Dice In The Darkness: Cthulhu Calls

The lead Scotland police officer rubbed his chin, expressing some confusion. "I’m not entirely sure about this. Right after the shooting incident, the demonstrators began rioting, vandalizing surrounding shops and vehicles. Our weapons and equipment weren’t suitable for suppressing riots, so we decided to retreat to High Church and await support. But as soon as we entered High Church, these troublemakers followed right behind us. So, I believe these troublemakers intentionally came to cause trouble in the cathedral."

Alice nodded, pretending to be mysterious. "Speaking of which, don’t you think there’s something fishy about this shooting incident?"

The lead Scotland police officer raised an eyebrow, smiling. "Of course, it’s obvious there’s someone pulling the strings behind this shooting. Most likely, it’s William orchestrating the whole thing, with plenty of preparations beforehand. Otherwise, how could the riot erupt so quickly? But this is advantageous for us. Even if Scotland can’t break away from the Great Britain Alliance, we can still pressure England into granting us more autonomy and benefits."

Alice smiled again, adding, "Certainly. With England already overwhelmed by the missing foreign tourists case, they’ll be eager to resolve this shooting incident quickly. They’ll definitely make concessions during negotiations. However, the economic losses and casualties caused by this riot will still be a significant blow to us."

"It’s a necessary sacrifice," another Scotland police officer suddenly remarked.

The lead Scotland police officer nodded, sighing. "Indeed, these sacrifices are necessary. After all, over the centuries, our ancestors paid a heavy price in blood to resist England’s rule and secure some degree of autonomy for us. So now it’s our turn to make sacrifices for the sake of future generations... Anyway, it’s still up to you to calm down those foreign tourists. We’re good at catching criminals, but handling calming down people? That’s a different story."

After some consideration, Alice said, "Alright, I’ll take people to calm down those foreign tourists. But I think you can interrogate these troublemakers now, see who sent them here."

The lead Scotland police officer nodded, then grabbed one of the troublemakers and took them outside High Church.

Alice regrouped with Liu Xing and others, saying, "We can be certain now that these troublemakers were instigated to cause trouble at High Church. But we can’t be sure if they’re related to the Cult of the Cadaver. Also, judging by the attitudes of these Scotland police officers, they all seem supportive of William’s actions. So, if they ask about our stance on this matter, let’s align with their views for now. After all, we’re still dependent on them."

Liu Xing nodded, expressing some concern. "If these troublemakers are sent by the Cult of the Cadaver, it means the Cult has already pinpointed our general location. So, we need to make some preparations in advance, like being wary of these Scotland police officers."

"Exactly. If this shooting incident is a joint operation between the Cult of the Cadaver and Scotland, then the Cult can indeed target us through the Scottish police, and we won’t have much room to resist. It’s a clever scheme," Ling Ishikawa said earnestly.

Sometimes, an overt conspiracy is harder to deal with than a covert one.

After a brief discussion, Liu Xing and the others knew they had to maintain appearances, so they began to separate and pacify the frightened foreign tourists.

Of course, Liu Xing’s attention remained on Tian Qing.

Zhang Jingxu naturally noticed Liu Xing’s curiosity, so he brought Liu Xing over to Tian Qing.

"Miss, apologies for the fright," Zhang Jingxu said with a smile.

The girl beside Tian Qing shook her head and spoke, "No need to apologize. I find it rather exciting. I’ve never seen such an intense scene before. But I never expected a police officer like you to speak Chinese."

Zhang Jingxu nodded and shrugged, "I’m originally a Chinese police officer. But due to recent exchanges between Chinese and Scottish police, I’ve been sent here as an exchange officer. Didn’t expect to encounter this incident right away. It seems China is comparatively more peaceful. By the way, you don’t have to call me ’police officer uncle.’ I’m probably around the same age as you."

Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, surprised at Zhang Jingxu’s audacity to tell lies...

"Oh, I see. Let’s get acquainted then, Police Officer Brother. I’m Li Mengyao, and this is Tian Qing," Li Mengyao said with a smile.

Indeed, it was Tian Qing.

A light bulb went off in Zhang Jingxu’s mind, and he said, "I’m Zhang Jingxu. And the cool guy next to me is Liu Xing."

Upon hearing the name "Liu Xing," Tian Qing looked at him with some surprise.

Seeing this reaction, Liu Xing sighed inwardly. It seemed his bold conjecture had come true; this Tian Qing was indeed the Tian Qing he knew.

At this moment, Li Mengyao nudged Tian Qing’s waist and winked, saying, "Tian Qing, who would’ve thought we’d meet your old sweetheart here in Scotland? It must be fate."

Tian Qing blushed and said somewhat embarrassedly, "Mengyao, what nonsense are you talking? Believe me, if we were back home, I’d shut your mouth!"

Li Mengyao chuckled again and said, "Do you think I’d be afraid of you? You can’t beat me anyway. Oh, sorry, the name Liu Xing holds special meaning for Tian Qing, so I got a bit carried away."

Liu Xing nodded and continued to play the aloof role with Zhang Jingxu.

After all, if Liu Xing spoke, he would surely startle Tian Qing and Li Mengyao.

However, Li Mengyao couldn’t help but notice Liu Xing’s aloof demeanor.

She patted Liu Xing on the shoulder and laughed, "Liu Xing, handsome guy, why so silent? If you weren’t so handsome, I’d be tempted to tease you..."

Before Li Mengyao could finish, Tian Qing covered her mouth. "Let’s not pay attention to this silly Mengyao. She’s just being her usual self, joking around. So, let’s get back to the point. When can we leave the cathedral and return to the hotel?"

Zhang Jingxu pretended to ponder for a moment, then sighed, "Given the current situation, you’ll have to wait until tonight at least to return to the hotel. As you all saw earlier, there are many emotionally charged troublemakers roaming the streets of Glasgow, many of whom are armed. Even we police officers dare not venture out to suppress the riots, only hiding here to avoid the chaos."

Tian Qing nodded, curiously asking, "If the situation is so dire, why isn’t the Scotland police taking action immediately to suppress it? Why wait until nightfall?"

At this, Li Mengyao broke free from Tian Qing’s grip and said, "Tian Qing, you don’t understand. Scotland is seizing this opportunity to pressure England. Just now, I saw the news that the police officer shot by that William guy is from England. Given the deep-seated animosity between Scotland and England, allowing the riot to continue unchecked is a way for Scotland to gain more bargaining chips."

Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, impressed by Li Mengyao’s insightful observation.

Tian Qing nodded, realizing, "I see. I didn’t realize the conflict between Scotland and England ran so deep. But if William dies, won’t this riot spread from Glasgow to all of Scotland?"

Liu Xing furrowed his brows, only just recalling that this sudden mission was titled "Scotland Riots," not "Glasgow Riots"!

So, the current Glasgow riots were just an appetizer!

Therefore, if William’s shooting triggered the Glasgow riots, then William’s death might spark the Scotland Riots!

Thinking quickly, Liu Xing gave Zhang Jingxu a meaningful look.

Zhang Jingxu understood and spoke up, "Ladies, why don’t you take a rest for a while? We’ll go get some food for you since you’ll be here for a few more hours."

After Zhang Jingxu finished speaking, he found Ling Ishikawa and the others with Liu Xing.

"Alice, do you know about the status of the Wallace family, where William is from, in Scotland?" Liu Xing asked.

Alice thought for a moment and replied seriously, "The Wallace family’s status isn’t particularly high. At most, they’re considered nouveau riche. After all, if it weren’t for Rogers’ diligent work in establishing Scotland’s most famous real estate company, William would be nothing but a nobody."

Liu Xing nodded and continued, "That spells danger for William. I think the masterminds behind this riot may intend to use him as a scapegoat once again. After all, William holds little significance in their eyes, merely a disposable pawn. And now, to maximize their gains, sacrificing William seems inevitable."

As Liu Xing finished speaking, KP Li Shunchan smiled and said, "Congratulations, player, you’ve triggered the Side Quest ’Fate of the Pawn’ in the sudden mission. Now you can choose to save William. As for the mission rewards, you’ll find out in due time."

Sure enough.

Liu Xing and his companions exchanged glances.

At this moment, Ryuzaki interjected, "Dispose of the rabbit once it’s caught, hide the bow when the bird is cooked. I also believe that William is likely to be killed by the masterminds behind this, because for the sake of authenticity, they probably didn’t give William the scenario of the shooting. After all, a performance without a script is the most genuine."

After some contemplation, Alice spoke up, "Indeed, for the masterminds, William must die now. Once William is dead, the Glasgow riots will escalate into the Scotland Riots..."

Alice hadn’t finished her sentence when her mobile phone rang.

"It’s Chris," Alice said as she answered the call.

One minute later, Alice sighed and said, "Chris just received news that the police officer shot by William is from the London Police Department. What’s more, three other police officers from the London Police Department have gone missing. It’s highly likely that these three officers are heading to the hospital to finish the job. Chris hopes we can go to the hospital now to protect William and prevent the riots from escalating further."

Liu Xing sighed and shrugged, "I would love to go to the hospital to protect William, but we’re practically stuck here."

Although Liu Xing said this, he knew that since this Side Quest had been triggered, the module would surely provide him and his team with the opportunity to go to the hospital.

At this moment, the lead Scotland police officer approached them and said, "Hey, friends, we’ve been given a mission from above to escort the foreign tourists in the cathedral to nearby temporary shelters. So, if you have the time, could you accompany us? We’re short on manpower here."

Alice nodded and smiled, "Of course, we’re here in Glasgow to cooperate with your work."

The lead Scotland police officer chuckled and said, "Thank you, colleagues. We’ll depart in five minutes. Oh, by the way, you can call me Jack."

After Jack walked away, Alice said, "Let’s leave the cathedral with Jack for now and find an opportunity to go to the hospital where William is. Chris is still investigating which hospital William was taken to."

Zhang Jingxu nodded and said seriously, "But what about those people? Dogo Aige and Matsui Yui probably won’t want to come with us, so we must leave Lu Tianya behind as a liaison. So, let’s call Hu Li over."

Everyone agreed with the plan.

Soon, Hu Li arrived at the High Church.

After arranging the security formation, Liu Xing and his team took out their guns and escorted the foreign tourists out of the Glasgow Cathedral.

Outside Glasgow Cathedral, Liu Xing saw chaos everywhere. Vehicles lay overturned on the roadside, their windows shattered.

As for the shops along the street, people were emerging with various items, some even carrying mannequins from clothing stores.

But as soon as these people saw the sudden appearance of so many police officers, they dropped everything and fled.

Liu Xing shook his head at the sight and continued forward.

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