tickets they bought, we’ll lose them!"

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.