Dice In The Darkness: Cthulhu Calls

Liu Xing furrowed his brow in surprise when he realized that Hu Li had suddenly disappeared at this critical moment. He had assumed that Hu Li would know about the attack by the water ghost on Zhang Jingxu and the others. It was only logical that she would come to their aid when the time came.

However, now Liu Xing couldn’t help but feel something was amiss. After all, it was almost time for the next crucial moment, and Hu Li should have been staying at her home. Unless...

Liu Xing considered a possibility: Hu Li might have gone to meet Green Willow.

"Let’s put aside the matter of Hu Li for now," Wan Chongshan suddenly interjected. "It doesn’t make sense to discuss it now, and we can’t blame her directly at the moment. So, let’s talk about the gains from killing the water ghost this time."

Liu Xing nodded instinctively and asked, "That’s right, Ling Ishikawa, your team should have obtained some valuable items during this mission. After all, according to the game, when killing Troll and Pig Head Butcher, they drop some good stuff."

Ling Ishikawa nodded and smiled, "Indeed, although Zhang Jingxu unfortunately got killed this time, we did acquire quite a few valuable items. First, Wang Anquan helped us create three beast-catching traps. We specifically requested traps designed to catch wild boars, so if Gu Master Chaxi steps into one, there’s no way for him to escape unless he’s incredibly strong."

"Then, Wang Anquan thought we were going hunting in the mountains, so he recommended some cold weapons like iron knives and spears. These were secondary weapons used by hunters in Panlong Town back in the day. Whether using bird guns or bows and arrows, if you miss your first shot while hunting creatures like wild boars or wolves, you usually don’t get a second long-range attack opportunity. So, we decided to purchase four iron knives that Wang Anquan had at home. For us, untrained individuals, iron knives should be the most convenient weapon, as they have a good range and decent damage. Unlike spears and bows, which require extensive training to be effective."

"It was thanks to the iron knives recommended by Wang Anquan that we had a chance to kill the water ghost. Without them, we would have been defenseless because we couldn’t engage in close combat with the water ghost. Its skin is extremely tough, and many of our attacks didn’t break through. If we had used our fists, we probably wouldn’t have been able to harm the water ghost at all. Fortunately, Wan Chongshan got lucky and managed to cut the major artery on the water ghost’s neck with a single strike, causing it to bleed excessively and lose its fighting ability. Otherwise, we might have all perished there."

"After killing the water ghost, although Zhang Jingxu’s condition was dire, we didn’t forget to take the water ghost’s body with us. It turned out that the water ghost was indeed the Gralki follower mentioned by Xiao Mochen. We took a small bag he had with him, and since we hadn’t received any response from Hu Li, we left the water ghost’s body under Hu Li’s building and came back. So, should we wait for Zhang Jingxu to revive before opening that small bag, or should we open it now?"

Liu Xing raised an eyebrow and shook his head, saying, "Let’s wait for Zhang Jingxu to revive before opening the bag. After all, he paid for it with his life, and he’ll be back in about four or five hours."

"I agree," Wan Chongshan and Li Dian nodded in agreement.

Just then, they heard some commotion downstairs. Liu Xing and the others furrowed their brows because Hu Cang was also on the floor below.

"We haven’t fixed the big hole in the rolling shutter door. Could this be a burglar?" Liu Xing asked Hu Cang.

Hu Cang shook his head and replied, "Although there are indeed burglars in Panlong Town, for some reason, during the continuous heavy rain, no other residents of Panlong Town, except me, would venture out. So, it’s unlikely that it’s a burglar downstairs."

At that moment, someone began to climb the stairs from downstairs.

Liu Xing thought for a moment and said with a smile, "In that case, the person downstairs should be Hu Li. She has a reason to come and find us at this time."

Ten seconds later, the person who arrived on the third floor was indeed Hu Li.

"Sorry for being late," Hu Li said somewhat apologetically. "I was discussing matters with Green Willow about Gralki suddenly heading to the Milky Way. Green Willow agreed with my point of view, and it’s highly likely that Gralki will launch an attack on us after the three crucial moments. So, Green Willow hopes that we can kill the water ghost and Gu Master Chaxi in the next crucial moment. This way, we can quickly enter Panlong Lake and deal with Gralki, who hasn’t fully recovered."

"Because Green Willow is in a special place, I didn’t notice your conflict with the water ghost right away. When I returned from Green Willow’s place, I found that you had already killed the water ghost. However, Zhang Jingxu probably died at the hands of the water ghost, as I can no longer sense his presence. By the way, to express my apologies, I’ve decided to give you the most important material on the water ghost— the water-repellent bead. I’ve already prepared it for you."

As Hu Li spoke, she took out a crystal-clear, pigeon-egg-sized bead from her pocket.

Since Hu Li had acknowledged her mistake, Liu Xing and the others couldn’t say much. They focused their attention on the water-repellent bead that Hu Li mentioned.

Sitting on the outside, Liu Xing didn’t hesitate to take the water-repellent bead that Hu Li had brought out.

The water-repellent bead was a special item that certain water ghosts could condense inside their bodies under specific circumstances. When the user held the water-repellent bead, they could move freely within a depth of ten meters of water without any equipment. However, using it would consume 2d2 MP per minute.

Liu Xing raised an eyebrow and handed the water-repellent bead to Ling Ishikawa beside him, saying, "Well, Miss Hu Li, since this bead is called a ’water-repellent bead,’ I assume its effect allows a person to move freely in the water, right?"

Hu Li nodded and smiled, saying, "That’s right, the effect of this water-repellent bead is to allow the holder to move freely in water at a certain depth. If I remember correctly, it should work in water depths of up to ten meters. However, using the water-repellent bead comes at a cost. For beings like us, whether you’re a demon, a Taoist monk, or a human with cultivation, the cost is your own magical power. But for ordinary people like Mr. Ryuusei here, the cost is your mental strength. So, I’d advise against using the water-repellent bead for extended periods to avoid mental breakdown and drowning."

Liu Xing thought for a moment and jokingly said, "Miss Hu Li, we have only one water-repellent bead, and there are five of us. How about you give us a few more water-repellent beads?"

Hu Li knew Liu Xing was joking but couldn’t help but play along, "Hehe, Mr. Ryuusei, you really have a sense of humor. Do you know how precious this water-repellent bead is? Not all water ghosts can condense a water-repellent bead inside their bodies. This concept of water ghosts is quite broad and can be divided into two main categories. The first category is natural-born water ghosts, also known as Fishmen, Mermen, and the like. They generally live by the sea or in rivers and lakes that connect to the ocean. These water ghosts won’t have a water-repellent bead inside their bodies because they’ve already evolved organs similar to fish."

"The other category is human-turned water ghosts. If a human dies in water with intense resentment, they might become a water ghost. Of course, some malicious magic spells can directly transform a human into a water ghost. However, even if a person becomes a water ghost, their body remains somewhat similar to a human’s. Besides their skin turning pale and smooth, and their eyes protruding slightly, they don’t change much physically."

At this point, Wan Chongshan nodded and said, "That’s right, Miss Hu Li. The appearance of the water ghost you described is exactly how it looked, like the body of a drowned person."

Hu Li chuckled and continued, "If it’s a human-turned water ghost, they will have the foundation to create a water-repellent bead, a colorless and transparent gel-like substance that allows water ghosts to move freely underwater. However, for regular humans, this gel substance is useless. For me, it’s just a somewhat useful material. Being able to obtain a water-repellent bead is a stroke of great luck, as maybe only one in a hundred water ghosts can produce it. So, I’d say you’re incredibly fortunate to have it."

"I see. Thank you for enlightening us, Miss Hu Li. We’ll gladly accept this water-repellent bead," Liu Xing said with a smile.

Hu Li checked her watch and said, "No problem. After all, you killed this water ghost entirely on your own. I just helped you dissect it and retrieve the water-repellent bead. Besides, I can extract some useful materials from the water ghost’s body. Well, I should be going now, trying to finish dissecting the water ghost’s body before the next crucial moment arrives. By the way, would you like a protective suit made from water ghost skin? Water ghost skin has incredibly strong defensive properties."

Everyone’s expression changed, and they shook their heads. As Hu Li had mentioned, water ghost skin was essentially the same as human skin in their eyes.

Seeing their reaction, Hu Li scoffed, "Hehe, I knew you humans are all self-righteous. You requested protective suits made from pigskin, wolf skin, and the like. Now you’re refusing suits made from water ghost skin, even though you’re the ones who killed it. Tsk tsk."

Hu Li said this and then left the room.

Liu Xing and the others exchanged glances, not knowing what to say.

After a while, Wan Chongshan played with the water-repellent bead in his hand and said, "So, how do we distribute this water-repellent bead? We might need to go underwater to deal with Gralki in the future."

Liu Xing nodded; Gralki could operate on land, but as a "Lake Dwellers," it preferred to stay in the water. Hence, water battles might become inevitable in their future encounters.

However, at that moment, an idea suddenly crossed Liu Xing’s mind: he could use the water-repellent bead to search for the Black Flood Dragon in Panlong River. Black cat demon had mentioned that the Black Flood Dragon should still be in Panlong Town, albeit possibly in a restricted or sealed state. Liu Xing believed it might be sealed underwater in Panlong River. Now that the water ghost was dead, Panlong River would likely be safe. Thus, he could use the water-repellent bead for this purpose.

Liu Xing shared this idea with the group, leaving out the part about the black cat demon. As his "underlings," Ling Ishikawa quickly agreed, while Wan Chongshan and Li Dian, after some contemplation, nodded in agreement.

So, for now, the water-repellent bead remained in Liu Xing’s possession.

With all the necessary discussions done, Liu Xing and the others started chatting and relaxing. Unbeknownst to them, time passed quickly, and it was almost midnight, at 11:59 PM.

Liu Xing checked his phone and stood up, saying, "How about we go and check on Zhang Jingxu’s ’corpse’ now and see how he resurrected?"

Everyone agreed with a nod, and they once again placed Zhang Jingxu’s "body" on the table.

As Liu Xing’s watch struck midnight, the sound of rain outside suddenly ceased, and the moonlight poured in through the window, casting a serene glow.

Then, they witnessed Zhang Jingxu’s terrifying wounds healing instantaneously, leaving no scars. His originally pale complexion gradually regained its healthy color.

Next, Zhang Jingxu’s chest began to rise and fall, and his limbs displayed slight movements.

A minute later, Zhang Jingxu finally opened his eyes. However, upon seeing Liu Xing and the others surrounding him, he was so startled that he leaped off the table.

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