Dice In The Darkness: Cthulhu Calls

Chapter 439: Conclusion of the First Phase



Zhang Jingxu looked at Liu Xing and the others, who were puzzled, and continued, "Zhang Yihang and Wang Ming are outstanding among the new disciples of Shu Mountain Sect, and they are also my good friends. We have met a few times, and it’s like we’ve known each other for a long time. So I know Zhang Yihang and Ming very well. Their abilities are definitely not inferior to mine, especially Wang Ming. He’s exceptionally sharp-minded, known as the ace detective among us Taoists. So, I think your splitting into three groups must be Wang Ming’s plan."

Chen Fuping nodded, smiling, "Brother, you’re right. This plan was indeed arranged by Wang Ming. I’ll rescue a group of foreign tourists first, taking out this information to let the English authorities prepare. Then Zhang Yihang will continue to pose as a hostage heading to London, preparing to disrupt the Cult of the Cadaver’s terrorist attack plan. As for Wang Ming, he’s still at Eins Castle gathering information, wanting to see what the Cult of the Cadaver plans to do next."

"That sounds good. Although Zhang Yihang may seem unreliable at times, he’s clear-headed in important matters. I believe he should be able to stop the Cult of the Cadaver’s terrorist attack planned for London. As for Wang Ming, from what I know of him, he might try to infiltrate the Cult of the Cadaver to gather more crucial information. But we can’t be complacent; after all, I think the terrorist attacks the Cult of the Cadaver is planning might happen simultaneously," Zhang Jingxu remarked.

Alice pondered for a moment, then said with some hesitation, "Fuping, those foreign tourists you rescued are likely intended by the Cult of the Cadaver to be suicide bombers targeting Manchester locals. Now that you’ve escaped with them, it will surely alert the Cult of the Cadaver. I think they must be debating whether to halt the terrorist attack plan."

Chen Fuping shook his head, speaking earnestly, "I don’t think the Cult of the Cadaver will halt the terrorist attack plan. They don’t know my true identity, which is why they only assigned three armed fanatics to escort us. So, logically, the Cult of the Cadaver shouldn’t know that I’ve already overheard their terrorist attack plan through the mechanical beast. They might just think that an accident occurred during the escort, leading to our escape. The fanatics at Eins Castle might not even move."

Though Liu Xing heard Chen Fuping’s explanation, he still felt some worry. If the members of the Cult of the Cadaver were NPCs, then Chen Fuping’s speculations would likely be accurate. However, there were four players stationed in the Cult of the Cadaver, and these players probably had some authority within the Cult of the Cadaver.

Therefore, the players from the enemy camp would likely suspect that the escape of the foreign tourists was related to them. Thus, they might demand that the fanatics of the Cult of the Cadaver withdraw from Eins Castle, or even suspend the terrorist attack plan.

So, whether all this would happen or not was fifty-fifty.

Liu Xing always felt that fifty-fifty odds were the most troubling. It was neither a definite win nor a definite loss.

At this moment, Yi’s People spoke up, "Regardless, we need to go to Eins Castle to see if those members of the Cult of the Cadaver are still there. If they are, we can have Chris send people to monitor Eins Castle. Then, when the Cult of the Cadaver acts, we can immediately know their movements."

Everyone nodded in agreement.

Thus, Liu Xing and the others began to discuss who would go to Eins Castle for the investigation.

To Liu Xing’s surprise, Hu Li stood up at this moment and said, "Let me handle this. After all, I’m much more skilled than you all. Even if the members of the Cult of the Cadaver find me, I can still escape unharmed."

Looking at the confident Hu Li, Chen Fuping was somewhat surprised, "Wait a minute, I just noticed, you are?"

Looking at Chen Fuping’s hesitation, Hu Li smiled and said, "That’s right, I’m a fox spirit. If I go to Eins Castle in my true form for investigation, unless there’s an extremely powerful entity there, the Cult of the Cadaver won’t be able to detect me. So whether I’m discovered or not, it’s good for us."

Liu Xing nodded, agreeing with what Hu Li said. Whether she was discovered or not, it was beneficial.

Because if the Cult of the Cadaver didn’t find Hu Li, then she could gather a lot of intelligence. If they did, it meant Chen Fuping could escape with a group of foreign tourists from the Cult of the Cadaver, likely intentionally. After all, if there was something in Eins Castle that could detect Hu Li’s presence, it would surely catch Chen Fuping’s actions.

Therefore, Chen Fuping nodded and said, "Indeed, I can sense that your strength surpasses mine. Coupled with your racial talent, it’s indeed difficult for others to detect you. However, I must say something unpleasant - can we trust you?"

Facing Chen Fuping’s forceful questioning, Hu Li shrugged and coyly said to Zhang Jingxu, "You can ask Zhang Jingxu whether I am worthy of trust or not?"

Liu Xing raised an eyebrow. Hu Li was stirring up trouble.

"Fox spirit," Chen Fuping and Lu Tianya simultaneously whispered.

Hu Li chuckled again and said, "Thank you for the compliment."

Zhang Jingxu sighed and said with a wry smile, "Miss Hu Li is indeed worthy of our trust. Because Miss Hu Li saved our lives earlier. If it weren’t for her help, we wouldn’t have been able to kill Gralki’s clone."

Zhang Jingxu’s words served as reassurance for Chen Fuping and others who were unfamiliar with Hu Li.

"Alright, I hope Miss Hu Li can understand my suspicion earlier," Chen Fuping reached out his hand and said.

Hu Li chuckled and shook hands with Chen Fuping, saying, "I understand your thoughts very well. After all, there’s deep-seated animosity between our two races. Mutual distrust in unfamiliar circumstances is quite normal. But I hope we can cooperate pleasantly from now on."

"Pleasant cooperation," Chen Fuping said with a smile.

Therefore, it was decided that Hu Li would go alone to investigate Eins Castle, as it was difficult for others to cooperate with her for the mission.

Since Chen Fuping had said what needed to be said, everyone returned to their rooms. Of course, Zhang Jingxu, who had originally planned to leave with Liu Xing and Ling Ishikawa, was persuaded by the imposing gazes of Lu Tianya and Chen Fuping to sit obediently on the sofa.

Liu Xing and Ling Ishikawa, with a mindset of ’live and let live’, ignored Zhang Jingxu’s imploring gaze and returned to Liu Xing’s room together.

"Wow, Zhang Jingxu is really in a tough spot this time," Ling Ishikawa couldn’t help but sigh.

Liu Xing shrugged and said with a smile, "Let’s not talk about Zhang Jingxu. Let’s talk about your character card. I suspect your situation might be worse than Zhang Jingxu’s right now."

Ling Ishikawa instantly felt despondent.

Because Ling Ishikawa also knew that her situation was much worse than Zhang Jingxu’s. Currently, Zhang Jingxu, Lu Tianya, and Chen Fuping were still in a stage of budding romance, and there was still room for mediation. On the other hand, Ling Ishikawa was engaged to Miss Sawada, and due to various reasons, she was designated as Yin En’s girlfriend by the female police officer. This had created a situation where Yin En was trying to have his cake and eat it too.

Most importantly, after spending so much time together, Ling Ishikawa knew that Lu Tianya’s character was actually quite good. Although sometimes she could be dominant, most of the time, Lu Tianya was quite dependent on Zhang Jingxu. As for Chen Fuping, judging from the current situation, her character was also quite good. She dared to question Hu Li and then promptly apologize. She seemed to be a fairly easygoing girl.

So as long as Zhang Jingxu could explain properly, Chen Fuping should choose to let go, and Lu Tianya would forgive Zhang Jingxu’s previous mistakes.

Therefore, Zhang Jingxu’s shura field seemed terrifying, but in reality, it could be easily resolved.

As for Yin En’s shura field, it was like a meteor hitting the Earth.

Because Miss Sawada’s personality was undoubtedly very dominant, and most importantly, Miss Sawada’s strength was comparable to mythical creatures. So Miss Sawada might easily resort to violence, and if she did, she might easily beat Yin En with three punches.

As for the female police officer, although she couldn’t compare to Miss Sawada, her strength was not to be underestimated. It was estimated that she could also easily defeat Yin En.

So Ling Ishikawa knew that if she made a wrong move, she would pay a painful price, even if she didn’t die, she would be disabled.

Seeing Ling Ishikawa’s despondent look, Liu Xing couldn’t help but comfort her, "Come on, Ling Ishikawa, don’t think too much now. As the saying goes, things will naturally become clear when the boat reaches the bridge. Believe in your luck."

Ling Ishikawa nodded reluctantly and smiled, "Indeed, my luck should be okay. So let’s talk about the matters of this module first. I think the Cult of the Cadaver’s terrorist attack is probably just a feint."

Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, somewhat surprised, "Oh, why do you think so, Ling Ishikawa?"

Ling Ishikawa thought for a moment and said seriously, "This is what I think. Although the Cult of the Cadaver’s terrorist attacks in major cities in England can cause a major upheaval in the higher echelons of the English government, the opponents of the Cult of the Cadaver in the English government can easily label them as terrorists. Then, there would be no chance for the Cult of the Cadaver to whitewash their image."

Liu Xing nodded and said, "You’re right, Ling Ishikawa. There is indeed such a possibility. Moreover, if the Cult of the Cadaver pushes their opponents too hard, their opponents will definitely choose to fight back by bringing in foreign forces to deal with them. That would be troublesome for the Cult of the Cadaver. So, if the leader of the Cult of the Cadaver has a normal brain, he should not choose such a radical way to seize power in England. Instead, he should use more moderate means to achieve his goals."

At this moment, Liu Xing heard the sound of dice falling in the hall.

Obviously, Zhang Jingxu had begun his performance.

At this moment, Liu Xing suddenly remembered what Alice had said to him when they were in the elevator.

So, Liu Xing smiled and said, "By the way, I think Ling Ishikawa, you might owe another debt of gratitude, because Hu Li is most likely here for you this time."

Ling Ishikawa furrowed her brows, saying helplessly, "I think so too, because I can feel that Hu Li is interested in me. Or maybe it was when we were in Panlong Town that Hu Li had some bold ideas about me. And now, she probably wants to put them into practice. But fortunately, my character card doesn’t have childhood sweethearts or fiancées..."

Liu Xing smiled again and decided to steer the conversation back to business, "But seriously, I think our chances of winning in this module are quite high. Look, we have a police officer, a mythical creature, and a Taoist Wizard. As long as we cooperate properly, dealing with the Cult of the Cadaver shouldn’t be a problem."

Ling Ishikawa nodded, but with some concern, she said, "In theory, that’s true. But the problem now is that our main quest hasn’t been determined yet, right? I think the main quest of this module might be quite tricky."

Liu Xing then remembered that the main quest of this module was somewhat special, as it was conducted in stages. So, even though it seemed like the final main quest would be to thwart the Cult of the Cadaver’s conspiracy, who could be sure?

So, Liu Xing couldn’t help but contact KP Li Shunchan, "KP, our first stage mission has been completed, right? Why hasn’t the second stage main quest started yet?"

KP Li Shunchan chuckled and said, "Liu Xing, you don’t need to be so anxious. Although the first stage mission has indeed been completed, it’s not yet time to trigger the second stage. So please be patient."

Liu Xing nodded and smiled, "Then, KP, can you tell us now if we will have any allies?"

KP Li Shunchan thought for a moment and said seriously, "It doesn’t matter if I tell you now, because in the second stage, there will be some NPCs that can be recruited by both player factions. At that time, players from both sides will have to use their own abilities to recruit these NPCs. However, some NPCs can provide you with great help, while others may hinder you. There may be significant conflicts between some NPCs. If you recruit one NPC, the NPC with whom they have a conflict may refuse to join you. If, by the end of the second stage main quest, there are still NPCs who haven’t been recruited by any faction, they will randomly join a faction. Of course, they may also choose not to join any faction."

Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, thinking that the second stage main quest seemed quite interesting.

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