The Mysterious Card Maker: Starting with Zhang Jiao's Deification

"Okay, you guys follow me." Qin Muyao's voice rose a few decibels as if she had caught something.

"You still have the nerve to say that? Didn't you see all those corpses on the road? They were all killed by some kind of supernatural being. You should be grateful you're still standing here!"

"I...I just wanted to try livestreaming it for fun."

"Live stream?" The middle-aged man's voice rose several octaves. "If something happens to you because of this stupid live stream, I'd rather have your dad keep you at the company and watch you every day. That way, our whole family will have peace of mind."

"I don't want to. Working at that company is so boring." Qin Muyao put her hands on the middle-aged man's arms and said coquettishly.

"That's still better than you coming here to die." The middle-aged man's tone softened considerably.

He glanced at Lin Fan standing beside him and said in an unfriendly tone, "He's the one who appeared in your live stream. I heard from your second aunt that there's another one, right? They didn't bully you, did they?"

"No, no!" Qin Muyao quickly shook her head. "If it weren't for them, I might not be able to see you now."

"I told you not to mess around. I told you to bring those cards for self-defense, but you didn't." The middle-aged man poked her head impatiently.

"Second Uncle, those cards are disgusting. If you gave me some nice and useful cards, I would definitely treasure them every day."

"You're such a busybody. Hurry up and get out of here. The Card Master Association should be dealing with the Ghost King of this Ghost Tide soon." Watching the ghostly mist gradually fade away, the middle-aged man sighed and led Qin Muyao outside.

Seeing this, Lin Fan followed. It was better to leave this awful place as soon as possible. Who knew what kind of terrifying monster might appear next time? He didn't have any extra cards to deal with it.

On the way out, I happened to pass by the Garden Community. The ruins of the security room were still intact, with several corpses scattered among the rubble, and a faint smell of blood permeated the air.

At that moment, a man was digging something. Lin Fan recognized him immediately; it was the man he had hidden with in the security room earlier. Seeing this, he immediately went over and said, "Stop digging! Everyone who stayed here is dead."

"It's all your fault. If your card hadn't been so useless, she wouldn't have been buried here by that evil spirit, and she wouldn't have died."

The man grabbed Lin Fan by the collar, his eyes red-rimmed, his voice trembling, his eyes filled with sorrow.

Lin Fan stumbled as she pulled him, but he didn't struggle or explain.

What could he say? That Zhang Jiao's thunder magic didn't kill the evil spirit? That those defensive cards couldn't stop it at all? That he himself almost died there?

These are all true, but saying them now is like rubbing salt into the wound, since no matter what, the dead can't come back.

"Say something!" the man roared, tightening his grip even more. "You have cards, don't you? You can summon, can't you? Why is she dead? Why?!"

The bodyguards then realized what was happening. Two burly men quickly stepped forward, grabbed the man's arms on either side, and pulled him away from Lin Fan.

"Let me go! Let me go!"

Lin Fan stood there, looking down at the Zhang Jiao card in his hand. What could he say? Zhang Jiao's lightning magic hadn't dealt with the evil spirits immediately, otherwise they wouldn't have died.

Qin Muyao remained silent for a few seconds. From their conversation, she roughly knew what had happened. Even after Lin Fan intervened, he still couldn't protect these people, and they were still killed by the evil spirits.

Qin Muyao, who had previously mistakenly believed that he had killed these people, now looked at Lin Fan with less wariness.

After the bodyguards dragged the man away, Qin Muyao stepped forward and stood beside him: "Aren't you going to explain?"

Lin Fan glanced at her and shook his head: "Does explaining it bring the person back to life?"

Qin Muyao was momentarily speechless. She opened her mouth as if to say something, but ultimately remained silent.

As the eerie fog slowly dissipated, the view became clear under the glow of the setting sun. The once bustling residential area now only had a few buildings standing, leaving behind only ruins after the eerie tide.

"Is this the end?" Qin Muyao asked, looking up at the dim sky.

"bite"

The phones of several people present rang at the same time.

Lin Fan opened it and took a look.

[Alert lifted for the unpredictable tide]

[Card Master Association confirms: Purple Domain-level Ghost King has been defeated]

The casualty list is currently being compiled.

"It's finally over." Lin Fan stuffed the corner card into his pocket, his expression becoming much more relaxed.

"What's your name?!"

"Lin Fan, what about you?"

"Qin Muyao!"

She took a step forward and lowered her voice: "Can we make another one of that card you're using?"

"I can't make one. Cards with names on them are unique," Lin Fan said.

"Could you make me something else? The price is negotiable."

Lin Fan looked at her, remembering that he only had zero yuan left in his card and the 80,000 yuan debt he owed, and immediately replied, "Okay!"

"Here, give me your contact information!" Qin Muyao said with a smile.

After exchanging contact information, Qin Muyao was about to say something when the middle-aged man walked over and grabbed the back of her collar.

"Alright, alright, let's talk about it when we get back." He nodded to Lin Fan. "Young man, thank you for saving Mu Yao. If you need anything in the future, feel free to contact me."

He took out a business card and handed it to Lin Fan.

Qin Chuan, Vice President of Qin Group

The following is the phone number.

As he dragged Qin Muyao away, a group of people approached them, all dressed in dark uniforms with the Card Master Association's emblem embroidered on their chests. They were the same group who had left the defense cards in the security room.

"Second Master Qin, what are you doing here?" The leader was taken aback at first, then quickly stepped forward.

"Isn't this the same little girl, always running around everywhere? Luckily, she hasn't caused you any trouble."

"Second Master Qin, what are you saying? Miss Qin's arrival is a great help to us; how could she possibly cause any trouble!"

Qin Chuan smiled and asked, "How was the Ghost King this time?"

The man's smile faded slightly: "Fortunately, it's still under control. The Ghost King has been dealt with. It's just that the scope of the impact this time was too large... As you can see, this neighborhood is basically ruined."

Qin Wenyuan nodded, his gaze sweeping over the surrounding ruins: "These are minor issues; they can be rebuilt. What about the casualties?"

"The statistics are still being compiled."

Qin Wenyuan was silent for a few seconds, then patted him on the shoulder: "I will have someone from the Ghost Tide Foundation contact you. If you need money later, just contact them directly, no need to go through any procedures."

The man's expression relaxed, and he nodded repeatedly: "Thank you, Second Master Qin."

After exchanging a few more pleasantries, the man was about to take his leave when he suddenly remembered something and turned back to add, "By the way, Second Master Qin, there's something else I need to remind you. This time, the Ghost King's 'mark' has disappeared."

Qin Wenyuan frowned: "Disappeared?"

"Yes, every time the Ghost King appears, it will randomly mark one person. The marked person will continuously attract monsters until the next wave of monsters appears, at which point the mark will be removed." The man's tone became a bit somber.

"But this time... we didn't find the person who was marked."

"You mean someone in this area has already been marked?" Qin Chuan asked.

"Yes, anyone in this area could be a potential candidate, including Miss Qin!"

Hearing them talk about her, Qin Muyao said, "The records say that those who are marked will survive the next strange tide and receive a great opportunity. If it really is me, then wouldn't that opportunity be mine?"

Qin Chuan immediately tapped her head: "Pah, pah, pah, it couldn't be you."

The middle-aged man from the Card Association gave a wry smile. "It definitely won't be Miss Qin. After all, apart from those people recorded in ancient books, no one can survive after being marked."

Qin Muyao felt a chill run down her spine and instinctively moved closer to her second uncle.

Lin Fan stood a few steps away, listening to their conversation, and subconsciously touched the corner card in his pocket.