Elemental Card King.

Chapter 167 A Deadly Trap: Tonight is not Christmas Eve.

The night was quiet and still.

22:08 at night.

A streak of silver light pierced the silent night sky as a futuristic, sleek six-engine fighter jet officially landed and parked at Yundu City International Airport.

"Goodbye everyone."

The group began to say goodbye, many of whom had already bought tickets for their return journey with connecting flights.

This separation also signifies the official disbandment of the provincial team.

I don't know when we'll meet again.

"See you at university someday."

Gao Mingxuan went up to Su Chen and gave him a hug. He patted the other man's shoulder and exclaimed, "You seem stronger and more robust than those beasts in the Martial Arts School."

Judging from appearance alone, the tall and well-proportioned Su Chen stands in stark contrast to those whose muscles have bulged like bullfrogs through extreme training.

“This is not nonsense.”

Luan Dehai, standing to the side, said irritably, "The advanced Sun Observation Method uses internal divine light to regulate the cells and meridians of the whole body. This is much more effective than those body-refining methods such as soaking in medicinal baths or standing in a stance to hone muscles and bones."

The former is an external method of meditation, which blesses the limbs and bones from the sea of ​​consciousness, while the latter begins with the training of muscles and bones, constantly digging deeper from the outside in.

The superiority of one over the other is obvious at a glance.

but.

This statement is not necessarily entirely true.

Some top-tier heavy armored warriors often employ a two-pronged approach: they need to deliberately train their bodies to develop a robust muscular physique in order to support their heavy armor.

After his habitual sarcastic remarks, Luan Dehai suddenly sighed to Su Chen with mixed feelings, "I hope you can go further, so that I can have something to brag about in the future."

"You, with your thick eyebrows and big eyes, are trying to get close to me too." Gao Mingxuan was overjoyed.

Luan Dehai said somewhat awkwardly, "Do you think I'm Feng Xingqin? That guy doesn't even bother with formalities anymore. He looks all respectable, but he's really petty."

It has to be said that he was the only one from the Qingyun provincial team to request leave and leave the team, which is indeed difficult to comment on.

Su Chen didn't take it to heart; he politely responded to everyone who greeted him upon parting.

Since the next flight to Donghua City is at 9:00 AM the following morning, he and Xia He will spend the night in Yundu City.

"Let me give you a ride," Vice President Li said with a smile.

With luxury cars providing transportation, they don't need to take the SkyTrain.

Several teachers were also traveling with us. With so many people, Xia He, sitting to the side, appeared very elegant and serene. Reflected in the skyline outside the window, she was as tranquil as a moon lotus.

Her gaze shifted between the neon lights outside the window and Su Chen beside her, remaining silent and unwilling to blend into the lively atmosphere around her.

10 minute later.

The car arrived at the city center, and Xia He got off here.

“A rich woman, huh? The people living here are all either rich or powerful,” Vice President Li said with a smile.

As they set off again, Su Chen's phone vibrated slightly in his pocket. He picked it up and found it was a text message from Xia He.

See you at 7:30 tomorrow. Let's have a meal at the New Moon Teahouse before we leave.

See this.

Su Chen smiled knowingly. Was Xia He just being socially awkward?

However, with so many teachers present, it was indeed a bit difficult to handle.

"Okay, see you tomorrow," he replied instantly.

Shortly after.

Su Chen also got off the bus at Yunwu Mountain Villa.

More than ten days later, he returned to his home in Yundu with the honor of winning the national championship.

Looking at the spacious and empty living room, Su Chen felt a mix of emotions: "How was I? I guess I'm alright?"

As the saying goes, wealth and honor not returned to one's hometown are like wearing brocade at night.

this moment.

He really missed home and wanted to share his joy of winning the championship with his parents in person, but things didn't go as planned.

His thoughts drifted to his aunt and uncle's house in Donghua City, and when he thought of his cousin Tong Li, a bitter feeling inevitably arose in his heart.

Arrived safely at home in Yundu, will be heading home tomorrow.

Su Chen edited a message and sent it to his aunt.

He didn't forget Aunt Jing either, and briefly talked about winning the national championship in the afternoon.

Come back soon, I want to take care of you in your old age, I really miss you.

If Aunt Jing were to have another accident, Su Chen would definitely start to wonder if he was a cursed zodiac sign.

Time passed quietly. After taking a bath to wash away his fatigue, he returned to his bedroom and lay back on the soft, comfortable bed.

I'll skip my bedtime meditation for now.

"I only have three material cards left."

Two four-star spatial textures and one four-star metallic texture.

During this period, Su Chen has cracked many enhancements and successfully contracted eight cards, estimating that his mental strength has reached around 583.

"Feed the space-type materials to the elemental summoning cards first."

The supermodel hero cards on this path to victory share a common effect, 'Gate of All Realms,' which allows Su Chen to generate more summoning arrays after communicating with the elemental realms.

The enhancement is expected to take 17 hours and 15 minutes to complete.

After the successful feeding, the colorless divine card transmitted a clear message.

Considering that the common effect of the elemental field cards, 'Field,' also consumes space-related materials, Su Chen, who was carrying a fortune of hundreds of millions, also thought about spending a lot of money in a couple of days.

Goodnight, Xiaoling.

Before falling asleep, Su Chen looked at the bay window in his bedroom.

The spacious bay window had been transformed into a cozy little nest with various cushions and blankets, and Xiaoling was lying crookedly on it, holding a handheld game console.

After a long day of fighting, the little guy was exhausted.

"Goodnight," it murmured unconsciously.

At 11 p.m., just as Su Chen was about to fall asleep and put down his phone, an unknown number dialed his number.

After a slight hesitation, he finally answered the call.

A very urgent voice immediately came through the microphone.

Get up immediately!

"A hostile armed force is coming to arrest you; be prepared to deal with it."

The moment the other person spoke, Su Chen fell into deep thought.

"Su Chen is probably already asleep."

"According to flight itinerary information and surveillance footage from the Yunwu Mountain Villa area, he has been home for some time."

"Okay, is there a result?"

In an office of the Provincial Card Enforcement Team, a group of people gathered together.

This group includes the director of the crisis management department, the deputy chief of the provincial headquarters, the director of the legal affairs department, and several captains of the law enforcement teams.

Director Liao, who had just arrived, was initially in a hurry, but now, smoking a cigarette, his expression was not as firm as usual, and he looked deep in thought.

"Old Liao, facing the scrutiny of a national champion is like putting us in a fire pit. The Armed Defense Department is unwilling to take on this responsibility and has simply dumped it on us."

Across the desk, a resolute man shook his head and smiled wryly. "Now that he's entered our jurisdiction, shouldn't we ask him to come over?"

This has a terrible impact.

To be fair, this is the first national champion to emerge from Qingyun Province in 55 years. How incredibly rare!

"Regarding the handling of Su Chen, we will first contact the Provincial Card Masters Association by phone and letter."

Director Liao's tightly furrowed brows relaxed, and he said, "Let's first ask the provincial association for their opinion. If there are any problems, we can share the responsibility."

"Should we report this to the Armed Defense Ministry first?"

Captain Hong of the Second Enforcement Team hesitated. In the case of joint enforcement, their provincial enforcement team would be subject to the other party's constraints and leadership. Not to mention, this was a secret joint operation, how could they inform a third-party organization?

"Need not!"

Director Liao said firmly, his tone leaving no room for doubt.

then.

In a short time, he issued a series of instructions.

"As for our colleagues on the list, let them take a temporary leave."

“For ordinary people, we should absolutely not take any big action. Let’s freeze their bank cards first, and stop pursuing the stolen money. After all, they are families receiving assistance. If word gets out, it will have a terrible impact on their reputation.”

"Finally, due to limited manpower, we only arrested a small group of people for investigation."

In this regard.

The key members of the enforcement team present exchanged bewildered glances. This operation was clearly a way of fooling their superiors, and it seemed to carry a sense of leniency.

Furthermore, the entire relief foundation has intricate connections with the dimensional exploration legion behind it.

What happened in the Alliance Council above is completely unknown and beyond the comprehension of these law enforcement officers. However, such perfunctory behavior could lead to severe punishment if they are held accountable.

However, when the current leader issued instructions, the usually easygoing deputy chief had no objections and could only follow them.

The captain of the second enforcement team hesitated for a moment, then gave Director Liao a meaningful look as he left.

At 23:05 PM, a phone call and email were sent to the mailroom of the Provincial Card Masters Association.

"what?"

Upon hearing the news, the staff member on duty that night immediately looked alarmed: "Don't hang up yet, I'll ask for instructions right away."

In the magnificent association building, Wang, the head of the Card Research and Development Department and the highest-ranking leader on duty, quickly received instructions from two levels of government.

He frowned, completely unaware that this national champion had been caught in an inexplicable political vortex.

Didn't think much about it.

The matter was of great importance, and Minister Wang immediately relayed it to the Secretariat.

Through the personal secretary's relay, they finally made contact with the head of the provincial association, President Yan Ruxin.

"Su Chen must not be detained or investigated. If there is any accountability from above, I will take full responsibility."

Without the slightest hesitation, she immediately made a significant promise.

The provincial card game association holds a transcendent position. Although its law enforcement powers are scattered and fragmented, its outstanding overall strength ensures that its influence is considerable.

In cases involving serious issues such as the pursuit of banned cards and the leakage of prohibited materials, their assistance is generally required.

According to outsiders' joking remarks, this is a violent institution disguised as a civilized entity.

"no problem."

The liaison officer from the provincial card enforcement team immediately felt relieved. Now that this hot potato had been thrown away, even if the sky were to fall, there would be someone tall enough to hold it up.

"The list of associations in various regions of the province, totaling 58 people, has also been handed over to the provincial association for them to handle."

This burden must also be thrown away.

The captain of the fifth enforcement team said with a wry smile, "What about the 79 students involved in Yundu University City? What about the university students from other parts of the province?"

It must be said that after filtering out ordinary people, this list of top talents receiving assistance, which was the focus of the investigation, really encompassed the major systems of social operation.

This is only Qingyun Province. If we expand the scope to Xuanhuang Kingdom, then broaden the perspective to Blue Star, and even the entire Great Alliance, it is truly terrifying to think about if this force were united in one place.

"Legend has it that the Dimensional Exploration Legion hides countless riches, so this Rescue Foundation is indeed very problematic."

"This time, things have really turned ugly."

This low murmur reveals, to some extent, the irreversible rift.

this moment.

Even they sensed an undercurrent, an invisible force that, like a whirlpool, would gradually expand, drawing more and more people into it until no one could escape.

"Hopefully, we can get through this night safely."

just.

A message soon arrived: according to intercity surveillance, an armed squad from the Armed Defense Department had already headed towards the Cloud Mist Villa area.

This surprised many people.

They didn't expect that the other party wouldn't accept the guarantee from the Provincial Card Masters Association, and even changed their attitude drastically by personally arresting the person.

"what's the situation?"

You were the ones who were the first to shift the blame.

"Are you the customer service representative from that foundation?"

Su Chen had an exceptional memory and could vaguely discern the source of the familiar voice from its tone.

At least six months ago, he called customer service to specifically inquire why his private information had appeared in the background and why he had become a talent supported by the foundation.

After being transferred to another person, it was ultimately this guy who personally stepped in to handle it.

now.

He also learned the cause and effect.

The root of the problem lies with the 'mole' within his own ranks, namely Lieutenant Colonel Wang Liyang himself, who manually updated his personal information, effectively sending him onto this pirate ship.

Now, the guy playing the customer service representative has also taken the initiative to contact him.

Something's happened. Su Chen's drowsy state vanished instantly.

"Long story short."

"The Armed Defense Department has an armed force that is about to arrive at your location, consisting of five senior card masters, seven technical backbones, and ten law enforcement robots."

You now have two options.

"First, leave Yunwu Mountain Villa and head along Exit A to Yundu Wetland Park, which is five kilometers away. We will have a group of people to meet you soon."

"Second, surrender. Don't worry, even if they had a lot of guts, they wouldn't do anything to you, the national champion. Meanwhile, the people who were supposed to be there to pick you up would safely abduct you."

"."

The voice just fell.

The "customer service" representative's tone had lost all composure. He added anxiously, "There's a problem. The law enforcement robot's firing permission has been upgraded to level 5 threat."

"The elemental anti-magic field has already been deployed outside Cloud Mist Manor. Something's not right. They're treating you like a vicious, wanted criminal."

"listen!"

"You cannot be taken away. Get up immediately, follow my command and prepare to break out. Be sure to stay in touch. I will remotely monitor and adjust your movement trajectory."

this moment.

A satellite, located in low Earth orbit above the stars, is observing all information about this misty mountain village in real time and from all angles.

In a sense, this is like opening the entire map; any enemy deployment is now fully visible to satellite observation.

only.

Before this 'customer service' could convey the next urgent instruction...

"Damn it!"

Communication was disrupted by external interference.

(End of this chapter)