The Card Apprentice

Except for people like Wei-ah—and including Lu Xiaoru—everyone was stunned as they looked dumbfounded at the viewing area.

It was completely blank.

If anyone had come into the room, they would certainly have found the scene quite strange. There were several dozen people staring speechlessly at a blank place as though they were lost souls. Several of them were even subconsciously muttering something. It wasn’t comprehensible, and they probably didn’t know themselves what they were reciting.

Chen Mu was quite satisfied with such a result. Any card master would feel fulfilled if a card he’d made could shock people like that.

Everyone was immersed in their shock for more than ten minutes. They looked like clay figures just stuck there. The room was struck dumb.

Taking a look at the time, Chen Mu had to give a light cough. In that silence, the sound was ear-piercing. The employees abruptly awoke and gradually returned to their senses.

“That is just too fantastic, Boss! Good god! This is certainly the most incredible fantasy card ad I’ve ever seen! You are really too much, Boss!” Bu Qiangdong was nearly incoherent and looked as though he couldn’t wait to crawl on the floor and kiss Chen Mu’s shoes.

The other employees were all reacting to the point where they were about to burst open the entire Heaven’s Wings building, though most of them were too excited to say anything.

Chen Mu remained placid. He looked at Bu Qiangdong as though he had something to say. He had to remind him, “We don’t have much time.”

Bu Qiangdong’s face had reddened from the excitement, but it wasn’t only him. Apart from Chen Mu and Wei-ah, the faces of all the employees of Heaven’s Wings went red as though they had been drinking. The temperature in the room had shot up.

“Don’t worry, Boss; I’m going out to expedite the sound card!” Bu Qiangdong didn’t say another thing as he pushed open the door and ran outside looking like he wished he had two longer legs.

Chen Mu couldn’t help but cough again.

Everyone’s gaze then immediately converged on Chen Mu, all of them with fanatical expressions. They knew they had a lot of work to do, so they weren’t noisy and just calmly watched him. The fanaticism together with the silence created a palpable contradiction.

“Now, I’m going to explain this card to everyone…”

* * *

Qian Mingyi was sitting on the sofa rubbing his temples. He looked exhausted. Those two days trying to buy all the advertising slots from all of the communications platforms had nearly wiped him out. He and his subordinates had used up a lot of energy. The Central Island Firm was working madly to give itself the biggest advantage.

Money had been flowing like water, but the results were clear. They had parlayed most of the prime-time advertising slots on most of the influential communications platforms. It was too late for Qian Mingyi to be distressed by the huge expense. They still needed to continue their efforts.

Pouring a big mouthful of coffee, a tough look flashed through Qian Mingyi’s eyes. This would be their last stand!

There was a knock on the door.

Qian Mingyi returned to normal, going back to the sofa and saying calmly, “Come in.” He knew the more he was in crisis, the more calm and stable he needed to appear. That was the only way to keep those under him from panicking.

“The director from Heaven’s Wings has brought the fantasy card advertisement,” his subordinate reported.

Qian Mingyi was stirred. “Oh, ask him in right away.” That Heaven’s Wings was pretty efficient after all. He only hoped the ad wasn’t too shabby. Even a layman like him knew that to finish a big ad in two days would be very difficult. But, they were riding the tiger and couldn’t dismount; there was so little time left. Whether or not the fantasy card advertisement was any good would directly affect the end results.

Several fantasy card firms had already sent over their works, but none of them had satisfied Qian Mingyi.

Bu Qiangdong had the same kind of heavy exhaustion on his face, and his eyes were bloodshot. But, his spirits were fine; Qian Mingyi even felt he was a little hyper.

“I hope we haven’t disappointed!” Bu Qiangdong took a look at Qian Mingyi and couldn’t help but let out a sigh of relief.

Qian Mingyi rushed to say, “Little Yu, hurry up and pour some tea for Director Bu, and then bring some snacks.” He then said to Bu Qiangdong, “Sit. You’ve been working so hard.”

Bu Qiangdong hurriedly gave the fantasy card advertisement to Qian Mingyi. “Take a look Uncle Qian, and see what needs to be fixed.” Although his tone was respectful, his face looked full of self-confidence.

Taking the fantasy card advertisement Bu Qiangdong was handing over, Qian Mingyi turned very solemn. The strength of Heaven’s Wings’ reputation couldn’t be approached by any other company, and he had the highest expectations for them.

“Bring in the generator, and tell everyone to come,” Qian Mingyi ordered.

A generator was set up immediately in Uncle Qian’s office. His competent subordinates from the company all filed into the not-so-big office. Off to the corner, Bu Qiangdong was contentedly drinking tea and eating pastries. Watching those Central Island Firm employees all talking softly, he suddenly filled with anticipation! He was really looking forward to how the elite of the Central Island Firm would look in front of the ad.

“Begin.” Qian Mingyi spoke softly, though it hushed all the voices immediately. Everyone’s gazes had gone to the display area.

Once it lit up, dense foliage suddenly appeared. It was huge, and even the dark green veins were clearly visible. The foliage opened up, and the viewing area started to rhythmically shake, creating a powerful illusion. It was as though they were struggling forward in the dense foliage with different depths underfoot.

The foliage was always crowding in, and when it opened up and retreated back, more would appear in front. There was always a myriad of staggered branches with the sunlight only visible through the gaps between them. The sounds of rustling vegetation and people breathing were barely audible.

By that point, quite a few Central Island Firm employees had gotten excited. Just as the so-called laypeople were becoming unruly, those in the know were still watching the route. There were many professionals among the employees. Seeing the jumble of seemingly ordinary vegetation looking so realistic was enough to show how accomplished the one who made them was. He had arrived at a rare place to be able to make such realistic effects with low-grade fantasy cards. There was no lack of outstanding card masters among them, but even they were stunned.

The most praiseworthy thing was the rhythmic shaking of the entire viewing area. That almost imperceptible change enlivened the whole scene and sharply increased the viewers’ sense of immersion. The shaking of the scene was precisely matched to a person’s forward pacing. Plus, it kept zooming in and getting clearer until it blurred the vegetation that was moving backward. It was as though they were all struggling through a dense and windless jungle.

There was a roar!

The growl of a wild beast suddenly sounded, and the looks on quite a few people’s faces changed to the point that some almost unwittingly retreated.

The growl was deep and penetrating as though some king of the jungle were proclaiming his majesty!

The generated scene shook more violently, and the dense foliage retreated more quickly. The atmosphere then became suddenly tense as though the world of the viewing area had transformed.

The generated breathing sounds became huskier and more urgent.

Just at that point, the field of view pulled back, and the audience could see the entire scene.

There was a twin-hooked beast not far away from some adventurer. There was about 50 meters between them, though it was all dense foliage. The scene kept pulling back until a small team of about 50 adventurers could be seen several kilometers away from him. They were scattered into smaller squads, and their faces were all anxious as they desperately called out a man’s name—Ah Wei.

With dizzying speed, the viewing area zoomed in on the twin-hooked beast, and everyone could clearly see what it looked like. Those two flexible, scorpion-like hooks with its mountainous body plus the contemptuous look in its two fierce eyes froze the heart!

It was too real! It was simply the same as reality!

In the corner, Bu Qiangdong heard the cold breaths sucked in like a chorus, which sent his vanity through the roof. He gave a little laugh as he continued to bury himself in the snacks.

The breathing sounds became more and more hoarse, and everyone could clearly feel the huge pressure felt by that card artisan looking for a path. Everyone was about to break down! There were people among the crowd who were clenching their fists, and gulping sounds could be heard increasingly from all over.

The trembling card artisan took out a small ball with an antenna. The logo of the Central Island Firm was clearly visible on it. At the same time, he activated the communication card in his apparatus. His hand was trembling through the entire process, and some among the viewers had turned white. The urgency of life and death seemed to have pressed in on them, filling them with empathy.

Everyone could see what the card artisan looked like. He wasn’t more than a tender youth of 17 or 18. He must have gotten lost from the gang of adventurers.

The tip of the antenna on the signal ball was flashing as each second of that moment was drawn out.

The communications device on the wrist of the leader of the card artisan team searching for him suddenly sounded from the viewing area. He called out in surprise, “It’s Ah Wei!” Everyone immediately surrounded him, and the leader hissed for them to be quiet. They immediately calmed down.

The communications went through, and a pallid-faced youth with a trembling voice begged, “Team… team leader… I… in front of me… there is a twin-hooked beast!”

At the same time, the twin-hooked beast seemed to have heard his breathing, and his face twisted to the youth’s position.

The looks on the card artisans’ faces surrounding the screen all changed, and the gaze of the cautious team leader suddenly froze. He had discovered an arrow-shaped blaze on a tree to the right of the youth. He became excited. He knew where the youth was!

That was a mark he’d made earlier.

He suddenly yelled, “The tree to your right!”

The youth quickly turned his gaze to the tree to his right.

“Do you see the arrowhead? Follow the direction of the arrowhead and run!” the team leader blurted out. “Fast!”

The twin-hooked beast discovered the youth’s position just when his voice fell, and a fierce look came to its gaze as its four hooves sprang to action. It was like a small mountain as it charged toward the youth, causing the ground to quake.

The youth responded right away, and his face turned even whiter. Without any hesitation, he followed the direction of the arrowheads in a mad bolt!

The scene kept rapidly changing—the team leader leading the madly running troops, the fleeing youth, the aggressive twin-hooked beast. It was tense enough to take one’s breath away.

The youth was in a tough spot as he tried frantically to escape with his face full of terror! The twin-hooked beast was getting closer and closer, looking as though it would bite his neck.

Among the Central Island Firm employees watching, the timid had already fainted.

The team leader had just seen the youth on his screen, and his round eyes were suddenly angry.

“Ah Wei! Fight!”

Countless light beams came shooting in from all over, and the colorful energy bodies were like brilliant fireworks! The dazzling fireworks dispersed, and the dark viewing area was left with only a line of text: “Central Island Communications – Jungle Communications Technology. Partners invited!”

The office fell into absolute silence!