Dice In The Darkness: Cthulhu Calls

Liu Xing couldn’t help but ponder whether he should try to contact King Hastur in Yellow Robes, to inquire about what he should do now...

Lost in these thoughts for a while, Liu Xing couldn’t come up with a reasonable plan.

Just then, there was a knock at the door.

Liu Xing snapped back to reality, quickly put on some clothes, and went to open the door, only to find an unexpected visitor—Juri Sonoda.

Raising an eyebrow, Liu Xing said somewhat surprised, "Juri, why are you here so early?"

Liu Xing glanced at the clock in the room; it was only five-thirty in the morning.

Juri Sonoda looked around before smiling and saying, "Let’s talk inside first. I have something to ask you, Ryuusei."

Liu Xing nodded, knowing that Juri Sonoda’s visit was most likely related to Yis People.

So, Liu Xing stepped aside and invited Juri Sonoda into his room.

Sitting opposite Juri Sonoda, Liu Xing said, "Alright, Juri, feel free to ask whatever you want. I promise to be completely transparent."

Juri Sonoda nodded, sighing, "I’m here to ask you, Ryuusei, what exactly happened in the driver’s cabin of Yueshihao?"

Liu Xing frowned, feigning confusion, "In the driver’s cabin of Yueshihao? Wasn’t it about Morimoto Academy colluding with the fanatics from Yueshihao, attempting to sacrifice the students from our class to their so-called god? And then, thanks to the efforts of Big Brother Liu Xing and Big Brother Yin En, we managed to thwart their conspiracy."

"No, Ryuusei, you’re lying!" Juri Sonoda asserted. "Although I initially thought the same, after the incident at Morimoto Academy, I realized that you and your classmates are not ordinary students who are unaware of what’s happening. After all, this is reality, not some anime. How could you, as ordinary students, dare to oppose the Deep Sea Gospel Society? Isn’t that suicidal? Moreover, in the driver’s cabin of Yueshihao, when both Liu Xing and Yin En were already unconscious, it would have been impossible for you to kill the fanatic named Bai Hecheng. So, I believe that the one who killed Bai Hecheng must be you, Ryuusei."

Liu Xing was momentarily speechless. He hadn’t expected Juri Sonoda to guess so accurately, and at this moment, he couldn’t find any rebuttal.

After all, Liu Xing couldn’t possibly say that he was just a passionate high school student fighting for love and justice against the Deep Sea Gospel Society.

So, Liu Xing decided to admit it straightforwardly, "Yes, I was the one who ultimately killed Bai Hecheng. Before entering the driver’s cabin of Yueshihao, I was alerted by you guys. I realized that these fanatics might do something crazy, so I was prepared. When Bai Hecheng thought everyone was incapacitated by him, I struck... Of course, Bai Hecheng’s resurrection afterward was completely unexpected."

Having gotten the answer she wanted, Juri Sonoda sighed and said, "Indeed. I suspected something was amiss from the start, but I didn’t expect it to be true—that you, Ryuusei, killed Bai Hecheng. However, this is also a good thing... Well, let’s get to the point. The main reason I came to find you today is because Liu Xing, after awakening, has been acting strangely. Apart from losing his memories from Island Nation, I’ve noticed significant changes in his personality and behavior. Normally, someone who simply lost their memory wouldn’t undergo such drastic changes."

Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, finally understanding why Juri Sonoda had come to find him today. She had noticed something odd about Yis People.

But now the question arose: how should Liu Xing respond to Juri Sonoda?

Liu Xing had two choices before him. The first was to feign ignorance and claim he didn’t know why "Liu Xing" had changed so much, which was a safer option.

The second choice was to indirectly suggest that "Liu Xing" had been possessed or controlled by Yis People, giving him the opportunity to convince Juri Sonoda to become his informant, helping him monitor Yis People’s movements. However, this approach carried considerable risk. Liu Xing couldn’t be sure if Juri Sonoda would fully believe him, and he also worried that Yis People might discover Juri Sonoda’s covert actions, which could be detrimental to her.

So, Liu Xing fell into contemplation for a moment.

After a while, Liu Xing finally made up his mind and said, "Juri, based on what you’ve said, I think Liu Xing must have been possessed or controlled by some fanatic or mythical creature using magic spells."

"What?!" Juri Sonoda exclaimed in astonishment.

Liu Xing sighed, saying resignedly, "Juri, you know about Honda Tetsuya, one of the casualties in the Morimoto Academy incident. You’ve seen him at Yueshihao. He was my homeroom teacher. After experiencing the Yueshihao incident, I noticed something odd about him, just like you described Liu Xing. Sometimes his behavior is completely out of character. So, I began to suspect and consulted with a professional, who suggested that Honda Tetsuya might have been possessed or controlled using magic spells. Initially, I couldn’t believe it, but after seeing Honda Tetsuya’s condition before his death, I had to accept the truth."

As Liu Xing finished speaking, KP Li Shunchan chuckled, "Liu Xing, you’re quite a storyteller. You’re really pushing the boundaries of role-playing here."

Liu Xing’s explanation was a mixture of truth and speculation. If KP Li Shunchan was indulging in role-playing himself, Liu Xing wouldn’t protest. However, knowing KP Li Shunchan’s style and their relationship, Liu Xing believed KP Li Shunchan would turn a blind eye and not intervene.

So, this time, Liu Xing had made the right gamble.

However, at that moment, the sound of dice hitting the ground was heard—a clear indication that KP Li Shunchan was assessing whether or not Juri Sonoda had been convinced.

After a moment, Juri Sonoda finally spoke up, "Indeed, I’ve also felt that Liu Xing seems to have changed, but because I’m not well-versed in this area and don’t have any professionals to guide me, I wasn’t sure of my thoughts... But then again, is there still a way to lift the Magic Spells on Liu Xing and allow him to regain control of his body?"

Seeing Juri Sonoda’s expectant yet anxious gaze, Liu Xing nodded, saying, "There is indeed a way, but I’ll need to spend a considerable amount of time preparing various materials. If everything goes smoothly, it’ll take only three months, but if luck isn’t on our side, it could take a year."

In Liu Xing’s plan, he intended to familiarize himself with the difficulty levels of the Hound of Tindalos area through a module after smoothly advancing to that region, and then confront Yis People.

So, based on the average time spent on recent modules, Liu Xing estimated that he wouldn’t face Yis People in a 1v1 module for at least three months. After all, the next advancement module was a wilderness survival type, which would require at least a month to pass.

"I can wait, as long as you, Ryuusei, have confidence in helping Liu Xing regain control of his body," Juri Sonoda firmly stated.

Liu Xing nodded, smiling, "Alright then, after we leave England, I’ll search for those materials. However, during this time, I’ll need you, Juri, to monitor Liu Xing’s every move, or rather, the false Liu Xing’s every move. If anything seems amiss, please inform me as soon as possible. Of course, Juri, you need to be careful too. If the false Liu Xing realizes you’re monitoring him, you could be in danger."

Juri Sonoda chuckled confidently, saying, "You can rest assured about that, Ryuusei. My primary profession is a journalist, and you can trust in my acting skills. The false Liu Xing definitely won’t suspect that I’m keeping an eye on him."

Seeing Juri Sonoda’s confident demeanor, Liu Xing had nothing more to say. After all, he couldn’t tell Juri Sonoda that the current false Liu Xing was Yis People, who relied on his intellect.

"Alright, I should go now to avoid any misunderstandings from arising due to someone noticing me coming to see you so early," Juri Sonoda said as she stood up.

After Juri Sonoda left, Liu Xing couldn’t help but sigh in relief. Now, his chances of reclaiming the "Liu Xing" character card from Yis People had increased by at least twenty percent.

As it was still early, Liu Xing decided to catch some more sleep. Fortunately, this time, he didn’t dream of R’lyeh again.

When Liu Xing woke up again, it was already nine in the morning. Heading to the hall, he noticed that everyone except Hu Li was already up, chatting in small groups.

Seeing Liu Xing, Ling Ishikawa spoke up, "Ryuusei, breakfast is in the kitchen."

Liu Xing nodded, grabbed a sandwich and a glass of milk from the kitchen, and sat down next to Ling Ishikawa.

Just then, the elevator doors opened, and a somewhat disheveled Hu Li stepped out.

Observing her condition, Ling Ishikawa asked, "Hu Li, what happened? Did the Cult of the Cadaver discover you?"

Hu Li shook her head somewhat embarrassedly, laughing, "I wasn’t discovered by the Cult of the Cadaver. It’s just that there were no cars going to Eins Castle last night, so I had to make the trip back and forth on foot, which left me looking a bit disheveled."

Alice nodded, saying, "Eins Castle is indeed in a remote location and not on the main road, so the traffic there has been significantly reduced by more than half since the series of disappearances of foreign tourists. Especially at night, the traffic has dropped to less than one-fifth of what it used to be. So, Hu Li, it’s understandable that you couldn’t hitch a ride."

Taking a seat, Hu Li began, "Well, let’s not dwell on these details. Now, let me tell you about what I saw and heard last night. Because of Eins Castle’s tight defenses, I only conducted a peripheral investigation to avoid arousing suspicion. From this, I can roughly confirm that there are about fifty Cult of the Cadaver fanatics inside Eins Castle, with around twenty or so kidnapped foreign tourists. As for Ghouls and Deep Ones, I didn’t spot any yesterday."

"In addition, I discovered a cleared area in the garden behind Eins Castle. Although it was still empty, I believe it’s intended for Ritual Ceremonies, with the remaining foreign tourists in Eins Castle likely serving as sacrifices. Also, I noticed that the small town outside Eins Castle seems to be under the control of the Cult of the Cadaver, as many of their fanatics were resting there."

Liu Xing couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow.

During the clearance of the Castle module, Liu Xing had already suspected collusion between the residents of Eins Town and the Castle Lord, and now it seemed to be confirmed.

"In that case, the Cult of the Cadaver has indeed turned Eins Castle into an important stronghold. So, we need to inform Chris to send someone to monitor Eins Castle. But the most important thing now is, where have those Ghouls from Eins Castle gone?" Zhang Jingxu wondered.

Yis People pondered for a moment before saying, "Those Ghouls might have gone to help the Deep Ones."

A sudden realization dawned.

After all, the Main quest had entered its second stage, and players from both sides had begun contacting those neutral NPCs.

If enemy faction players wanted to contact Matsui Yui and her father, they would have to help the Deep Ones chase after them with the Ghouls.

So, perhaps the first battle of this module was about to begin.

"But then again, Manchester is an inland city. Would the Deep Ones really hide in Manchester?" Ryuzaki asked curiously.

Alice chuckled and replied seriously, "Although Deep Ones prefer living in water, they can still freely move on land. However, their combat capabilities on land are definitely inferior to those in water. So, this is probably why the Deep Diving Society sought the help of the Cult of the Cadaver."

As Alice finished speaking, the mobile phones of Liu Xing, Ling Ishikawa, and Zhang Jingxu all rang simultaneously.

Liu Xing took out his mobile phone to see a message from Dogo Aige.

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